Everybody knows that muffins are cupcakes in disguise. I’ll never understand how they managed to trick all of us. Just remove the frosting and suddenly it is acceptable to eat them for breakfast or as a snack? The average muffin recipe is still full of butter and sugar. Those sneaky little things deserve a round of applause (clap clap clap). Try setting out a plate of cupcakes next time you have guests over for breakfast (actually I would probably eat one…now this is sounding like a good idea). But I found a way to outsmart those muffin-cupcakes by creating healthy, high protein muffins.

To pack your muffins with a punch of protein, use almond flour, chickpea flour, flaxseed, protein powder, egg whites, and greek yogurt. Each one of these lightly sweetened muffins contains 8 grams of protein and will help you feel ready to take on the day.

I like to have a healthy snack on hand. That way if I feel I’m becoming hangry (sorry, honey), I have something quick and easy to eat. These healthy muffins are an easy and guilt free snack to eat before going for a run or heading to the grocery store (I shouldn’t be allowed within 100 feet of that place when I’m hungry).

What Makes These Healthy Protein Muffins So Special?

These yummy muffins were originally inspired by A Healthy Life For Me’s Blueberry Protein Muffins. I loved their idea to make protein dense muffins. These muffins have lots of sources of protein: greek yogurt, protein powder, egg whites, chickpea flour, almond flour, and flaxseed. Each muffin has 8 grams of protein (depending on your protein powder). So if you need a quick and filling snack, these muffins are perfect for you.

Thanks to the chickpea and almond flour, these muffins are gluten free. So if you are following a gluten free diet or simply trying to cut back on some gluten, this recipe is for you. Just make sure to check the packing of your ingredients to make sure you are buying gluten free versions.

In attempt to keep these muffins as healthy as possible, no sugar is added. We want a snack to help boost us through the day, not something that will result in a sugar crash. We rely on the banana, applesauce, and berries to help sweeten them. Depending on your choice of protein powder, it may contain some added sugar. These muffins will not taste like the sugary muffins you buy in the grocery store. They taste lightly sweet, but full of lemon and berry flavor.

Whip Your Egg Whites

I struggle with gluten free baking because it doesn’t always rise well. My first batch was delicious but flat flat flat! So I decided to follow the advice from Tip From The Kitchen’s The Trick to Better Gluten-Free Muffins and whipped the egg whites. This handy trick saved the muffins – now they are delicious and perfectly plump!

Crack your egg whites into a separate bowl and use a handheld mixer to whip for 3-4 minutes. Once it can form stiff peaks, you can add it to eat rest of the liquid batter. Not sure what “form stiff peaks” means? Turn off the handheld mixer and dip the metal beaters into the egg whites. When you remove the beaters, the egg white mixture should stand tall like a “peak.” If your egg white mixture immediately falls back into the bowl, keep mixing and check it again after a minute.

A Few Notes About These Lemon Berry Protein Muffins

• Store muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• If you don’t have chickpea flour, you can simply use more almond flour in its place.
• Not ready to eat your muffins? Store them in freezer-safe container for 1-2 months.
• Eat leftover muffins straight from the refrigerator or heat them in the microwave for ~15 seconds.
• To prevent your berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffin, toss them in a pinch of almond flour before adding to you batter.
• Use frozen or fresh berries. I usually use frozen because that is what I have on hand.
• You can use any type of berry. The berries photographed here are from a “mixed berry” bag, so it is blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry. You can use only blueberry or strawberry if you prefer, but you may want to cut strawberries into bite-sized pieces.
• When adding batter to muffin pan, fill 95% full. They will rise a little.
• These muffins are loaded with berries. Every tasty bite will probably have a berry. If you don’t want to use 1 and ½ cups of berries, 1 cup will probably be delicious too.
• Looking for another healthy and delicious snack? Check out our Everything Zucchini Bread Your New Favorite (Vegan) or Nutty, Crumbly Cherry Blueberry Bars (Gluten Free, Vegan).

Nutrition Information

This nutrition information was obtained using Very Fit Well’s Recipe Nutrition Calculator. The nutrition will vary depending on the ingredients you use. The protein powder and greek yogurt will be the main culprits in altering your nutritional information. This was calculated using Oikos Vanilla Greek Yogurt and Vanilla Muscle Milk protein powder (not an ad, just a fact). Always double check your brands to ensure it is gluten free (if desired).

Lemon Berry High Protein Muffins (Sugar Free, Gluten Free)

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Ifyougiveagirlanoven@gmail.com Course: Breakfast, SnacksCuisine: VegetarianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

174

kcal

These healthy, high-protein muffins are delicious, gluten & sugar free, and packed with chickpea flour, almond flour, flaxseed, & egg whites.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup 1 1/4 almond flour

• 3/4 cup 3/4 chickpea flour

• 1/4 cup 1/4 ground flaxseed

• 2 scoops 2 vanilla protein powder

• 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoon 1 1/2 baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 baking soda

• 1/2 cup 1/2 applesauce (non-sweetened)

• 1/2 cup 1/2 vanilla greek yogurt

• 1 1 ripe banana

• 1 tablespoon 1 lemon peel zest

• 1 tablespoon 1 lemon juice

• 3 3 egg whites (whipped)

• 1 teaspoon 1 vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cup 1 1/2 berries (fresh or frozen)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix dry ingredients: almond flour, chickpea flour, flax seed, protein, salt, baking soda, baking powder
• In separate bowl, smash banana. Stir in applesauce, yogurt, lemon peel, lemon juice, and vanilla.
• In medium size bowl, separate egg whites and whip until peaks form (3-4 minutes). Add to bowl with banana and stir well.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients, stir well. Add berries and stir until just combined.
• Bake for 18-24 minutes.

Notes

• Makes ~12 muffins

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