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This recipe for protein muffins will be your new favorite use of protein powder! No eggs, refined sugar, or grains are needed, each muffin has 20 grams of protein!
Love high protein desserts? Try my protein brownies, protein mug cake, protein banana bread, and protein cookie dough.
Stop buying expensive pre-packaged high protein muffins from health food stores and start making your own! Adding protein powder to muffins is my sneaky and healthy way to get more protein into my diet, and it also keeps me satisfied for way longer. Win!
My foolproof recipe uses wholesome and simple ingredients, and it’s also affordable…they also taste delicious!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Perfect texture. Moist and fluffy, and taste like any good muffin out there.
- 5 healthy ingredients. No white flour or sugar. There aren’t any eggs either, so perfect if you are vegan and/or gluten-free.
- 20 grams of protein. These are perfect for a high-protein snack or guilt-free dessert.
- It’s easy to customize. Think of my muffin batter as a blank slate on which you can change up the flavors. I’ve included a few of my favorites below.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“OH!! Best protein muffin I’ve made! Yum, thanks!” – Eliane
Ingredients needed
- Almond flour. Blanched almond flour, not almond meal. Using the blanched variety ensures the muffins have a lovely light and tender crumb.
- Baking powder. Just a pinch to help the muffins rise (as much as they can do) and give the muffins some stability.
- Protein powder. Brown rice protein powder, casein protein powder, or a whey protein powder blend. Do NOT use a strict whey protein powder or else your muffins will turn into hockey pucks.
- Peanut butter OR alternative. Smooth and creamy peanut butter with no added sugar. Use a cheap store-bought brand, like Skippy’s or Teddy’s peanut butter, because these are naturally thinner and mix seamlessly into the batter.
- Unsweetened applesauce. Adds some moisture to the muffins without needing any oil or butter. You can also use Greek yogurt.
- Chocolate chips. A must for any good muffin. Use sugar free chocolate chips to keep these muffins completely sugar free.
How to make protein muffins
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the batter. Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together. Add the peanut butter and unsweetened applesauce and mix until completely combined. Fold through the chocolate chips at the end.
Step 2- Bake. Distribute the batter amongst 8 large muffin liners in a muffin pan (or 12 in a mini muffin tin) and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
Which protein powder is best for baking?
No protein powder is created equal, and as such, some protein powders are fantastic for baking, and some are best to be used strictly for protein shakes.
The best protein powders to use are either brown rice protein powder, casein protein powder (not dairy-free), or a blended whey protein powder. Stick to either an unflavored or vanilla-flavored powder.
Avoid using whey protein isolate or natural whey protein powder, as these two tend to soak up moisture and will yield very dense muffins.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Do not overbake the muffins, as they can go from fluffy to dense VERY fast. Once they are ‘just’ done on top, remove them from the oven, and they will continue to cook as they cool.
- If you notice the tops of muffins going brown too soon, cover them with tin foil after the 8-minute mark.
- Feel free to swap out the chocolate chips for other mix-ins, like blueberries, chopped chocolate, or even some chopped nuts.
Flavor variations
While these protein muffins taste delicious on their own, I’ve tested the batter with five popular flavors to switch things up for you!
- Peanut butter– Be sure to use peanut butter and add some peanut butter chips on top.
- Banana– Replace the unsweetened applesauce with equal amounts of pureed banana (just blend several bananas!).
- Chocolate– Use chocolate protein powder and fold through half a cup of chocolate chips.
- Pumpkin– Switch out the unsweetened applesauce for pumpkin puree.
- Blueberry– Fold through half a cup of fresh or frozen blueberries.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
To freeze: Place leftovers in a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More protein powder recipes to try
Protein Muffins (5 Ingredients!)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder 64-67 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup peanut butter or any nut or seed butter
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a muffin tin with 8 muffin liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your protein powder, almond flour, and baking powder, and mix well. Add your peanut butter and unsweetened applesauce and mix until fully combined. Fold through your chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter amongst the muffin liners and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, cover it with tinfoil around the 8 minute mark.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published February 2017, updated 2021, and republished April 2024
Hi! Any substitutions for PB? Looking for a nut free option. Thanks.
Yes! Tahini or sunflower seed butter!
Just made these and they turned out great! Love that there was plenty of protein and no added sugar to this recipe
A few modifications:
-Used 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein and 1 scoop of salted peanut butter whey protein
-Replaced the applesauce with 3/4c 0% Greek yogurt
-Added 100g of liquid egg whites
With the modifications, it made 12 small muffins. I baked these for about 15 min total, checking every few minutes.
Salted peanut butter protein powder? Yum, Jenny!!
Made these with whey protein powder because I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to until it was too late. However, they didn’t turn into dense hockey pucks as forewarned. It’s probably either because I used Bob’s Red Mill protein powder which is a baking brand so it makes sense it’d be well formulated for baking use, or because I used all natural peanut butter (Peanut Butter & Co.) which is extra runny compared to Skippy and other commercial brands. I also added 2 tsp of vanilla extract since my protein was unflavored.
Relieved to report they came out fluffy & moist with a pronounced peanut butter flavor and just a hint of sweetness from the chocolate chips. Basically, perfect. They did need a bit longer in the oven though – I added about 6-10 minutes to the total baking time.
Thanks for the feedback, Alice!
Best protein muffins!!
OH!! Best protein muffin I’ve made! Yummmmm thanks!
Made these with whey protein powder because I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to until it was too late. However, they didn’t turn into dense hockey pucks as forewarned. It’s probably either because I used Bob’s Red Mill protein powder which is a baking brand so it makes sense it’d be well formulated for baking use, or because I used all natural peanut butter (Peanut Butter & Co.) which is extra runny compared to Skippy and other commercial brands.
Relieved to report they came out fluffy & moist with a pronounced peanut butter flavor and just a hint of sweetness from the chocolate chips. Basically, perfect. They did need a bit longer in the oven though – I added about 6 minutes to the total baking time.
These are so yummy! I will definitely make them again. I cut the applesauce to 1/4 cup and added 1/4 cup of egg whites. They turned out really good.
best protein muffins recipe I’ve ever made!
So delicious!
We make these protein muffins at least once a week! They are super fluffy and so good!!!
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of applesauce?
Third batch I’m making this week!
Such a fabulous recipe!
moist and yummy! I had to bake them for a bit longer- more around 15 minutes.
Such delicious protein muffins. Not sure why others saying this doesn’t work- Used the exact protein powder and ingredients and it turned out perfect.
These are the best protein muffins I’ve ever made!
These were the best protein muffins I’ve ever made!
These are my favorite protein muffins ever. Super moist and fluffy!
Just made a second batch of these! They are so good!
So glad to hear that!
Can I use egg white protein powder instead of regular protein powder?
These were the absolute best protein muffins recipe I’ve ever made- They don’t taste dry at all and bake easily.
I have made these numerous times now and love them. They are filling and yummy… thanks for sharing.
Can i add pwodered peanut butter along with the creamy peanut butter? If so, how much for this recipe?
Can I use PBfit peanut butter powder instead of regular peanut butter? If so, do I add water or just add it without water?
No Idea- haven’t tried with that.
I finally made one of your recipes! ❤️
I used whey casein protein and the muffins were awesome!
Is one serving considered one muffin?
SO good..
Thank you for this excellent recipe! I have made this several times and it is perfect for people who get tired of eating processed protein bars all the time. I now make these every week. I use brown rice protein that I order online. I double the recipe for 12 larger muffins. I replace 1/6th of the applesauce with egg whites to make them less crumbly, and replace half the peanut butter with PB2 to lower the fat (all PB2 just doesn’t taste that good). I only use a heaping 1/2 cup of chocolate chips for the double recipe – it’s enough. An alternative is to use sweetened applesauce and omit the chips. I have to bake them for 30+ minutes, even for a single recipe.
Not vegan, but I simply put egg instead of apple sauce, oatmeal for almond flour and Ovomaltine Crunchy Cream (you have that? It’s delicious!) for peanut butter
Put them in the microwave for nearly 1 minute and then a few minutes in the air fryer to get a crumb and crispier edges They came out much better than I had hoped for!
I just made these and they came out AMAZING. Just added a touch of cocoa powder to make them slightly more chocolatey. Honestly the best muffin I’ve ever had lol taste li feel like is between a muffin and a cupcake and for “dieting” or just improving lifestyle eating this is a GREAT substitute to make instead of cupcakes or brownies with kids (or yourself).
Hi!! May I replace the apple sauce with an egg??
I haven’t tried but you are welcome to experiment and see
What protein powder do you recommend? I used Orgain and it didn’t really cook. Kind of turned into a dough consistency
Not a fan of orgain- I love optimum or dymatize casein
Can I use regular flour in place of almond flour?
I haven’t tried but you are welcome to experiment and see
If you’re still baking these, what kind of protein powder do you use now? The link you provided is no longer valid.
Still casein, or is whey fine?
Hi! Casein 🙂
Delicious, quick and now I have breakfast for the week!
I didn’t have almond flour on-hand, so I used whole wheat flour and it worked like a charm.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
could I replace applesauce for yogurt?
I don’t see why not 🙂
These protein muffins were so good- I did use the recommended protein powder and it turned out well (the last batch I used some random whey and it was not good!).
Haven’t made them yet but I am excited to! I’ve seen some muffin recipes use plain greek yogurt to get some extra protein. Do you think that could work in this recipe? Would the yogurt maybe be able to replace the applesauce or am I completely missing the mark? Haha!
You could and YES- for the applesauce 🙂
Hi ! I would love to try these but will a plant based protein powder work ?
Yes, it should- I like brown rice protein powder.
I’ve made these muffins twice now and love them!
I make 4 large muffins instead of 8 small and eat them for breakfast! I did banana once and applesauce once. You can taste the banana in them whereas you can’t the applesauce. But the applesauce ones came out lower in calories.
Thanks for the amazing recipe! Can’t wait to try more of them!
Good day,
Has anyone tried with a plant based protein powder? I’ve used it in muffins before, with success.
h
What brand of protein powder do you recommend
I love casein or brown rice protein powder- They bake so well 🙂
How do you calculate your nutrition facts? I want to calculate it with a different protein powder.
You can use myfitnesspal or similar
Arman,
I made these muffins with frozen blueberries instead of chocolate chips and they are outstanding. I also made the fudgey chocolate peanut butter protein bars and Wow! I love your recipes which keep my womanly figure in tack without blowing the waistline. In fact, I let all my friends know and shared your website.
Thanks,
Jane Pickert
I scaled it up to 12 muffins and they came out really wet…then I realized that the scaling function only adjusts the scope of protein powder, and not the weight, which is what I used. 🙁 Whoops!
The only substitution that I made was I used peanut butter instead of almond butter. They turned out really good considering the only sugar is from the applesauce and the chocolate chips. I will definitely be making these again for a healthy treat!
my modifications:
2 scoops Orgain Vegan w/ superfoods vanilla protein powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup pureed apple (didnt have sauce)
less than a 1/4 cup low sugar dark chocolate mini chips
made 12 muffins. these didn’t come out too fluffy or cake like. it was more sort of protein-bar like which i did not mind. warm, they were a bit crumbly but, after kept in the fridge they were more firm and perfect to toss in a baggy for work. i would like to maybe try adding an egg, or another tsp of baking powder next time. i enjoyed the recipe.
These were good! I loved the almond butter flavor and the addition of the chocolate chips! Super moist too! And flavorful!
I made these with peanut butter that I make myself with just peanuts and honey. I also used Whole gains Protein powder and cinnamon applesauce. They didn’t stay together (crumbly) but they tasted awesome! Any ideas what I may have did wrong?
Hi Christin, it sounds like the protein powder brand you used may have been the culprit- I’ve never tried that protein powder myself.
Hello, my cousins showed me this recipe and I tried to make it last night but it came out dry. I used peanut butter instead of almond butter and then coconut flour instead of almond flour. I tried to add more applesauce to make it less dry but it didnt work. Do you happen to have any suggestions to make it more wet and smooth to make muffins.
Yes, you can never sub out another flour with coconut flour ever, it dries it out.
Oh good to know. Thank you.
Do you know of anything I can add to it now to make it less dry so I can bake them?
Not if it uses coconut flour.
Looks delish! Is there any way you could replace the applesauce for greek yogurt?
I don’t see why not!
i hate to mess with what looks like ABSOLUTE PERFECTION, but what would happen if i replace vanilla protein and almond flour with unflavored protein powder (brown rice and pea protein).?
thanks 😉
No idea! Feel free to experiment and see!
Can I use hemp protein powder
Did you use your whey protein to make these?
Nope, not for this!
Gotcha. I’ll have to try a different kind . ? Thank you so much for the reply! I appreciate it.
Hi there! The flavor on these is awesome. No complaints there. I’m having a real issue with the texture though and wondered if you had any suggestions? I’ve made these three times now and all three times they remain very wet and will not cook through. I tried adding more almond flour, upping the temp and baking for significantly longer but they just will not firm up. Any thoughts?
Hi there! It sounds like the protein powder you are using 🙂
still can’t find amount of carbs and fiber for these muffins
Feel free to calculate it using an online calculator 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! Do you have a macro breakdown per muffin for protein carbs and fat?
For sure, feel free to use an online calculator to work it out 🙂
Do you use natural peanut butter or regular like Jif or Skippy? I can’t wait to try them.
Yes I try to always use all natural options for nut or seed butter 🙂
Can i sub equal amount of applesauce with mashed banana or pumpkin or sweet potato?
You can replace the applesauce with any of those, or even coconut oil 🙂
So to use cocoanut oil do you melt it first or use mix it in solid?
Hi there! Make sure it is melted 🙂
Good morning!!! On my side lol I just finished baking these last night and looking forward to try in a bit. The only question I have is what are the macros? I did my calculations and I may be off lol…. I used 9 muffins for my adding and after the break down I got 9g protein, 14 Carbs, 217 calories, 4 Fiber etc… four each muffin.
Thank you very much!
Hope you enjoyed them, Arturo- The macros can change depending on your ingredient brands 🙂
Hey I tried these twice now and can’t get it to work! The muffin batter is very sticky and has the consistency of cookie dough. I used oat flour because I didn’t have almond flour which may have been the reason, but I have always substituted with oat flour in the past with good results and I thought that was generally a 1:1 substitution. Basically the top of the muffin rose but was hollow inside and the inside of the muffin was completely raw. Do you think that was just because of the oat flour?
Hi Ellie! Oat flour tends to do that, this recipe uses almond flour so unfortunately, I can’t vouch for it working out.
Ellie, I just tried making these with oat flour as well, and I managed to get them to turn out by adding ¼ cup of water. I did stray slightly by using mashed banana, and my protein scoop is slightly larger, I think, but they’ve turned out great!
hey i’m allergic to nuts and i saw you put alternatives for nut butter but is there anything i can substitute the almond flour for?
Hi Savannah! I haven’t tried this particular recipe without almond flour, sorry! You could try one of my flourless muffins instead 🙂
I made these with Huel, chopped pecans, and blueberries. Delicious! Thanks for sharing!
How could we incorporate a yoghurt in a recipe like this?
You could swap out the yogurt for applesauce 🙂
Can I make these without protein powder? Add or substitute anything?
These muffins do look so light and fluffy! I could definitely get on board with one of these…or maybe 6. Or maybe 13 since that’s a baker’s dozen. You know I’m not a huge fan of chocolate in the morning, but I’m thinking afternoon snack with coffee/tea…or heck, even dessert! I’m not beyond eating muffins for dessert. After all, a muffin is a just cupcake without frosting, right? 🙂
WOW these are soo good! I of course added extra honey 🙂 … and mine didn’t stick !!! I just over sprayed the pan lol .. some of mine the chocolate chips did not fall down!?!? so next time I will push a couple in ! thank you for the yummyness!!!
Haha, Love it- Always add some extra honey 🙂
So I can’t WAIT to try these! We use a casein based protein powder (we buy in bulk at our local co-op). We love it and don’t really want to change. Is casein, is casein, is casein?? 🙂 ~ also, have I missed this, or did you always has the serving size always been adjustable?!? I’m weird, but I want 12 muffins, instead of 8. Ya’ know…kind of odd having those 4 empty spots in the pan;) ~ anyway…thanks, as always! We have enjoyed everything we’ve ever tried of yours, Arman! Keep up the great work!
Casein is definitely recommended- I always have success with the one I use 🙂 (Optimum)- The serving size is 2 level scoops, so 68 grams or so 🙂 These made 8 muffins for me, you can increase the ingredients to make more.
Super! We will try it with the casein based protein powder that we always use! Thanks so much!
Can I add eggs or egg whites for extra protein?
Worked out well with the casein based protein powder we normally use! These were yummy ~ nice for breakfast for my 17 year old (picky!) son! Adjusted to make 12 muffins ~ they freezer super well too, so they stay nice and fresh and we can take them out one at a time!
😀 That sounds perfect, Tammy!
what can you replace the protein powder with?
Haven’t tried an alternative without protein powder.
Are the optional choc chips included in the nutritional information?
any ideas on how I could replace the applesauce to make these lower in carbs?
Hi Kris! The applesauce is necessary for moisture- you could use mashed pumpkin or sweet potato 🙂
I am allergic to apples and would like to use pumpkin puree as a replacement. Would it still be 1 cup? Thanks!
It should be!
These look so fluffy. I want a handful! I love the small ingredient list!