Vegan Protein Muffins with Blueberries (No Eggs, About 19 g Protein Each)

These vegan protein muffins with blueberries have about 19 g of protein each and take 30 minutes from bowl to oven to plate. They're made without eggs and without syrup. A ripe banana binds and sweetens the batter, almond flour keeps it moist, and banana bread–flavoured protein powder adds the protein.

What you'll find here: the recipe, a protein breakdown per muffin, how to bake with protein powder without dry results, egg-free baking tips, variations, and answers to the most common questions.

Makes	4 muffins
Prep time	10 minutes
Baking time	18–20 minutes at 180 °C (top and bottom heat)
Protein	about 19 g per muffin
Free from	eggs, dairy, syrup

Ingredients for vegan protein muffins

You need eight ingredients for four vegan protein muffins, and most of them are probably already in your kitchen. The banana, ground almonds and soy drink do more than you might think.

• 80 g plain wheat flour (type 405 or 550)
• 65 g ground almonds (almond flour)
• 60 g WAM Protein Banana Bread
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana (about 120 g peeled)
• 200–240 ml soy drink, depending on the size of the banana
• 80 g blueberries, fresh or frozen

Why these ingredients? The ripe banana replaces the egg and most of the sugar: the browner it is, the sweeter the muffins. Ground almonds add protein and fat, which keeps the crumb moist. Soy drink has the most protein of the common plant drinks.

Optional: 1–2 tbsp maple or agave syrup, or a few chocolate chips, if you like your muffins sweeter.

Method: how to make vegan protein muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (top and bottom heat) and line 4 muffin moulds with paper cases.
2. Mash the banana with a fork until it is almost smooth.
3. In a bowl, mix the flour, almond flour, protein powder and baking powder.
4. Whisk the mashed banana with 200 ml soy drink and the vanilla extract.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir slowly, only until no dry flour is left. The batter should be thick but still drop off the spoon. If it's stiff, add more soy drink, 1 tbsp at a time, up to 240 ml.
6. Gently fold in the blueberries so they don't burst.
7. Divide the batter between the 4 moulds. They'll be quite full.
8. Bake in the middle of the oven for 18–20 minutes, until golden on top and springy when pressed. A toothpick should come out clean, apart from blueberry juice.
9. Let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then on a rack. The crumb firms up as it cools.

How much protein is in one muffin?

One muffin has about 19 g of protein, and more than half of that comes from the protein powder. The rest comes from the almond flour, the wheat flour and the soy drink. Here's how the whole batch adds up, using standard nutrition values for the basic ingredients:

Ingredient	Amount	Protein
WAM Protein Banana Bread	60 g	44 g
Almond flour (ground almonds)	65 g	14 g
Wheat flour	80 g	8 g
Soy drink	220 ml	7 g
Banana and blueberries	200 g	2 g
Whole batch		about 75 g
Per muffin (÷ 4)		about 19 g

A regular muffin is nothing to avoid. It's just a muffin, and it deserves a place in your week. These are simply another option: if you're aiming for more protein each day, a muffin that brings 19 g with it makes that a little easier. Protein contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass, so they also work well for breakfast or a snack after training.

Can you put protein powder in muffins?

Yes, protein powder works well in muffins if it replaces only part of the flour and you add a little more liquid. Protein powder soaks up more liquid than flour and sets faster in the oven. That's why bakes made only from protein powder often turn out dry or rubbery.

In this recipe the powder makes up about 30% of the dry ingredients. That's enough for a clear protein boost while the wheat and almond flour still give the muffins structure. Our guide to baking with protein powder explains how much flour to swap and how to adjust liquids.

How do you make protein muffins without eggs?

For protein muffins without eggs, use a ripe banana as the binder and baking powder for lift. The mashed banana holds the batter together the way an egg would, and adds moisture and sweetness.

Two things make egg-free muffins work. First, stir only until everything is just combined; overmixing makes egg-free muffins tough. Second, bake them as soon as the batter is mixed, because the baking powder starts working once it touches liquid. No resting time is needed.

Why are protein muffins often dry, and how do you avoid it?

Protein muffins usually turn out dry because there's too much protein powder, too little liquid, or they stay in the oven too long. Protein keeps setting even after the muffins come out. A muffin that seems slightly underdone in the middle at 18 minutes is often just right once it has cooled.

"Protein powder behaves differently from flour: it soaks up more liquid and keeps firming up as it cools. When I bake with it, I'd always rather take the tray out a minute early than a minute late." – Dr. Anna Falk, chemist and founder of WAM

Fat helps too. That's why this recipe uses almond flour rather than more wheat flour: its natural fat keeps the crumb soft for longer. Expect a slightly denser, moister muffin than a classic bakery one, which suits blueberries well.

Can you make protein muffins without protein powder?

You can, but they'll have far less protein. Without the protein powder (replace it with 60 g more flour), each muffin has about 8 g of protein instead of 19 g. To push that up without powder, use de-oiled almond flour or chickpea flour for part of the wheat flour, or serve the muffins with soy yoghurt. Even then, it's hard to reach more than 10–12 g per muffin.

Variations

• Chocolate blueberry: use Chocolate Hazelnut instead of Banana Bread. It's closer to dark cocoa and slightly more bitter, so add 1–2 tbsp syrup.
• Vanilla: Pure Vanilla is about as sweet as Banana Bread, so you can swap it 1:1.
• Other fruit: raspberries or chopped apple instead of blueberries.
• Pear: our vegan protein muffins with pear and the pear and chocolate hazelnut version.

How do you store protein muffins?

Once cooled, keep the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Fresh blueberries make them moist, so they shouldn't sit at room temperature for long. Let them come back to room temperature or warm them for a few seconds before eating; they're softest that way. We haven't tested freezing them yet.

FAQ

Are these protein muffins sweet?

They're lightly sweet, more like a banana bread than a cupcake. All the sweetness comes from the ripe banana, the blueberries and the small amount of stevia in the protein powder. If you're used to bakery muffins, add 1–2 tablespoons of maple syrup or a handful of chocolate chips to the batter. A very ripe, brown-spotted banana also makes a noticeable difference to the sweetness.

Can I use whey instead of vegan protein powder?

You can, but you'll need to adjust the liquid. Whey usually absorbs less liquid than a plant protein blend, so start with about 180 ml of soy drink and add more only if the batter is stiff. The muffins will no longer be vegan. If you're deciding between the two, our comparison of whey and vegan protein explains the differences.

Can I use frozen blueberries?

Yes, frozen blueberries work well. Don't thaw them first: fold them into the batter straight from the freezer so they keep their shape and don't turn the batter purple. Frozen berries cool the batter, so the muffins may need one or two minutes longer in the oven. Check with a toothpick after 20 minutes and give them a little more time if needed.

Which flour works best for protein muffins?

A mix of plain wheat flour and almond flour works best in this recipe. The wheat flour gives structure, and the almond flour adds moisture and about 14 g of protein to the batch. You can use spelt flour instead of wheat flour 1:1. Oat flour also works, but it absorbs more liquid, so plan on 2–3 extra tablespoons of soy drink.

Are these muffins gluten-free?

No, this recipe uses wheat flour, so the muffins are not gluten-free. Swapping in a gluten-free flour blend doesn't make them safe for coeliac disease either, because we can't guarantee that WAM Protein is free from traces of gluten. If you need to avoid gluten strictly, choose products that are certified gluten-free.

Can I double the recipe?

Yes, the recipe doubles easily to 8 muffins. Use 2 bananas and start with 400 ml of soy drink, adding more only if the batter is too thick. The baking time stays the same, about 18–20 minutes at 180 °C, as long as the muffins are the same size. With a 12-hole tin, fill the other holes with a little water so the muffins bake evenly.

The protein powder in this recipe

Sources

• European Commission: Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims (protein and muscle mass).
• USDA FoodData Central: nutrition values for almonds, wheat flour, soy drink, banana and blueberries.
• WAM Protein Banana Bread: nutrition label (22 g protein per 30 g).