These flourless lentil protein muffins are just as delicious as they are nutritious. They’re soft, fluffy and chocolatey, yet boast nutritional powerhouse ingredients like lentils, eggs, and bananas.
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! By the way, if you’d like to read this post in a visual way, check out my Google Web Story for Flourless Chocolate Lentil Protein Muffins Recipe.
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, they are the perfect snack to add to your child’s lunch box. These flourless lentil protein muffins will keep your kids satisfied and energized during the day. I know this will give you some peace of mind knowing that you’ve sent a healthy nutrient-packed (and tasty) snack that your kids will actually eat.
Here are the muffin baking cups that I love and use all of the time. I love that they’re non-stick!
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Flourless Chocolate Lentil Protein Muffins
A chocolate muffin that is not only nutritious and snack-worthy, but tastes so good it could be dessert too!? Yes please!
Ingredients
- 1 can (14 oz) 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 tsp baking soda
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- 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 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely and enjoy!
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Comments
Lilly Brooklyn says
Wow! You have described simple and easy ways. That’s amazing. I would love to make it for my family. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah Remmer says
Thanks so much, Lilly! I hope you enjoy!
Alyssa says
I made about 60 of these, in addition to your choc chip lentil balls, last year and stored them in the freezer as postpartum snacks for my twin pregnancy. I am so glad I did. My husband and I would be eating these in the middle of the night during those foggy, exhausting newborn twin days. My 4 year old daughter loved them too. These recipes and my preparation saved us.
I have rec’d the recipe so many times to other moms, and this afternoon I found myself making another 2 batches for a mom about to have her third baby. This time around though, I was able to share them with my 18 month old twins and they loved them! My 5 year old daughter still loves them too.
I plan on continuing to make and freeze these as highly nourishing snacks for my family in the days to come, especially now that I am finding some time to cook again.
For anyone reading this, the muffins freeze and thaw soooo easily, they taste great even a little frozen if you are a ravenous new mama 🙂
Sarah Remmer says
Oh my goodness, Alyssa! Thank you so much for your kind and helpful review! This is seriously the nicest review I’ve read yet. You totally made my day! Stay well XO
Marissa says
Just made these with my daughter! They came out perfect and she loves them! Do they need to be refrigerated?
We’ve made quite a few of your recipes, all have been wonderful! I’m grateful for ways to incorporate lentils, oats, chia seeds…my little one has genetically elevated cholesterol and your recipes are a huge help in our home! Thank you!
Sarah Remmer says
I’m so happy to hear you and your family love these, Marissa! They are an absolutely staple in our house, too! To make them last longer, and because they do contain perishable ingredients, I would recommend keeping them in the fridge. They don’t last long ;). I would be super grateful if you could leave a 5-star review as it helps others find my recipes who need them most. Thank you!!!
K says
Hi Sarah, so excited to make these, I bought a can of lentils but it’s a bit bigger than a regular size. The can is 540ml or 19 oz, should I use the entire thing?
I saw you mention 1 cup but wasn’t sure if that was for home cooked lentils only or for both.
Sarah Remmer says
Hi Kandace! Thanks for reaching out. I’m excited for you to try them! For ease of using them, I would use the whole can and just add a bit more cocoa powder to soak up excess liquid if it feels too runny to you. The batter is going to be quite wet anyhow! I’d love to see how they turn out. You can tag me on Instagram @sarahremmer if you do! Xx
Damond Fields says
Thanks for sharing recipes of this protein muffines. will definitely try this out. Keep sharing your recipes.
Sarah Remmer says
Thank you, Damond! This is one of our favourite recipes! You may also like this one: https://www.sarahremmer.com/double-chocolate-chia-protein-bites/
MV says
Tried the recipe with one medium banana and 1/2 c applesauce as recommended in the comments (we only had one banana left. I used cooked green lentils—not from can.
The batter was extremely runny. I had to scoop out the chocolate chips since they sank to the bottom of the bowl. At 15 minutes they were still very runny but puffed out, so I baked for another 15 minutes. They came out concave.
I’m very disappointed in how they turned out. I haven’t tried them yet as they are still cooling. Taste wise, I tasted the batter beforehand so I can tell that it is good. As for texture, we shall find out.
Sarah Remmer says
Thank you so much MV for your honest review. I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out for you.
Jenny says
Hello! I am excited to try this recipe. Can you please clarify the measurements of the lentils? What size can should we be using? And if we use 1 cup of cooked lentils, is it 1 cup before cooking or 1 cup of fully cooked lentils?
Thank you!
Sarah Remmer says
Hi Jenny! 1 cup of cooked lentils. Thanks for catching that!
Krista says
Hi Sarah,
I tried these today, and they came out soggy despite leaving them in a little longer. Perhaps because I used 2 bananas or the lentils were too wet? The tops cooked nicely and tasted amazing so I really want to try again and get it to work for me. What do I need to do to get them cooked and fluffy throughout?
Sarah Remmer says
Hi Krista! Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that. You might want to try doubling the cocoa powder to 2/3 cup. I find that helps to soak up any excess liquid. Let me know if that helps!
Jenn says
What size can of lentils did you use?
Sarah Remmer says
I use 540 mL can of lentils, drained and rinsed.
Ali says
Hi there! I’m allergic to bananas – anything I could substitute for them in this recipe? Thanks
Sarah Remmer says
You could try applesauce!
Jennifer Jones says
Hi! do you have the nutrition information for these? Thanks!
Sarah Remmer says
I do not, sorry!
Chloe says
Good evening,
I just made this recipe today and the end product was fantastic! Only thing is I didn’t have a whole cup of lentils to use, more like 3/4 cup, so I added 1/4 cup oats into the mix. I used brown sugar (didn’thave any honey or maple syrup at the time) Texture is perfectly fluffy and cakey! Took 20 minutes to bake using a silicone mold on top of a cookie sheet. (I also doubled the vanilla :P)
I am an RD as well and would like to use this for one of my cooking class next week. I would like to share your website with others if that is ok with you. 🙂
Thanks!
Sarah Remmer says
Hi Chloe! So happy you liked them! Go ahead and share 🙂 Good luck with your cooking class!!
Joanne says
Hi Sarah,
Ive made these before from your recipe and they were a hit. Thank you. Just wondering if they can be frozen.
Sarah Remmer says
Totally!! I freeze all my muffin recipes 🙂
Julia says
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!
Sarah Remmer says
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 🙂
Amanda says
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 :).
Sarah Remmer says
Hi Amanda! It’s no trouble to simply eliminate the chocolate chips. Not extra sweetness needed 🙂
Amanda says
Thank you so much for your quick reply! 🙂
May Shelton says
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.
Laura says
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!
Sarah Remmer says
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!
Natalie Torres says
Just made these! They were really delicious. Highly recommend.
Some notes: Had to cook them for approx. 25min. I put the baking soda but was wondering if I should use baking powder with it since they did rise but fell flat and dense after cooling down.
Sarah Remmer says
Thank you so much, Natalie! I have changed the directions to reflect your cooking time suggestion :).
Sarah Remmer says
Thank you Natalie! I have revised the cook time to reflect your comment.
TZ says
Hi! Do you think these would be good without the chocolate chips and would be suitable for 15 month old toddler?
Sarah Remmer says
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!
Tiffany says
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!
Niki says
This recipe was sooo yummy! I used it for my weight watchers diet.