These savoury protein muffin cups are a great way to use up leftover veggies and eggs. They are perfect for meal prep, on-the-go breakfast and even as an after-school snack.
Recently, I was making frittata cups to meal prep for the upcoming week. Then I had a thought, what if I added some unflavoured pea protein powder to savoury egg muffin cups? How will it affect the final taste and texture?
As you might know, I am a huge fan of sneaking protein powder into my recipes without even slightly affecting the taste, texture or appearance of the food. For example, this high protein whole wheat crackers recipe with no oil and the vegan protein apple crumble recipe.
So of course I had to try it out. And after some testing, allow me to present you, the savoury protein muffin cups recipe adapted from regular, plain egg muffin cups.
Why you should make this savoury protein muffin cups recipe
- use your leftover eggs
- use your leftover veggies
- if you have an unflavoured pea protein powder that tastes horrible, then this recipe is for you
- meal prep friendly
- nutritious and healthy
- tastes amazing
How healthy is eating eggs?
Eggs are a very nutritious food. They are high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and contain many vitamins and minerals.
Eggs are a great source of riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin A (in the yolk), vitamin D (if eaten with vitamin D-fortified milk), phosphorus, zinc and selenium. They are also an excellent source of choline (another important nutrient) and lutein/zeaxanthin (important antioxidants).
The egg white is a good source of protein, but only contains about one-third of the protein found in the yolk. The yolk also contains essential fats that help keep you satisfied longer after eating them.
A single large egg contains:
6 grams protein
5 milligrams iron
0.7 milligrams of vitamin C
Ingredients and Substitutions
Eggs and egg whites – the base of this recipe. Feel free to use all whole 4 eggs or 6-7 egg whites.
Vegetables of choice – I use celery, onions, garlic, mushrooms and spinach. Remember to finely chop your vegetables so that they won’t weigh the batter down too much, which affects how high the batter rises.
Milk of choice – This creates a more creamy and fluffy texture to the savoury protein muffins. Cow’s milk and plant-based milk work for this recipe.
Nutritional yeast – this is often used as a vegan alternative to cheese, but it has many uses beyond that. It’s also known as “nooch” or “savoury yeast.” it’s high in protein and rich in vitamin B. An alternative for nutritional yeast is parmesan cheese or shredded cheese.
Unflavoured pea protein powder (optional but recommended) – add more protein to the savoury protein muffin cups. As the recipe says, this is a savoury recipe so please use unflavoured pea protein. I use naked pea protein for all my recipes that need unflavoured protein powder, like protein crackers, because the only ingredient is, well, pea isolate.
Granted, because it’s all-natural and doesn’t have any flavourings or more ingredients, some people might find it tasting “weird”. Even though you won’t even taste a bit of the protein powder in this recipe, having a smaller container of it will be a good idea to test the pea protein out.
Tips to make the Best Savoury Protein Muffin Cups
- Chop the vegetables finely
- using either silicon muffin cups or nonstick parchment paper baking cup liners will save you the hassle of struggling to peel the liner off from the muffin cups!
- let the cooked vegetables cool for about 5 minutes before adding them to the batter, so that the heat won’t cook the egg batter when you mix it in
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Savoury Protein Muffin Cups Recipe with Eggs and Veggies
Ingredients
- 2 large whole eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 4 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup baby spinach, tightly packed
- 1/4 cup unflavoured pea protein powder optional but recommended
- 1 tsp baking powder omit if not using protein powder
Seasonings
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 2 tsp italian seasoning optional
- 1/4 tsp salt optional
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 200c / 390f. Line a muffin tray with non stick muffin liners
- add all the vegetables except for spinach (celery, mushrooms, garlic, onions) and sauté over medium high heat for about 3 minutes, until they are fully cooked. Add spinach, and half the seasoning. Saute for another minute, just until the spinach is cooked
- Let the vegetables cool in the pan. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add the whole eggs, egg whites, milk, nutritional yeast, and the rest of the seasonings. Whisk well
- Add the vegetables to the egg mixture and mix. Then, mix in the pea protein powder and baking powder you don't see any flour left.
- Evenly divide the batter into the 6 muffin cups. The batter won't rise much, so don't worry. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Transfer the muffin cups onto a cooling rack. Enjoy!