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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Just made these for my kiddos in the morning before school. I couldn’t imagine no sugar (my whey is not sweetened, nor is my yogurt) so I added a tablespoon of maple sugar and 2 tablespoons of pure date syrup and my daughter said they were missing something. She added pecan pieces on top with butter and it was better. I think next time I’ll add a bit more maple syrup, raisins or chocolate protein for the kiddos. Consistency wise, they were perfect. Love the idea of cottage cheese!!!!
Glad you guys enjoyed them. I usually use sweetened protein powder so I can make a note of that, but for sure, they aren’t very sweet. I love the addition of nuts too. Thanks, Lydia!
To be honest, these muffins very much still taste “healthy” as some other commenters have mentioned. I added about a tablespoon of maple syrup since the batter didn’t taste very sweet and still found the final product to be quite mild. Also I used Lilly’s low sugar chocolate chips which was a mistake as they added a distinct sugar alcohol flavor that I didn’t enjoy. This batch won’t go to waste but I will add some additional spices and a different protein/chocolate chip brand to amp up the final muffin flavor for the next round.
Overall though, this was a super simple recipe that I will definitely be making again 🙂
Thanks for the feedback, Cassie! Yes, they are not very sweet and is a healthier muffin recipe. But you can adjust as needed as the recipe is pretty forgiving. I haven’t tried those chocolate chips but I like using regular ones for the sweetness. Thanks for trying them!
These turned out even better than I imagined! Delicious and moist, these will make a great mid-morning snack. I kept everything as is in the recipe and they turned out beautifully. Thank you for this high protein (no sugar) muffin option!!
So glad to hear they turned out so well. Thanks for trying them, Tammy!
How was your batter so runny? Mine was so thick
Hey, Terra! I have made these with both whey and plant-based protein and that is where the batter differences come in. Whey will give you a thinner batter whereas plant-based will give you a thicker batter. If you look at the photos on the post, you can see the batter is very thick. The video is old (I am assuming that is what you are referring to) and made with a different protein powder. Hope that helps!
Can I use cottage cheese instead of Greek yogurt?
I haven’t tried it, but it should work the same (and will add a little more protein). Let me know how they go, Danielle!
Just made these. Amazing! Used cottage cheese (no yogurt) and they were so moist and yummy. I did add a bit of sugar (maybe 2 tbsp). Definitely a keeper 😀
Love that you used cottage cheese instead! Thanks for trying them, Shi!
These were really good and so easy! This is the first recipe with protein powder that didn’t have that protein smell I find so unappealing. I think all the spices and pumpkin helped. I used chocolate, and they were delicious. Thank you!
Happy to hear you enjoyed them, Laura! Thanks for trying them!
I made these today with half cottage cheese and half greek yogurt (I already started before I realised I didn’t have enough yogurt!) Very yummy and also light and fluffy. A lovely afternoon treat with a cup of tea. Thank you!
Glad to hear they came out the same! Thanks for trying them, Alycia!