Add nutrition and new flavors to your healthy morning routine with these high-protein breakfast cookies. Tasting like your favorite chai tea, these delicious make-ahead cookies each contain 15 grams of protein from high-quality sources, including whey protein powder, eggs, yogurt, and nut butter. Make your mornings easier by making a batch of these grab-and-go cookies today!
This post was created in partnership with Puori.
Recipe Highlights: Chai Protein Breakfast Cookies
There’s a lot to love about these healthy breakfast cookies, including:
- There’s a lot to love about these healthy breakfast cookies, including:
- Each large cookies boasts 15 grams of protein from real-food sources, including whey protein powder, nut butter, eggs, and Greek yogurt
- These chewy loaded oatmeal cookies are make-ahead friendly for easier mornings
- Make a batch of 10 large breakfast cookies in 35 minutes, start to finish
- A fun and new solution for healthy meal prep breakfast recipes. Pair a cookie with a cup of yogurt or piece of fruit and be out the door in minutes
- In addition to being high in protein, these cookies each contain heart-healthy nutrients, including 6 grams of fiber and 14 grams of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats
Ingredients To Make Chai Spice Protein Breakfast Cookies
Here are the ingredients to gather to make these gluten-free protein cookie recipe.
For the Protein Breakfast Cookies:
- old fashioned rolled oats – old fashioned oats are recommended, but may use quick oats in a pinch
- vanilla whey protein powder – we recommend Puori Vanilla Protein Powder (PW1). Our whole team loves this high-quality whey protein powder, which doesn’t contain any low-calorie or artificial sweeteners and is made from only five quality ingredients
- creamy almond butter or peanut butter – or use any favorite nut butter or seed butter, such as cashew butter or tahini; drizzly consistency is best
- pure maple syrup – may use another natural sweetener, such as honey
- eggs
- ripe banana – may sub applesauce
- plain Greek yogurt – may use 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt
- chai spices – you’ll need ground ginger, cinnamon, fine salt, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves
- shredded coconut
- cashews – use raw or roasted whole cashews or cashew halves, may sub pecans or almonds
- ground flaxseed – optional, may use chia seeds
For The Optional Icing Drizzle:
- powdered sugar
- milk – use dairy or dairy-free milk, or may sub water
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon – may use nutmeg
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Add Your Favorite Mix-Ins
You can make these protein breakfast cookies your own by stirring your favorite add-ins to the batter. We recommend adding ¼ to ⅓ cup total of mix-ins, such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, dried cranberries, pecans, almonds, chia seeds, dried blueberries, or pumpkin seeds.
How To Make These High Protein Breakfast Cookies
These breakfast cookies are quick to make and a simple, healthy option for meal prep breakfasts that are made ahead and ready when you need one. Here are the basic steps to make them:
- Preheat the oven and prep line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, stir the oats and protein powder.
- Add the wet ingredients, including the nut butter, syrup, eggs, mashed banana, and yogurt.
- Stir in the chai spices and mix-ins. Add all of the spices to the cookie dough and stir until incorporated. Finally, stir in the cashews and shredded coconut.
- Bake the cookies. Divide the dough into 10 mounds, 5 per baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes.
- Add the optional icing drizzle. If desired, you can top the cooled cookies with a quick icing drizzle made from powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
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), total fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Get More Protein At Breakfast
For many people, the first meal of the day is often lacking in protein. Consuming adequate amounts of protein can help manage appetite, build muscles, and improve bone health among other benefits. And, when you focus on getting more protein at breakfast, you’re more likely to meet your total protein goals for the day. Getting more protein at breakfast is one of our 10 Easy Healthy Habits.
Make Them Dairy Free
To make these cookies dairy free, use plant-based protein powder instead of whey protein powder. Also, use a thick vegan yogurt instead of the Greek yogurt. In the icing drizzle, use water or a non-dairy milk for the liquid.
Make Them Nut Free
To make nut-free protein breakfast cookies, sub a seed butter, such as tahini or sunflower seed butter in place of the nut butter. Omit the cashews and add ½ cup of another mix-in, such as dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds.
How To Store
Store the baked and fully cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 5 days. For longer storage, freeze cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag or container. Allow to thaw at room temperature before eating.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Chai Spice Protein Breakfast Cookies
Enjoy those warming and delicious spices of a favorite hot chai tea, now in breakfast cookie form. These make-ahead cookies are high in protein, boasting 15 grams of high-quality protein in every cookie. Add nutrition and new flavors to your healthy morning routine.
Ingredients
For the Protein Cookies:
- 1 ¾ cups old fashioned rolled oats (150 g)
- ½ cup Puori vanilla whey protein powder (50-60 g)*
- 1 cup creamy almond butter or peanut butter (drizzly consistency)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 medium-large ripe banana, mashed (½ cup) or ½ cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup plain 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup flaked or shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped raw or roasted cashews
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (optional)
For The Icing Drizzle (Optional):
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon water or milk of choice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dash of ground cinnamon or nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, protein powder, almond butter, maple syrup, eggs, mashed banana, yogurt, and all of the spices (ginger through cloves). Mix until well combined.
- Add the shredded coconut and cashews. Add the flaxseed (if using). Mix to incorporate. Batter will be wet and heavy.
- Scoop the dough into 10 mounds, using about ¼ cup dough for each. Place 5 mounds on each of the prepared baking sheets.
- Gently shape and press each cookie into a round disc that is about 2- to 2 ½-inches wide and ½-inch thick.
- Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 10 minutes. The cookies may look wet but should be firm to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
- If desired, drizzle with icing. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle lightly over the cooled cookies. Garnish with a light dash of nutmeg or cinnamon.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
* Puori Whey Protein Powder (PW1) is one of our dietitians’ top recommended whey protein powders. It is third-party tested against 130+ industrial contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals. The test results are published on http://cleanlabelproject.org/. Simply scan the QR code on the back of the PW1 packaging and see for yourself how it ranks #1 out of 133 protein powders tested. For 20% off use code PUORIxRFD at puori.com
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 large cookies
- Calories: 360
- Fat: 20 g
- (Sat Fat: 4 g)
- Sodium: 237 mg
- Carbohydrate: 30 g
- (Fiber: 6 g
- Sugar: 10 g)
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 46 mg
Dietary
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
This is a sponsored post. Although we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are – as always – 100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we work with thereby allowing us to continue creating high-quality recipes and content for you.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Peggy says
Thank you for the recipe. Can Vitals Collagen Powder be used in place of the Whey Protein
Jessie Shafer says
Hi Peggy, we have not tested this recipe with collagen in place of the protein powder, so we can’t say for sure. Let us know if you try it that way!
Cleo says
What can I sub for the cashews as I have a tree nut allergy?
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Cleo, you could leave them out and these would still be delicious! Enjoy!
Shari Todd says
This recipe was easy and the cookies are both filling and super delicious!!! I made the glaze and it was worth the extra step!
Stacie Hassing says
We are thrilled to hear this, Shari! Thanks for the great feedback and 5-star review!
Lisa says
What can I substitute for the protein powder? Thank you!
Jessie Shafer says
Hi Lisa, you could omit the protein powder and use an additional 1/2 cup oats if you didn’t want the boost of protein in these cookies.
Krista says
This calls for drizzly consistency nut butter. Is there a brand that comes this way? Or is there a way I can make my nut butter drizzly?
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Krista, we love the Target brand natural peanut butter. You can also heat the Peanut Butter a little bit to get it to a more drizzly consistency!