These high-protein cinnamon muffins are soft, satisfying, naturally gluten-free, and made without added sugar. Greek yogurt keeps them moist, PB2 adds peanut flavor with less fat than traditional peanut butter, and whey protein isolate gives them a serious protein boost.
They’re great for breakfast, snacks, meal prep, or whenever you want something that tastes like a treat but still fits a high-protein, lower-carb approach.
I also made a slightly sweeter breakfast version for my boys by adding one small overripe banana to the batter, and they loved them as breakfast muffins.
Ingredients
Makes approximately 12–13 muffins
- 1/2 cup almond flour — about 50 g
- 3 scoops vanilla whey protein isolate — about 90 g, depending on your brand
- 1 tsp baking powder — about 4 g
- 1 tbsp cinnamon — about 8 g
- 1/2 cup PB2 powder — about 48 g
- 5–6 tbsp water — 75–90 mL, to prepare the PB2
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt — about 120 g
- 1/2 cup softened butter — 113 g
- 1/4 cup allulose — about 45–50 g
- 10–15 drops liquid stevia, or to taste
- Optional: 1–2 tbsp whole milk, only if needed to help the batter blend
- Optional for the breakfast version: 1 small overripe banana
You can also use your preferred low-carb sweetener instead of the allulose and stevia combination.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
- Line a muffin pan with muffin liners or lightly grease the wells.
- Prepare the PB2 by mixing the PB2 powder with about 5 tablespoons / 75 mL water. Add a little more water if needed until it resembles creamy peanut butter.
- Add the Greek yogurt to the blender first. This helps give the blender enough moisture to get everything moving.
- Add the softened butter, prepared PB2, allulose, and liquid stevia.
- If making the breakfast version, add one small overripe banana at this stage.
- Add the almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and vanilla whey protein isolate last.
- Blend just until smooth and fully combined. Avoid over-blending.
- If the batter is too thick for your blender to process, add whole milk just 1 tablespoon / 15 mL at a time. You want a thick muffin batter, not a thin batter.
- Divide the batter evenly among 12–13 muffin cups.
- Bake for approximately 10–15 minutes, checking around the 10-minute mark. The tops should be set and the centers just cooked through.
- Allow the muffins to cool before serving. Whey-based baked goods continue to firm slightly as they cool.
Breakfast Muffin Variation
For a naturally sweeter version, especially for kids, add one small overripe banana to the batter.
The banana adds natural sweetness, a softer texture, and a little extra carbohydrate, so this variation is not as low-carb as the original version.
This is the version I made for my boys, and they really enjoyed them as breakfast muffins.
If your banana is especially ripe and sweet, you may also want to reduce the allulose or stevia slightly to taste.
Tips for the Best Texture
The biggest key with high-protein muffins is not adding too much whey protein powder.
Whey isolate firms significantly during baking, and adding extra protein powder to thicken a batter can make the finished muffins rubbery.
That’s why this recipe uses Greek yogurt as the main source of moisture and places it in the blender first. In most cases, you should not need additional milk.
If your blender does struggle, add only a small amount of milk rather than compensating afterward with more protein powder.
Also avoid over-baking. Protein muffins are usually best when removed from the oven as soon as the centers are set.
Sweetener Options
I like using a combination of allulose and liquid stevia because allulose adds bulk and helps create a more traditional baked-good texture, while stevia increases the sweetness without adding extra volume.
You can adjust the sweetness to your preference or substitute another low-carb sweetener you enjoy.
Storage
Store the muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.
They can be enjoyed cold or gently warmed before serving.
Nutrition Information
Makes approximately 13 muffins
Low-Carb Greek Yogurt Version — Per Muffin
Approximately:
- 135 calories
- 9.3 g protein
- 9.5 g fat
- 7.2 g total carbohydrate
- ~1.3 g fiber
- ~3.8 g allulose
- ~2 g net carbs
Whole batch: approximately 1,760 calories, 122 g protein, 124 g fat and 26 g net carbohydrates.
Banana Breakfast Version — Per Muffin
If you add one small overripe banana (approximately 90 g) to the full recipe:
Approximately:
- 141 calories
- 9.4 g protein
- 9.6 g fat
- 8.7 g total carbohydrate
- ~1.5 g fiber
- ~3.8 g allulose
- ~3.4 g net carbs
The banana adds only about 6 calories and 1.4 g net carbohydrate per muffin when spread across a batch of 13.
Nutrient Highlights
These muffins also provide nutrients from several whole-food ingredients:
- Calcium from Greek yogurt and whey protein
- Potassium from Greek yogurt, PB2 and banana in the breakfast variation
- Magnesium from almonds and peanuts
- Vitamin E from almond flour
- Manganese and antioxidants from cinnamon
- B vitamins and phosphorus from dairy and peanuts
- A combination of high-quality whey protein plus protein from Greek yogurt, almonds and peanuts
The banana variation also contributes additional potassium, vitamin B6 and naturally occurring carbohydrates, which makes it a great breakfast option for kids.
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact brands of whey protein isolate, Greek yogurt, PB2, butter and sweetener used.