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A high-protein, gluten-free sweet potato muffin recipe made with oats and a blend of unflavored whey protein powder and plain Greek yogurt. These delicious wheat-free oat flour muffins turn out fluffy and moist with no compromise in taste or texture. The best part of this recipe is that the batter is whipped up in a blender in less than 5 minutes!
*Note: This recipe has been updated with recipe enhancements and new photos from the original recipe posted in January 2017.
You're definitely going to want to make this one.
This is not your average protein muffin. These protein muffins have the moisture, texture, and density of a traditional muffin with just the right amount of natural sweetness from the maple syrup and Medjool dates. I originally made this muffin recipe with flavored protein powder, but I wanted to come up with a version that was made without refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. I also wanted this recipe to be made with plain, unflavored protein powder so could use whatever brand that you prefer. This muffin is also gluten-free when you use gluten-free oats. As delicious as this mighty muffin is, it clocks in at 120 calories with 21 grams of carbs and 7 grams of protein each. Not bad for muffin macros. 😉
These muffins are perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee and a side of eggs, as a quick pre-workout snack, or as a decadent dessert topped with melted mini marshmallows, a smear of pastured butter, or light whipped cream. HEAVEN. Seriously. They are so. dang. good.
Protein baked goods can often be dry and not satisfying when you are trying to "healthify" the original recipe. You may even loathe the imposter of your favorite treat, deciding that the calorie splurge is worth not having to eat a rubbery baked good. Trust me, I know, I've been there. These muffins are a game-changer for protein desserts. I'm already looking forward to making another batch.
I used Isopure unflavored whey isolate protein powder with great results in my recipe testing (*affiliate link). It's one of my favorite brands but any plain, unflavored whey isolate should work well here. These muffins do not have a protein taste at all. Blending the whey isolate with Greek yogurt not only makes them taste great, but the yogurt keeps them from drying out.
How To Make Protein-Packed Sweet Potato Muffins
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes
- Whole oats
- Oat bran
- Eggs
- Unflavored plain whey isolate protein powder
- Plain Greek yogurt (full fat)
- Milk (I used whole milk)
- Pitted Medjool dates
- Real maple syrup
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
I recommend using a high-powered blender for this recipe. I use a Vitamix with a tamper to push the ingredients down into the blades to blend well.
How To Make These Muffins In A Food Processor
If you don't have a high-powered blender that's up for the task, then a food processor should work well to grind the whole oats and oat bran to a flour texture. After processing the oats until finely ground, pulse in the remaining dry ingredients then add in the sweet potatoes and remaining wet ingredients and pulse until smooth. Try not to over blend the batter, but you do want a smooth consistency.
Recipe Tips
I like to keep things easy, so I usually buy individually wrapped microwavable sweet potatoes and cook them the night before making this recipe. After they are cooked and cooled, I unwrap them from the plastic wrapper and place them into an airtight container in the refrigerator. Cold sweet potatoes peel very easily after they have chilled overnight. For best recipe results, I recommend weighing the peeled sweet potato flesh on a kitchen food scale so you end up with the right amount for the recipe.
These muffins are so delicious with melted mini marshmallows on top! This was actually my daughter's idea and I thought it was genius. Marshmallows are delicious on sweet potato casserole, so why not top them on a muffin! To melt the marshmallows, I lined a small baking sheet with foil and sprayed it with cooking spray then added the mini marshmallows in clusters. I broiled them until just starting to melt then using a small knife or mini spatula, placed them on top of the cooled muffins. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and serve. If you have a kitchen blow torch, that would work even better!
If you're a muffin purist, just go with a little butter. They are perfect either way.
Storage Tip
After muffins have baked and cooled, store them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to prevent the muffins from getting soggy. The muffins will keep for 3-4 days at room temperature. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. To freeze: wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them in a sealed storage container in the freezer. To thaw muffins, remove them from the freezer and thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can pop them in the microwave for a few seconds or warm them up in a countertop toaster oven.
Sweet Potato Protein Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 whole eggs
- ½ cup milk I used whole milk
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt 4% fat (using the higher fat adds more moisture)
- 3 tbsp real maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 pitted Medjool dates
- 12 oz cooked sweet potatoes ,cooled to room temperature and peeled. I used 2 medium potatoes.
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- ¼ cup oat bran
- ½ cup unflavored whey isolate protein powder I used Isopure unflavored whey protein
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Add all ingredients, liquid first, into a blender (a heavy duty blender works best)
- Blend on low-medium speed until mixture is smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides, until blended and smooth. I used a Vitamix with a tamper to push the ingredients down into the blades.
- Spray a muffin tin with a healthy oil spray (I used walnut oil, you can also use a cooking spray for baking)
- Pour batter evenly into 12 muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes.
- Muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool and enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container lined with a paper towel.
Notes
Nutrition
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Cassie Howard
These were absolutely delicious! Amazing recipe!
Amee Livingston
Thank you Cassie!!
Jen
How weird you don't taste the chocolate! not that I would ever be complaining if the flavor of chocolate came through 😉
Amee Livingston
Right?!! They don't taste at all like chocolate, but it would be good! 😉
Beverley Press
believe it or not but I have never baked with sweet potatoes so I'm going to try your recipe out this weekend. I love the sound of the flavours but if I don't have protien powder is the something else I could use? Thank you in advanced and have a great week xoxo
Amee Livingston
Beverly, I'm so sorry! Somehow I missed your comment! You can try it with ground oats instead. 🙂
Yum Girl
Welcome to Yum Goggle! We are following you on all your social media and hope you will follow us back. We will do our best to tag you each time we promote your posts. Kelli at YG!
Amee Livingston
You got it Kelli! Thanks for having me! 🙂
Amee Livingston
You got it! Thanks so much Kelli!!
DJ
how do I calculate nutritional facts for the sweet potatoe protein muffins - carbs, fats, protein, etc.
Amee Livingston
Hi DJ! I haven't added all the nutrition stats to my recipes, but you can use an app like My Fitness Pal that will calculate it for you. I hope to eventually add that feature!