Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffins 

When fall rolls around, I start craving all things cozy and cinnamon-spiced, and these cinnamon apple protein muffins are the perfect way to bring those warm flavors into a nourishing snack or breakfast. Made with wholesome ingredients like Greek yogurt, applesauce, and fresh diced apples, they’re soft, just sweet enough, and packed with 7 grams of protein per muffin. My boys absolutely devour them. I like to bake a double batch on the weekend to have easy grab-and-go options ready throughout the week. They’ve been a hit in lunchboxes, post-workout snacks, and as a quick bite between meals.

This post was created in partnership with Puori.

Key Ingredients

Here are a few notes about the main ingredients in these apple cinnamon protein muffins.

• Melted butter: For a plant-based option, melted coconut oil and plant-based stick butter are good choices that work well. 
• Flour: Use unbleached all-purpose flour, or for gluten-free muffins, use a gluten-free baking flour blend, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour.
• Oats: I love the addition of oats in these muffins to give them great texture, as well as more soluble fiber. I use quick cooking oats, which are more broken down than old fashioned rolled oats. If all you have on hand is old fashioned oats, pulse them a few times in a food processor before adding to the batter, not quite into an oat flour, but just enough to break the oats into smaller pieces. 
• Greek yogurt: Use 2% or full-fat plain or vanilla Greek yogurt to give these healthy protein muffins a tender crumb and perfect moistness along with a boost of protein and calcium, similar to these blueberry muffins. Or swap in a favorite plant-based yogurt. Personally, I like almond milk-based vegan yogurts. 
• Whey protein powder: These muffins get their higher protein content thanks to the Greek yogurt plus the addition of protein powder. My go-to clean whey protein is Puori PW1 whey protein powder. It’s free from artificial sweeteners, stringently third-party tested, and made from just five quality ingredients. So it encompasses everything I look for in protein powder, whether I’m using it in baked goods like this one, smoothies, or overnight oats.
• Apples: I recommend using a sweeter red apple variety, such as Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Cosmic Crisp. I like to leave the skin on, since it adds a pop of color and extra fiber.

Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make Cinnamon Apple Protein Muffins

These are the quick steps to get these muffins in the oven and on the table: 

1. Preheat oven: After preheating the oven, mist a muffin tin with nonstick spray or line with paper liners, or use a silicone muffin pan. 
2. Combine: Whisk the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Then, stir in the dry ingredients and gently fold the chopped apples into the batter.
3. Bake: Divide the muffin batter evenly between the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are golden brown and set.
4. Cool: Remove the muffins from the oven, and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 
5. Enjoy: My boys especially love to enjoy a muffin warm out of the oven with a smear of peanut butter.

For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.

Make It Gluten Free

To make these muffins gluten free, swap the all-purpose flour for a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend. Also, look for certified gluten-free oats to ensure there is no cross contamination during processing.

Make It Dairy Free And/Or Vegan

It’s easy to make these healthy muffins dairy free, or even 100% plant based, with some simple substitutions, and I think they turn out just as good. To do so, swap the butter for coconut oil, use dairy-free almond milk yogurt, and replace the whey protein with plant-based protein powder. Finally, replace the egg with 1 ‘flax egg’ by combining 1 tablespoon ground flax meal with 3 tablespoons of water. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Then add to the batter when the egg is called for.

Storage

Pack the cooled protein muffins in an airtight container. Then store them at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

If freezing for longer storage, wrap each fully cooled muffin individually in plastic wrap. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. They will freeze well for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw the muffins at room temperature. Or, microwave for 10-30 seconds until soft.

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The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.

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