This Cottage Cheese Banana Bread is the ultimate soft, moist and delicious banana bread to make. It’s a gluten-free, made with almond flour and it is lower in sugar and higher in protein compared to your typical banana bread.
This just may be one of my favorite banana breads to date. And I am 100% positive it is because I added in the most underrated baking ingredient – cottage cheese – the batter!
Think of cottage cheese as the reason your banana bread is going to be moist and higher in protein than usual. It acts as the fat content here (no oil in this recipe) and it’s naturally a great source of protein.
This cottage cheese banana bread though is a great quick bread to make. No yeast is involved, no crazy steps or ingredients either. Just add everything to a bowl and mix! it is a quick bread to prep, the top gets crunchy on the edges yet the center is extra moist and it is gluten-free!
Tip: serve this banana bread with a smear of butter and jam on top for the ultimate sweet snack!
What ingredients are in this gluten-free cottage cheese banana bread:
- Bananas – ripe bananas are key here! The more “freckles” the banana has, the sweeter and more moist the banana bread will be
- Eggs – I haven’t tested with flax egg or egg substitute
- Cottage cheese – I usually use full-fat but low-fat could likely work too
- Maple syrup – adjust to taste if you want sweeter bread
- Vanilla extract – adds the best splash of flavor to the loaf
- Almond flour– I haven’t tested this with other flours. Gluten-free baking flour and all purpose flour are not 1:1 subs for almond flour though
- Cinnamon– love adding this spiced into my banana breads. I didn’t add nutmeg, but you certainly can
- Optional mix-in’s: walnuts, chocolate chips or blueberries are all great
How to make cottage cheese banana bread:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a bread pan with parchment paper and grease
- In a large bowl, mix together the bananas, eggs, cottage cheese, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth
- Mix in the almond flour, baking soda and cinnamon until fully combined (depending on the brand cottage cheese you use, it may be chunky – that is ok!)
- Pour batter into loaf pan and bake in oven for about 50 minutes, covering with foil after 30 minutes or so if the top is starting to brown a bit
- Remove from oven once cooked (I stick a toothpick in to test)
- Allow the bread to cool then slice and enjoy!
FAQS on making banana bread with cottage cheese:
- Why is there cottage cheese in this banana bread? It is SUCH an underrated ingredient to bake with. It adds moisture to the bread, protein and acts as the oil/fat for the recipe.
- Is this banana bread sweet? It isn’t too sweet. I only add a little maple syrup in addition to the ripe bananas. If you want sweeter, add in more maple syrup!
- Can I use another flour besides almond flour? I haven’t tested another flour for this but gluten-free flour and all purpose flour are not 1:1 subs for almond flour. So if you try to use another flour, please sub at your own risk!
- What is the best way to store this bread? Airtight container for 3 days, fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 2 months.
A few other cottage cheese recipes to try:
Gluten-free Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Viral Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
Cottage Cheese Banana Pudding
2-ingredient Egg Bites
Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 20 reviews
This Cottage Cheese Banana Bread is the ultimate soft, moist and delicious banana bread to make. It’s a gluten-free, made with almond flour and it is lower in sugar and higher in protein compared to your typical banana bread.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
Yield: 8–10 slices 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (adjust to taste if you want sweeter)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour**
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Optional mix-in’s: walnuts, chocolate chips or blueberries are all great
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a bread pan with parchment paper and grease
- In a large bowl, mix together the bananas, eggs, cottage cheese, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth
- Mix in the almond flour, baking soda and cinnamon until fully combined (depending on the brand cottage cheese you use, it may be chunky – that is ok!)
- Pour batter into loaf pan and bake in oven for about 50 minutes, covering with foil after 30 minutes or so if the top is starting to brown a bit
- Remove from oven once cooked (I stick a toothpick in to test)
- Allow the bread to cool then slice and enjoy!
Notes
*Store banana bread in airtight container for 3 days, 5 days in fridge or 2 months in freezer
**Gluten-free baking flour and all purpose flour are not 1:1 subs for almond flour
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 176mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 64mg
- Author: Rachel
You may also like
Gluten-free Blender Banana Bread
-
Cottage Cheese Banana Pudding
-
Cottage Cheese Pumpkin Bread (gluten-free)
-
Cottage Cheese Chocolate Pudding
Add a comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Comments
Alene
- Reply
Going to definitely make this, after my lemon sorghum flour only quick bread is gone. http://Www.fromthelarder.co.uk/gluten-free-lemon-drizzle-cake. By the way, that one is divine!
Jodi
- Reply
So easy and delicious!! Highly recommend. Followed recipe exactly
Rachel
- Reply
YAY thank you jodi!
Amanda
- Reply
How much all purpose flour would you use instead of almond flour?
Rachel
- Reply
any time i have tested a sub it is listed above !
Jenn
- Reply
Delicious! Making another batch today!
Rachel
- Reply
so happy to hear!!
Jessica
- Reply
I made this for my toddler to sneak a little more dairy into her diet and I am impressed with how delicious it turned out! It was super easy to make and I added walnuts and cacao chips as a little bonus. My daughter loves it but so do I! can’t wait to make more and try out some other little additions.
Rachel
- Reply
aw thank you!
Vlada
- Reply
Hi 🙂 , If anybody needs the ingredients converted into grams like me ,here is the recipe :
2 ripe bananas, mashed: 220 grams
3 eggs: 150 grams
1/2 cup cottage cheese: 115 grams
3 tablespoons maple syrup: 63 grams
2 teaspoon vanilla extract: 10 grams
2 1/2 cups almond flour: 250 grams
1 teaspoon baking soda: 5 grams
2 teaspoons cinnamon: 4 grams
🙂 I’m looking forward to making this recipe tomorrow ! <3Lori Cohen
See AlsoGluten-Free, Dairy-Free Paleo Banana Bread With No Added SugarThe Best Banana Cake - seriously! Recipe - Rachel Cooks®Healthy Gluten-free Olive Oil Banana Bread - rachLmansfieldBanana Clicking Game Not a Scam, Developer Insists - IGN- Reply
Thank you Vlada! I find with baking being exact works so much better. Appreciate the conversion!
Serena
- Reply
How much regular white or whole wheat flour would you add to replace the Almond flour? I don’t have Almond flour but want to try this recipe!
Rachel
- Reply
usually almond flour isn’t a 1:1 sub as it absorbs more liquid. so i’d use about 1/4 cup less flour. keep me posted!
Danielle
- Reply
So happy this recipe turned out so well for some many reviewers however my loaf was so dry it almost choked my husband and myself and I followed the recipe exactly. I wonder if it was my oven or elevation?
Rachel
- Reply
it is definitely not a dry bread. in fact it is usually too moist.
Jess
- Reply
I made it and didn’t have almond flour and only used 1 1/4 cup of flour and added chocolate chips. It’s DELICIOUS my boyfriend is obsessed. We’re always looking for healthier versions since it seems like everything is so bad for you anymore.
Rachel
- Reply
yay!!!
Carmen
Why baking soda and not baking powder, as there’s no acidity for rhe baking soda to react.
Marisa
- Reply
Thank you Jess! I was wondering about the AP flour sub too.
Jen
- Reply
This bread is DELICIOUS! I followed the recipe exactly, and I made it into 12 muffins. I cooked for 30 minutes and then watched them closely after that and cooked to doneness. They did start to brown a little early like you mentioned in the recipe, so I covered them with foil. The recipe is perfect. The muffins were moist but not gooey, perfectly sweet, and they froze beautifully! Even my toddler loved them, and I’m about to make my second batch! Thank you for this recipe!
Rachel
- Reply
YAY!!
Marcella
- Reply
This is so delicious! Thank you! 💛 It got incredibly dark by the time it was baked through, even with the foil covering. Do you have an idea why that might have happened?
Thank you for all the incredible recipes.
Rachel
- Reply
yay thank you so much! likely can happen if your rack in the oven is too high!
Cecilia
- Reply
This is delicious, I had to use all purpose flour. I added 2 cups, didn’t rise much. So need to decrease flour?
Rachel
- Reply
it’s not going to rise too much !
Jane
- Reply
What is the breakdown of calories carbs and protein?
Rachel
- Reply
feel free to input into online calculator
Cindy
- Reply
Very moist & rich tasting. Used 1 tsp honey & 1 tsp maple syrup. Perfect amount of sweetness. Also add blueberries.
Rachel
- Reply
thank you!
Bel
- Reply
I’m not a fan of the chunks of cheese, would it be OK to purée the cottage cheese until it’s smooth before adding to the batter?
Rachel
- Reply
absolutely !!!
Debbi Zimmerman
- Reply
Can you give the nutrition info especially sodium and calories.
Thanks!
Rachel
- Reply
feel free to input into online recipe calorie counter 🙂
Lorelei
- Reply
This was delicious. I was curious if the base ingredients could be used to make it with zucchini instead of bananas? I think it with some ingredient tweaks it would also make an amazing zucchini bread.
Rachel
- Reply
hmmm it may be a bit watery! zucchini and bananas aren’t 1:1 sub but i’ll try to do a zucchini bread with cottage cheese and let you know!
Cheryl
- Reply
I made this exactly how recipe states (adding in blueberries) and the bread came out spongy. Any insights as to what I did wrong? Thank you!
Rachel
- Reply
it shouldn’t be if recipe was exact ! maybe your cottage cheese was different consistency? we used the whole foods organic one.
Fran Hewitt
- Reply
It is in the oven. I used pecan flour!
Amanda
- Reply
This recipe blew my mind! It is so good and can be used to create so many different versions! I added an extra half banana, 1 cup of blueberries, toasted chopped walnuts, and a few dark chocolate chunks as mix-ins. Thanks for a great base recipe!
Rachel
- Reply
thank you so much! love to hear it
Teresa
- Reply
Wow! So good! I used oat flour 1:1. Didn’t have any vanilla extract or cinnamon and it still tasted amazing. Can’t imagine how good this is going to taste next time I make it with those additions. This is now going to be a staple bread in my house!!
Rachel
- Reply
yay thank you!
Kayla Melville
- Reply
THIS RECIPE IS SO GOOD YALL I baked it for 50 minutes and it turned out super moist (a lil underbaked but it was a good consistency) and it was the perfect sweetness with a rich flavor. I added white chocolate chips too for extra sweetness.
Rachel
- Reply
AW thank you!!!!
Lauren
- Reply
Hi! I only had a 1/2c of Almond Flour so I added Coconut Flour to fill in for the rest. It’s in the oven now and looks like it’s not rising at all. Also my consistency once placed in bread loaf was close to cookie dough consistency. Hopefully it works out. Will know soon.
Rachel
- Reply
it will not work – coconut flour is not 1:1 for almond flour or any flour!
Lorelei Cassidy
- Reply
What about cottage cheese pumpkin bread for fall?!
Rachel
- Reply
SSOOOOO into this idea!
Dawn Bullock
- Reply
I sprinkled a little cinnamon sugar on top. I made four mini loaves to have some to share. These are very good.
Rachel
- Reply
woohoo!!!
Mackenzie
- Reply
So delicious, couldn’t be easier, I loved the light fluffy texture and how healthy it is! Eating two slices for breakfast sets me up for a great day! I took a risk and made the entire batter in my blender (figuring, since there’s no gluten, it won’t negatively develop texture) and it was SO worth it! The batter came together in seconds, and it was so so delicious.
Rachel
- Reply
thank you so much!!!
Carrie Pomerantz
- Reply
Yum!
Rachel
- Reply
yay!!
Sherry
- Reply
Good flavor, but as always when I bake with almond flour it is a very moist gooey bread.
Rachel
- Reply
it does! add more almond flour as needed
Aubrey
- Reply
I cooked mine an extra 15 minutes, so a total of 65 and it was still undercooked and too gooey. Maybe because my cottage cheese was 4% fat?
Rachel
- Reply
hmmm hard to say. maybe? or too much banana. if everything else was exact
Megan
- Reply
Just made this and it was super easy! Finally sat down to take a bite and it is SOOO moist! It’s delicious!
Rachel
- Reply
yay!!!
Julia
- Reply
I have used oatmeal flour and it turned out wonderfully, thank you 🥹
Rachel
- Reply
love!!!
Ebony
- Reply
This has become my fav recipe thanks so much for posting it. I can’t eat almond flour so I’ve been using about 1.5 cups buckwheat instead. When it’s a few days old I fry it in butter and eat with some honey for a treat
Rachel
- Reply
awwww so happy to hear that!!! enjoy!
Alex
- Reply
Going to make it! It looks so good and the ingredients are wholesome! I have a question: what does the baking soda react with, as there is no acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice?
Rachel
- Reply
thank you! it doesn’t need one in this recipe. but perhaps the cottage cheese?
Mary Kay
- Reply
This is my new favorite banana bread recipe! I offered some to my adult son and he was skeptical because some of the “healthy” banana breads I have tried were just lacking. Well, he ate one piece and said “You can make this anytime, Mom!” Thanks for another great recipe, Rachel!
Dawn Sabean
- Reply
I want to try this, but do you think I could substitute yogurt for the cottage cheese?
Rachel
- Reply
yes i would think so but it may need more bake time
Rachel
- Reply
Not sure what happened but I cooked it for 2 hours and it still wasn’t cooked through. I added all the right amount of ingredients.
Rachel
- Reply
hi rachel! something must’ve been measured wrong or swapped ingredient wise. it should be cooked through if it’s followed exactly. also the type of loaf pan can impact it as well and if you live in an area with higher altitude too
Frankie Lee
- Reply
189 Calories Protein 7g Total Fat 13g Carbs 13g
per 12 slices
Calories 189
Fat 13g
Saturated Fat 1
Carbohydrates 13g
Sugar 6g
Cholesterol 42mg
Sodium 135mg
This is per Recipecard.comRegina
- Reply
Questions: What kind of cottage cheese? low-fat, fat free, full fat?
and why almond flour? Could I use regular flour?
looks great, can’t wait to make it.Rachel
- Reply
i usually do full fat or low fat. almond flour is more nutritious, filled with healthy fats and protein and it’s gluten-free. 100% of my recipes are gluten-free since my husband has celiac. but regardless it’s my favorite flour for baking! it’s not a 1:1 sub for regular flour. i hope you try it!!
Debbie Lewis
- Reply
Hi, how can the liquid ingredients be adjusted if I use banana extract and no bananas? We try to keep carbs and sugar down when we bake. We use erythritol often, too. Thanks.
Rachel
- Reply
please don’t make the banana bread with no bananas!! that would not turn out good.
Debbie Lewis
- Reply
We’ve used a recipe from Wholesome Yum for several years now, that comes out great! We were interested in trying this one with cottage cheese for more protein. 🙁
Donna Phillips
- Reply
Looks great! Any recommendations on a substitute for maple syrup?
Rachel
- Reply
honey!!
Linda Moore
- Reply
I was looking for a gf recipe to use some over-ripe bananas. allowScore! My son is a competitive athlete trying to make sure he gets enough protein and loved it too. I let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes before placing in the oven to let the flour soften and it was perfect! Thanks so much.
Rachel
- Reply
awwww love!!!
Rosemary Mullins
- Reply
I made this on Friday, but only half the recipe. I’m the only one that eats banana bread, and I only had a quarter cup of cottage cheese and I had some ripe bananas. Also, I did not have any almond flour so I used all purpose flour. I liked the bread even with the AP flour. I think it needed to be a little sweeter, so more syrup or a couple packets of Stevia on my next try. I baked the bread for 30 minutes and then another 10 minutes as it didn’t seem quite done even though a toothpick came out clean. Next time, if I don’t have almond flour by then might try bread flour. Great toasted.
Wendy
- Reply
YUM! Made as written but added nutmeg and cloves as I like a lot of spice! Hard to beat how easy this was to make and it tastes amazing. Definitely going to make more to stash in the freezer!
Rachel
- Reply
aw love it hear it!
Lauren
- Reply
Coconut Flour makes this taste sandy and the bread came out super dense. Plus I used Agave Syrup which was not enough sweetness for me. Will try it again but this time with the exact ingredients
Rachel
- Reply
please don’t use subs that aren’t recommended! i don’t list coconut flour as a flour for this. same with agave. results will not turn out as they should. coconut flour isn’t a 1:1 sub for any flour
Austin C
- Reply
Turned out really well. We added 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. I would say it could use some salt though. Probably 1/2 tsp would do it.
Claire
- Reply
Hi,
This looks great but I don’t know where to find almond flour? Is it the same as ground almonds?
