I have no idea why I have been putting off baking these yellow bundles of joy bursting with fresh strawberries?! Made with only whole wheat flour, protein powder and no added sugar, you get a strawberry flavour with every muffin’s bite.
I know why. If you are a baker you know how hard it is to get goods made with only whole wheat flour to rise. And secondly, whey protein could make muffins dry and rubbery.
OK, you know how Lululemon bags say “Face one fear a day”?! Last Monday I faced some Whole Wheat Strawberry Banana Protein Muffins and baked them 3 times until I (mother-in-law) was happy.
Moist, fluffy, bursting with strawberry flavour muffins! You want to taste the strawberries with every bite and not just “It’s a good healthy banana protein muffin, honey”. And these deliver just that!
And as for the fear of baking with whey protein powder, the trick is to incorporate a moisturizer like Greek yogurt or cottage cheese into the batter and not to over bake. Just insert a toothpick in the middle of a muffin at 18 minutes of baking time as ovens vary. It it comes out clean, it’s ready. You know the drill.
Very important: do not use muffin liners with this recipe as the batter contains no fat. They will stick to the muffins and you will have to eat them because you will have no choice! I promise you will want to eat this moist healthy muffin even with a red#40 dye on a $1 paper muffin liner hugging it snuggly. Instead, spray the sides and the bottom of each muffin “hole” with cooking spray and dust with flour.
The strawberry season is in a full bloom in Vancouver.
We have been enjoying these local red gems full of vitamin C, fiber and potassium raw, baked into a healthy cobbler, and chopped into blueberry strawberry salsa. So versatile!
You can use any other berries that are available in your part of the world to make these protein muffins. Raspberries, blackberries or blueberries will work great. Heck, mango would taste good in these too.
Oh, bananas. The best fruit ever! Delicious, affordable and already pre-packaged. Tell me, isn’t it the best fruit ever?! Bananas are full of potassium, fiber and iron providing energy, improving digestion and brain functioning. Check out my 10 healthy banana snacks.
A tip of the day: don’t bother buying organic bananas since their skin is so thick. Rather spend saved money on organic leafy greens that are directly exposed to pesticides.
Enjoy!
PrintWhole Wheat Strawberry Banana Protein Muffins
Whole Wheat Banana Strawberry Protein Muffins Recipe – no added sugar, moist and not rubbery at all. Made only with whole wheat flour, whey protein powder and fresh strawberries.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 egg, large
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt, plain & 0%
- 1/4 cup almond milk, unsweetened & vanilla (plain)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 + 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup whey protein powder, naturally sweetened, plain or vanilla
- 2 tbsp flax seeds, whole, roasted or raw
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced or diced depending on strawberries size
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F, spray regular size 12 muffin baking pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. Set aside. Make sure to cover the sides and bottom of each muffin “hole” completely. Do not use muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl mash 2 bananas with a fork until smooth. Add egg, Greek yogurt, almond milk and pure vanilla extract. Mix with a fork until smooth and all wet ingredients are combined.
- In another medium bowl add all dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, protein powder, flax seeds, baking powder and salt. Mix with a spoon or spatula to combine all ingredients. No need to sift the flour.
- Add dry ingredients to the bowl with wet ingredients and mix just enough to combine. Do not overmix! You don’t want the gluten starting to form and make the muffins rubbery. Add strawberries and give a couple of stirs just enough to incorporate the berries into the dough.
- Using 1/4 cup measuring spoon distribute the batter evenly among the 12 muffin forms. Bake for 20 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I recommend checking the muffins for readiness at minute 18 of baking time as ovens vary. Cool completely before serving.
Store: Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in a freezer for up to a month. To defrost, just thaw on a counter for at least 20 minutes.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
I have made these about 20 times. I often switch things up according to whats in stock (blueberries work well, or different flavoured protein powders, wholemeal spelt, flax egg, other types of milk etc). Each time they work well and i enjoy having them on hand because of their nutritional profile. One of the best nutritious muffin recipes i have come across- I have also added a dot of maple syrup and handful of choc chips for a less nutritionally-minded crew. Worked well.
Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
You are very welcome!
Delicious muffins!
★★★★★
I’m about to make these, do you think Coconut Flour + 1 tsp of baking soda as the rising agent will work ok?
No, won’t work because coconut flour is super thirsty and ratios will be off. It can never be substituted for whole wheat without changing the recipe.
Have made these twice, once with blueberries and the other with strawberries. Both times delicious, even my husband is addicted to them! I love all of your clean-eating recipes on this site. You’ve helped me out so much on my path to healthy living. Thank you!
Hi Jo. You made me think to remake these muffins and take new pics. I haven’t made these for years. Glad everyone is enjoying.:)
You are so welcome!!! As long as I can help in any way to eat anyone healthy, my heart is full!
Hi, would the recipe need to be re-balanced in any way if I left the strawberries out altogether?
I don’t think so. Maybe a tad bit more sweetener.
Just made this and they are FANTASTIC. Had 1.5 bananas on hand so added a bit more yogurt and did a mix of strawberries as blueberries. I was pleasantly surprised at how sweet this muffins still are without any sugar – still sweet enough to be a treat, I’m cut up some cheese to eat alongside it to balance it out. Can’t wait to make these again and try more recipes, thanks for sharing!
You are welcome, Rebecca!