As a kid, I always preferred dried cranberries over raisins. When I think about it now, it probably has to do with the fact that the cranberries were sweetened with sugar, while the raisins were not. These days, I like them both. However, I don't consume them unless their in the form of baked goods such as banana bread or these gluten free Cranberry Protein Muffins.

These muffins are made with vanilla protein, cassava flour and naturally sweetened dried cranberries. (That is, cranberries sweetened with apple juice and no containing any oils.) In addition, these cranberry muffins don't have any added sugar, are gluten free, Paleo and dairy free. They make an excellent grab and go breakfast or snack.

Ingredients in Cranberry Protein Muffins

These muffins only use 8 ingredients. All Paleo, nut free, dairy free and gluten free. Plus, there isn't any added sugar in this muffin recipe! The ingredients include:

vanilla protein powder
cassava flour
baking soda
salt
eggs
vanilla extract
water
dried cranberries

Protein Powder

Any flavored protein powder may be used instead of vanilla. However, vanilla works best with the flavor of dried cranberries (in my opinion). The protein powder used in this recipe is from Aloha. Which, used to be grain free, but the company changed their formula to include brown rice protein. So, if you are completely grain free, then I suggest using another protein.

Cassava Flour

Cassava flour is what gives these muffins their fluffy, moist and bread-like texture. I have not tried any other flour substitutions. If you choose to substitute this ingredient, be sure to measure the flour by weight.

Dried Cranberries

Dried cranberries often come with with added sugar and are coated in sunflower oil. This particular recipe uses dried cranberries from my local Co-Op. Fortunately, I was able to find some that were just sweetened with apple juice - nothing else. There are some Paleo friendly dried cranberry options online as well. The ones I recommend are:

If you don't have cranberries on hand or simply don't want to add them, you may omit them. They add a little to the flavor but won't change the soft, moist texture of the muffin itself. Another alternative is to substitute the cranberries with another dried fruit such as raisins.

How To Store Cranberry Protein Muffins

These muffins can be kept in the pantry, fridge or even freezer and then defrosted prior to eating. I suggest keeping them in an air-tight container up to four days at room temperature. In the fridge they'll last well up to a week. And about a month in the freezer.

More Paleo Protein Recipes

For more Paleo recipes using protein powder, check out these posts:

Enjoy!