VEGAN CHOCOLATE LENTIL PROTEIN MUFFINS
Who knew muffins packed with protein and lentils would taste so rich, chocolaty, and decadent?! These are so, so good and no one would ever know that the main ingredient is red lentils or that they are vegan and gluten-free. They are moist without any added oil, filling, and a great sweet breakfast alternative to donuts, but taste just like a dessert. These muffins are what I call a great, fun weekend breakfast! I strongly urge you to weigh the ingredients, especially the red lentils, following my gram weights listed.
These lentil muffins come from my brand new vegan cookbook, Vegan Wholesome! This book, just like the title suggests, is full of wholesome, nutritious and absolutely delicious vegan recipes. There are lots of high protein options, like dinners, lunches, soups, casseroles, breakfasts etc. I’m so proud of this book and these protein lentil chocolate muffins are a delicious recipe from the book.
I am sharing this recipe for free from the book as a thank you to you for supporting me for so long on this blog and social media. Thank you to so many who have purchased my book and shown support.
This is my full-time job, so selling books allows me to continue to provide free recipes to you all for almost 13 years now!
If you haven’t ordered my book and do so today, you will receive 10 FREE BONUS RECIPES in addition to the book. Please see this post on how to order and submit you receipt for the bonus recipes.
I hope you love these muffins. Don’t judge the batter by the taste, because the batter doesn’t taste good, haha. But the end result muffin is divine and does not taste like lentils!
The magic in these muffins are the red lentils. We are blending them up into a fine flour. They provide protein, fiber and structure to the muffins!
This recipe is also included in the breakfast chapter in my cookbook, along with other incredible vegan high-protein and nutritiously, delicious recipes to change your life for the better!!
Get my book here and get your 10 FREE BONUS RECIPES HERE!! Thank you for all the love and support. I love you!
Vegan Chocolate Lentil Protein Muffins
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (144g) dried red lentils
- 1/4 cup (28g) superfine blanched almond flour
- 6 tablespoons (48g) tapioca starch
- 6 tablespoons (36g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (200g) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180g) dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl and make sure to zero out in between each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 12 cups of a muffin tin with parchment paper liners.
- In a high-powered blender or food processor, blend the red lentils until a superfine flour forms. The finer, the better, as this will affect the outcome of the muffin texture.
- In a large bowl, combine the lentil flour, almond flour, tapioca starch, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk really well.
- Add the maple syrup, applesauce, vanilla, and chocolate chips. Gently stir and fold the ingredients together just until a moist batter forms. Do not overmix. (Warning that if you taste the batter, you’ll taste lentils, but don’t worry, the end baked product is fabulous.
- Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop, as it gives the perfect amount to each liner and creates a dome top, resulting in better risen and fluffier muffins.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center muffin comes out clean, about 18 minutes.
- Cool 15 minutes in the pan before eating, so they can firm up. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Planning to try these today. They look wonderful. Trying to cut glucose in my diet, no matter the source. Would this work with less maple syrup? Maybe 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup?
Hi Susan, the amount of syrup is part of the quantity of liquid needed for the right ratio of dry to liquid, so if you reduce it, make up for it in the difference with a creamy milk instead and hopefully that will work well.
Curious about possibly using cooked red lentils instead of making red lentil flour due to lack of appropriate equipment to ground the raw lentils. Wondering if there’s any feedback on how to best use cooked red lentils….
Hi! No, it definitely needs to be dry red lentils because it is turned into a flour which acts as the flour for the muffins. They would just be a wet mess with cooked lentils.
Very go0d I subbed carob in place of chocolate and they turned out excellent thank you😋😋😋
This is the first recipe I have made off of your site and – YUM. I will double batch next time (and find a way to better grind up my lentils, haha). Looking forward to trying more recipes!
So thrilled you loved these Krista!!
This is an easy and delicious recipe.
Would it be possible to bake this in a cake pan? If so, how long would it bake?
Do you think I could replace the starch and the almond flour combined for just whole wheat flour?
Incredible muffins!! They’re slightly crisp on the outside and gooey and chocolatey on the inside. My 10 year old ate most of them! I had to hide a few for myself!
I wonder if I can use monkfruit sugar to replace maple syrup. if yes how many cups?
You need to use a liquid sweetener or else it will be too dry! The batter and result would change a lot if you subbed it with monkfruit sugar.
You did again! Absolutely delicious, came out sensationally. Loved by all who have tried them. I did have red lentil flour on hand so I used that (same grams as your recipe). I also ran out of maple syrup so topped up with a monkfruit syrup. Yummo- double batch next time for sure.
Oh I love hearing this Louisa!!
Unfortunately mine came out kind of gritty and hard. Do you think it was because the lentils needed to be ground more?
Hi Claire, yes if it’s gritty then the lentils weren’t ground enough. The end baked product should be soft and fluffy like a traditional muffin, with no detection of lentils.
Hi there, so I saw this recipe and I immediately decided to make it. I probably could’ve ground the lentils a little bit more however still very tasty even though they did not puff up my question is this can I freeze them? Thanks for the recipe I look forward to enjoying more of yours, trying to get away from sort of dousing everything with fat and oils
Even better with some Biscoff melted on the top. Yum!
That sounds amazing!
These muffins are SO GOOD. I’m eating my second one as I write this! Even my ridiculously picky kids loved them and had no idea they were made with lentils. My husband has a gluten intolerance, so they were good for our whole family. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Megan
PS: I also ordered your new cookbook—can’t wait to get it!
This thrills me to hear Megan!!!
What amount of red lentil flour do i need if i buy ready lentil flout already grinded? Thanks
Is there a substitute for almond flour. My son is allergic to nuts. Thanks
Hi you can try finely ground sunflower seed in the same gram weight amount!
This looks great, i look forward to trying it. I sneak red lentils into everything I can.
I have a question though, I’m allergic to nuts so is there a substitute for the almond flour?
Hi Janet, you can try finely ground sunflower seed in the same gram weight amount!
Hands down delicious. Both teenagers love them and have no idea they are made with lentils. My teenage athletes are so picky and are requesting these which makes me so happy.
Woohoo Pam!! Thank you so much for the feedback. I’m so happy your teenagers love these and thank you so much for buying my book!!
Gosh, so easy and delicious!
Yay I’m thrilled to hear this Barb!!
Hey Brandi! Congrats on book! Looks amazing! Do you think date syrup would work in these muffins instead of maple syrup? Thx!
Hi Mimi! Thank you so much! Date syrup is quick thicker than maple, correct? You may need a tad more if so just so the batter is right and moist. Let me know after you try them!
Will do, thanks!
Made half the recipe today in a mini muffin pan. Filled each cavity with 1/4 cup batter (8 mini muffins from 2 cups of batter). Subbed date syrup for maple syrup 1:1 and used date sweetened vegan chocolate chips. The batter was moist, and the muffins taste great with no trace of red lentils, as stated in your recipe. Another keeper, Brandi. Thanks!
WOohoo, that is so awesome, thank you so much for the feedback Mimi!!
Simply amazing! This recipe is an all around win. Thank you to the commenter who suggested and tested the date syrup. I’ll be baking it that way next time. I always have one of the two syrups in the house. It’s nice to have options.
Hi, do you wash lentils before grinding them, to my experience they are too dusty but then they will be wet, any suggestions? Thank you
Hi! No, not in this case because we need them dry to be ground up into a fine flour. You can rub them well with a towel first if you like.
Nutrition information says 2 muffins, not 12. So all infor per muffin is skewed.
Hi Lindsay, it is the serving..2 muffins so the nutrition is correct!
I always have yellow lentils on hand, Can they be used instead of the red lentils? Would it make a big difference?
Is there a substitute for tapioca starch?
Yes, cornstarch will work!
Would arrowroot work instead of tapioca starch? Thanks!
Hi Amy, I have not tested it but since a good amount of tapioca is used, it might make them gummy, which arrowroot does. I also find it leaves a powdery mouthfeel. Tapioca works best here because it binds really well like eggs and adds moisture. You are welcome to try it, but I believe it will negatively affect the texture.
Can you use all purpose or whole wheat flour instead of almond flour? Also can you substitute green or brown lentil rather than red?
Hi Dee, unfortunately that won’t work and would make the muffins too dry. The only fat in the muffin base is the almond flour which replaces oil here and gives moisture. I’m afraid they would be really dry with subbing the almond flour.
Oh and as far as the lentils, I honestly don’t know since I’ve only tested it with red lentils. I know red lentils cook up much differently than yellow, green or brown, but not sure if it makes any difference in baking! Please let me know if you try it!
I’m wondering if you think I could replace the almond flour and the tapioca starch with whole wheat flour, and replace the applesauce with mashed banana?
Hi Nicole! Unfortunately that won’t work and would make the muffins too dry. The only fat in the muffin base is the almond flour which replaces oil here and gives moisture. I’m afraid they would be really dry with subbing the almond flour. You can replace the tapioca with cornstarch and I am guessing banana would work, although I do find applesauce more wet, so hopefully they won’t be too dry! Let me know!