FYI: You Can Swap Flour For Protein Powder In Any Muffin Recipe
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When you think of protein powder, you probably conjure images of colorful shaker bottles and gym bros. And if so, you’d be vastly underestimating the power of the powder. My first argument in defense of protein powder has to do with its unfair status as solely a bro-y supplement that only makes sense as part of a hard-core workout routine.
The truth: Pretty much anyone can benefit from protein powder, says Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, founder and director of Ochsner Eat Fit nonprofit initiative in New Orleans and host of the podcast FUELED Wellness + Nutrition.
That’s because the RDA for protein (0.36 grams per pound of total body weight, or 0.8 grams per kilogram) is too low for many active people, she notes, and consuming enough of the stuff is super important for helping you build and maintain muscle, manage your weight, and maybe even helping to reduce inflammation.
Meet the experts: Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, is the founder and director of Ochsner Eat Fit nonprofit initiative in New Orleans and host of the podcast FUELED Wellness + Nutrition. Christine McMichael is the founder of Jar Of Lemons. Carolyn Ketchum is the founder of All Day I Dream About Food and author of The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking. Brittany Mullins is a holistic nutritionist and founder of Eating Bird Food.
Enter: Protein powder for those of us who have a hard time getting our fill of the macro from real foods. (It's important to note that getting it from real foods *should* be your first stop, then you supplement with protein powder!)
My second argument has to do with the fact that protein powder is soooo much more than just something you shake up with water or milk and call it a day. I mean, no judgment if you like it that way, just get yourself a cute shaker bottle. (Can I be real? I sometimes mix protein powder with* just enough* H20 to make it into a pudding-like consistency and eat it as a late-night snack.) But if you’re up for experimenting, there are lots of ways you can incorporate protein powder into your life that are more creative.
Here, nutritionists and recipe developers share some of their top tips and delicious recipes that use protein powder.
Try a Super Shake
Super shakes are essentially a meal in a glass that includes high-quality liquid nutrition that gives you everything you need in a convenient, portable, delicious package, according to the pros at Precision Nutrition. Basically, you choose a liquid, protein powder, veggie, fruit, healthy fat, and a “topper” (i.e. cocoa nibs or coconut), then blend and enjoy.
Make A Frozen Treat
“Lately I’ve been loving making frozen or cold treats with protein powder, like my Protein Cookie Dough,” says Christine McMichael of Jar Of Lemons. These bad boys have seven grams of protein per spoonful. Having a healthy snack like this in the freezer is also a great way to edge out less healthy sweet alternatives.
Try Protein Ice Cream
News flash: You can eat this ice cream for breakfast, per Brittany Mullins, holistic nutritionist and founder of Eating Bird Food. You simply blend five-ish ingredients—including protein powder—in a food processor or blender, and voila. Since one of the ingredients is frozen bananas, you don’t even need to freeze it to get that ice cream-y texture.
Get The Recipe
DIY Some Protein Pancakes
Speaking of breakfast, you can buy already-mixed protein pancake mix (WH likes the Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes) or you can DIY them.
The experts in the WH Test Kitchen created the Ultimate Protein Pancake recipe, which uses eggs, oat flour, cottage cheese, bananas, as well as protein powder to give you a power-packed plate of 17 grams of protein per serving (which is a stack of 3 pancakes!).
Elevate Your Morning Muffins
“These Blueberry Banana Protein Muffins are at the top of my list for baked goods with protein powder,” says McMichael. "You can swap 1/4 cup of protein powder for 1/4 cup of flour in any muffin recipe."
Optimize Gluten-Free Baking
“If you're baking with gluten-free flours, whey protein powder helps to provide some of the structure and texture to the flour that gluten would normally provide,” Kimball says. “If you switch to almond flour from all-purpose flour, you could have a crumbly mess unless you use something—like whey—that's going to mimic gluten.”
Try it in this keto almond ricotta cake recipe from Carolyn Ketchum, founder of All Day I Dream About Food and author of The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking.
Go For A Savory Snack
“Soft and airy keto focaccia bread that tastes just like the real thing,” anyone? In this recipe from Ketchum, the whey protein powder helps replace the gluten, so this keto bread will rise properly and hold together better. Magic!
Make Overnight Oats
I was inspired by a recipe I saw in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daily newsletter (it’s pretty good, guys) and made some tweaks to create my own go-to overnight oats that I make pretty much every day.
You simply take two small mason jars and divide 1 single-serve 0% Fage Greek yogurt between the two. Then add a scoop of protein powder to each jar (I like the SunWarrior Warrior Blend in mocha flavor), ¼ cup of raw oats, and then top with ¾ cups liquid (I do a blend of water and almond milk). I also mix in 1 tbsp of chia seeds to each serving for good measure.
Mullins also has a tasty-looking recipe to consider.
Bulk Up Classics
Another way I personally use protein powder, and Kimball backs me here, is mixing it into go-to snacks and meals that otherwise would be a little lower in protein. For example, I’ll add a couple tablespoons of protein powder to my Greek yogurt to take it from 18 grams of protein to 25+. I’ll also sometimes mix a scoop into a bowl of hot oatmeal for a quick breakfast.
Mullins offers five ways to make protein oatmeal at the link below.
Whip Up A (More Legit) Protein Pudding
Like I said, I sometimes make a protein “shake” into a pudding by adding less water to get a pudding-like consistency. But Mullins offers a more legit (and probably tastier) version that you can customize into one of three flavors along with the toppings of your choice.
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