These healthy White Chocolate Pistachio Cottage Cheese Protein muffins are what happens when a creamy cheesecake and a fluffy muffin come together in the very best way. Soft, moist, and perfectly tender, each muffin packs an impressive 14 grams of protein, are lower in sugar, and make a delicious high-protein snack or healthy dessert option!
The Best Protein muffins
I recently shared the recipe for my protein muffins on social media and you guys have been loving them! So, naturally, my wheels were turning on what other fun flavors we could make! To be honest, i’m not the biggest muffin fan, however, these high protein muffins are so light, fluffy, airy, and moist that they almost remind me of a sort of mix of a cheesecake muffin and have quickly become my favorite healthy snack! They are DELICIOUS, made with wholesome ingredients, and (best part) contain 14g protein per muffin with only TWO tablespoons of maple syrup in the entire recipe. If you’re looking to add more protein into your daily breakfasts or snacks, while not over doing the sugar, then you’ll LOVE this healthy muffin recipe!
If you love high protein baked goods, try my berry cottage cheese protein muffins or my protein banana bread!
Why you’ll love these pistachio cottage cheese protein muffins
- Customizable – you’ll never get tired of these high protein muffins because they’re so customizable! Switch up the flavors (cinnamon, etc.) and additional add-ins like berries, chocolate chips, banana slices, or nuts!
- Healthy – these muffins are made with just a handful of healthy, wholesome ingredients that are packed with nutrients! They’ll keep your blood sugar balanced and you won’t experience any sugar crashes like typical muffins can cause!
- Dietary friendly – these muffins are gluten-free, can be made nut-free, are refined sugar-free, and are lower sugar. They also contain 14g of protein per muffin and make a great low carb snack or dessert option, with only around 5g net carbs per muffin.
Recipe Video
Low carb muffins
We love some carbs over here, I am definitely not against them, but I do feel best when consuming a lower carbohydrate dessert option as it helps keep my blood sugar balanced. When sweetened with monk fruit, these muffins come out to be around 5g net carbs (meaning they contain around 7grams of carbs with 3 grams of fiber!). The trick is using a really delicious protein powder, as it’ll add some flavor and natural sweetness without needing to add excess sugar!
Cottage cheese muffin recipe
Healthy cottage cheese recipes seem to be everywhere lately, and as someone who typically eats dairy-free, I’ve definitely felt a little left out watching all of the viral cottage cheese creations take over my feed. When I spotted a lactose-free cottage cheese at the grocery store, I knew I had to give it a try and I’m so glad I did!
Not only does it add an incredible creamy texture and boost of protein to recipes, but I find it sits much better with my stomach when baked into treats like these healthy cottage cheese protein muffins. Plus, cottage cheese contains beneficial nutrients that can support gut health, making it a delicious way to add more protein to your day. Win, win!!
I wanted to add a couple different protein sources to these muffins as just using protein powder can sometimes yield a dry muffin. Using cottage cheese creates that almost cheesecake-like texture that is so moist, airy, and just absolutely delicious. If you don’t handle dairy well, I highly recommend lactose-free cottage cheese! I can’t usually do dairy, but these don’t bother me at all! I haven’t tried substituting the cottage cheese and can’t say for sure if they’ll turn out the same.
How to make Cottage cheese protein muffins
Full recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here is an overview!
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
- Muffin tin – I love using silicone muffin tins for easy removal and clean-up!
Ingredients
- Eggs – rich in choline, healthy fats, and protein, eggs are not only an amazing binder for baked goods but offer so many essential nutrients as well!
- Cottage cheese – If you don’t do well with dairy, I highly recommend trying Good Culture’s lactose-free cottage cheese! That is what I used in these. I’ve only used low-fat cottage cheese and can’t say how higher-fat cottage cheese will work. I have not tested substituting another ingredient.
- Almond flour – for nut-free, use tiger nut flour! I’ve tested other flour options and haven’t been happy with the outcomes of the substitutes so I do NOT recommend trying to sub another flour!
- Protein powder – I’ve only tested these using plant-based pea protein (Macro Mike is my favorite! I used their Mixed Berry White Chocolate Cheesecake flavor for these! You can use my code “amb-dani” for a discount), however I think whey or beef protein will work.
- Sweetener – I use a mix of monk fruit and maple syrup/honey! You can swap another granulated sweetener like coconut sugar if you don’t have monk fruit (it just keeps them even lower sugar!).
- Baking staples: Vanilla extract, baking powder, sea salt
- Add-ins: pistachios, cinnamon, white chocolate
Steps to make Pistachio cottage cheese protein muffins
- In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients, blending until smooth.
- Fold in any additional add-ins (berries, chocolate chips, etc).
- Divide the batter amongst a greased muffin tin.
- Bake! Bake the muffins at 350F for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The tops should feel firm to touch. Careful not to over-bake or they’ll dry out!
Recipe variations
- Chocolate chip protein muffins: Fold chocolate chips into the batter prior to baking!
- Blueberry protein muffins: Fold fresh blueberries into the batter.
- Banana protein muffins: add thinly sliced bananas to the tops of the muffin batter before baking.
- Nutty protein muffins: Feel free to fold in some chopped nuts of your choice for crunch!
Expert tips
- Don’t over-bake! You don’t want to over-bake the muffins or they won’t have that delicious moist, airy texture! I like to check on mine around 20 minutes. You can insert a toothpick in the center to see if it comes out clean! I will say, if you add frozen berries, they may need to bake a few minutes longer.
- Blending the muffin batter is a must! The ingredients need to be blended together well to ensure the muffins bake evenly and there aren’t any chunks!
- These muffins are formulated to keep your blood sugar balanced and prevent any spikes so they aren’t overly sweet. If you want a sweeter muffin, feel free to add in an extra tablespoon or two of granulated sweetener! We love monk fruit!
Storing cottage cheese protein muffins
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Feel free to reheat prior to eating – either place them in the oven at 325 for a few minutes until heated to your liking or pop them in the microwave for 45 seconds. However, they’re delicious chilled as well!
More healthy recipes to try
- Berry cottage cheese protein muffins
- Banana coffee cake muffins
- Healthy pumpkin streusel muffins
- Mini paleo cinnamon rolls
- Protein banana bread with streusel topping
- gluten-free/paleo banana nut scones
- Healthy baked protein donuts
If you try this recipe and love, it’d mean the world to me if you left a star rating and review below & tag me in your creations on Instagram @danishealthyeats!
White Chocolate Pistachio Cottage cheese Protein Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 3/4 low-fat cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted & cooled *can sub avocado oil
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup pea/plant-based protein powder *Use a flavor you love! don't omit and don't substitute whey.
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener (or other granulated sweetener – coconut sugar, etc).
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tbsp orange juice (or lemon juice)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Optional topping
- batch honey cinnamon marshmallow fluff (linked in notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a silicone muffin tin well. If using cupcake liners, be sure to spray those with oil too, to prevent the muffins from sticking.
- In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients, blending until just combined and no chunks remain. Fold in white chocolate chips and pistachios. This should yield about 8 muffins.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are firm to touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. I check mine around 20 minutes, as you don't want to over-bake or they'll dry out.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before moving from the muffin tin.
- Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat prior to eating if you like!
- If you want to add a topping, I linked my honey cinnamon marshmallow fluff below. It's delicious on these!
Video
Notes
Expert tips
- Blending the muffin batter is a must! The ingredients need to be blended together well to ensure the muffins bake evenly and there aren’t any chunks!
- If using frozen berries, it’s crucial you chop them up into tiny pieces. I noticed in the batches i left them whole, they released too much moisture and affected the texture/baking time. Chopping them into tiny pieces ensures the muffins will still bake well!
- These muffins are formulated to keep your blood sugar balanced and prevent any spikes so they aren’t overly sweet. If you want a sweeter muffin, feel free to add in an extra tablespoon or two of granulated sweetener!
