If you fancy a protein-rich sweet treat but can't eat eggs or soy due to food allergies, then our high-protein quinoa muffins recipe is perfect for you.
Starting your day to a healthy, protein-packed breakfast can help you reach your weight loss goals. Proteins make you feel full, reduce appetite, and control sugar cravings later on in the day[1].
In this recipe, we turned the classic chocolate muffins into a healthy, nutrient-dense, and vegan treat. We combined wholemeal flour with cacao and ground flaxseeds, added a splash of almond milk and maple syrup, and then stirred in some cooked quinoa. Finally, we topped the batter with crunchy almonds and baked all into mouth-watering, diet-friendly chocolate muffins.
Quinoa is an excellent source of complete plant-based proteins, meaning it provides all the nine essential amino acids your body needs to build proteins and make hormones[2]. If you have eggs or soy allergy or following a vegan diet, then quinoa can help you meet your proteins' daily needs.
In these muffins, we paired quinoa with flaxseeds and wholemeal flour for an extra boost of proteins, filling-fibres and healthy omega-3 fats[3].
In just 180 calories, each quinoa muffin has three times fewer sugars and twice the fibres than the classic ones. Also, a serving of two muffins provides a whopping 12.4 grams of proteins, covering almost 30% of our RDI for this nutrient. Awesome!
Ingredients
| Dry Quinoa | 100 g |
| Water | 480 mL |
| Ground Flaxseeds | 35 g |
| Wholemeal Flour | 210 g |
| Cocoa | 40 g |
| Baking Powder | 2 tsp |
| Almond Milk | 260 mL |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil | 30 mL |
| Maple Syrup | 100 mL |
| Almonds (optional) | 40 g |
Step 1
Rinse the quinoa, add it to a pot, and cover it with 300 mL of water.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes until the grains are soft and cooked through.
Then, drain excess water and set the quinoa aside to cool down (1).
Meanwhile, whisk the ground flaxseeds with 180 mL of water in a bowl and leave the mixture to soak for 10 minutes in the fridge (2).
Step 2
Next, add wholemeal flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder to a large bowl.
Mix well to ensure the baking powder is evenly distributed.
Step 3
Now, pour in the almond milk, olive oil, maple syrup, and tip in the prepared flax-egg.
Step 4
Work the ingredients with an electric mixer or a spoon into a creamy chocolate batter.
Then, add the cooked quinoa and stir until it's well incorporated.
Step 5
Grease a non-stick muffin tray or line it with muffin cases.
Then, pour in the quinoa batter filling the cases to the very top.
Then, garnish the muffins with halved almonds if you're using them.
Step 6
Bake the muffins for 35 minutes at 180 °C (355 °F) for static ovens or at 160 °C (320 °F) for fan ovens.
The muffins are ready when a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Finally, transfer the baked muffins onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Tips
You can swap flaxseeds with chia seeds in the same proportions; you can use leftover cooked quinoa to make quinoa milk or gluten-free quinoa flatbreads.
Store the muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days.