These vegan chocolate protein muffins are THE PERFECT afternoon snack or on the go breakfast! Yup I’m 100% team chocolate for breakfast. After you check out these ingredients you will know why! These muffins are gluten free, dairy free and so simple to make!
Muffins sometimes get a bad rap, and for a good reason. Most muffins are a sugary bomb, that only leave you feeling hungrier an hour later. While I’m a huge believer that all food should have a place in your life, I really like muffins, but I want to feel SATISFIED by my food, not hungier because of the way I started my day.
Did you know that your breakfast actually does have an effect on the rest of your day?
What you eat for breakfast will impact what you eat/want/crave/how much you eat at lunch and dinner, meals are not mutually exclusive. I try to teach my clients to look at how a certain food makes you feel. Does it cause more cravings in the day, are you hungry immediately after or satisfied for hours. Everyone is going to have a different reaction to the same food. This is a better approach to figuring out what foods are going to help you look and feel your best, instead of always focusing calories. Because let’s be honest, calories don’t matter if you are ALWAYS HUNGRY!
So what do these vegan chocolate protein muffins have in them to help you feel satisfied for hours?
Protein – why protein muffins are a great breakfast option
These muffins are full of protein, because protein has been shown to help us have sustained energy, balanced hunger and eliminate cravings. Protein powder is also a great substitute for flour in your baking! It takes some experimentation and your baked goods will always be a bit denser but it’s worth it if you ask me! Protein and veggies are always the focus of my meals!
Fiber and Resistant Starch- how chocolate protein muffins help you feel full longer
I started having stomach aches after eating coconut so I had to cut coconut flour out of my diet for a few weeks to see if maybe I just went a little overboard over the holidays. It has been fun to experiment with other gluten free flours and I am really digging tigernut flour. I read about it on a paleo blog and thought it would be great, since it’s nut free and allergy friendly! Tigernut is a small root vegetable that grows in Northern Africa and the Mediterranean. Tigernuts are high in fiber, iron, potassium, protein, magnesium, zinc and vitamins E and C and have a high level of resistant starch.
Why do you want resistant starch in your diet? Resistant starch is a type of starch (similar to fiber) that isn’t fully broken down and absorbed, but is turned into short-chain fatty acids by intestinal bacteria and can help you feel full.
The short-chain fatty acids produced by the intestinal bacteria can trigger the release of hormones (like leptin) which can reduce hunger. This doesn’t happen immediately but over time, so including more resistant starches in your every day diet is a great way to change your hunger hormones. Resistant starches also slow down how how quickly nutrients are released into the bloodstream, which can also help keep our appetite stable (vs. our blood sugar spiking quickly, insulin being released and our blood sugar quickly crashing, causing us to be hungry again quickly).
Chia seeds are a great source of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. These vegan chocolate protein muffins use chia seeds to replace the eggs in this recipe. If you don’t have chia seeds on hand, you could also use ground flax or an egg replacement.
Looking for other amazing muffin recipes?
Out of this world quinoa coconut banana muffins
Tessa The Domestic Diva Paleo 5 minute muffins
A Mindful Mom Easy Paleo Lemon Chia Seed Muffins
A Dash of Megnut Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Vegan Chocolate Protein Muffins
These vegan chocolate protein muffins are the perfect breakfast or afternoon snack! Simple to make, these protein muffins are vegan, gluten free, dairy free and kid friendly!
Ingredients
- 2 large bananas, mashed
- 3 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 scoops Vega protein powder
- 3 tbsp cacao powder
- 2 tbsp tigernut flour or coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp cacao nibs
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F
In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the chia seeds and water, stir and allow to sit 2-3 minutes
Add the almond butter, applesauce, protein powder, cacao powder and tigernut flour (or coconut flour). Stir well until fully incorporated
Add the baking powder and cacao nibs. Stir until completely combined.
Divide the mixture between 10 muffin liners (I use silicone).
Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Pull out of the oven and allow to cool completely before enjoying.
Let me know what you think about these muffins! I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions in the comments!
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