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!
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!
video
notes
nutrition
Recipe by Kelly Nardo, Eat the Gains | Photography by The Mindful Hapa
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Maria Anastasia Nikolopoulou says
Hi! Would you happen to know what the results would be like with whole wheat flour instead of oats? Thanks!!
Kelly Nardo says
Hi, Maria! I don’t as I haven’t tried it. I would suggest playing around with it and see how it comes out!
Heather says
These were good. I didn’t have spray for my muffin tins so used paper muffin cups instead. Unfortunately, they stuck pretty badly. Next time I’ll try the silicone muffin cups.
Kelly Nardo says
Glad you enjoyed them, Heather! Sorry to hear they stuck for you though. I love the silicone molds for that reason but I know not everyone has them.
Amy says
These were awesome and so easy! The only tweak I made was to make the oat flour in the vitamix then blend everything else in a big bowl. My vitamix couldn’t handle the thickness of the batter. Otherwise such a good healthy treat.
Kelly Nardo says
That is a great tip! Thanks for trying them Amy and glad to hear you enjoyed them.
Jill says
The batter was much thicker than what your video showed. I substituted sour cream for Greek yogurt. They were inedible and a mushy consistency after baking for 40 minutes.
Kelly Nardo says
Hi, Jill. Using sour cream will change the batter and it is probably why they didn’t work. I would try them with yogurt if you want to make them to ensure they come out as desired. Thanks!
Lori says
Could you make this with almond flour instead of oats? Do you think the measurement would be the same?
Kelly says
I am not sure as I have not tried them. You could see how they work!
Kim says
If I don’t want to use protein powder, do I need to substitute something else? More flour? Do I need to add more sweetener or anything?
Kelly says
Yes, I would say more oats would work. And the protein powder does help with sweetness, so I would add a sweetener as well. I would suggest maple syrup or honey, start with 2 tablespoons, and work from there. Hope that helps!
Anisha says
Great recipe. I mixed by hand instead of using a blender and it turned out quite thick so would use a blender as instructed next time!!
Kelly says
Yes, the batter is pretty thick. Thanks for trying them Anisha and glad you enjoyed them!
Mallory Butcher says
I made this in jumbo muffins. Still took 25 minutes but I’m on a low sugar diet for health reasons and instead of yogurt I used cream cheese. I used low sugar chocolate chips, vanilla protein powder and I also added 1 tsp of vanilla and extra salt and they still came out bland but still good enough to eat. What can I do to combat this without adding sugar, maple syrup or honey?
Kelly says
Hey, Mallory! Maple syrup and honey would definitely be helpful to add and will make them a little sweeter. You can also add more spices if you like! The flavor depends on the protein powder you use and how strong it is. Thanks for trying the recipe!