Blueberry Pancake Muffins with Whey Protein
Blueberry Pancake Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond milk unsweetened, vanilla
- 2 eggs large
- 1 ½ cups blueberries frozen
- 2 scoops whey protein vanilla
- 2 cup pancake mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 12 muffin cups generously with oil spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the unsweetened vanilla almond milk and the eggs until combined.
- In a separate bowl stir together the pancake mix and vanilla whey protein powder until evenly mixed.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir gently until just combined. A few small lumps are fine. Do not overmix or the muffins will be dense.
- Pour the batter evenly into the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each one about two thirds full.
- Spoon the frozen blueberries evenly over the top of each muffin, pressing them in very slightly so they do not roll off.
- Bake for 18 minutes until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Nutrition
You have probably noticed that there’s blueberries and a lot of the different recipes here. It’s like my other favorite outside of lemon…. well along with raspberry. Shoot I just like a lot of different summer flavors.
These come together in under 40 minutes, make 12 muffins at 94 calories and 7 grams of protein each, and they hold up in the fridge all week. If you are looking for a make ahead breakfast that actually tastes like something you chose rather than something you settled for, this is it.
The vanilla whey protein is worked right into the batter alongside the pancake mix, which means the protein boost is invisible. But I will say that this does matter… the quality of your whey protein. There are some proteins that do not mix well or do not taste well…. play around with it.
These are a great option for kids too. Seven grams of protein per muffin is a solid start to the morning for anyone and the blueberries on top make them look a little special even though the effort involved is minimal.
What Makes These Work
Using unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of regular milk adds a subtle background sweetness that pairs really well with the blueberries without adding a lot of extra calories or sugar. If you have skim milk on hand that works too and the texture will be very similar.
The frozen blueberries go on top of the batter rather than folded in, which keeps the batter from turning purple and gives each muffin a clean, identifiable blueberry on top. Frozen berries work better here than fresh because they hold their shape during baking and do not release as much juice into the batter.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Start
Spray the muffin tin generously before adding the batter. These muffins are relatively low fat which means they are more likely to stick than a standard muffin recipe. A thorough coat of oil spray on every cup makes a big difference when it comes time to remove them.
Stir the batter only until the dry and wet ingredients are just combined. This is the same principle as pancake batter. Overmixing develops gluten and leads to tough, dense muffins rather than soft and tender ones. A few small lumps in the batter are completely fine.
Give them the full 10 minutes to rest in the pan before moving them to a cooling rack. They are fragile straight out of the oven and need that time to set before you handle them.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. They also freeze well for up to two months. Wrap individually, freeze solid, and microwave straight from frozen for about 45 seconds.
