Low Calorie Chocolate Protein Muffins

These Low Calorie Chocolate Protein Muffins are HUGE, and just 186 calories!

Make this chocolate protein muffin recipe for healthy snacks, or meal prep breakfasts. They travel well and are very filling.

I love the big chocolate chunks in these healthy muffins, but you can use chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips in these double chocolate protein muffins… Any will work.

Low Calorie Chocolate Protein Muffins

Ingredients for Healthy Chocolate Protein Muffins

This recipe for protein muffins is easy and fun to make! I used a zero calorie all-natural sugar to help cut calories and sugar from the muffin protein recipe, but you can use any sugar you prefer.

I love to use all-natural plant based protein powder in muffins. You can use any protein powder you like, but each is a little different, so you may need to add more liquid.

Shopping List for Protein Powder Muffin Recipes:

• Olive oil spray– My #1 tip for lowering calories and fat from any recipe. Olive oil spray allows you to use a fine mist of oil, instead of a drizzle of oil, or a thick layer of butter to coat the muffin tins in this recipe.
• Flour – Of course you will need some flour, and I wanted to make this generic so that it’s appealing to all readers. You only need a little bit (we swapped out most of it for protein powder!) and you can use either all-purpose or gluten-free flour
• Cocoa powder – Unsweetened cocoa powder is not just amazing in baking recipes, it’s also great for your body! It helps lower blood pressure, lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and (get this!) it also reduces depression! Really- here’s the medical proof! (1)(2)(3)
• Chocolate protein powder – As these are protein powder muffins, we need some protein. You can swap out the chocolate for vanilla, caramel (so yummy!) or any flavor you like. You can use plant based, or whey, but every protein powder is a little different, so see the notes below on adding more water as needed.
• All-natural zero calorie sugar – My #2 tip for lowering calories in this protein muffin recipe, is this all natural zero calorie sweetener. It’s actually made form real sugar cane. It’s a great substitution for sugar, but you can use sugar if you prefer. You can also use honey, agave, or maple syrup, just be sure to mix them in with the wet ingredients instead of the dry ingredients as you would with dry sugar.
• Chia seeds – Adding another boost of nutrition, chia seeds are packed with antioxidants. The are great for speeding up weight loss , and reduce blood pressure. (4)(5)(6)
• Baking powder – This common baking staple is what gives the protein powder muffins their lift. Rising the dough as it bakes, so you get glorious muffin tops!
• Baking soda – Also helping your muffins rise, baking soda is different from baking powder and will be needed as well. Again, we want big muffins, not deflated ones!
• Salt – Whenever you add sweet, you want a little salt too. It balances the taste of the muffins. If you LOVE salt, add a tiny sprinkling of course salt over the tops of the muffins before baking for salted chocolate muffins!
• Eggs – These little babies add even more protein to the muffin recipe! They are a binding agent, and help hold everything together. I used large eggs in this recipe, but you could use vegan substitute if you like.
• Almond milk – My #3 low calorie tip for lowering calories is almond milk, it’s lower in calories and almond milk naturally boosts metabolism. I used unsweetened original almond milk, but unsweetened vanilla almond milk would be yummy too. You can really use any milk you like in this recipe, but if you went to cut the calories and boost metabolism, get almond milk.
• 0% Unsweetened Greek yogurt – My #4 low calorie tip for these skinny muffins is Greek Yogurt. It allows us to lower the amount of fat (in this case coconut oil) we need in the recipe, and as a bonus, Greek Yogurt naturally boosts metabolism.
• Coconut oil – To keep your muffins moist, you will need a little fat. Instead of melted butter, we used coconut oil. You can swap it out for melted butter, vegetable oil, or ghee. But I would not use other oils as they will change the flavor.
• Vanilla extract – Adding more depth to any and all baking recipes, the glorious vanilla extract. I recommend getting pure vanilla extract.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chunks – There’s something overly indulgent in using chocolate chunks. But to be honest, you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, even milk chocolate chips (though they will change the nutrition a bit).

How to Make Low Calorie Protein Muffins

How to Make Muffins with Protein Powder:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray muffin cups with olive oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, protein powder, sugar, chia seeds, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the eggs and egg whites, whisk together then add in the milk, Greek yogurt, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined (be careful not to over mix).
5. Gently fold in the chocolate chunks (if you like, hold a few back to add to the tops of the muffins).
6. Pour the batter into 12 muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted to the center comes out clean.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tips for Making Healthy Protein Muffins:

1. Use the 4 calorie cutting ingredients, and not replacements. They are the olive oil spray, all natural sweetener, almond milk and Greek Yogurt.
2. Expect a thick batter, almost like mousse. If you can mix it, it’s too thick. Add more water or almond milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Add chocolate chunks to the top, I recommend holding a handful of chocolate chunks to the top. Maybe even a pinch of course sea salt too.
4. Don’t over-mix the batter, I know you read this all the time in baking recipes. But it is so important! Over-mixing the batter will yield tough muffins, so just as soon as it’s all combined, stop!

Low Calorie Chocolate Protein Muffins Recipe

These low calorie protein muffins are BIG… I wanted big muffin tops, and so I cut the recipe down from 20 muffins, to just 12. So you can easily cut the calories down to just 111 calories by dividing the batter between 20 muffin cups.

Nutrition and Calories Protein Muffins Recipe

The nutrition below is based off 1 serving (1 muffin) from the protein muffin recipe above.

Each protein powder is a little different, so the nutrition might change a bit if you use a different protein powder. But you can click on the photo above for the plant based protein powder to compare your preferred powder with the one we used.

Important Note: As a reminder, at Lose Weight By Eating it is our goal to make you healthier, all-natural versions of your favorite recipes… not all will be “diet worthy” depending on the diet you are on. But they will be healthier versions to help curb your cravings.

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Article History:

• Article originally written and published on October 3, 2022 by Audrey Johns
• Updated on March 21, 2023 by Audrey Johns