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This Cottage Cheese Banana Bread is soft, moist and loaded with mini chocolate chips, with 7 grams of protein per slice from blended cottage cheese. It’s lightly sweetened with maple syrup, takes about 15 minutes to mix up, and can be made with all-purpose or oat flour for a gluten-free option.
Notes From My Kitchen
My Banana Cottage Cheese Muffins have gone viral on Instagram more than once, and they’re one of the most loved recipes in the Choosing Chia community. Ever since I shared them, so many of you have asked for a loaf version and wanted to know if the batter would work as a banana bread.
A muffin batter doesn’t always bake up the same way in a loaf pan, so I did a couple of rounds of testing to get it right. The result is this cottage cheese banana bread: the same batter you love from the muffins, baked into a tall, moist loaf with a nice protein boost compared to a standard banana bread.
It’s the kind of easy, everyday banana bread that works for breakfast, an afternoon snack or dessert.
Recipe Highlights
- High in protein: Each slice has 7 grams of protein thanks to the cottage cheese. For an even higher protein option, try my Protein Banana Muffins.
- Stays moist: The cottage cheese keeps every slice soft and moist.
- Lower in sugar: It’s sweetened with just 1/3 cup of maple syrup and ripe bananas.
- Gluten-free option: Make it with oat flour (or a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend) for a gluten-free loaf.
- Easy to make: All you need are two mixing bowls and about 15 minutes of prep.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Overripe bananas: Use bananas that are very brown and spotty, not yellow. They’re where most of the sweetness comes from. You’ll need about 1 cup mashed, and don’t go over, because extra banana adds too much liquid to the batter. Have extra overripe bananas? Make my Banana Protein Balls or Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal.
- Cottage cheese: Use a thick cottage cheese and blend it until completely smooth so it disappears into the batter. If you love baking with cottage cheese, also try my Cottage Cheese Pumpkin Muffins or my Cottage Cheese Donut Holes.
- Flour: I tested this loaf with both all-purpose flour and oat flour. All-purpose gives you a lighter, fluffier loaf. Oat flour makes it a little more dense, but it’s a great gluten-free option and adds more fibre. (Use certified gluten-free oat flour if needed.) I also love oat flour in my Healthy Oat Flour Pumpkin Muffins.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: I love adding these spices to my banana bread recipes! The combination is what gives it that perfect banana bread flavour and takes it to the next level.
- Butter: Melted butter is my favourite here. Just make sure it’s cooled before adding it to the batter. Coconut oil or a neutral oil like avocado oil works well too.
- Mini chocolate chips: I love mini chocolate chips because you get little bits of chocolate in every bite. Add as many as you like, swap in walnuts, or leave the loaf plain.
How To Make Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
*This is a recipe overview. The full recipe with measurements is below in the recipe card.
Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Mash the bananas and mix together in a bowl with the wet ingredients.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix.
Step 4: Fold in chocolate chips.
Step 5: Add to a loaf pan and top with more chocolate chips.
Step 6: Bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes. Let cool.
Step 7: Slice and enjoy!
How To Store
Store the banana bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap slices individually and freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw on the counter or warm a slice in the microwave.
Jess’s Tips
- Easy blending: Use an immersion blender or small food processor to blend the cottage cheese easily.
- Let it cool completely: This loaf is extra moist, so it slices much cleaner once it has cooled all the way. I know it’s tempting to eat right away but let it cool for an hour.
- Line the pan with parchment: Leave some overhang on the long sides so you can lift the loaf right out.
- Mix just until combined: Stop stirring as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing can make the loaf dense and flat.
- Tent with foil if needed: If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes.
- Top with extra chocolate chips: Sprinkle a few on top before baking for a bakery-style finish, like I do with my Almond Flour Banana Muffins.
- Pair it with something cozy: A warm slice is perfect with my Homemade Chai Tea Latte.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend an 8×4-inch loaf pan. It gives you a taller loaf with more rise than a 9×5-inch pan, which I prefer for this banana bread.
The cottage cheese and bananas add a lot of moisture, so this loaf needs 50 to 60 minutes in the oven compared to some of my other loaf recipes that need 45-55 minutes.
Try These Loaf Recipes Next!
If you tried this Cottage Cheese Banana Bread leave a review below and tag me @choosingchia on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook I love seeing your recreations!
Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Cottage Cheese Banana Bread is soft and loaded with mini chocolate chips in every slice. The blended cottage cheese adds a little protein boost and nobody will ever guess it’s in there!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour or oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 medium overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup thick cottage cheese, blended until smooth
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Mash the bananas well in a separate bowl. Blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth, then add it to the bananas along with the eggs, maple syrup, butter, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until incorporated, being careful not to overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with extra chocolate chips.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean and the top is golden. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely tent it with foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then use the parchment to lift the loaf onto a wire rack. Let it cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Use an immersion blender or small food processor to blend the cottage cheese easily.
- The cottage cheese keeps this loaf extra moist, so it slices much cleaner once fully cooled.
- Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top before baking for a bakery-style finish, or add more to the batter if you like it extra chocolatey.
- This loaf takes a little longer to bake than most because of its higher moisture content.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 248
- Sugar: 14g
- Fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7g
