These Protein Pumpkin Muffins are moist, simple muffins made with pumpkin puree and loaded with over 13 grams of protein. It’s my go-to post-workout snack for fall!
I love making pumpkin recipes of all sorts for fall. Recipes like my Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins, Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread, and Keto Pumpkin Cake are delicious desserts full of pumpkin pie spice flavors and so easy to make.
If you want your house to smell like pumpkin pie for hours, you need to make this recipe!
Ingredients and Substitutions
You only need a handful of basic ingredients for this recipe:
- Pumpkin Puree – Use 100% pure pumpkin, not pie filling. You can make your own easily if you need.
- Eggs – At room temperature for better mixing (eggs can safely stay for up to 2 hours out of the fridge). I haven’t tried this recipe with flax or chia eggs.
- Peanut Butter – Natural, unsweetened peanut butter. Almond butter or sunflower seed butter are great alternatives.
- Vanilla Protein Powder – Choose a high-quality powder with minimal additives. Unflavored protein with added vanilla extract is an option. I used pea protein powder.
- Pumpkin Spices – Make your own blend for the freshest taste, using cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Baking Powder – Check freshness by testing in warm water; it should fizz.
- Maple Syrup – Pure maple syrup gives the best flavor, but honey or sugar-free syrup can be used.
- Greek Yogurt – For the optional frosting. Full-fat provides richest texture. Coconut or cashew yogurt for dairy-free.
- Icing Sugar – For optional frosting. Sift before using. Powdered erythritol or allulose work for sugar-free options.
How to Make Protein Pumpkin Muffins
This is an easy recipe to whip up as all you need is a food processor.
Combine the muffin ingredients in a food processor.
Process until smooth and uniform and use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the batter.
Place each scoop of batter in a muffin pan lined with paper cups.
Spread yogurt frosting on top of the protein pumpkin muffins.
Expert Tips
- Don’t overmix – Blend the ingredients just until combined. Overmixing can lead to dense, tough muffins.
- You can use silicone muffin liners – These provide easy release and are reusable, making them eco-friendly.
- Rest the batter – Let the batter sit for 10-15 minutes before baking. This allows the protein powder to fully hydrate, resulting in a better texture.
- Add texture – Fold in the chopped nuts, seeds, or sugar-free chocolate chips for added crunch and flavor variation.
- Moisture control – If using a different protein powder, adjust the liquid content as needed. The batter should be thick but pourable – see the pictures above.
- Temperature trick – If you have time, you can start baking at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F (180°C) for the remaining time. This creates a nice dome on the muffins.
More Fall Muffin Recipes
Yogurt Frosting (optional)
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a 12-hole muffin pan with muffin paper liners. Spray with cooking oil and set aside.
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In a food processor, add all the pumpkin muffin ingredients – except the one for the frosting.
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Blend until smooth.
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Fill each muffin paper liner evenly with the batter.
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Bake the muffins on the center rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
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Let them cool down on a cooling rack for 3 hours before adding any frosting.
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To frost, whisk the frosting ingredients in a bowl until no lumps show. If it’s lumpy, add a teaspoon of almond milk to thin it out.
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Spread on top of the muffins just before eating and serve with a pinch of cinnamon.
Note 2: We tested the recipe with pea protein powder. Whey protein powder is more liquid absorbent, and you may need an extra 2 tablespoons of almond milk to bring the batter together.
Note 3: You can also use sugar-free powdered sugar like powdered allulose or powdered erythritol.
Store: You can store the muffins unforested in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freeze in Ziploc bags for up to 3 months, and thaw the day before at room temperature.
Serving: 1 muffinCalories: 231.1 kcal (12%)Carbohydrates: 17.9 g (6%)Fiber: 1.6 g (7%)Net Carbs: 16.3 gProtein: 13.2 g (26%)Fat: 13 g (20%)Saturated Fat: 3 g (19%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.9 gMonounsaturated Fat: 5.9 gTrans Fat: 0.01 gCholesterol: 63.7 mg (21%)Sodium: 173.9 mg (8%)Potassium: 243.6 mg (7%)Sugar: 12 g (13%)Vitamin A: 3253.1 IU (65%)Vitamin B12: 0.1 µg (2%)Vitamin C: 0.9 mg (1%)Vitamin D: 0.3 µg (2%)Calcium: 114.6 mg (11%)Iron: 0.9 mg (5%)Magnesium: 48.7 mg (12%)Zinc: 0.8 mg (5%)
About The Author
Carine Claudepierre
Hi, I’m Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I’m passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I’m also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!