My brother’s birthday is next weekend! Because he adores lemon treats—anything from cookies to cupcakes to scones to cheesecake and more—I’m helping him celebrate by declaring this Lemon Week on the blog. I don’t know who’s more excited about that… Me, who gets to bake everything, or him, who gets to eat it all!
Right before I finished elementary school, my family moved across town to an older yet larger house with huge front and backyards. Soon after we unpacked the most important boxes and stocked the fridge with fresh groceries, we all walked around outside, exploring the property with all of its hidden gems.
The first things we noticed were the trees—there were so many of them and countless different varieties! Not just your typical California redwoods either… We found orange, grapefruit, fig, bay leaf, apple, peach, plum, wild plum, avocado, and lemon trees scattered around the backyard grass and small hill behind the bedrooms.
Other than grabbing a fresh bay leaf every time Mom cooked spaghetti sauce, we picked fruit from the lemon trees the most. With three different trees to choose from—a Meyer lemon tree, one tree that bore lemons the size of footballs, and a third that lay dormant for at least 6 years after we moved in—we hardly ever ran out.
Since I was actually visiting my parents last week, I walked out into the backyard and plucked a few lemons from the tree just like I did throughout my childhood, and I used one of them for these Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Muffins. When my brother arrived after spending the weekend at a friend’s, he was so surprised—and super happy to start his birthday celebrations a week early on such a sweet and healthy note!
To make these muffins both clean-eating friendly and low-carb, we’ll need two important ingredients: coconut flour and protein powder. Coconut flour behaves very differently than any other flour! It’s about 3 times as absorbent, so we’ll only use a little bit because adding too much will dry out the muffins. For this reason, it’s incredibly important to measure the coconut flour using either the spoon-and-level method or a kitchen scale. I highly recommend the latter! I own this inexpensive kitchen scale, and it’s the #1 reason why my baked goods turn out with the perfect taste and texture.
This recipe is designed for whey-based protein powder. I used this exact one, and I love how its whey taste is less noticeable than in many other brands. Most brands of whey-based protein powder will work, but remember, not all protein powders behave exactly the same! Some are slightly more absorbent and will require a touch more milk; others are less so and may need a bit more coconut flour.
Note: I do not recommend using plant-based protein powder in this recipe. In general, plant-based protein powders are much more absorbent than whey-based protein powders, so the muffins may turn out dry and crumbly.
To keep these muffins as light and healthy as possible, the batter only includes 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Yes, that’s it! The rest of their tender, cupcake-like texture comes from my favorite ingredient in healthier baking: Greek yogurt. It adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives the muffins an extra protein boost too. That’s definitely a win-win!
The majority of the citrus flavor comes from the lemon zest. So pretty, pretty please, don’t skip it! I generally use Meyer lemons because that tree in our backyard had the most fruit, but regardless of the variety you select, try to pick lemons without any green splotches on the skin. The more yellow its color, the brighter the lemon flavor will be!
When it comes to muffins, I generally prefer fresh blueberries because they don’t bleed as much and won’t turn the batter a grayish color like frozen. Either will work though! If you prefer frozen blueberries, set aside a tablespoon of the coconut flour/protein powder mixture, and simply toss the frozen berries with that before gently folding them into the batter to minimize any discoloration.
Now aren’t those muffins gorgeous?? Apparently my family thought so too because the entire batch disappeared in a heartbeat… Guess I need to bake more for my brother’s birthday brunch this weekend!
| Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Muffins | | Print |
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (56g) coconut flour (measured correctly)
- 2 scoops (84g) vanilla whey protein powder (I used Jamie Eason's Lean Body for Her)
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (8g) poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp (5g) lemon zest (about one medium)
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) agave
- 3 tbsp (45mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about one medium-large)
- ½ cup (120mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup (140g) fresh blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 9 standard-sized muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the coconut flour, protein powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds seeds, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt until no large lumps remain. Stir in the agave, lemon juice, and almond milk. Add in the coconut flour mixture, stirring until fully incorporated. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 23-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack.
Any milk (cow, soy, cashew, etc.) may be used in place of the almond milk.
Frozen blueberries may be substituted for the fresh. To do so, reserve 1 tablespoon of the coconut flour and protein powder mixture from Step 2, and toss that with the frozen blueberries just before gently folding them into the batter. The baking time may increase by a few minutes.
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, low carb, high protein}
Hi Amy!
Going to make these today, do you have any idea what the macro breakdown would be for these cupcakes? If not no worries at all, just figured it would be worth asking! 🙂
The full Nutrition Information for all of my recipes is included beneath the recipe Devyn! 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of them!
Is it possible to substitute 1 to 1 gluten free flour (Bob’s Red Mill) for the coconut flour? Would the xanthan gum then be unnecessary since it is included in the 1 to 1 flour? Was thinking about whole wheat flour as well. Would you just add more flour to get the same batter consistency? I made these using your ingredients with a zero carb protein powder and they came out perfect but the coconut flavor is a little much for me. I can’t stand anything coconut so the very slight flavor that almost no one else would notice was still too much.
You should be able to substitute either of those options that you mentioned, either Bob’s Red Mill GF blend or whole wheat flour, and you’re right in thinking that you would omit the xanthan gum for both. I’m not sure how much more of either option you’d need to add, but since you’ve already made the recipe as written, you have a good idea of what the batter’s consistency should be like! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you try and how that turns out Charlotte!
I’m so excited to make this recipe! Can I use almond flour instead of coconut flour?
I answer that question on my Protein Powder FAQ page, which is already linked to in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the muffins Lexi!
Have you ever substituted guar gum for xantham gum in your baking recipes? I use it as an emulsifier in my ice creams and have it on hand. My research indicates both gums can be used to replace wheat gluten but they yield different results. I think guar gum makes things more crumbly… I thought I’d ask if you had experimented before I tried it out.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Evaleen! I haven’t worked with guar gum before, so I’m not sure how it’ll work in my recipes. If you’ve been able to substitute it for xanthan gum in other coconut flour/protein powder muffin recipes, it’ll probably work here as well. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these muffins!
These are fabulous! I’m so glad I read your tips on using protein powder, otherwise I would’ve put too much in! I did sub in chia seeds for the poppy seeds and erythritol for the agave, and they came out great! I would love to see more recipes using protein powder and erythritol, my first choice in sweetners. Thanks!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins and found the FAQ helpful Angela! 🙂 You can find the rest of my recipes using protein powder here. I can’t wait to hear what you try next!
Hi! I would like to make this recipe but I only have whey isolate protein powder and lupin flour, could you suggest me how can I modify the recipe with these ingredients?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Emanuela! I have no experience with lupin flour, so I don’t know whether that will work in this recipe. Your whey isolate protein powder should work though! You may need to slightly adjust the amount of dry ingredients if the batter seems too wet or add more milk if it seems too dry. See my Protein Powder FAQ Page for more info! (It’s in the Notes section of the recipe underneath the Instructions.) 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you make these muffins!
I’m interested to know if anyone has tried to substitute the agave with liquid stevia. If so how much? These look so yummy! I’m just not super fond of the agave flavor.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Angela! If you’re using my favorite liquid stevia (this one!) or any of that brand’s liquid stevia products, then you can substitute ¾ teaspoon of that liquid stevia + an additional ¼ cup of milk. You can also substitute honey or pure maple syrup for the agave, if you prefer either of those! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins!