Fluffy and Tender High Protein Blueberry Muffins

These high protein blueberry muffins – my go-to road trip snack/breakfast choice – are some seriously fluffy and tender little things. I wanted to nail a muffin recipe that contains extra protein so they’d actually serve us more effectively when we’re out and about (we being myself and my family). I love a basic muffin, sure, but they don’t exactly do all that much when it comes to keeping you full and/or satisfied for any real length of time. In fact, the opposite is usually true. Enter these protein-packed berry-full muffins.

If you like the looks of these protein packed muffins, you might also like my banana toffee crunch muffins (yes, inspired by banoffee pie!) or these juicy strawberry honey muffins and Lemon Poppyseed muffins. And since muffins are essentially baby quick breads, you might enjoy my apple fritter quick bread or this raspberry dream bread. Then there’s my all-time favorite – my white chocolate banana bread.

Why we love these high protein blueberry muffins

I was really excited when I successfully tested and decided on the final recipe for these high protein blueberry muffins. They don’t taste like they’re trying to be anything other than just a really great muffin – which is great. Sometimes “healthy-ish” recipes like these show their cards a little too much and too soon. We can tell what they’re up to, you know?

But not these. I really wanted to pack something homemade and at least somewhat nourishing for my family to enjoy while on a trip to Olympic National Park (now one of my favorite places on earth). And I thought if I could whip up a muffin that would actually keep us fuller for longer, that’d be a big win. We focus on protein and fats a lot in our diets (in fact, Lucas is doing the carnivore diet and seeing great results), as they serve us really well. Protein and fat keep us full and focused, so when developing these muffins, I turned my attention toward ingredients that would aid in those pursuits.

I always have protein powders around, so the vanilla variety worked beautifully here, as did a full-fat Greek yogurt, which generally has more protein than regular yogurt (sometimes as much as 16 grams). The fat from the oil also makes these stick with you longer, and the whole wheat flour we’ll use is also rich in protein and fiber as well, when compared to refined all-purpose flour (read more about each ingredient below).

High Protein Blueberry Muffins Swaps and Substitutions

1. Use a less refined sugar. You could swap the same amount of coconut sugar in for the granulated sugar, and maybe feel just a little better about yourself 🙂
2. Use any berry you like! I actually love to make “Blue Razz” muffins not only because my kids love the name and it reminds me of my own childhood, but because the tang of raspberries is delicious to me. That’s actually what I’ve photographed here for you. The raspberries are really beautiful, I think.
3. Use a different flavor of yogurt. To really double down on the berry flavor of these muffins, try using a blueberry Greek yogurt.

High Protein bluberry muffin ingredient notes

Fluffy and tender, packed with fresh, juicy berries and boasting more protein than your average muffin, these things are perfect for a quick grab-n-go treat. I make them when my family takes road trips, and they’re the ideal snack or ready-made breakfast. The extra boost of protein ensures they actually keep you full longer.

The Flours

We’ll use a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour in this recipe, as just using one wouldn’t get us where we need to go. For example, if we just use all purpose flour, our muffins would be missing out on that extra kick of protein that we’ll get from the whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour is actually rich in protein and fiber (as high as 12 to 15 percent protein content), therefore lending a strong assist to a couple of the ingredients below in qualifying these as high protein blueberry muffins.

If we were to just use whole wheat flour, the muffins would be umm … stodgy and not light and fluffy and no one would actually want to eat them, thus rendering the extra protein pretty useless, no?

The Sugar

The only real naughty ingredient in these muffins, the sugar really does make them taste great. You could, in theory, use another less process sweetener if you like. Honey or maple syrup, for example, could be a nice substitution (though I didn’t test for these). Or, a less refined coconut sugar could be really good as well.

The Yogurt

Greek yogurt has a nice punch of protein in it, as much as 16 grams, and helps give these high protein blueberry muffins extra protein AND moisture as well. That tang also gives great flavor. And I’m always looking for ways to get multiple uses out of a single ingredient, and I love how using a vanilla Greek yogurt gives us the moisture and protein we’re looking for, and also the vanilla sweetness that makes these muffins so delicious.

The Protein Powder

This is widely available and something I keep around to add to smoothies – which I make ALL THE TIME for myself and my kids. You can use a flavorless kind in these muffins, absolutely. I’d add a splash of vanilla extract to the batter though, if that’s the route you’re going.

The Berries

This recipe is for high protein blueberry muffins, so we’re using fresh blueberries here. But you can use any berry or cherry that you like, to be honest. Frozen berries also work, just toss them in a couple tablespoons of flour before adding them to the batter. This will keep them from sinking down to the bottoms of the muffins.

The Chemistry

We’ll add both baking soda and baking powder to the muffin batter here, and each serves a very important purpose. The baking soda will react with the yogurt and give rise to these muffins (though they won’t actually rise too much – just enough). The baking powder will burst into little air pockets and bubbles, lending lightness and air to the crumb.

Interested in more ways to use up your fresh berries? Look no further …

French Vanilla Gooey Butter Cake

Strawberry Crunch Salad

Bursting Berry Coffee Cake

Banana Cream Cake with Whipped Berry Frosting

Glazed Raspberry Balsamic Pork Chops

how to make these High protein Blueberry muffins

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F, and adjust the rack to the middle position. Line 12 muffin tins with either paper or silicone liners.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flours, protein powder, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, and then add the oil, yogurt, and milk. Make sure to stir until everything is completely smooth.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and fold everything together until just combined and you’ve got a thick, scoopable batter (overmixing makes for tough muffins). Lastly, fold the berries into the batter.
5. Fill each of the muffin cups with batter, filling them almost up to the top (they don’t rise a ton). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a tester comes out mostly clean, save for a few dry bits. NOTE: If the tops of your high protein blueberry muffins become too dark too quickly, you can lay a piece of foil over top to prevent over-browning until the insides are fully baked.

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