Today’s post is short (on time) and sweet (to your taste buds)! Lot’s of quick-to-make breakfast, dessert and sweet snack ideas made with my most favorite EVER, protein powder – Clean Lean Protein from Nuzest.
I’m I big stickler on getting enough protein throughout the day. For my activity level and healthy aging, I personally aim for 1 gram protein per pound bodyweight – that’s about 120g protein per day for me. An easy way to help me meet the goal is using a quality protein powder, and Clean Lean Protein from Nuzest has been a favorite I’ve used for years. And, YES, I do have a 15% discount code to share: FITFORK
Clean Lean Protein from Nuzest is plant-based and suitable for vegan, vegetarian, Paleo and many other dietary eating patterns. I eat all the foods, including meat, but I find that a plant-based protein powder is easier on my digestive system than other powders. Nuzest protein powder is the best of the best in terms of quality, macros, taste and texture (IMO) – and it comes in many flavors to suit your preference – or even unflavored.
It’s easy to use protein powder in smoothies or a shaker bottle with almond milk. But baking with protein powder is also very easy and smart – in fact, I use it in almost all my protein powder dessert and breakfast creations like protein waffles and pancakes; protein cakes, cupcakes and muffins; post-workout protein bites, bars and snacks; and more. Here are some of my favorite easy protein powder recipes from thefitfork.com
I “heart” strawberries, cupcakes, licking icing out of the bowl and all sweet things. But, I also love sugar free dessert recipes and avoiding traditional sugar and adding more protein into my diet to support my active lifestyle and workout recovery. My recipe for Sugar-free Strawberry Protein Cupcakes (or “protein cakelettes” if you will!) satisfies my cravings and feels like a special gourmet treat (although so simple to make).
I love to use protein powder and alternative sweeteners to create healthier dessert options that will satisfy my sweet tooth yet not wreak havoc on my (mostly) healthy diet.
Clean Lean Protein Powder from Nuzest is my favorite! Save 15% with code FITFORK
These little cupcakes with strawberry protein powder are fun and easy to make – and enjoy in your healthy lifestyle without guilt! Each cupcake has approximately 125 calories, 8g protein, 6g fat and 5g net carb. Honestly, I’ve had a couple for breakfast today, and I’m standing by that as a smart choice!
SUGAR-FREE PROTEIN CUPCAKES & VARIATIONS
The cool thing about this protein powder cupcakes recipe is that it can be tweaked here and there to suit your preferences!
VARY the protein powder type: I used Nuzest strawberry protein powder (FITFORK is my 15% discount code). It’s a plant-based and easy to digest IMO, but you can also use a whey protein. I’m also thinking collagen powder would work too, but I haven’t tried that yet.
CHANGE the flavor: I have a fondness for recipes with strawberry protein powder, but you can also use vanilla, chocolate, birthday cake or whatever flavor you like! I used Strawberry Clean Lean Protein (plant-based) from Nuzest. Save 15% with code FITFORK.
SWAP the sweetener: I used erythritol, but any granulated sweetener that measures approximately 1-to-1 with regular table sugar will work. Look and stevia, monk fruit, xylitol, and blends. Coconut sugar will also work . . . or even traditional brown sugar or table sugar. No judgement.
LEVEL UP your baking vessel: Try a silicone cupcake mold like shown (3.5 oz. capacity), a standard muffin tin (also 3.5 oz), 4- to 5-oz ramekins, or even a 9” round cake pan.
SWITCH UP the icing: Instead of sugar-free vanilla chips, use any type of baking chip such as dark chocolate, milk chocolate, peanut butter, etc. All will work well to make a ganache-style icing.
ADD ON any type of topping: While the vanilla strawberry ganache icing is still warm, any type of small topping décor will adhere well – a different crushed dehydrated fruit options, chopped nuts, sprinkles, coconut shreds are all other yummy ideas!
Silicone molds make this protein cupcake feel fancy, but standard muffin tins or ramekins work too!
Sugar-Free Strawberry Protein Cupcakes with White Ganache Icing
Cook Time
20mins
Total Time
25mins
A pretty in pink dessert that is low carb and packed withprotein – and it tastes fabulous too! Recipe is super versatile to accommodate theprotein powder of your choice, flavor profile, and a variety of sprinkles ontop – You do You! 125 cal each, 8g protein,5g net carb and 6g fat! A no guilt treat for your gal-pal gathering – or ananytime protein snack.
Course:
Dessert, Snack
Keyword:
cake, cupcake, protein powder, strawberry
Servings: 8servings
Calories: 125kcal
Ingredients
⅔cupstrawberry or vanilla protein powderI used Nuzest Plant-based
⅓cuplow-carb sweetener like erythritolor xylitol (or another approx. 1:1 cup sugar sub equlivalent)
½cupcoconut flour
⅓cupgluten-free baking blend flour
2tspbaking powder
2large eggs
1 1/2cupsmilk of choice
¼cupsugar-free white chocolate or vanilla baking chips
3tbspheavy cream
optional 2 tbsp powdered dehydrated strawberries (if you want the icing to be pink)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.
In medium bowl, toss together all dry ingredients including protein powder, sweetener, coconut flour, gluten-free flour, and baking powder.
In glass liquid measuring cup, whisk two eggs into milk and pour over dry ingredients. Stir into combined well.
Place a generous ¼ cup spoonful of batter into cooking vessel that has been coated with cooking spray or paper liners. This could be a silicone mold (doesn’t need spray), a standard muffin tin, a 5 to 6 ounce ramekin or even an 9” cake pan (cooking time will be a bit longer for cake).
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until top lightly browning and toothpick inserted into center pulls clean (not gooey). For a 9” cake pan, ad 5 to 7 more minutes and test for doneness the same way.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. With a rolling pin, crush up dehydrated strawberries (if using them to make icing pink) in a small zip baggie.
Make white ganache icing by adding white chocolate or vanilla baking chips and cream to small, microwave-safe bowl and microwaving in 20-30 second increments, stirring between each until smooth.
Next, stir in crushed dehydrated strawberries (if using them) into vanilla ganache icing. Use a spoon to drizzle over each cupcake and use back of spoon to spread around. Sprinkle with more dehydrated strawberries or any other decorative topping of your choice.
Satisfy your sweet tooth in a lower-carb and protein-boosted way with this easy recipe for No-Bake Protein Brownies with Real Strawberry “Sprinkles.”
It’s a seemingly decadent strawberry chocolate brownie is actually a homemade brownie protein bar that is low in sugar and higher in protein. Macros for each generous slice of this homemade protein brownie: 219 calorie, 16g fat, 14g carb (6g net carb), 8g dietary fiber, 12g protein.
Almond meal, unsweetened cocoa powder, and protein powder make the low-carb, protein-rich base that is held together by sugar-free syrup (or the sticky sweetener of your choice like real maple syrup or honey). There is no need to bake this homemade protein brownie, you simply press into the pan (I used a 1/8th sheet pan size with dimensions of about 9” x 6” – you can also use an 8”-diameter cake pan).
I came up with this chocolate protein powder recipe idea at the beginning of the year, as I was clearing out all our holiday treats but still craving a healthy sweet treat – I’m a chocolate lover for sure! You can use most any variety of chocolate protein powder (for example whey or plant-based).
I use Clean Lean Protein in Rich Chocolate flavor, a plant protein powder from Nuzest that is easy to digest, has a great texture, and can work with most types of diets including keto, gluten-free, paleo and more.
Here’s a don’t-miss-deal: you can always save 15% at Nuzest HERE with my code FITFORK
What makes this fudgy protein brownie extra special is the rich chocolate ganache topping. Making a ganache (a shiny thin layer of chocolate icing) seems so fancy and like you need major chocolatier skills – but it’s easy. The standard ganache formula is 2:1 chocolate to heavy cream. So, for a heaping ¼ cup chocolate chips, that would be 2 tablespoons of cream. It’s as easy as putting both in a microwave safe small bowl and heating at 70% power for about 1 minute, and stirring quickly afterward until smooth and glossy (return to microwave in 15 second increments if not melted thoroughly).
And, the strawberries on top! I’m calling them sprinkles – I took freeze-dried strawberries and coarsely crushed them before sprinkling on top of the still-warm ganache. You could substitute any other type of freeze-dried fruit, or swap out for nuts, seeds, and/or coconut.
These no-bake protein brownies should be placed in the fridge for 30 minutes to set up before slicing. Store any leftovers in the fridge too, for up to 1 week. ENJOY!
No-Bake Chocolate Protein Brownies with Real Strawberry “Sprinkles”
Course:
Dessert, Snack
Keyword:
brownies, chocolate, fudge, protein powder
Servings: 6servings
Calories: 219kcal
Ingredients
1cupalmond meal
¼cupunsweetened cocoa powder
½cupchocolate protein powder
¼cupsugar-free maple syrupor can sub real syrup, just more carbs
3 to 4tbspwater
Topping
2ouncessugar free chocolate chipsabout heaping ¼ cup
2tbspheavy cream
½ to 1/3cupfreeze-dried strawberries*or other freeze dried fruit (or nuts, seeds and coconut for a swap)
Instructions
In bowl, mix together almond meal, cocoa powder and protein powder. Add syrup and 3 tablespoons of water. Stir until combined and making a cohesive dough. If too crumbly (like because of super thick syrup, mix in the additional 1 tbsp water).
Press dough into approximate 9” x 6” rimmed pan. In ramekin, add chocolate chips and cream. Microwave for 1 minute on High. Stir until smooth and spread over top of protein mixture. Place freeze-dried strawberries in plastic bag and crush with bottom of cup or rolling pin until coarsely powdered. Sprinkle of chocolate topping. Set in fridge for 30 minutes before cutting into 6 squares.
Store leftovers in air-tight container in fridge for up to 7 days
A great way to keep your hand mindless out of the cookie jar is to bake up a single serve cookie — when it’s gone, it’s gone! My Giant Peanut Butter Protein Cookie for One tastes nostalgically amazing, yet is packed with protein so that it fills you up and you CAN be satisfied with just one.
Actually, you may even be happy and your sweet tooth satisfied with just half a cookie — it’s HUGE! I typically eat half and save the other half for later in the day, for double the yum time!
In order to avoid heating up a big oven to bake just one cookie, I made this protein peanut butter cookie in the toaster oven — I use the Instant Oven™ 18L Air Fryer Toaster Oven which is an air fryer and multi-purpose toaster oven. Only a few minutes to put the batter together and about 9 to 10 minutes to bake. In less than 15 minutes you’ll be enjoying a fresh-from-the-oven protein dessert.
Giant Peanut Butter Protein Cookie for One is HUGE, big enough to share (or not)!
In terms of the best plant-based protein powder, I like the Clean Lean Protein Powderfrom Nuzest –it has a great nutrient profile and works for vegan, vegetarian and paleo diets. I love it for this protein powder cookie recipe and smoothies and other uses too! You can save `15% with my discount code: FITFORK .
Before baking the cookie, you want to press the dough ball out into an approximate 5″ diameter circle, and then make the fork marks which as SO nut butter cookie important. Because this protein cookie is bigger that an standard old fashioned peanut butter cookie, you can’t really to the criss-cross hatch marks. Instead, I used the tins of the for to go around the edges of the cookie with points of for going up almost to center of cookie, but not quite — this made a “center” that I then used the tips of the fork to make a bunch of little pock marks. It all looked like a flower to me in the end and didn’t puff out the design during baking either!
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A delicious, low-carb peanut butter that will make you feel nostalgic for the treats of your childhood, but offers 20g of protein and only 7g net carb. Bake it in a toaster oven! Big enough to share, but you may not want too!
Course:
Dessert, Snack, treat
Keyword:
cookie, cooking for one, peanut butter, protein powder
Servings: 1serving
Calories: 343kcal
Ingredients
2tbsp.buttersoftened
2tbspnatural-style peanut butter
2tbspgranulated stevia blend baking sweetener
1tbspliquid egg white
1/8tspbaking soda
1scoop Nuzest Lean Clean Protein Powder (chocolate or vanilla)or 2tbsp other protein powder
1tbspcoconut flour
Instructions
Mix together butter, peanut butter, stevia and egg white.
Stir in baking soda, protein powder and coconut flour. Shape into big dough ball. Press out into thick circle with clean hands.
Use tins of fork to press out remainder of way to about 1/3” thickness and approx. 5” diameter.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Let cook for 5 minutes on baking sheet
I’m still on a serious protein waffle kick, and have been refining my go-to easy waffle recipe with each batch! The outcomes have just been getting tastier and more nutritious! For example, with this protein waffle meal prep, I’ve added a bit of cottage cheese to the batter for a little extra rich flavor and protein.
In fact, I’ve packed SO MUCH protein for the modest calorie count into these waffles with cottage cheese. In addition to cottage cheese, other ingredients include egg, a plant-based protein powder and amaranth flour. The result is a 3-waffle serving for 184 calories 13g net carb, 6g fat and 20g protein. That’s 62 calories and almost 7g protein per waffle! Boom! (note: nutrition could vary some based on exact protein powder used and % fat content of cottage cheese and milk used).
Seriously, 23g protein for a 216-calorie waffle stack?! These protein powder waffles even beats my favorite protein bar and is so much more satisfying to eat than a protein bar snack. This is a real meal, on a plate, with endless topping possibilities.
The flour in this recipe can be either an all-purpose flour or a gluten-free baking blend (with a similar texture of flour, not heavy like almond flour or coconut flour). When I make gluten-free waffles, I almost always use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour for that light texture I want. I’ve also had luck with amaranth flour as an alternative.
For convenience, I like to mix the batter in a blender (don’t over blend) and pour out into my mini waffle maker. This protein waffle meal prep makes about 12 waffles (4 servings). If you don’t have a single waffle maker (which is undeniable cute), it is actually even more efficient to make in most standard 4-slice waffle irons.
Also, to moderate the carb count yet still speak to me sweet tooth, I add stevia liquid sweetener drops to the batter. If you’d like more savory waffles, just omit.
I use the Clean Lean Protein power from Nuzest, it’s plant-based, paleo-friendly, gluten-free, non GMO. The Smooth Vanilla flavor is delicious and a very versatile option. Use Nuzest coupon code: FITFORK to save 15% .
As per toppings, when a three-waffle stack only has 184 calories, I feel liberated to pile on the toppings. Fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries is always a favorite – along with a drizzle of a sugar free syrup and dollop of whipped cream or Greek yogurt. Sometimes even some mini chocolate chips!
Many of my other protein waffle recipes have been single serve. This batch makes four servings, suitable for a family breakfast or to meal prep for eating through the week. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days or slide the 3-waffle servings into storage containers and keep in the freezer for busy-day breakfasts.
Heat up in the toaster or air-fryer. Honestly, after a few minutes in the air fryer, they are crispier and maybe even more delicious than ever!
This recipe is very easy to customize by swapping the protein powder flavor. And, I recently made a batch with Matcha Cottage Cheese Protein Waffles, so delicious and a fun change. The only thing I did different was add 2 teaspoons of matcha green tea powder to the batter.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission from purchases through links, however price to you remains the same. Proceeds are used to help offset operating costs for The Fit Fork. Thank you!
Simple, freezer-friendly, gluten-free and vegetarian. Only 216 calories for THREE WAFFLES – 23g protein!
Course:
Breakfast
Keyword:
breakfast, cottage cheese, meal prep, protein powder, waffles
Servings: 43 waffles each
Ingredients
3eggs
1/3cupunsweetened milk of choiceI used unsweetened almond milk
½tspvanilla extract
2tspolive oilor oil of choice
½cup2% cottage cheese
1/2cupvanilla Nuzest protein powder (or powder of choice)60 grams
½cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free baking flour (like bob's red mill gluten free baking blend)
¼tspliquid stevia dropsor to taste (or not needed, depending on your sweet preferences).
1/4tspbaking powder
Instructions
Whisk eggs with milk, vanilla and oil, stir in cottage cheese (or, you can blend all together in small blender for a smoother result – either method yields yummy waffles)..
Toss together protein powder flour and baking powder. Mix into egg mixture a little bit at a time, or until incorporated You can also pulse wet and dry mixtures together in the blender until smooth.
Mix in stevia drops to taste, more or less depending on your sweetness preference.
Heat waffle iron (either a mini waffle iron or larger 4-square iron).
Pour in batter and cook for several minutes, until indicator light goes off.
Repeat for remaining batter.
Should make 12 single waffles (or three 4-square waffles).
