Gluten Free Protein Muffins with Lemon Zest

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High in Protein and packed with nourishing ingredients, these gluten-free lemon muffins with are the perfect healthy snack or breakfast. Packed with whole fat greek yogurt, eggs, and lemon zest, these are a wonderful addition to busy spring days.

Made from scratch with whole ingredients, these healthy protein muffins are not only good for you, they’re full of moisture and flavor. They’re the perfect on-the-go treat!

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Why we love these protein muffins

Packed with protein: With almond flour, 3 eggs, and whole fat greek yogurt, these muffins are loaded with protein! Each individual muffin includes 6 grams of protein. If you’re looking to add even more protein, try adding a couple scoops of collagen. We occasionally add collagen to our baked goods for a little more protein boost.

Satisfying and delicious: The lemon zest gives such fresh and bright flavor, which makes for a great addition to breakfast or an afternoon snack. Because it’s made from scratch at home we feel good about snacking on these anytime.

Great for snacks throughout the week: We often make these for weekly meal prep (although I will say, I don’t really do meal prep so much as snack prep – I like to make muffins, hard boiled eggs, and stovetop popcorn to have on hand for snack time).

Ingredient Notes

Oats: We blend the oats in our Vitamix to make oat flour at home, but you can also purchase oat flour from your local store. Not only are oats gluten free, they are also high in fiber.

Almond Flour: I love the added protein that I get when adding almond flour. It also adds a nice texture to baked goods, giving them a bit more heartiness.

Baking Soda: Helps the muffins to rise during baking.

Yogurt: We like to use whole-fat greek yogurt for the high protein and fat content. This recipe will work with lower fat yogurt as well if that’s what you have on hand or prefer.

Date Sugar: Date sugar is made from grinding up whole dried dates making them higher in fiber and lower on the glycemic index than traditional cane sugar. While I love this option for sweetening these muffins, I know it can be expensive. Coconut sugar or brown sugar will work as well for this recipe.

Eggs: Eggs are such a wonderful and nutrient-dense food! One large egg is roughly 6 grams of protein. Not only are they an excellent source for protein, eggs contain many vitamins and nutrients including Vitamins B12, A, D, choline, and more!

Coconut Oil: An excellent and healthy fat. Added to help moisten the muffins and adds a hint of flavor as well.

Lemon Zest: Not only is lemon peel packed with flavor, it is also packed with Vitamin C and antioxidants. Check out this article to learn more.

Recipe Tips

Want even more protein? Replace 1/4 cup of the oats for 1/4 cup collagen. Collagen is a great way to increase daily protein intake. I add a scoop of this collagen to my coffee each morning for an extra 9 grams of protein.

When zesting the lemons, zest directly over the bowl so all the oils from the lemon peel drop directly into the muffin mixture. This ensures full and optimum flavor…you don’t want to loose any flavor on a cutting board or plate.

Don’t have date sugar? Use brown sugar or coconut sugar instead!

These are great for weekly meal prep and freeze very well.

One way to make good use of the lemons once they’ve been zested is to freeze the juice. Here’s what I do:

• Juice lemons
• Pour into ice cube trays and freeze
• Once frozen, pop lemon cubes out and store in a container in the freezer.
• Pull out anytime you need to add a little fresh lemon to a recipe or add a couple to a glass of water with a dash of salt and small splash of maple syrup for a refreshing drink!

How to make Protein Muffins:

You will need:

Medium Bowl for mixing

Blender (if you plan to make your own oat flour) We have this Vitamix.

Lemon Zester

Measuring cups and spoons

Wooden spoon for mixing

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup almond flour

1 teaspoon salt

Zest of 2 lemons

2/3 cup whole fat greek yogurt

1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)

1/2 cup date sugar

3 eggs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12 count muffin tin with oil or line with cupcake liners.

Place oats in blender or food processor and blend on high until medium fine (if using premade oat flour, skip this step).

Place oat flour in a medium bowl. Add almond flour, baking soda and salt to bowl with oat flour. Stir to combine.

Zest 2 lemons directly over bowl with flour mixture (this helps ensure all the lemon oils from the zest are added directly to the mixture for optimum flavor). Add date sugar, yogurt and eggs and melted coconut oil to flour mixture. Stir to combine.

Spoon the batter into muffin tin, filling the muffin cups three-fourths full. Place on center oven rack and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before enjoying.

If you make this recipe and love it, I’d love for you to give it 5 stars! Also, tag me on Instagram @sweetmeadowfarmhouse with your delicious creation and let me know!