Oil Free Apple Protein Muffins (Whole Wheat)

Soft and fluffy Oil Free Apple Protein Muffins with whole wheat flour for a healthy breakfast, dessert or even post-workout meal! Perfectly spiced, full of apple chunks, and sweetened with protein powder, these apple protein muffins are sugar-free and delicious at the same time.

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Do you see the rise here?!

This is without a doubt the BEST rise I’ve ever gotten on a muffin recipe.

There’s a trick to that, but I’m not going to reveal it here – go check out the details on my website recipe post. This is one thing I’m going to be doing for all my muffins going forward.

Other than that rise though, these apple protein muffins were also just perfectly moist – not at all dry like other typical protein powder baked goods.

Another good thing about them? They’re oil free and sugar free, and so low calorie that I “had” to eat 1⅔ as part of my breakfast just so I could meet my macro needs for the meal.

Complaints? Pssht!

Oil Free Apple Protein Muffins Ingredients:

This recipe for whole wheat Apple Protein Muffins is as healthy as it gets – no oil or butter, no sugar, no buttermilk, but instead Applesauce, Greek Yogurt and Protein powder!

Here’s what you need to make a batch of this good stuff:

• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour for a healthy, nutritious and whole grain muffin recipe that’s still light and fluffy!
  Feel free to use regular all purpose flour if you wish.
• Vanilla Protein Powder as a replacement for the sugar – this is what makes this a sugarfree protein muffin recipe; I use Quest Vanilla protein powder 
• Unflavored Protein Powder to replace some of the flour (and carbs) in the recipe for a slightly lower carb high protein brownie. Quest Nutriton Multi-purpose here.
• Unsweetened Applesauce to replace most of the fat in the normal recipes, and also add some more apple flavor.
• Non-fat Greek Yogurt to add even more protein and keep these low fat
• Almond Milk for some moisture
  Also makes this a dairy free muffin recipe. Feel fee to use any other non dairy or normal milk
• Eggs
• Cinnamon because cinnamon apple protein muffins just sound so much butter
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder – you need them both for that perfect rise!

And then for the key apple-ness

• Finely Chopped Apples – You can even grate them if you’d like. I used the Fuji, but any other type will work as well.
  
• 1:1 Sugar Free Brown Sugar Replacement: I used Lakanto brown monk fruit sweetener so that the cinnamon sugar pop tart is sugar free (code HAYLSKITCHEN gets you a discount here)
• Cinnamon

Things to keep in mind for these Apple Pie Protein Muffins

This recipe for apple pie protein muffins really is quite easy, but here’s some tips to get them perfectly light and fluffy.

• Use unsweetened applesauce so there’s no added sugars in the recipe

• Don’t over-mix the batter!
  Pour the dry mix into the dry and just fold them together or too much gluten will develop, again giving you dense and gummy muffins. The protein powder could also cause toughness.

• Don’t skip out on the almond milk or the yogurt
  They add a fair bit of moisture to the muffins since there’s no oil here, also the protein powder in the muffins needs extra moisture.

• Chop the apples fine of the large chunks might mess up the cooking

• Spray the insides of the muffin pan with oil spray so the muffins come off easily.

How to get that rise?

This is the trick to get these cinnamon apple protein puffins to have that extra rise like those bakery style apple muffins!

All credit here goes to Sally’s Baking Addiction.

1. For 5 minutes, bake the muffins at 425.
2. Then lower the heat to and continue to bake for another 18 minutes (the total time should be about 22 minutes).

Why?

That initial hot air makes the tops rise, and then the lower temperature lets the muffins continue to cook on the inside.

Check for doneness?
Just like you usually would: a tester inserted into the center should come out dry.

Can you store Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffins?

With such a low calorie and reduced fat recipe, these protein apple cinnamon muffins are completely to okay to indulge in; I myself had nearly 2 at a time!

If they do last long, don’t worry; This oil free apple muffin recipe keeps really well and is great for a meal prep breakfast, snack or dessert – freezer friendly too! 

You can keep the whole wheat apple muffins out at room temperature on the countertop for 2 or 3 days, or in the fridge for or 4 or 5 days. Be sure to use an airtight container.

To freeze the healthy apple muffins, wrap them plastic wrap, and place in a freezer-safe zipper bag. They’ll last for 2 or 3 months. Thaw them when you want fall spiced apple dessert at Thanksgiving!

Some alternatives for these Healthy Apple Muffins:

I made these healthy apple mufffins with the whole wheat pastry flour and protein powder as described, but here’s some other clean ingredients to try:

• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: All purpose flour or 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour, in the same amount by weight not cups.
• Unflavored Protein Powder: 45g more Flour, but also reduce yogurt to ½ cup (112g)
• Greek Yogurt: Coconut Yogurt
• Almond Milk: Any other milk 
• 1:1 Zero Calorie Brown Sugar Replacement: Regular brown sugar or coconut sugar (this won’t be sugar free though, and also higher in calories)
  Or just leave it out.

Some more Protein Muffin Recipes to try:

• Spinach Protein Muffins
• Chocolate Stuffed Churro Protein Muffins
• Low Calorie Chocolate Protein Muffins
• Cranberry Eggnog Protein Muffins
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Protein Muffins (The Best Starbucks Copycat)
• Protein Monkey Bread Muffins

And some more Apple Protein Powder baking recipes:

• Caramel Apple Protein Bars
• Protein Apple Cobbler for One
• Cinnamon Apple Protein Pancake Bread
• Protein Apple Cupcakes with Protein Peanut Butter Frosting