Growing up in Northern California, my family drove down to Anaheim at least every other year for a short Disneyland vacation. After our 7-hour drive down the monotony of I-5, we pulled into the parking lot of the hotel just off the freeway, the place we always stayed because of its inexpensive prices and close walking-distance proximity to the park.
As early morning risers, my brother and I bounded out of bed with the sun every morning, practically bouncing off of the walls in excitement. We headed over to Disneyland well before 8 am to be the first ones in when it opened so that we could ride Dumbo, It’s a Small World, and the Tea Cups until we got dizzy and before the park filled with other guests.
Because Disneyland set their food prices as high as baseball stadiums, Mom crammed a backpack full of water bottles, apples, fruit gummies, crackers, and peanut butter for us to munch on as we walked around the park. Bringing our own snacks also meant we could maximize our time on the rides instead of standing in restaurant lines!
Since hotel meals usually cost and arm and a leg like Disneyland’s food, our parents packed breakfast things as well to eat in our room. Although my brother and I usually started our days with cereal and milk, we never knew if the hotel would have a mini fridge, so Mom brought nonperishable treats instead.
We absolutely loved it when she surprised us with the humongous jumbo-sized lemon poppy seed muffins. They were the only flavor we’d eat as kids (yes, we were picky!), and we’d always pick off the slivered almonds on top to hand over to our parents.
However, we usually pouted a little bit when Mom cut our jumbo muffins in half to make us share, but when she reminded us that a smaller portion mean we’d finish and get to go to Disneyland sooner, she turned those frowns upside down. (Smart lady!)
Now that I’m older and could easily polish off an entire jumbo-sized muffin by myself, most of the temptation has disappeared. I know I’d have a sugar crash an hour or two later, and I’d much rather eat something with a little protein to power me through the morning instead. That’s where these Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Muffins come in! They have the same sweet, sunshiny flavor as my childhood favorite, but they’re lower in carbs and have a big protein boost.
Let’s break down these healthier muffins, shall we? They start with pure coconut flour to lower the carbs. Don’t worry; they don’t have an overwhelming coconut flavor! There’s a tiny tropical taste in the background, but my guy said that he wouldn’t have noticed if I didn’t point it out. (And yes, he actually tried one!! Mainly because he loves all things lemon, but still… I’ll take any tiny victory I can get!)
It’s important to remember that coconut flour is about 3 times as absorbent as regular flour, so we’ll use a third of the amount. Coconut flour takes a little while to absorb the extra liquid, so after mixing it with the wet ingredients, let the batter sit for about 10 minutes while the oven preheats. When you come back, the batter will be as thick as normal.
The big protein boost comes from Jamie Eason’s Lean Body® for Her 100% Whey Concentrate vanilla protein powder. It has very little sugar and a sweet vanilla taste. Although I’m normally sensitive to the aftertaste of whey, I couldn’t detect it at all in these muffins! Just a bright, sunshiny lemon flavor.
Thanks to Greek yogurt, these muffins are some of the most tender I’ve ever eaten! It adds lots of moisture for a fraction of the fat and calories of oil. These muffins practically have the texture of cupcakes, and healthy protein-packed “dessert” for breakfast is something I’d be happy to eat every single day!
Wouldn’t you?
| Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Muffins | | Print |
- ½ c + 2 tbsp (56g) coconut flour (measured correctly)
- 1 tsp (3g) xanthan gum
- ¾ tsp (2g) baking powder
- ¾ tsp (2g) baking soda
- ¼ tsp (2g) salt
- 1 tbsp (8g) poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp (5g) lemon zest (about one medium)
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract
- ¼ c (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ c (60mL) agave
- 2 tbsp (30mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about one medium)
- ½ c (120mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 scoops (84g) Jamie Eason’s Lean Body® for Her vanilla protein powder
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 8 standard-sized muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the coconut flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt until no large lumps remain. Stir in the agave, lemon juice, and almond milk. Mix in the protein powder. Add in the coconut flour mixture, stirring until fully incorporated. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 21-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack.
These muffins freeze really nicely. To thaw quickly, place individual muffins in the microwave for 40-50 seconds on 40% power.
For more tips and answers to all other questions, including substitutions, see my Protein Powder Recipes: Tips & FAQ page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower carb, high protein}
This post was sponsored by Labrada Bodybuilding Nutrition, Inc. As always, all opinions, text, images, and recipe are my own.
If you do a google search there are at least 5 or more subsitutes for xanthum gum. I used ground chia seeds.
I’m glad you found a substitute that worked for you Tammy!
Hi Amy
Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe! Just 1 question. Do you think I can leave out the agave?
I do not recommend it since it provides both sweetness and moisture. You can substitute with honey or another liquid sweetener. If you do choose to omit the agave, add additional granulated sweetener of your choice and 2-3 additional tablespoons of milk. I hope you enjoy the muffins if you try them Luvena!
Hello! I just made these, and had the same problem a couple other commenters have mentioned with the batter being much too thick. It was the consistency of a thick cookie dough batter, so I added milk; I added almost a half cup before I reached a more batter-like consistency, but this ended up being too much because the muffins turned out pretty soggy. On the plus side, they still taste delicious! I definitely want to try making it again with different ratios of milk and possibly protein powder. I used around 85 grams of Muscle Milk since that’s what I have in the house. Do you have any suggestions on possible changes to make? I’ll certainly be experimenting with it.
I’m glad you enjoyed the taste Amelia! I don’t have any experience with baking with Muscle Milk, but that’s probably what is causing the issues that you’re seeing since not all protein powders behave the same in baking recipes. For the best results, I’d recommend using the protein powder that I used because I can guarantee that this protein powder will result in the proper taste and texture! If you’d like to stick with Muscle Milk powder, then add no more than ¼ cup of additional milk since the batter is supposed to be extremely thick, and that should help reduce the soggy texture.
Hi sounda AMAZING, any way i can substitute the xantham gum with egg whites or chia seeds and water?
Thanks Jess! I haven’t tried either of those substitutions and can’t vouch for them. You can also omit the xanthan gum, and the muffins will just be a little denser than normal. I hope you enjoy them!
Hi Amy. Thanks for this and your other great recipes too. I made them with a different protein powder and also had the “too thick batter” problem. Added more milk, but the centers never fully baked. (Still, the taste is awesome!). Can you tell me a cup measure equivalent for your two scoops of protein powder? I will try that instead of gram weight next time.
I’m glad the you liked the taste Kim! My recommendation would be use to two regular scoops of your whey protein powder, however much that weighs, as opposed to the cup measurement equivalent. That should yield better results!
I followed the instructions as well but used a different protein powder. I had the same issue as many others……thick batter and dense muffins (they didn’t even change shape while baking, looked just like the batter). I think this would be a great recipe for the manufacturer of the brand of protein powder you used to put on their website but it is not necessarily a recipe that can be used with other brands of p powder. My kids said the flavor was “pretty good” thankfully!
I’m sorry the muffins didn’t turn out for your Shelly; that must have been disappointing. Protein powders all behave very differently, especially when it comes to baked goods, so unfortunately I can’t guarantee the results when substituting a different protein powder.
So glad to read that others have had an issue with pea protein, and to read why! I also used honey instead of agave. The flavor is still great. I am going to try another batch using more almond milk. Mine with the pea protein wouldn’t cook through and are sort of wet inside. Thank you for this great recipe, the favor is wonderful!
I’m glad you like the flavor Lynn!! I’d suggest using just 1 scoop of your pea protein in your next batch before adding more almond milk since plant-based protein powders are much more absorbent than whey-based ones. I also just published a Protein Powder Recipes: Tips & FAQ Page yesterday, so that may help you as well! 🙂
I love these muffins!!! I’ve started making them every two weeks and freezing them for my morning snack at work 🙂 I just take one out in the morning and they’ve thawed by the time I’m ready for them.
I use a whey protein and have never had an issue with the batter. I find if I leave the batter to rest for 5mins, the muffins are perfectly fluffy. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes 🙂
I’m so touched that you bake these muffins so often Mary — hearing that made my day! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next!
Muffins sounds great and I’m going to try to make them but you didn’t mention how many carbs in each.
You can find the full Nutrition Info for all of my recipes underneath the recipe box! 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the muffins Peggy!
Haven’t tried the recipe yet, but I’m working on gathering the ingredients as these are not items I’ve (ever) had in my house! As you might’ve guessed, this is my first foray into the low carb world so wish me luck. I was wondering if you might have more recipes that use the protein powder and the xanthum gum, so that I’m not buying them just for one recipe? Thanks.
Yes, I do! Here are my protein muffin recipes and my protein cookie recipes, and they use the same protein powder as this recipe. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of these muffins Lori!