These Vanilla Protein Muffins are soft, moist and flavorful. They are made with pea protein and a few other simple paleo ingredients. In addition, these low carb protein muffins are made without banana and are gluten free and dairy free.
These low carb vanilla protein muffins may not look like much, but they taste amazing!
They have the perfect texture - fluffy, light and moist. Furthermore, these protein muffins have a delicious vanilla flavor.
Why You'll Love these Healthy Vanilla Protein Muffins
- moist & flavorful - not dry like many protein muffin recipes
- gluten free & grain free - made with almond flour and pea protein
- low carb - great muffins for a low carb diet
- low in sugar - made without banana and sweetened with just a bit of honey (which is optional)
- paleo friendly - this recipe uses minimally processed, low inflammatory ingredients
Basically, they're the perfect snack or meal addition and make a great meal prep treat. You can eat them plain or smother them in nut butter, jam or coconut cream. Any way you eat them, they're a healthy treat to enjoy!
Ingredients in Paleo Protein Muffins
These high protein muffins require a few simple ingredients. Here's what you need:
- Pea protein powder
- blanched almond flour
- tapioca flour (or arrowroot)
- baking soda
- salt
- eggs
- yogurt (I used an unsweetened almond milk yogurt)
- water
- honey (optional)
- vanilla
Pea Protein Powder
This recipe has only been tested using pea protein. My favorite pea protein is from Nuzest. If you haven't tried this protein powder yet, I strongly recommend it. I love every flavor, but the vanilla is my favorite. If you want to make a purchase, be sure to use my Nuzest coupon code "bakeitpaleo" for 15% off.
Paleo Baking Flours
These muffins require a mixture of almond flour and tapioca flour. Combined, these flours make a muffin that is moist, airy and delicious!
Eggs
This recipe has not been tested with an egg substitute. Real eggs are probably your best bet for a successful protein muffin.
Flavorings
Honey, vanilla and salt are added for extra flavor. Any of these can be omitted, but they really add to the flavor of the muffins.
How to Make Vanilla Protein Muffins
These muffins are super easy to make!
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with silicone or paper liners. Please note, paper liners will stick to these muffins until they have completely cooled (like over-night in the fridge).
Make the Batter
Next, combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. This includes the protein powder, almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda and salt.
Add in the eggs, yogurt, water, honey and vanilla. Whisk the batter with a spatula until it's well combined.
Scoop the batter into the lined muffin pan, filling each slot about ½ to ¾ full. This will give you 11-12 muffins.
Bake the Muffins
Lastly, place the muffins in your oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 23-25 minutes.
After baking, cool them in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
Storage
These gluten free protein muffins are best stored in an air-tight container in the fridge. They will last well up to one week. For longer storage, keep them in the freezer up to one month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Muffins can be part of a healthy diet, even great for weight loss. What matters is the list of ingredients and how many you're eating.
Most bakery muffins are loaded with sugars, high in fat and low in protein. But these healthy vanilla protein muffins are low in sugar, high in protein and satiating. They're great for enjoying as a snack or breakfast side.
I have not tested this protein muffin recipe with whey protein. However, if you try the substitution then let me know how the recipe turns out in the comments below.
Using too much protein powder will make protein muffins dry and possibly rubbery (if you're using a whey protein). Adding yogurt, banana, applesauce or pumpkin puree to a protein muffin recipe adds moisture and creates a desirable texture.
These gluten free vanilla protein muffins are made with dairy free yogurt to achieve a fluffy, moist texture.
More Low Carb Protein Muffins
Looking for more paleo friendly protein muffin recipes? Check these out:
Enjoy!
Print
Vanilla Protein Muffins (Low Carb, No Banana)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 11-12 muffins 1x
Description
Simple vanilla protein muffins that are gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly. They are light, fluffy and moist.
Ingredients
- ½ cup vanilla pea protein powder (57g)*
- ¾ cup blanched almond flour (72g)
- ⅓ cup tapioca flour (42g)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup yogurt (I used unsweetened almond milk yogurt)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 Tbsp raw honey (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper or silicone muffin liners**
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. This includes the pea protein, almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add in the eggs, yogurt, water, honey and vanilla. Whisk batter until smooth.
- Scoop the batter into the lined muffin pan, filling each slot about ¾ full.
- Place the muffins in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes.
- Remove muffins from oven, cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
*For best results, I recommend using a pea protein powder. My favorite is from Nuzest. You can use my discount code "bakeitpaleo" for 15% off any purchase on the Nuzest website.
**The muffins will stick to the paper liners unless they are cooled completely.
Elizabeth
These look awesome! Do you happen to know how many calories are in each?
realfoodrabbit
Thank you! You can input the ingredients into a program like MyFitnessPal to calculate the calories 🙂
Maria
These look amazing! Do you have the macros for them?
Katie
Hi! You can always input the ingredients into an app like MyFitnessPal. But I don’t calculate the nutrition facts for any of my recipes.
Maria
Do you know, on average, how many this makes?
Katie
Recipe makes one dozen (12) muffins
stephanie
Any way to get rid of the almonds/nuts? I can't have either.
Katie
You might be able to swap the almond flour for tigernut flour and the almond milk yogurt for a coconut (or regular) yogurt. I haven't tried it myself though.
kelley rizzo
what if i a making 6 muffins , what would the recipe measurements look like?
Katie
Hi! You can try cutting all the measurements in half. However, I recommend keeping the recipe as-is and making 12 muffins.
Katie
These are my favorite protein muffins using vanilla pea protein. Enjoy!
Paige Jones
Wanted to try baking with my protein powders for my kids who are quite picky and need more protein in their diet. I added PB2 powder and used reg. flour instead of almond/tapioca bc I'm not concerned about GF or paleo with my kids and added Enjoy Life choc. chips on top. Other than the flour change and adding PB2 powder I followed the recipe as stated (I used sun warrior vanilla protein). I ended up only getting 11 muffins, and logged the tweaked recipe in MFP (11.7g of carbs, 10g protein, 3.8g fat for 1 muffin). They tasted good! I would probably add a little more honey next time for my kiddos as they are not very sweet (which is fine for me! but the picky eaters would prefer a little more sweetener). Would do this recipe again!
Katie
Thank you for sharing your substitutions! I'm so glad they turned out for you 🙂
Melina
Hi! Did you just add the PB powder or in replacement? And how much? Love the addition of this and would like to try!
katie
texture and flavor was eggy. batter was runny. not a fan
Destiny
Hey there! Would love to make these but am wondering if I can sub the almond flour with all purpose? My son is allergic to nuts 😵💫
Thanks in advance!
Katie
Almond flour has a very different texture and baking properties from all purpose so it probably won't work as a substitute. Tigernut flour would be the best nut free alternative, but I haven't tried it in this recipe.
melissa
I was looking for a recipe to use up pea protein and also low sugar/glutenfree/grain free. I made these last night with a few adjustments- did not want to use almond yogurt as most commercial yogurts have so much added sugar. I subbed a cup of pumpkin puree as your suggestions. I also did not have vanilla flavored pea protein, but the plain flavor pea protein worked fine.
I made 10 muffins to keep them generous sized. I added plain , unroasted walnuts on top and a tiny tiny drizzle of raw honey on top of that. They came out great! Perfect with a cup of coffee, fiber- vegan protein- and a hint of sweetness.
Katie
I'm so glad subbing pumpkin for the yogurt worked! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Erin
Could I use cornstarch instead of tapioca flour?
Katie
I don't have any experience baking with cornstarch, so I can't say for sure. I know they can be interchangeable in some recipes. If you try, please report back 🙂