A CHOCOLATE MUFFIN THAT IS NOT ONLY NUTRITIOUS AND SNACK-WORTHY, BUT TASTES SO GOOD IT COULD BE DESSERT TOO!
We’re on the school homestretch, and to be honest, I’m feeling a little bit uninspired when it comes to school lunches and after-school snacks. To get us through the next couple of months, the kids and I decided to bake some of our favourite nutritious muffins, protein bites and cookies, and this one stood out as our all time favourite. In fact, we made a triple batch!
A variation of this delicious recipe was first introduced to me by my friend Natalie, and not surprisingly, it was a big hit with the whole family. These muffins just as delicious as they are nutritious. They are soft, fluffy and chocolatey, yet boast nutritional powerhouse ingredients like lentils, eggs, and bananas. High in protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, these muffins are the perfect snack to add to your child’s lunch box. They will keep your kids satisfied and energized during the day and give you some peace of mind knowing that you’ve sent a healthy nutrient-packed (and tasty) snack that your kids will actually eat.
Flourless Chocolate Lentil Protein Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 can lentils, drained and rinsed (or one cup of cooked red lentils)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large over-ripe banana (or two small)
- 1⁄4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1⁄3 cup dark chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Prepare 12 muffin cups by lining with muffin papers
- Place banana(s), lentils, eggs, honey, cocoa powder, baking soda, coconut oil, and vanilla extract into blender or food processor; cover. Blend until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and stir gently using a wooden spoon.
- Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely and enjoy!
Originally posted on YMC.
Follow me on Facebook, where I post free nutrition and feeding advice daily!
Your Easy, Step-by-Step Guide to Packing School Lunches (+ 20 Ideas & Free Printable!)
8
Hello sarah. They look delicious. If I want to substitute the lentil’s can for homemade baked lentils how much to I need?
Hi Sandra! Yes, you absolutely can do that. It’s about 1 cup of cooked lentils 🙂
I was going to ask the same question as above. I have lentils in my fridge that need to be used up since my kids barely tried them. This recipe is a great way to sneak them in!
Awesome! Hope it works out! Using dry lentils that you’ve cooked definitely works!
These are so healthy and delicious. Inspiring.
Thanks!!
I’ve seen black bean brownies before, but never lentil treats! These look amazing. Can’t wait to try!!
Excited for you to try them! 🙂
Your kiddos are so cute! And this recipe looks really yummy! Love that they’re both gluten and dairy free!
Thank you!! Yes, it’s a nice bonus for those who can’t have gluten or dairy!
I’ve seen black bean brownies before, but never anything with lentils. Such a neat idea! Looks like you had a blast making them too! 🙂
Thanks Jessica!
Yum! These look so decadent and delicious – lovely recipe!
They really are amazing 🙂
You had me with the lovely Chocolate muffin. Kudos for making it with lentils! Love finding ways to add protein to my treats!
Thank you!!
What kind of lentils did you use? I have red, would they work?
Any lentisl will work, but I usually use canned brown lentils 🙂
My son can’t have eggs. Can I replace the eggs in this recipe with chia or flax eggs? Thank you!
I’m sure you could! I’ve never tried it myself, but I don’t see why not!
How did that work out? I tried using egg replacer but they did not solidify. Did you find something that worked instead of egg?
I just made these, and they’re delicious! I made 16 rather than 12 to bring the carb count down just a bit per muffin, so my 4 year old T1D can have one with some berries as a snack. Baked them for about 15 minutes. 🙂 The only cans of lentils I could find were pretty large, so I just measured out a cup once they were rinsed and drained.
I’m glad they worked out!!
Wondering if the coconut oil is important here or could it be replaced with another oil that I have at home like canola? Thanks!
You can use butter as an option, but I’m not sure how another oil would work out… let me know if you try it!
I used olive oil and it worked out great! My bananas were cold and I didn’t want the coconut oil to be lumpy. Honestly, I’ve made two batches of these with home cooked green lentils this week and I’m kind of obsessed . My kiddos LOVE them too! I’ve shared the recipe with half a dozen people already!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing. A trick for baking is to try to have all ingredients at room temperature. That rarely happens for me though too! I’m usually softening butter or trying to warm up eggs! Glad your kiddos enjoy.
I just made these. They had to bake for about 20mins before they weren’t runny anymore and it was then that I read through the comments and saw it was only 1 cup of lentils. My can was about 2 cups but it was the smallest can at the store. Maybe the recipe could be edited to say 1 cup instead of 1 can? My toddler likes them anyway but they are pretty mushy.
I used a can of lentils but had to cook these a full 25 min before they would solidify. I realized after that a cup = (250 ml) and I used a can (540ml). They still turned out super yummy and moist but I will watch the lentil measurement next time.
Thank you for this recipe! Our family loves them! We are not big on counting calories, but do you know the calories per serving for these?
Hi Jen. Thank-you! My family loves them too. I’m also not a calorie counter so I’m unsure about the total per serving. If I had to guess I would say under 200. Hope this helps 🙂
These muffins are amazing! I served them as Birthday cupcakes with a little cream cheese icing on them. People loved them!
Yay! That’s great! I’ve used them for cupcakes too!
Mine are just hot out of the oven. I had to bake them for well over 20 minutes to get them cooked through. I think the issue might have been using too many lentils (used one can and realized that the alternative says one cup). AS a result they are concave on top. But my kids are excited to try them. I will try again and only use one cup of lentils next time. Love that they are a blender mix so easy, and friendly for willing young chefs to help with.
Same thing happened to me and I used 1 cup of lentils! Wondering what else could’ve caused this.
My son can’t have bananas – any substitute? Thanks!
Apple sauce!!
These are delicious, do they freeze well do you know ?
Yes they sure do!
I made these using leftover cooked green lentils and they were delicious! I had to use butter instead of coconut to make them school-safe (strict no tree nuts) but no complaints whatsoever. I was almost hoping my kids wouldn’t like them… more for me! 🙂 Thanks!
Have most people had success baking for 20-25min at 350F?
What type of unsweetened cocoa powder do you use? I have Dutch processed on hand but I’m thinking that may not work since there is baking soda in the recipe. Thank you!
I have used Dutch processed as well and they have turned out fine. Hope this helps!
This recipe was sooo yummy! I used it for my weight watchers diet.
These are SO good!! My daughter could not stop eating them…and neither could I. They are so moist and actually not that high in sugar. I should have doubled the batch. I don’t have a food processor but it was easy enough to just blend the lentils with banana and egg using my hand held blender and “chopper” attachment. Thanks for another great recipe Sarah!
Hi! Do you think these would be good without the chocolate chips and would be suitable for 15 month old toddler?
They’d still be great without the added chocolate chips. When my youngest was 15 months old he definitely had a few of these muffins. The general recommendation is for kids age two and younger to avoid foods with a lot of added sugar. These muffins have a little bit of added sugar, but not much! It’s about finding your balance. You could try adding more banana for sweetness or substituting cocoa powder for almond flour… OR you could offer them as is and occasionally :). Hope this helps!
Sarah, Have you ever tried baking these in 8 inch round pans instead of muffin tins? I wonder if it would work as 2 layer cake?
This recipe is wonderful, I’ve been telling everyone I meet to try it!
Thanks Laura! I’ve never tried making the recipe into a cake, but it sounds wonderful! I’m sure as long as you adjust the time and temperature it would work. Keep me posted!
This is the first I’ve heard of lentils in a muffin, fascinating! Will definitely try out this recipe, perfect for my GF family, thanks. I also like that it’s nut-free and can go in school lunchboxes.
Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has made them without the chocolate chips? I’d like to make them for my daycare but we aren’t suppose to use chocolate chips. Should I add a bit more maple syrup if I don’t add them? Thank you in advance :).
Hi Amanda! It’s no trouble to simply eliminate the chocolate chips. Not extra sweetness needed 🙂
Thank you so much for your quick reply! 🙂
Hi! I just made these and they taste delicious, but they stuck like crazy to my silicone muffin tins and are completely falling apart. They are a very spongy moist texture. Any advice? I measured everything carefully, used one cup of cooked red lentils.
I want to love them!
Sorry that they are stuck! That’s the worst when baking muffins. Maybe spray the silicone muffin liners with a bit of oil before baking. The texture might be coming from the lentils. Make sure to let them drain to get rid of excess moisture. Did you use home baked lentils or canned? I tend to use canned (drained and rinsed) due to time 🙂
Hi Sarah,
Ive made these before from your recipe and they were a hit. Thank you. Just wondering if they can be frozen.
Totally!! I freeze all my muffin recipes 🙂