My high protein muffins are light, fluffy and packed with 13.9g of protein each. Made with whey protein powder, cottage cheese and juicy blueberries, they are naturally gluten-free, sugar free and low carb. Ready in just 25 minutes!
I am so proud of this high protein muffin recipe!
I tested several versions of these protein powder muffins until they turned out moist and fluffy, just the way I like them. The crumb is vanilla-flavored with a hint of fragrant lemon. They taste just like proper muffins.
They have become one of my go-to healthy breakfasts and keep me satisfied until lunch.
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Katrin's Recipe Highlights
Protein Power - By using eggs, whey protein powder AND cottage cheese, one regular-sized muffin contains 13.9 grams of protein. If you use a mini muffin pan, one muffin still has a generous 9.3 grams of protein.
Light & Fluffy - I whip the eggs until they double in volume. This adds air to the batter and makes the muffin crumb light and fluffy.
Moist, not dry - I figured out the IDEAL ratio of protein powder versus wet ingedients, so the muffins texture is SPOT ON. Even after a day in the fridge they are still lovely and moist.
Low Carb - The recipe is gluten-free, sugar free and keto friendly with only 3.3g net carbs per muffin.
Baking With Protein Powder
Adding protein powder to low carb bakes creates a delicate crumb texture that is similar to wheat recipes. I often use small amounts of protein powder in low carb cakes and breads to achieve that finer texture.
Since this is a dedicated protein muffin recipe, I use as much protein powder as possible instead of regular flour (in my case, almond flour).
BUT!! Protein powder isn't a direct replacement for flour. Especially whey protein absorbs a lot of moisture, and too much can make muffins dry or rubbery.
How I Keep These Muffins Moist
In this recipe, I balance the ½ cup of whey protein with cottage cheese, eggs and butter. Cottage cheese adds moisture as well as extra protein, while the butter keeps the crumb tender.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Dry Ingredients
- Almond Flour - I used what we here in the UK call ground almonds. It's the same as regular almond flour in the US. Reduce by 2 tablespoons if using super-fine almond flour.
- Protein Powder - I used Pulsin unflavoured whey protein powder.
- Sweetener - Any 1:1 sugar substitute will work for muffins. I used an erythritol monk fruit sweetener blend by Lakanto. You could also go for Bocha Sweet or allulose.
- Baking Powder - Always check that baking powder is fresh so the muffins become nice and fluffy.
Wet Ingredients
- Cottage Cheese - Both large curd or small curd cottage cheese are good here. I recommend cottage cheese with a fat content of at least 2%-4% for a moist and rich texture. Fat free cottage cheese is too watery.
- Eggs - I always use large eggs in my recipes, this one included. Make sure they are room temperature. This is important for a good rise.
- Butter - Unsalted, melted and cooled or very, very soft.
- Flavor: Fresh blueberries, lemon and vanilla. Don't miss out on the lemon zest, it really lifts the taste. Use frozen blueberries straight from frozen rather than thawing them first. Thawed berries are softer and release juice into the batter, which discolors the crumb.
Which Protein Powder is Best?
- Whey Protein Isolate - Recommended. It has a creamy flavor and is what I developed the recipe with. With whey protein, the muffins will have a beautifully fine, fluffy crumb.
- Egg White Protein - tested alternative. Works well in terms of texture, but lacks in flavor. Add another ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to compensate.
- Pea or Hemp Protein - tested alternatives. Both have a distinctly pulsey / nutty taste, which gives the muffins a rustic "wholemeal" flavor.
Can I use Collagen Protein Powder? - Don't use this. Collagen makes these muffins too soft. You'd need change the entire recipe and use less wet ingredients.
Instructions
It is simple to make protein muffins. Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method, nutrition details and ingredient amounts.
STEP 1
In a large mixing bowl, or in a food processor, blend the eggs until they are frothy and have doubled in size.
STEP 2
Add the rest of the wet ingredients and continue blending until smooth.
STEP 3
Now, add the dry ingredients and blend briefly until a smooth batter forms.
The batter should be thick and spoonable.
STEP 4
Spoon the muffin batter into a muffin pan that you have lined with either paper cases or silicone cases. (This is a mini muffin pan. A regular muffin pan yields 8 muffins.)
STEP 5
Add the blueberries, pressing some into the batter and leaving some on the top.
STEP 6
Bake the muffins in the preheated oven until golden.
Katrin's Top Tips
- Whip the eggs properly. Whip for around 2 minutes until the eggs have doubled in volume and the air bubbles are small and sturdy. This makes the crumb texture light and airy.
- Don't overmix after adding the protein powder. Only mix until smooth. Overmixing can cause the batter to deflate.
- Check batter consistency. It your batter looks noticeably thicker than mine, your protein powder may be more absorbent. This can happen with casein protein powder, for example. Add almond milk by the teaspoon to loosen.
- Test for doneness. Start checking the muffins towards the end of the baking time. The muffins are ready as soon as they are lightly golden around the edges and the top springs back when you press on it.
Don't be tempted to over-bake. Protein powder muffins become dry when they stay in the oven too long, even if it's just a few minutes. They continue to firm up as they cool.
Recipe
Protein Muffins
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup cottage cheese 160g
- ⅓ cup butter melted and cooled, 80g
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice 12g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1.25 cups almond flour 125g, I used ground almonds
- ½ cup whey protein powder 50g
- ⅓ cup granulated sweetener 60g
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- lemon zest grated from 1 lemon, 2 tsp
- ½ cup fresh blueberries 70g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit (electric) or 160C / 320F fan-assisted.
- Blend the eggs for 2 minutes until they are frothy and have doubled in volume.
- Add the wet ingredients - cottage cheese, melted and cooled butter, lemon juice and vanilla extract - and blend until smooth.
- Then add the dry ingredients - almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, erythritol or your low carb sweetener of choice and lemon zest - and blend briefly until combined.
- Fill the batter into a muffin tray lined with paper cups (or silicone cups). The mix makes 8 regular muffins or 12 mini muffins. Add the blueberries. Push some inside the batter and leave some on top.
- Bake mini muffins for 17 minutes, regular muffins for 20 minutes or until lightly golden and the top springs back when you press it gently. Don't overbake as protein muffin firm up as they cool and you don't want them dry.
- Allow cool in the tray for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to firm up.
Notes
Nutrition
Variations
Chocolate protein muffins: Replace 4 tablespoons of almond flour with unsweetened cocoa powder. Increase the sweetener to ½ cup and substitute the lemon with almond milk.
(Or, try my chocolate protein muffins. They have 12.1g of protein without protein powder!)
Chocolate Chip - Use ¼ cup of chocolate chips instead of the blueberries and replace the lemon with milk of your choice.
Mixed Berry - Instead of blueberries, try chopped strawberries, blackberries or raspberries.
Substitutions
No cottage cheese: Greek yogurt or sour cream are the best alternatives to cottage cheese.
Nut free: For a nut free version, try a blend of sunflower seed flour and sesame seed flour. I have not tested coconut flour in this recipe. It absorbs about 3x more moisture than almond flour, so it would not be a 1:1 swap.
Recipe FAQs
They taste a little bit like a fluffy cheesecake! You can taste the tangy freshness of the cottage cheese, which is lifted even more by the addition of lemon juice and zest.
Yes. Vanilla protein powder works especially well. Keep in mind that flavored protein powders are often sweetened, so reduce the sweetener to taste.
Storage
Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. I always wait until the muffins have cooled fully and then put them in an airtight container.
Protein muffins freeze well and stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like to make a double batch of the recipe and freeze. This way I have breakfast ready for the week!
More High Protein Recipes
- Protein Fluff3 Minutes
- Protein Banana Bread1 Hours
- Low Carb Protein Bar Recipe30 Minutes
- Blended Cottage Cheese2 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Maria
Tastes just like cheececake and muffins combined. Love them!
Aileen Irving
Your recipe calls for whey protein. Can I use pea protein instead.
Katrin Nürnberger
It should work with pea protein, although you may be able to taste it a little. Whey has a milky-creamy flavour and pea protein is more earthy.
Karen
Lovely result! We missed sponge puddings when we went keto 2 years ago but these, with a little double cream more than made up for it! I use goat's and sheep's milk whey which worked well. My berries sunk to the bottom though and the mixture stuck to the cases but the taste wasn't affected!:thank you! X
Vickie
I want to make this recipe but where I live it’s impossible to get sweet blueberries. Could I use frozen and if so, would I use the same amount?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, use the same amount and straight from frozen.
Erin
I’ve made these three times and the last two times the muffins shrank down and condensed once cooled. They are dense but still tasty. What could I be doing wrong?
Katrin Nürnberger
I haven't encountered an issue like this. I would recommend that you try beating the eggs for longer and use fresh eggs, so you have stronger air bubbles.
Jennifer Congel
Looking forward to making these! Can I use 1% milkfat cottage cheese?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, that will work fine.
Rachel
If I use a vanilla protein powder that is already sweetened, do you think I still need to add the extra granulated sweetened in the ingredient list?
Katrin Nürnberger
maybe not! I would taste the batter and see if it is sweet enough.
Wendie
These came out great! Next time I’ll make sure to melt the butter bc I used soft whipped butter & not enuf bc they broke apart! But very fluffy & delightful! Thank you!
Doris J Ranke
Best tasting muffins I have ever eaten! Treated a friend with a muffin and a cup of coffee. She wanted to know which bakery I bought the muffin at? Awesome!
Katrin Nürnberger
Oh I love to hear that! Thank you for this lovely comment.
GEORGENE HARKNESS
Thank you for the note that states that there are other types of protein powder that can be used. I generally am pretty aggressive about changing ingredients in recipes I want to try out, but protein powder is expensive these days and no one wants to throw away a full recipe of something great, just because they misunderstood the properties of certain ingredients.
I also love a good blender recipe, as it contains the "mess" into one appliance (other than the oven, of course).
And finally, I don't have to go looking up all the ingredients to get the nutrition information. TOTAL WINNER of a recipe!
Deedee
Hi, I'm thinking of trying this recipe, could I use granulated sugar? If so, how much? Thanks
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Deedee, my sweetener is a 1:1 sugar alternative. This means that you can make the recipe with the same amount or sugar.