Protein Muffins
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
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 high protein to try
- Protein donuts
- Protein cookies
- Protein pudding
- Protein granola
- Protein granola bars
- Or any of these protein powder recipes
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
These muffins are excellent!! Made a double batch of the applesauce muffins and they were gone within two days. Just made a double batch of the banana variation and they are amazing as well! 🙂
Thanks for the lovely feedback and review, Abby. I’m so glad they’ve been a hit. Using either applesauce or banana is great- I really enjoy the banana version, as it kind of reminds me of protein banana bread!
Very yummy and moist… What a treat that it has so much more protein than any standard muffin!
So glad you enjoyed the texture Clair! Let us know if you try any other recipes 🙂
These muffins turned out absolutely DIVINE!!! Not too sweet but also delicious. They did need about 20 mins to bake but they came out perfectly!
Can’t wait to make more!
I love to hear that, Rima! Yes, depending on the protein powder it can take a little longer. I’m glad you enjoyed them and take you for your lovely review and rating.
These protein muffins are the best! I initially made them for a hospitalized friend who needed more protein in her diet! She absolutely loved them. Now I make them for us as well. I bake mine for about 20 minutes and they are perfect!
Aw, Wendy that is so kind of you- I’m sure she would have appreciated it.
I’m so glad she enjoyed them and that you also did too- Thanks for taking the time to leave a lovely review and rating 🙂
I used Prime Protein powder in my muffins but they did not bake. The taste is great but only the tops got cooked.
Hi Diane, I’m sorry to hear that. Was this the Equip brand? If it was a beef isolate protein powder that is most likely why it didn’t work. Beef isolate is very low in carbs so doesn’t have any structure and doesn’t bind like casein or even whey blends. This is probably why the insides stayed gooey. Let us know if you give it another shot.
Good evening I have try your muffin recipes this evening there are delicious thank you of sharing
Kids loved them!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing this Victoria.
Mine were great. I used gluten free all purpose flour instead of almond flour and I used 1/2 cup bananas and 1/2 cup apple sauce plus an egg but followed recipe exactly otherwise.
Thanks for sharing your tweaks, Laura. I’m so glad gluten-free flour worked (over almond flour) as that is super helpful for others who are thinking of using that over almond flour 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
I changed the recipe to make 12 muffins and I had to bake them for about a half hour before the toothpick came out clean.
Hi Susan! That is a longer amount of time. Would you mind telling me what protein powder you used? I’m wondering if the brand used is one known for being wetter which would take longer to bake 🙂
Hello! Loved the flavour but the top was hard and insides wet and fell apart! What am I doing wrong ? Thankyou
Hi Kaitlyn, it’s most likely the protein powder. Did you use a whey based protein powder? A blend is best for recipes like this (whey + casein). Whey by itself can absorb too much moisture and create gummy or collapsed muffins.
Taste was delicious, but they didn’t rise? What did I do wrong? 😞
Hi Lisa- Sorry to hear they didn’t rise for you. Do you want to let me know what protein powder brand you used and I can troubleshoot and see if that was the issue? Cheers!
I used Blanched Almond Flour. Increased the baking powder to 2 tsp and added 2 T water.
We love the taste, just wished they would rise like a muffin.
Thanks for responding.
Lisa
Okay, that’s good to know. They do rise a little (like the video and pictures), but not dome-like in other muffins. The almond flour you used is correct so I’m wondering if perhaps it is just the protein powder brand.
could you sub out the apple sauce for protien yogurt for more protien
Hi Samantha, YES, that’s perfectly fine! The texture might be a little more dense than the applesauce version, but equally delicious!
I am always cautiously optimistic when trying recipes like this. These muffins are delicious! I used oat flour instead of almond (personal preference) and made minis. I’m sharing this recipe with everyone.
Aw, thanks so much Justine. I totally hear you- working with protein powder has its challenges, but I promise I’ve tested and tweaked these recipes so many times before posting (and even trying out as many protein powders so I can provide proper advice). I’m so glad you enjoyed them and love that it worked well using oat flour 🙂 I’ll make a note for others thinking of doing that too 🙂
Taste great! Easy and affordable to make! I used plant based protein powder (only difference) and I needed to bake them for much longer! (about half an hour… I lost track!)
Thanks for the feedback, Kim! Yes, I have heard from several readers that plant protein powder does need a little extra baking time, depending on the brand. I tested these with growing naturals and they baked like casein or a blend mix 🙂 Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Hello,
Can I use yogurt instead of apple sauce for extra protein?
Absolutely! High protein Greek yogurt is great for this recipe!