Cottage Cheese Banana Bread With Streusel Crumble
Loaded with ripe bananas and moisture from cottage cheese, this Cottage Cheese Banana Bread gives you an extra moist and flavorful loaf that is topped with a delicious cinnamon and oat streusel crumble and baked to perfection.
If you ask me, when it comes to breakfast breads or loaves you quite simply cannot beat a warm slice of banana bread. Coffee cake is an incredibly close second… but the diversity of a banana bread loaf always keeps it as number one in my book.
From filling your batter with additions like chocolate chips or walnuts to loading up the top with shaved coconut or a delicious streusel, there are so many different ways that you can make, top, and serve a slice of banana bread to keep it fun.
Beyond the crunchy additions, you can also get creative with creamy ingredients like yogurt, oil, and even peanut butter to not only enhance the nutrition of your banana bread loaf but also alter the moisture level and texture!
With the online obsession of all things cottage cheese, we naturally had to test out a recipe for a banana bread with cottage cheese in the batter… and I have to say, I think I nailed it after my 8th attempt.
This cottage cheese banana bread is perfectly moist, perfectly sweet, and topped with a delicious cinnamon streusel topping for a hint of crunch. While the cottage cheese addition is small and subtle, I think you will notice a big difference in the texture of your banana bread!
Let’s get to the recipe.
Why you’ll love this cottage cheese banana bread:
This could easily become your new go-to banana bread recipe because it’s:
Filled with classic flavor: While cottage cheese in banana bread may be a new idea for you, the rest of the ingredients for this banana bread are all classic ingredients that you would use in most loaves!
You cannot tell it has cottage cheese in it: Trust me! You really will not be able to tell that there is cottage cheese in this recipe, even if you leave the cottage cheese as its original texture.
Extra moist: Let me clarify something here-we added cottage cheese for the texture… we did not add cottage cheese for the protein content. I know, I know. The creaminess of the cottage cheese really keeps this bread extra moist and extra delicious.
Topped with an oat and cinnamon streusel: While this is definitely optional, it is definitely highly recommended as well. The oat and cinnamon streusel crunches up in the oven and adds a nice crunchy bite and extra touch of sweetness to your loaf that I know you’re going to love.
Versatile: I love changing up the way that I serve banana bread and you can top this banana bread with extra cottage cheese, butter with honey, peanut butter, and even a slice of sharp cheddar!
You’re going to love this recipe. Now let’s get into the ingredients you will need to make it!
Ingredients for banana bread loaf with cottage cheese:
While the cottage cheese in banana bread is a new item for our ingredients list, the rest of the ingredients for this recipe are pretty standard banana bread ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
For the cottage cheese banana bread batter:
Ripe bananas: Got extra bananas sitting on your counter? The more ripe, the better!
Cottage cheese: You can use regular cottage cheese or blended cottage cheese for this recipe.
Sugar
Brown Sugar
Eggs: These will bind our batter together.
Butter
Flour
Vanilla extract
Baking soda and baking powder: We are using two leavening agents in this recipe because of the moisture from bananas, cottage cheese, and two eggs. It’s important to NOT overfill your 9x13 baking dish when you pour the batter in because it will rise quite a bit.
Cinnamon: I always add a touch of cinnamon to my banana bread batters. This is optional.
Salt
For the streusel topping:
Old fashioned oats: Some streusel recipes call for oats and others don’t. I personally like adding some oats to mine because it makes for a thicker crumble but you could skip the oats if you want to.
Brown sugar
Cinnamon: This can be added to taste
Flour
Cold butter: Do not melt your butter! It must be cold to help the streusel crumbles stick together.
Step by Step Instructions:
Now let’s walk through how to make this recipe starting with the banana bread batter:
1) Peel your bananas and place in a large bowl with your cottage cheese.
2) Mash your bananas and stir in the cottage cheese. Then add your melted butter and your eggs, stirring until combined.
3) Add your brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla extract and stir.
4) In a small bowl mix together your flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Then pour your flour mixture into your cottage cheese banana mix and stir with a silicone spatula until combined and all chunks of flour are broken apart.
Pour into a pre-greased 9x13 baking pan (or one that has been lined with parchment paper) until your pan is 3/4 full. Be careful not to overfill as this loaf will rise a lot while it bakes.
LTN Tip: The quantity of batter may change slightly depending on the size of your bananas. Try not to overfill your loaf pan in an effort to use all of your batter because it could overflow in your oven which would not only leave you will a mess to clean up but also without a banana bread to enjoy.
Have batter left over? I would recommend split your batter between two loaf pans, filling each one half way full and shortening your baking time from an hour to about 35-45 minutes or until a fork comes out clean. You could also bake the leftover batter into a few muffins!
5) Now we are going to make your streusel. Add your cold butter, oats, cinnamon, flour, and brown sugar to a small bowl. Use your hands to crumble and squish all of the ingredients together until they combine into a crumble like this.
6) Evenly sprinkle your crumble overtop of your banana bread mixture. If you chose to make two loaves, distribute the streusel evenly between the two loaves. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes to an hour or until a fork comes out clean. Allow to cool then serve and enjoy!
Swaps and substitutions:
As I said, one of my favorite things about banana bread is that it’s incredibly versatile and this cottage cheese banana bread recipe is no different. You could also:
Mix in chocolate chips: This will add some extra sweetness to your batter.
Add in nuts or seeds: Chopped pecans, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts are all tasty and nutritious additions to a banana bread recipe.
Swap out the butter: If you prefer baking with oil, you can swap out the butter and replace it with an equal amount of oil of choice.
Change your toppings: I like to top my banana bread with nut butter, butter and honey, sliced cheddar cheese, or even some vanilla greek yogurt for an extra protein boost!
Modify your streusel: shaved coconut would taste delicious in this recipe!
Make this recipe your own and tag me on instagram with any fun ideas you come up with!
Recipe FAQ:
How to store banana bread?
Allow your bread to cool entirely. Then, wrap the loaf in cling wrap or tinfoil and place in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator. It can also be stored in an airtight container. Then you can slice, warm, and serve it the way you want to!
This banana bread also freezes really well if it’s wrapped in cling wrap or tinfoil and placed in an air tight ziplock bag. Label with the date that the banana bread was made and freeze for up to 3 months!
Do I have to use cottage cheese?
If you do not have cottage cheese on hand but still want to make this banana bread recipe, you can swap the cottage cheese for plain greek yogurt.
Is this a high protein banana bread?
No, I wouldn’t say so. While we do add some protein with the cottage cheese and the two eggs, the serving size for the cottage cheese is pretty small compared to the size of the loaf. We mainly added the cottage cheese for the moisture!
If you want to add more protein, I would recommend serving this banana bread with greek yogurt, more cottage cheese, or alongside a protein food like two hardboiled eggs.
Other cottage cheese recipes you will love:
If you love this creative cottage cheese banana bread recipe, then you’ll probably love some of the other ways to use cottage cheese that have on the blog as well! Check out:
High Protein Mac and Cheese
Cottage Cheese Flatbreads
Cottage Cheese Egg Bites
Cottage Cheese and Pumpkin Chia Pudding
Strawberry and Cottage Cheese Fruit Smoothie
Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- Peel your bananas and place them in a large bowl and smash.
- Stir in your cottage cheese, melted butter, and eggs then add your vanilla extract, sugar, and brown sugar. Stir until well combined.
- In a small bowl combine your flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add this flour mixture to your banana cottage cheese mixture and mix until it has created a smooth batter. Pour this batter into a pre-greased or pre-lined 9x13 baking dish until your baking dish is 3/4 full (do not fill all the way to the brim).
- In another small bowl add your streusel ingredients. Use your fingers to squeeze and mix the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms a crumble and all of the large pieces of butter have been incorporated. Evenly sprinkle this streusel overtop of your cottage cheese batter.
- Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until a fork comes out clean. Allow to cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before removing from the baking dish. Enjoy!
*All nutrition information has been approximated
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Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a Registered Dietitian and busy toddler mom committed to bringing you delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes!