Homemade protein brownie recipe with no banana. Bake with your favorite protein powder and youโll never know itโs there! Easy sweet treat that is a healthy dessert made from scratch.
Protein Brownies
I will go over both options below in the recipe card but focus on from scratch here because it is the best. ๐ With cocoa powder, peanut butter or your favorite almond / nut butter of your choice you get that great duo of flavors you love, but you wonโt feel as guilty enjoying them.
What is the best protein powder to add to brownies?
For this you want one that is plain. Naked Whey is quite popular but if you already have one at home without any flavor you can just go with that. In the event that you want to try the best unflavored protein powder go ahead and read this article on that.
We used IsoPure brand because that one zero carbs too so itโs a win win. I suppose if you had chocolate flavor that would work in this case. I like to use what I already have to begin with and then tweak from there in future batches.
Ingredient Notes
- 1 cup peanut butter or almond butter that is creamy will work. If you have a nut allergy go ahead and use something like sunflower butter as an alternative, or gluten free variety of your choice.
- 2 large room temperature eggs will be used which will make them a fudgy texture, fewer eggs will make it cakey instead.
- Applesauce is a great way to moisten them up in a healthy way. There are several alternatives listed below if you donโt have this but it is the healthiest of them all.
- Plain or chocolate protein powder linked below is what we used here but if you have another brand at home then just use that. Nutrition facts will vary depending on the brand you use. Black bean brownies are another option to enhance nutrition.
- Cocoa powder will give these that rich deep chocolate flavor you would expect from this dessert
- Baking powder will get them to rise fluffy. Keep in mind that with the addition of the higher protein they will be more dense.
- A pinch of salt actually enhances the chocolate flavors
- Milk, whole or 2% is best because a bit of fat will make them moist
- You could integrate 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips too
Equipment Needed
You will want a 9ร9 pan, non stick spray and a large mixing bowl with a small one too for the wet items. Lining with parchment paper will yield a cleaner cut if you prefer. Unless making brownie cupcakes which is a fun one too.
Substitutions and Variations
As for the moisture there are a few choices you can make. In this case we used applesauce but Greek yogurt or Brownies with Pumpkin puree are choices as well. You can make these dairy free with almond milk or cashew works well too.
in a pressure cooker
Most of you will want to bake these in the oven and slice but we have made Pressure Cooker Brownies before and you can too if you prefer. I will say that it takes longer since only half the batter or so will fit in your springform pan but yet another option for baking.
with cake mix
If you want to know how to make Brownies out of Cake Mix with this other tweak you could and just incorporate some protein powder into the batter.
single serve
Now I donโt have this portioned out yet so what I recommend is just use this idea but with our brownie in a mug recipe. Only difference is add 1 heaping teaspoon of your whey protein in with the other ingredients and the rest of the instructions will apply.
FAQ
That depends on the size you are consuming but 175-200 is typical for an average slice. This will vary depending on the ingredients used as well. For lower calories use applesauce instead of oil.
Yes you can add a scoop of protein powder to boxed brownies, we have a recipe for that version below. You may need to add a bit more liquid to the batter though. Just add 1 additional tbsp of milk, oil or water until you get the thick consistency youโre used to.
That depends on the brand you use and how large your piece is. According to the nutritional information in our recipe card below though you get 11 grams of protein per piece which is quite good since itโs a dessert!
Other brownie hacks youโll love
Black Bean Brownies with Mix are fun too. A great way to add fiber into the mix and it makes them even more tender with this secret ingredient. 100 Hour Brownies can be made with this recipe, read what this means.
Protein Brownies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9ร9 pan
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 c peanut butter, or almond butter, creamy
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c applesauce, or Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 c protein powder, chocolate or unflavored
- 1/2 c cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 c milk, or dairy free alternative, may vary slightly depending on nut spread you used
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9ร9 square baking pan with cooking spray (or use a nonstick pan) and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the almond butter, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla and use an electric mixer to blend them until creamy.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and blend. The batter will be very thick. Add in the milk and blend.
- *The amount of milk may vary depending upon the brand of nut butter used as some brands are runnier than others. If the batter is too thick, start by adding an extra tablespoon of milk at a time until it reaches brownie batter consistency.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven and bake for 23-27 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly cleanly. For fudgy โ 21-25 minutes, for cakey 24-27 minutes. *test with a toothpick, fudgy should have moist crumbs (not batter) attached, cakey should come out clean.
- Remove the pan and let the brownies come to room temperature before slicing into squares to serve.
Notes
Protein Brownie Recipe with Boxed Brownies
- 1 box brownie mix (any brand)
- 1 scoop (25g) protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)
- 2 eggs
- ยผ cup Greek yogurt or applesauce
- ยฝ cup almond milk (or any milk)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or melted butter
- ยผ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.