Cornbread Protein Muffins offer the perfect blend of classic comfort and high-protein nutrition. Low in sugar and fat and moist with a sweet-savory flavor, they’re ideal as a snack, side dish, quick breakfast, or post-workout treat.

Not lying here, someone actually asked me for a recipe for “Cornbread Muffins on Steriods”. I actually laughed so hard, but absolutely loved that name, haha.

Anyway, here we are – took one of the highly rated cornbread muffins recipes on Google, and adapted it to make a high protein, lower fat version. Aka, the cornbread muffins on steroids, haha.

They were super easy to make, and actually yummy. I tried them plain, with a bit of honey, butter and even raspberry jam. All great hits here.
I’m pretty sure they’d be a great base for a stuffing for Thanksgiving as well!

Ingredients for Cornbread Protein Muffins:

This protein packed cornbread muffin recipe uses protein powder as a sweetener and no sugar. It’s also got applesauce for moisture and extra natural sweetness, and only a little butter to keep this recipe low fat and low sugar. Here’s all the ingredients.

Dry Ingredients:

Yellow Cornmeal – the basic medium grind one here!
Vanilla Protein Powder that provides sweetness without any sugar.
I recommend the whey-casein protein from Quest Nutrition or plant-based protein from KOS.
Unflavored Protein Powder to replace some of the flour. I use the one from KOS.
Flour – Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is my favorite, or 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
Baking Powder

Wet Ingredients:

Unsweetened Applesauce
Unsweetened Almond Milk – no buttermilk needed for this homemade cornbread
A bit of Melted Butter
Eggs

How to make Protein Corn Muffins?

This skinny and low calorie protein corn muffin recipe is really straightforward. Here’s what it takes:

Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease 12 cups of a muffin pan and line with parchment paper.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl – cornmeal, flour, unflavored protein powder, vanilla protein powder and baking powder.

Whisk the wet ingredients in a large bowl: applesauce, milk, eggs and melted butter.
Make sure the butter is melted and milk & applesauce are room temperature so everything mixes well.

Add the wet mix into the dry mix and fold until just combined.
DO NOT OVER-MIX the batter or the muffins will be too dense.

Taste the batter and add a bit of stevia sweetener if you want sweeter muffins.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes. A tester inserted into the center should come out completely dry – no crumbs or batter. The top should be dry and springy to touch.

How do you store Low Fat Cornbread Muffins

This recipe makes low fat cornbread muffins that are still soft and moist and yummy. If you want to make them last longer and retain the freshness, here’s what you need to do.

Room Temperature: Store the protein corn muffins in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Keep them in a cool, dry place to maintain their freshness.
Refrigerator: For longer storage, place the low calorie cornbread muffins in an airtight container or resealable bag and keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave for a few seconds before serving for optimal taste and texture.
Freezer: To store for up to 3 months, place healthy corn muffins in a freezer-safe bag or container.
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature, then warm them in the microwave or oven before enjoying.

Alternatives for Healthy Cornbread Muffins Recipe

This healthy cornbread muffin recipe is very adaptable based on dietary restrictions; Here’s some alternate ingredients so you can make these muffins your own.

Dry Ingredients:

Whey-Casein Vanilla Protein Powder:
- Substitute with plant-based protein powder for a dairy-free alternative.
Flour:
- Use whole wheat pastry flour, or a gluten-free all-purpose blend to maintain texture and consistency.
  Replace in the same amount by weight not cups.
- Oat flour might also be a good gluten-free option.
Unflavored Protein Powder:
- Substitute with more flour, but reduce milk to ⅓ cup.

Wet Ingredients:

Unsweetened Applesauce:
- Replace with mashed banana or pureed pumpkin, but it will give a slightly different taste.
Unsweetened Almond Milk:
- Use any plant-based milk like oat milk, soy milk.
- Regular dairy milk if preferred also works.
Butter:
- Substitute with coconut oil, light olive oil, or melted ghee for a similar richness.
Eggs:
- Replace with flaxseed eggs for a plant-based option.

More Sweet-Savory Protein Muffin Recipes to try: