These cinnamon-spiced blueberry protein muffins with orange zest will be your new favorite breakfast. Naturally sweetened to prevent sugar-highs in the morning, they’re a perfect on-the-go bite with subtle hints of fruitiness.
Easy Blueberry Protein Muffins
If you love dessert-like breakfasts, these freshly baked blueberry muffins are for you. They’ll fill your kitchen with a zesty, cinnamon-packed aroma. Sweetened with bananas, honey, and applesauce, they’ll also pack your mornings with fruity energy. A bit of creamy yogurt and vanilla protein powder help keep you full too. Ready in 28 minutes, these fluffy muffins are a quick and easy morning bite.
Why You’ll Love These High Protein Blueberry Muffins
These easy blueberry protein muffins are a great excuse to have dessert for breakfast.
- No processed sugars. There’s no need for granulated or processed sugars in this recipe.
- Fruity. Plump blueberries, applesauce, and bananas add natural sweetness and a bit of tartness.
- Great for on-the-go. Pop the muffins into Ziploc bag on your way out for an easy on-the-go breakfast.
- Better than the bakery. Make a chocolate batter, add matcha, or crunchy shredded coconut for more flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
Applesauce, mashed bananas, and honey are used as natural sweeteners for the batter. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- Oatmeal flour – Make your own by processing quick oats until super fine.
- Almond flour – Don’t swap it for coconut flour or any other plant-based flour because the muffins’ texture will change.
- Egg whites – Carton egg whites can be used here.
- Greek yogurt – Plain unsweetened yogurt works too.
- Applesauce – Make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Honey – Maple syrup and agave nectar are great swaps.
- Vanilla extract – You can use almond extract instead.
- Bananas – Ripe bananas are best for this.
- Vanilla protein powder – It can be whey or plant-based.
- Cinnamon – Feel free to use ground nutmeg.
- Baking powder – Make sure it hasn’t expired before adding it in.
- Baking soda – Sieve it if it’s clumped together.
- Zest – Orange or lemon zest both work.
- Blueberries – Use fresh or frozen (thawed).
How To Make Blueberry Protein Muffins
They’re as easy as making a box-mix. Just mix and bake! Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for more detailed instructions.
- Prep the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Fill the muffin tray with liners and grease lightly with cooking spray. Don’t add too much because the muffins will turn out oily.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Combine the egg whites, yogurt, applesauce, honey, vanilla extract, and mashed banana in a large bowl until smooth.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the oatmeal flour, almond flour, protein powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and zest in a separate bowl.
- Make the batter. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.
- Fill the tray. Add batter to each liner until 3/4s full. Top each one with 8 blueberries, without pushing them into the batter. They’ll begin to sink once in the oven.
- Bake them. Pop the tray into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven once a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Tips & Variations
These blueberry protein muffins with sweet bananas can easily beat your favorite bakery ones by adding pecans or earthy matcha.
- Use add-ins. Fold in 1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or shredded coconut into the batter for extra flavor and texture.
- Make them chocolatey. Swap the vanilla protein for a chocolate one and stir 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips into the batter for chocolatey, dessert-like muffins.
- Leave it alone. Once the muffins are in the oven, don’t open the oven door until they’re ready. Opening and closing the door changes the internal temperature and will affect the muffins’ texture, so they could turn out rubbery.
- Add matcha. Stir 1-2 tablespoons matcha powder into the dry ingredients for a blueberry-matcha muffin variation.
- Skip the liners. Grease the muffin tray with non-stick spray to reduce waste but also prevent the muffins from sticking. If you don’t want to take any chances, make parchment paper cutouts and place the circles along the bottom of each cavity in the tray.
Serving Suggestions
These fluffy blueberry protein muffins are an easy breakfast option. Enjoy them with your favorite coffee like my Iced Coffee or Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. You can also pair them with Avocado Toast with Egg or Omelet Crepe Style for a heartier meal.
Proper Storage
Microwave them for 10-20 seconds for a freshly-baked feel again.
- Fridge: Place them in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Set them on the counter for 5-10 minutes before digging in.
- Freezer: Transfer them to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or set the muffins on the counter for 20-30 minutes.
More Muffin Recipes To Try
- Pumpkin Spice Protein Muffins
- Apple Pie Protein Muffins
- Lemon Raspberry Muffins
- Banana Protein Muffins
Blueberry Protein Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin Tin
Ingredients
- 1 cup oatmeal flour quick oats ground in food processor
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 medium banana peeled and mashed
- 3 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon orange zest or lemon zest
- 1 cup fresh organic blueberries or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Place liners in one muffin pan and lightly spray with organic baking spray.
- In a large bowl combine egg whites, yogurt, applesauce, honey, vanilla extract and mashed banana.
- In a second bowl combine oatmeal flour, almond meal, vanilla whey protein powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and orange zest.
- Combine flour mix and egg mix together until smooth.
- Fill each tin 3/4 of the way full, spreading evenly.
- Place about 8 blueberries on top spreading evenly over top of each filled muffin batter. Do NOT push blueberries down into batter.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
I never ruined a batch of muffins until I tried there. They were watery and uncookable.
I am not sure why you had trouble ARoy. I have made these numerous times with no problem. Could you give me more details on how you made them?
These are amazing!! Hubby and i love them! Ill top em with some dark choc chips too! What is the best way to store them?
Julia, I would store them in the refrigerator for up to a week… if they last that long! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. The banana flavor is a bit too strong for me. Any suggestions on a substitute (I am guessing that it, in part, is there as a binder)?
Candigirl, The banana is included for a binder. Use 1 large egg in place of the banana and you should end up with the same consistency. Let me know how it turns out.
is it possible to make without the Greek yogurt. I have all the ingredients except that 🙁
Hi Ruthie, You can substitute with Coconut cream, sour cream or creme fraiche.
How much is a “scoop” of protein powder?? 1 tablespoon? 2 tablespoons???
Carol, measure out 1/2 cup of protein.
Thank you!! The muffins turned out great… even just guessing a “scoop-ish” approximation. I was looking for an alternative to the usual sandwich in my daughter’s lunch… She loves them too!
These are THE BEST healthy muffin recipe I have tried!! So delicious!
Thanks so much Abbey, so glad you like them!
I should’ve read the comments about the oat flour; I ended up measuring out a cup of oat flour (because that’s what it said) instead of 1 cup oats, made into flour. Oh well, it just ended up making 16 muffins instead of 12. But I baked mine for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven and they are undercooked! I have to zap them in the microwave to finish cooking them in the morning. But they are tasty and don’t have a protein aftertaste.
Sorry you had trouble, but it sounds like you ended up with some yummy muffins in the end.
Could I use whole eggs instead of egg whites?
Katie, I have never made this recipe with whole eggs, but yes you can substitute, 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk.
Amy, These muffins are absolutely wonderful. I was wanting to sweeten the deal a little. What would you recommend for adding sweater content without taking away from the nutritional value? My husband is asking. Men and their love for sweets. Also, what might be the fiber count on one of these muffins?
Thank you for your time.
Hi Jessica, thanks for stopping and letting me know that you enjoyed the muffins. Totally get the hubby and the sweet tooth, I have one who is the same. How about sprinkling the tops with some raw sugar, like Turbinado? That way he will get a bit of sweetness with each bite without changing the consistency of the cupcake. Let me know if this works for him.
Thanks for the recipe. These turned out delicious. Even my nephew, a very picky eater, loved them. He told his mom “you can make these for me”. LOL.
Thanks for letting me know Darlene. That made my night! Hope you have a Merry Christmas!