4 Whey Wonders: The Secret Behind Perfect Protein Muffins And Pancakes!

Many fitness people who cook with whey protein powder think they can treat it the same way they do flour. Newsflash! You can’t.

You have to always account for its particularity and cook it on its own terms. This is the case with most protein powders, but it’s particularly critical to understand with whey. If you don’t, the potential for failure looms large. Whatever you’re making can turn out rubbery, “cardboard-y,” extremely dry and, well, pretty much impossible to (pleasurably) consume!

Let me give you an example: protein muffins. The first time I made a protein muffin, I followed a recipe I found online. It called for three egg whites and one scoop of whey, to be stuck in a mug and microwaved for a minute. A child could ace this recipe, I thought to myself.

Round and round went my mug inside the microwave. Mesmerized, I watched the mixture rise and rise until it could rise no more. After the minute had passed, this monstrosity began shrinking as quickly as it had mushroomed. WTF … I removed it carefully, and my shoulders slumped. My muffin was as deflated as my ego.

It looked like a chewed-up plastic cake, the kind you have to pull out of your dog’s mouth after he’s been mischievously playing with a child’s cookery play set. That’s when I took my first bite and realized that, while the muffin tasted more or less okay, chewing it was like chewing on a rubber sole. Horrendous.

Flat As A Pancake

I had a similar experience when I first made protein pancakes. I mixed two scoops of whey with three egg whites and a couple scoops of oats.

Result: A bland and ultra rubbery pancake that soured my taste buds and broke my heart. My second abject failure made me want to give up on the idea of ever again cooking with whey.

You will find a lot of recipes online for protein muffins and pancakes that, like the above, leave you feeling as if you’re eating a tire.

It doesn’t have to be this way, though. It never should.

You can work with whey to create incredibly fluffy and moist pancakes. You can use it to make soft, moist, and delicious protein muffins, muffins that no one will eye suspiciously and bite with the unease of a vampire. Make muffins that no one will be able to resist.

Rules Of The Right Of Whey

There are four rules you must know to successfully cook with whey. Master them, and become master of the protein universe. You may use these rules to bake cakes as well but, for now, let’s stick to pancakes and muffins.

Never-NEVER-bake or panfry a batter that is more than ¼ whey. This is because, naturally, whey has a tendency to go dry, rubbery, and “cardboard-up” (if you allow me to paraphrase Steve Spurrier and coin that expression).

You have to offset this tendency. How? By making sure that the rest of your ingredients weigh it down and add enough moisture to counter the whey.

WHEY PROTEIN

Protein forms the building blocks for your muscle tissue, so without it your body would lack a critical component needed for muscle to even exist.

Get your Whey Protein Powder today

You must always use what I call a primary moisturizer. This can be cottage cheese, pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, or a cooked sweet potato. It can also be fruits such as applesauce, apples,bananas or berries.

You always need to have a type of flour in your batter. This will combine with your whey and give volume to your final product.

My favorite flours to use are oats, coconut flour, almond flour, oat flour, amaranth flour, chickpea flour, buckwheat flour or quinoa flour. These are excellent gluten-free, high-protein, and high-fiber flours.

Always use a binding substance like egg whites, whole eggs or a combination of both.

By following the above rules, you’ll be able to make anything and everything with whey—from cakes and muffins to pancakes and breads!

The more you play with it, the more delicious variations of your protein favorites will result.

Add nuts, seeds, and any additional powders (e.g. cocoa, maca powder, lucuma powder), spices (e.g. cinnamon, cloves, ginger) and flavorings (e.g. vanilla essence, orange peel, almond essence) to your batter too.

The sky is the limit to what you can make once you understand the basics of whey protein cooking!

Experiment with your combinations. Find out what you like and don’t like. Combine lemon peel with poppy seeds, cinnamon with vanilla, cocoa with passion fruit!

Try exotic ingredients. Be creative with your flavorings and remember to always build on what you learn along the “whey.”

Protein Muffin Recipes

Without further ado, four recipes to get your started:

These muffins are so good they’ll make you want to break dance! (Or at least learn how.) I’ll never tire of singing the praises of vanilla and orange—it’s a combination made on Mount Olympus.

 Orange Vanilla Whey Protein Muffins PDF (13.4 KB)

These chocolatey, pumpkin-packed muffins explode in your mouth. Their super-moist texture and great nutritional profile make them a great post-workout snack or yummy breakfast treat.

Bring some to the office for a happy surprise. Oh la la!

 Casein Frosted Pumpkin Pistachio Chia Seed Muffins PDF (13.9 KB)

What’s not to love about protein pancakes? If you haven’t tried to make them yet, this recipe is a perfect first effort. The pancakes are bursting with blueberries and fruity deliciousness!

 Apple Strawberry Blueberry Protein Pancakes PDF (13 KB)

What a kicking post-workout boom! Throwing “never say never” to the wind. I confidently declare that you will never tire of this protein pancake.

 Banana and Vanilla Protein Pancakes PDF (12.7 KB)