Can you bake with protein powder? How to bake with protein powder? Which protein powder is best for baking? Does baking destroy protein powder?
If these are your questions, then you are in the right place. This guide will teach you all you need to know on baking with protein powder instead of flour.
After introducing the different types of protein powders in the market, we will see the best practices, tips and tricks for baking with protein powder.
Jump to:
- Can you bake with protein powder?
- Healthier baking with protein powder
- Different types of protein powder
- Best tips for baking with protein powder instead of flour
- Low carb baking with protein powder
- Does baking destroy protein?
- Recipes with protein powder
Can you bake with protein powder?
Baking with protein powder is definitely possible and is easier than you think. You will love to hear that you can swap out part of the flour with protein powder and put together a delicious yet healthier and macro-friendly dessert.
But before you head straight to the kitchen and start baking, there are a couple of "dos and don'ts" you should get familiar with. Make sure you read through this guide on how to bake with protein powder and you will never get a dry, tasteless cake anymore!
Healthier baking with protein powder
Replacing part of the flour with protein powder is an excellent way to make a healthier dessert. From increasing and repairing muscle mass to appetite control, research shows that eating more protein has plenty of health benefits.
Baking with protein powder instead of flour makes it possible for you to enjoy sweets without compromising your diet. You can put together a protein mug cake, protein cookies or protein pancakes that have both great taste and macros! And this will make it easier for you to satisfy your cravings while still sticking to your diet.
It's like the best of both worlds: you get to eat your favorite treats and you reach your goals at the same time!
Different types of protein powder
Protein powders are not all the same.
There are different types of protein powders out there, and each one has different compositions. As a result, they behave differently when baking.
Here is an overview of the most common types of protein powder.
- Whey protein powder
- Casein protein powder
- Vegan protein powder
Baking with whey protein powder
Whey protein is probably the most known protein powder in the market. And for a good reason!
Whey is a very high-quality protein powder which contains all nine essential amino acids (especially leucine) for the functioning of the organism. On the top of that, whey protein has also one of the highest biological values. This makes this product the perfect food to consume after a strenuous workout.
Depending on the protein content and level of filtration, there are different types of whey: whey protein, whey concentrate, whey isolate and whey hydrolysate.
When it comes to baking, whey protein powder mixes very well with other ingredients and makes a good dough. However, you should never replace more than ¼ of the flour with whey protein otherwise it will make the baked goods dry and rubbery.
Another thing to keep in mind: whey protein powder dissolves very easily when combined with wet ingredients. For this reason, when it comes to replacing flour with whey the substitution ratio is not 1:1. You will need either more flour or less milk to get a good dough.
Whey protein powder is great for baking bars, brownies, cookies, pancakes or energy balls. It is not the best option for baking fluffy desserts, instead. For fluffy cakes and pastries, casein protein powder comes into play.
Baking with casein protein powder
As for whey, casein protein powder is also a byproduct of milk. Its protein content averages 80% and comes with all essential amino acids. In terms of properties, the main difference between casein and whey is that casein exhibits slower absorption rates.
When it comes to baking with protein powder instead of flour, casein is one of the best options. Differently from whey, when combined with other ingredients casein makes a creamy mixture and does not dry out when heated. This makes casein the perfect protein powder for baking any kind of dessert.
You may also find casein/whey protein mixes. Similar to casein, these multicomponent protein powders are also great for baking almost anything.
Baking with vegan protein powder
From soy isolate to pea protein, vegan protein powders come in different forms. Each type of vegan protein powder has different nutritional properties and amino acid profiles.
When it comes to baking with protein powder instead of flour, plant based products show similar characteristics. They are very absorbent because of the high fiber content, which means that you will need less flour or more milk to get a good dough. Moreover, vegan protein powders are well known for their intense earthy taste.
Therefore, there are two things to keep in mind for baking:
- You will need to adjust the dough or batter with more milk, or reduce the amount of protein or flour.
- If you are using unflavored protein powder, you will need some more sweetener to cover the plant taste.
Best tips for baking with protein powder instead of flour
As you have seen already, baking with protein powder is indeed possible. But since protein does not behave like flour, there are a couple of simple rules to follow.
Here are the guidelines on how to bake with protein powder.
Don't skip the flour!
- Although you can replace part of the flour with protein powder, you should never replace more than ⅓ of the flour with protein powder. Ideally, you should be aiming to replace just ¼ of the flour with protein. Anything above will get you a dry texture.
- For a healthier dessert, opt for wholegrain and unrefined flours - such as oat flour, spelt flour or Teff flour.
Add some moisture!
- To prevent the baked goods from drying out, you should always add some moisture to your recipes. As a rule of thumb, you need around ¼ to ½ cup of wet ingredients for 1 cup of dry ingredients.
- The best ingredients here are mashed banana, applesauce, pumpkin purée, mashed potato or Greek yogurt.
Adjust with milk!
- As we have seen before, different types of protein powder have different compositions. Therefore, your recipe may require more or less milk to get to get fixed.
- Whey protein mixes well and dissolves easily - you may need less milk.
- Vegan protein powders are very absorbent - you may need more milk.
Add some healthy fats!
- Fats make baked goods fluffier and much softer because they prevent the flour from absorbing too much water. This holds true especially for baking with protein powder, which tends to dry when heated.
- For a healthier recipe, make sure to use healthy unsaturated fats. Great picks are peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter or avocado oil.
Don't over-bake!
- Baking with protein powder instead of flour requires lower temperatures or shorter baking time. When exposed to high temperatures, protein powder - especially whey - gets dry and rubbery.
- You can choose to reduce the baking time by a couple of minutes or to lower the temperature by around 5%.
- Side note for baking with whey protein - cakes and baked goods with whey protein get brown quite easily. Overcome this by decreasing the baking time and temperature.
Adjust the sweetness!
- Most protein powders are already flavored and sweetened. For this reason, your recipe may need less sweetener. Taste and adjust according to your preferences.
- For most recipes, stick to simple protein powder flavors - such as vanilla, chocolate or peanut. More elaborate options may spoil the taste of your baked goods.
- Bonus tip - for healthier recipes, use protein powders that do not contain any added sugar.
Low carb baking with protein powder
If there is one thing you should have learnt is that you can't substitute all the flour for protein powder. But this doesn't mean that you can't put together a low carb dessert!
If you want to make a low carb protein recipe, replace carbohydrate-rich flours with almond flour, peanut flour or coconut flour. But be cautious with coconut flour. You always need to use it in combination with other flours (such as almond flour) because it absorbs plenty of liquid.
Does baking destroy protein?
Exposing protein powder to high temperature does not destroy the protein in it.
The only thing that may happen to protein when heated is that it changes its structure. But this is nothing bad. The nutritional value of the protein powder remains intact and your body still absorbs all the protein in the food!
So nothing you should worry about. If the macros count of your recipe says 40 grams of protein before baking, your food will still contain 40 grams of protein after baking!
Recipes with protein powder
I first started baking with protein powder when I was 17 years old.
Ever since then I made many mistakes and learnt a lot. After more than five years of experience, I am now happy to share with you now plenty of macro-friendly recipes with protein powder.
Here are some of my favorite recipes with protein powder for you to try!
Protein Blueberry Vanilla Mug Cake
This protein blueberry mug cake has a vanilla dough and juicy blueberries. Vegan, gluten-free and so healthy, this blueberry cake in a mug comes together in just 3 minutes!
Mocha Protein Mug Cake
Some days we just need chocolate. Some days we just need coffee. And most days we just need both, that's why this healthy mocha mug cake is the solution! This mocha mug cake is the quick-fix dessert you've always desired. It is healthy, high protein, gluten-free and vegan-friendly.
Protein Banana Crumble with Oats
This protein banana crumble with oats is a healthy way to use up your ripe bananas. Made from oatmeal, this banana crumble is vegan, nourishing and free from added sugars. The perfect healthy treat!
Protein Keto Chocolate Cake for One
This keto blueberry chocolate cake for one is low carb and high protein. With juicy blueberries, this fluffy protein keto cake is the ultimate healthyDessert for Breakfast.So moist that you will never believe it’s oil free and gluten-free!
Easy Banana Protein Pancake
Have some ripe bananas? Then you should make these banana protein pancakes with oats. With just 4 simple ingredients, this is the easiest protein pancakes recipe ever!
Low Carb Coconut Flour Protein Pancakes
These are the ultimate low carb and high protein coconut flour pancakes. Gluten-free and oil-free, these coconut flour pancakes turn out fluffy every time. Make these easy protein pancakes for a healthy breakfast that keeps you full for hours!
