High Protein Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Most of the High Protein Muffin recipes you’ll see rely on protein powder for their protein source. I think this can work ok, but I have a weird hangup with protein powder – I can’t not taste it and I feel like it always ruins the texture for me. Which is why I came up with High Protein TVP Muffins! Have you heard of them yet? I’ve been doing my best to spread the High Protein TVP Muffin propaganda far and wide, but am only one person (except for one larger creator who copied my idea and didn’t credit me 🙂 ), so if you like it, make sure to tell a friend!

These High Protein Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are incredibly easy to make and can be made in under 20 minutes. They are great for meal prepping for a high protein breakfast or just eating as a high protein snack! I like to make a batch or two during the weekend and freeze them to take to work throughout the week for an easy on-the-go breakfast! They are packed with protein but still taste delicious! If you’re worried about how the TVP (textured vegetable protein) will taste in a baked good, never fear, it’s amazing! Honestly, it kind of has a baked oats texture when cooked and I think it makes the muffins really interesting. Because we’re not using protein powder for the protein source, we don’t end up with that artificial sweet flavor protein powders often leave, or that grainy texture you sometimes get when baking with protein powder.

If you are now a TVP Muffin believer, you should check out these High Protein Blueberry Muffins too! Or if you want something else lemon-y, I highly recommend these High Protein Lemon Blueberry Muffins!

Ingredients

• TVP – Textured Vegetable Protein. Truly, this is the most magical and versatile ingredient in a vegan’s kitchen as far as I’m concerned. I have found very little I can’t do with TVP. It’s 60 – 70% protein on a calorie basis which is obviously amazing macros and great if you have protein goals or are on a calorie deficit because it will keep you nice and full. It’s also SUPER CHEAP, like one of the cheapest protein sources around – way cheaper than protein powder actually. It’s also shelf stable, so it won’t take up room in your fridge or freezer. My go-to brand for TVP is Bob’s Red Mill. You can find it at most grocery stores, usually next to the gluten free flour options. You can also purchase it online. I may or may not have bought a 25 pound bag 🙂
• Flour – I use all purpose flour, but if you are gluten-free, you could sub in a gluten-free flour instead.
• Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt – we’re baking – we need these for fluffy, yummy, well seasoned goodness!
• Lemon Zest and Juice – you will definitely want to use fresh lemons in this recipe so that you can get the zest and juice.
• Poppy Seeds – also a must have.

• Vegan Greek Yogurt – I really like to use Kite Hill’s Vanilla Greek Yogurt. It has really great macros and adds some moisture to the muffin batter. You could also sub this with a different vegan yogurt and possibly applesauce, but the calories and macros will change. Another option would be blended silken tofu.
• Brown Sugar – you definitely need the sweetness for this recipe. If you’re cutting back on sugar, you could sub in date sugar or maybe stevia. I haven’t personally tried this so I can’t give you exact amounts to use if you make these kinds of substitutions.
• Soy Milk – I prefer to use soy milk, but you could use your favorite non-dairy milk instead if you don’t like/have soy milk.
• Ground Flax – this is our egg substitute. Basically you just mix ground flax seed and water and BAM – egg substitute!
• Vanilla – do people make baked goods without vanilla?

Instructions

• Pre-heat your oven to 350 F (177 C).
• Next, zest your lemons into a small bowl, and juice them into that same small bowl. Zest is the outer, colorful part of the rind of citrus fruits. We use it to add a citrus flavor and smell, without the bitterness that the rest of the rind has. If you haven’t zested a fruit before, the important thing to remember is to not over-zest or you will end up with very sour rind. I do one or two passes, at most, with the zester – the lemon skin will change from a yellow color to a very light color. Never zest it once it’s that light color.

• In the lemon bowl, add 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds and the water. Whisk together and let sit for at least 5 minutes. This will thicken up and become a lemon flax “egg” goo.

• In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients – Vegan Greek Yogurt, brown sugar, milk, vanilla, poppy seeds, and the flax goo.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Once well mixed, add in the TVP and mix that in. DO NOT re-hydrate the TVP. For this recipe, we use dry TVP, and add moisture into the recipe through things like the yogurt, flax good and milk. If you haven’t used TVP like this before, don’t worry; it will be ok!
• Add the dry ingredients slowly into the wet ingredients and combine until well mixed.

• Evenly distribute the batter across all 12 (lined) muffin cup things on your muffin tray. I actually really like using the silicone muffin molds! They even make cute shapes like flowers and hearts, and you don’t have to buy muffin liners!

• Bake for 15 – 17 minutes. These will come out slightly gooey, so they will not pass the toothpick test. Which is fine, because if you cook them too long, they will dry out and you will be very sad eating your dry muffins.

• Let them sit and cool for about 15 – 30 minutes and they will set up and become less gooey.

**You can freeze these for easy meal prepping. If you’re not planning on eating them within 4 – 5 days, take the safe path and freeze them **

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