These Chocolate Protein Muffins are the perfect healthy breakfast! Packed with veggies AND protein, they’re delicious, easy to make, adaptable + super kid-approved!
Veggie-Loaded Protein Muffins
Like most parents, I am always looking for protein-packed breakfast options that my daughter will not only eat…but will be super jazzed about seeing on her breakfast plate.
And if we can throw veggies into the mix, well that breakfast recipe just got even better!
Add chocolate and put everything into a muffin form….and magic has just happened in the kitchen.
That is basically how I felt when these Veggie-Loaded Chocolate Protein Muffins first came out of the oven and my family INHALED them before they even had a chance to cool!
Muffins are one of my favorite easy, to-go breakfasts. They are also ideal for making ahead or stocking up the freezer with. And having a high protein option that my family adores just made me extra happy!
These Chocolate Protein Muffins are easy to make, super delicious, and will be loved by all!
What makes these protein muffins so great?
- Added protein. And not from a powder, but from LENTILS! Say what? Lentils are plant based protein powerhouses! And they disappear beautifully into muffins when mixed with all kinds of other healthy and delicious ingredients. While lentils are an unconventional muffin ingredient, these Chocolate Protein Muffins will make you a believer in legumes in baked goods!
- Veggie-loaded. Whether it is you or a family member, getting extra veggies in kinda always feels like a good thing. And I am all about adding veggies in a way that you ENJOY! And these muffins make spinach and butternut squash all kind of enjoyable while also adding some serious nutrition.
- Family-friendly. Your partner, kids, second cousin twice removed and everyone in between is going to love these muffins. A healthy breakfast recipe you can feel good about baking up AND that you know they will happily eat.
- Easy. Blend up some ingredients. Stir in some others. Pop them in the oven. Life is too short for fussy recipes and this muffin recipe is delicious AND simple to make.
Want to make sure you always have spinach on hand for these chocolate protein muffins? Check out my tips & tricks for keeping spinach fresh all week!
How do I cook my lentils for these muffins?
Dry lentils are a great plant protein to keep in your pantry! I opt to buy and cook my lentils from dry because they are significantly cheaper that way and super simple to cook up.
- To cook lentils for this recipe on the stove top, cover the lentils with water in a pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the lentils simmer for about 20 minutes. Drain and let them cool a bit before adding to the Chocolate Protein Muffin recipe.
- To cook lentils for this recipe in the Instant Pot, combine 1/3 cup dry lentils with 1 1/2 cups water. Cook on HIGH pressure for 9 minutes (it will take about 5-6 minutes for your IP to reach pressure). Quick release the pressure once cook time is up. Drain and let the lentils cool a bit before adding to the recipe.
- To cook lentils for this recipe in your slow cooker or crockpot, combine the 1/3 cup dry lentils with 2-3 cups of water and cook on LOW for 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours (depending on slow cooker). Drain and let cool before adding to the recipe.
- Skip the dry lentils and buy precooked lentils! I find them in the fridge or freezer section of many health-focused grocery stores! Just make sure they don’t have any seasoning included before adding them to this protein muffin recipe!
Suggested Adaptations
- Make them vegan. Replace the 2 eggs in this chocolate muffin recipe with 2 “flax eggs“, use your favorite plant-based milk in the batter and be sure the chocolate chips you are using are dairy-free. Boom! Vegan protein muffins!
- Make these protein muffins gluten free. Sub the white whole wheat flour for a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend. I like this brand.
- Skip the chocolate chips. The chocolate chips make these muffins a little extra dazzling, but they can totally be omitted if you prefer or simply are out of them! Or, to keep the dazzle but to lighten up the sugar, just sprinkle a few chocolate chips on the top.
- Replace the butternut squash puree. Swap it out with cooked and mashed sweet potato or even pumpkin puree! Or, if the spinach is enough veggie-loading for you, up the natural sweetness of these muffins by replacing the squash with unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripe bananas.
- Sub spinach with kale. Be sure to take the ribs out of the kale and blend well in the blender, but kale totally works great in these protein muffins!
Other veggie-loaded muffin recipes to check out
- Vegan Carrot Muffins (with lentils)
- Oatmeal Green Smoothie Muffins
- Kid-Friendly Vegan Spinach Muffins
- Egg-free Carrot Apple Muffins
- Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Muffins
- Gluten Free Chocolate Butternut Squash Muffins
- Almond Butter Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
- One-Bowl Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Did you try this veggie-loaded muffin recipe and now you’re hungry for more?
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Veggie-Loaded Chocolate Protein Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 eggs can sub flax eggs
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 cup butternut squash puree or sub with pumpkin or sweet potato puree
- 1 cup cooked and cooled green lentils about 1/3 cup dry. See above for cooking suggestions
- 1/4 cup oil I use coconut oil or avocado
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup loosely packed spinach or kale
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour for a lighter muffin
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cups chocolate chips or to taste and optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with liners. Set aside.
- In a blender, combine eggs, maple syrup/ honey, squash, lentils, oil, vinegar, spinach, milk, and vanilla.
- Blend until mixture is smooth and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa and cinnamon. Stir. Pour contents from blender into the bowl and mix until smooth and matter has an even consistency. Do not over mix, as this will lead to dense muffins.
- Finally, fold in chocolate chips (if using).
- Portion batter into prepared muffin tin and top with extra chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy and let cool completely before storing any leftovers in an air-tight container in fridge or freezer.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
Comments
These were a perfect way to start the day. I had some cooked lentils in the fridge, so they came together quick and everyone loved them. Making another batch for the freezer later!
Hi! I’ve made other recipes of yours by blending whole oats in place of flour. Would it work in this recipe to?
It might but I feel as though the muffins would be quite dense. Just a heads up! If you try it, please let me know how it goes
These muffins are a huge winner! I used sweet potato instead of butternut squash (didn’t have any on hand), and they came out amazing. A big fan favorite of my 3-year-old’s, and I love how nutrient-dense they are. I am basically baking my way through your blog, all of your recipes have come out so delicious. Thank you for sharing such quality recipes!
I am SO glad, Steph!
These are incredible! I used pumpkin and white flour just based on what I had available. I’ve made the recipe twice and they are easy and so yummy. They’re the perfect after school snack or sweet and nourishing treat in lunches. The second time I made it I tried using turmeric instead of cinnamon. I like both versions! Thanks for all fo the great recipes, Taesha!
Oh yay! And I love the addition of turmeric! I am totally trying that next time!
These are so good! First time, made without chocolate chips, but definitely needed that extra sweetness. Tried again with the chocolate chips as well as flax eggs, and they were perfect! Love how they are packed with so much good stuff.
I am so glad you enjoyed them!
I don’t have cooked lentils on hand. Can I make it without them?
I haven’t tried without. But I’d replace the lentils with applesauce, cooked and mashed sweet potato, mashed banana or something to help balance out the moisture. Again, just an untested guess, but if you give it a go…let us know how they turn out!
These look awesome! I’m always looking for ways to sneak in veggies with my littles and this looks like the perfect way to do it – they love chocolate. Thanks for the recipe!
My family loves these! One suggestion: could you possibly put the ingredient list in order of use? It makes it tricky when the ingredient list is out of order from the instructions. Hopefully this makes sense.
Totally makes sense and something I usually try to do. This one must have just slipped past that editing step. All fixed
Can you sub apple cider vinegar with lemon juice? And can I sub baking powder with extra baking soda? 😅
Yes, you can sub the vinegar with lemon juice! As for the baking powder…I talk about my most used baking swaps in this post, so it might be helpful!
https://thenaturalnurturer.com/easy-baking-substitutions/
Can I use canned lentils?
As long as they are unseasoned and the extra liquid is drained off, that should work!
Just started making this and realized I don’t have any lentils. Can I use chickpeas?
You might be able to! I haven’t tried but cant think of a reason that wouldn’t work!
These are incredibly tasty and a great filling snack to keep you going or get you started. I was out of lentils when this got posted, but have successfully made them once with garbanzo beans and once with black beans. I made some without the chocolate chips for my baby, but my husband snatched and loved those too! You can’t got wrong! I would still vote to keep the chocolate chips in 😉
I mean, chocolate chips pretty much always make a good thing better! So glad they were a success and thanks for sharing the bean swap! I know so many readers will find that useful.
Made these for the first time this morning. Used the pumpkin option and subbed applesauce for the oil. Verdict from the offspring is they’re good. My teen son days they were surprisingly filling (he had 3,what he usually have when I make muffins and he usually then needs to eat something additional after). We could smell the pumpkin a bit, but not really taste it. I’ll be making a double batch next time so we have breakfast for the next day, too.
So glad it was enjoyed by your crew!
These are the best! My kids love them and I love that they have a complete snack in a muffin. They are super tasty.
I am so glad to hear that, Anne! Thanks for taking the time to share this!
Made these for my family this morning. Two thumbs up! I used canned pumpkin and white flour because it’s what I had. Love the addition of lentils for extra protein. Great brain boost for my ADHD kid.
So glad you enjoyed!
Made these for my kids – used the GF flour option but otherwise followed the recipe as written and my selective eater declared them “really really good!” Love the addition of a whole food protein with the lentils – brilliant!
Yay! So glad they were a success!
These are phenomenal! My kids (4 & 1.5) call them “protein cake muffins.” A huge thank you to the comment suggesting the chickpea/garbanzo bean substitute for lentils. I had a can on hand that I used and they turned out great! This will definitely be a regular staple!
Yay! I love that the kids are excited about eating them! And so glad the subs worked!
I just made these with GF flour, a sweet potato and kale (alternatives as mentioned). These muffins came out perfectly! They are very tasty, fluffy and raised nicely (maybe my new baking powder/soda). Thanks, Taesha!
So glad you liked these! Fresh baking powder and soda can make SUCH a difference in the rise of baked goods. It is the first thing I think of when a recipe is lacking fluff!
Can I use red lentils instead of green lentils for this recipe?
Yes, I’ve used cook red lentils with success in these muffins.
This recipe is so great! I used canned lentils (rinsed) and pumpkin. They taste just like chocolate muffins but are so filling and satisfying.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Jen!
These were great. I sent one in my daughter’s lunch (she’s 8) and when I found out she liked them, I shocked her with the ingredients. These will be in the regular rotation, I’ve been wanting to mix up my muffin routine.
I should mention I like a bit of a crust on my muffins, so I baked at 425F for 7 minutes and 375F for 12 minutes.
I’m so glad to hear they were a hit!
These were a big hit and will go into our snack and breakfast rotation!! Thank you.
I am SO glad to hear that, Kelly! They are a favorite of ours too.
I made these gluten (for me) and egg (for my daughter)free. They were a hit!!! They were a little dense just because of the swaps but my picky kiddos gobbled them up. They are now our breakfast muffins! Passed the recipe along to some other mom friends with no allergies and they got rave reviews as well!
I am so dazzled to hear all of that, Cara! It is so amazing as a parent to find a new healthy recipe that our kids love. And thank you for sharing!
I love these muffins, I tell anyone who will listen about them lol. This time I ended up swapping out the whole wheat flour for kodiak cake brand protein pancake mix to add a little more protein. They are a little drier than the usual recipe so next time I would add extra milk to the blender to balance it out but it is such a fun, creative and yummy way to get in your veggies and protein in first thing in the morning.
Oh I need to try these with that mix!
Just made/tried these for the first time and will be making them again!! I am shifting my lifestyle and choosing more nutritional foods – but LOVE sweets, so it can be a difficult balance & this hits all the marks! these feel indulgent and sweet and full of filling ingredients! Highly Recommend!
Love this so much. I totally agree, these muffins are perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth but also really make you feel good from the inside out.
Made this recipe about a month ago & they lasted a day, maybe a day and a half tops. I’ve been itching to make them again (for myself 😅) since. Today I’m doing some “self care” and making a double batch for me (and my kids) for school & travel later in the week. I love that there’s protein to help them “stick” a little more. Great recipe Taesha! It has become my new favorite muffin recipe!
Aw, yay! I love this and you are reminding me to make a batch for school snacks!
My four year old and I love these! I used sweet potato and omitted the chocolate chips because they’ll be for his lunch at pre-K, but they are still sweet enough for us to enjoy. It can be a struggle coming up with lunch ideas for him, so your veggie-loaded muffins have been amazing for us to get out of the pbj rut.
I’m so happy to hear that, Mallory! Veggie-loaded muffins are a lunch box staple for us too and they just make everyone feel good.
I’m excited to try this recipe! Could I substitute frozen (thawed) spinach for the fresh?
Yes! Just be sure to drain off the extra liquid after defrosting and use about 1/4 cup, since fresh spinach wilts considerably small when frozen.
These muffins are SO good! I can’t believe they have all those veggies in them! My picky eater LOVES them. Thank you for sharing!!
I am so glad, Loren!
Hi, can I substitute green lentils for brown? I only have brown today.
Sure! Those should be fine!
Okay… I thought this recipe has gone way too heathy for my picky kid to enjoy. I was wrong!! My daughter ate two and begged for another one. I AM IN SHOCK! How is it possible? My DD does not like pumpkin, lentils or kale. This recipe is magic!
Music to my ears!! So glad they were such a success!
Wow! Top notch! These quickly became our family favorite. I make them w mini chocolate chips in the mini muffin tin. I cook them 12 min. They are bite sized for me and perfect for the small kiddos! Lol
Thanks for the recipe!!
I’m so delighted you and the family enjoy them so much, Nina!
Wow! Top notch! These quickly became our family favorite. I make them w mini chocolate chips in the mini muffin tin. I cook them 12 min. They are perfect for the small kiddos!
I tried these today and they were a hit. Used pumpkin and kale I had frozen from the garden. Couldn’t taste either flavor. Would like to see if I could add in a bit more veggie next time. Used 3/4 c whole wheat and 1/2 c white flour. They were nice and fluffy. Chocolate flavor was good but we’d prefer it a bit more chocolatey so might try a bit more cocoa. So glad to find something with some nutrition for my daughter’s lunch. Thanks fir sharing your creations!
I’m so delighted to hear that, Toni! And I can’t wait to hear how your experimentation goes. Please share any adaptations that work for you! I am sure other readers (and me!) will benefit from them.
These are not sweet at all, my kids are not fans. I thought the sweet potato and syrup would be enough, and we added chocolate chips, but they’re still pretty bland. I would double the chocolate chips or the syrup if you’re a person who expects a chocolate muffin to be sweet.
The consistency is great and fluffy, so that’s good.
Thanks for the feedback, Bridget. These are certainly lighter on the added sugar, so they won’t be as sweet as a traditional chocolate muffin. However, many readers find them plenty sweet, so it might just be a recipe that doesn’t fit your personal taste preferences as it is written. I would not suggest doubling the syrup, as it is a liquid and would create for a very mushy bake. You could absolutely add more chocolate chips or some brown sugar to up the sweetness.