Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins made in the blender with oats, pumpkin, Greek yogurt, protein powder, pumpkin spice, and chocolate chips! High protein and low carb and only 122 calories with 7 grams of protein per muffin!
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Pumpkin protein muffins!! It’s officially that time of year for all the things pumpkin and I am here for it! From these protein muffins to protein bars and pumpkin pie butter.
Why we love these pumpkin protein muffins:
- made with simple ingredients – kitchen staples that you probably already have at home
- they couldn’t be easy to make – made in the blender and that’s it!
- very forgiving! – I have used both whey protein and plant-based and both work great
- have a great macro breakdown – they have a good balance of complex carbs, healthy fats, fiber, and 7 grams of protein in each one!
And they make an easy make-ahead breakfast, snack, or healthy dessert and definitely hit the spot when you are craving a baked good and don’t want to derail your nutrition goals!
Pumpkin protein muffins
This protein muffin recipe couldn’t be easier. Made in the blender with just 10 ingredients. They are made with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen and are packed with protein!
Pumpkin chocolate chip protein muffins ingredients:
- old fashioned rolled oats
- pumpkin puree
- Greek yogurt
- eggs
- natural or vanilla flavored protein powder – I like using vanilla
- pumpkin pie spice
- cinnamon
- baking powder
- baking soda
- chocolate chips
- salt
First, make the oat flour. You could easily buy oat flour, but all you have to do is add rolled oats to your blender and blend for 30 seconds or so until it is broken down into a flour-like consistency. Voila, oat flour!
Next, add the rest of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) – pumpkin, yogurt, eggs, protein powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt. Blend it up until combined.
The batter will be THICK, but it’s okay. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips. I just add them to the blender and carefully stirred them instead of dirtying another bowl.
PRO TIP – only stir in about 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips and then sprinkle the rest of them on the top of the muffins after they are in the liners. This makes for pretty muffins.
Once the batter is combined, evenly distribute the batter between 12 muffin tins and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. I used silicone muffin liners so after they cool, they will pop right out!
Gluten-free protein muffins
Rolled oats are naturally gluten-free, but they can be one of the most cross-contaminated products. To ensure this recipe is gluten-free, look for certified gluten-free oats.
Pumpkin protein muffins substitutions
This recipe is pretty forgiving and you can change it up to fit your needs. I have made it with a few different protein powders and they work. That is the only substitution I’ve tried, but I think these others will work as well!
- protein powder – you can use whey protein or plant-based. I would assume that most work, except collagen, as the protein helps thicken the batter.
- no protein powder – if you don’t want to use protein powder, try 1/3-1/2 cup more of oats. This will change the nutritional breakdown though.
- non-dairy yogurt – I haven’t tried it, but you could probably use non-dairy yogurt. Just make sure the batter is thick and if you need to, add more oat flour.
- cottage cheese – I would think this would work the same
- flax eggs – if you can’t have eggs, try 2 flax eggs instead
More healthy protein snacks
- Pumpkin Protein Bars
- No-Bake Protein Cookies
- Perfect Bar Recipe
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
- Apple Cinnamon Protein Cookies
- Sweet Potato Blueberry Protein Muffins
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins
ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (100 grams)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (244 grams)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt (227 grams - I used Siggis 0%)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 packed cup vanilla flavored protein powder (~50-60 grams)*
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the oats to a Vitamix, blender, or food processor and process until a flour forms (about 20 seconds).
- Add the pumpkin, Greek yogurt, eggs, protein powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and blend again until well combined. Try not to overprocess it if you can. Stir in the chocolate chips**.
- Distribute into 12 silicone muffin liners (or regular muffin liners that are greased).
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 25 minutes will be a little moister while 30 minutes won't be as moist. Enjoy!
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Recipe by Kelly Nardo, Eat the Gains | Photography by The Mindful Hapa
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This recipe is a favorite in my household! I love added a touch of coarse sea salt on top… YUM!!!
Love the salt on top of any sweets! Thanks for making them Heather!
If I use oat flour instead of making my own, how much should I use? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it but 1/2 cup should work the same! Hope that helps!
This recipe was really easy to make and all of the ingredients go together nicely! If you prefer these a little sweeter then I recommend adding some honey or maple syrup. I’m not sure the proportions or how it would mess with the nutritional information but a little more sweetness evenly distributed throughout kicks it up a notch!
Glad you enjoyed them, Lindsey! I’ll have to make them again and add a little sweetener to see how they come out. Thanks for trying them!
I had a major sweet craving so I tried making these over the weekend. I’ve never used oat flour or protein powder in baking before, but they turned out surprisingly good! They still taste “healthy” but had enough sweetness in them that I didn’t feel like I was really missing out on a traditional muffin.
Glad you enjoyed them Austin! Thanks for trying them!
I prefer healthy muffins that aren’t loaded with sugar but Zero sugar is a no go for me . These were good consistency but BLAND
The sweetness will depend on the protein powder being used. I find mine adds enough, but if not, you can always add more since sweetness is such a personal preference. I like to taste-test a little of the batter before baking. Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy them.
Hi! These are great. How do you recommend storing, should they be put in the fridge right away or can they sit out a few days? Can they be frozen?
Hey Dolly! I would store them in the fridge for up to a week. And yes, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. I hope that helps!
These muffins turned out very tasty and my kitchen smelled amazing! This was my first time making oat flour and baking with protein powder and was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t feel like I was missing out on all purpose flour :). The only modification I made is adding a some brown sugar substitute – I have a bad sweet tooth!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Carol! The little brown sugar sounds good too. Thanks for trying it!
These were so delicious! I made with vanilla protein powder – just the perfect amount of sweetness and spice! My daughter loved them too – thanks for the recipe!
So happy to hear they were a hit, Sara! Thanks for trying them!