These carrot lentil protein muffins are a great kid-friendly snack, filled with sneaky lentils to add healthy protein, fibre and nutrients. You'd never guess there were lentils in them!
When it comes to grab and go snacks, muffins are at the top of my list. We love these Healthy Blueberry Muffins and these Healthy Cinnamon Rhubarb Muffins, but sometimes I want to sneak a little extra protein and fibre into my kids diets, and that's when I make these carrot lentil muffins!
If putting lentils into your muffins sounds strange, I get it...but give it a try! After tasting these, I bet you won't even be able to tell there are lentils hiding in there. They are tender, soft, and perfect with a little bit of butter!
Not only do these carrot lentil muffins have sneaky lentils, but they contain a full cup of carrots. If you finely shred the carrots, I bet your kids won't even notice! They blend in color-wise with the dark brown of the muffins.
Reasons you’ll ♡ these carrot lentil protein muffins
- they have sneaky lentils & carrots
- they are meal prep and freezer-friendly
- they are oil-free and higher in protein than a regular muffin
Recipe Video
Wondering how these muffins come together? Watch the 1 minute video below to see how it happens! You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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Let's talk ingredients
- Lentils- I recommend canned brown lentils (as pictured below).
- Carrots- we need 1 cup of finely shredded carrots...make sure you use the small part of your box grater so the carrots are fine in texture and not chunky.
- Flour- you can use white whole wheat, all purpose, or 50% all purpose 50% whole wheat flour. This recipe has not been tested with gluten-free, almond or any other flours.
- Applesauce + Greek yogurt- to replace the oil and some of the sweetener in this recipe. Go for plain yogurt and unsweetened applesauce.
- Sugar- you can use brown or coconut sugar. I have not tested with maple syrup or honey.
- Eggs- I have not tested with an egg replacement and do not know if it will work.
- For flavor- we are adding in some cinnamon and sprinkling shredded coconut on the tops.
Meal prep tips
Here are some tips to get perfect muffins:
- use a food processor- to get the lentils as smooth as possible, we are processing in a food processor. You can also mash with a fork, but this takes a little extra elbow grease.
- use one bowl- mix up your wet ingredients first, then your dry ingredients. I love having less dishes to wash!
- muffin liners- this recipe calls for silicone or parchment muffin liners. You can also spray your muffin pan with oil to prevent sticking. *important- do not use paper liners as the muffins stick!*
- storage- these muffins taste the best fresh from the oven, but they will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze wrapped in parchment in meal prep container for up to 1 month.
- reheat and serve with butter
Find my favorite muffin tins, food processor, muffin liners and more in my shop!
Protein muffin recipe FAQ
I can't find canned lentils, can I make these with dried lentils?
You can, however you will need to cook them first. I have only tested with brown lentils and recommend seeking them out. I would especially avoid red lentils which are much softer in texture and may not work in these muffins.
Which kind of yogurt is best to use?
The recipe calls for plain greek yogurt, but I have made it with regular plain yogurt as well. I would not recommend sweetened yogurt as this may make the muffins quite sweet.
What do I do with the leftover mashed lentils?
This recipe calls for 1 can of mashed lentils, but you only need half of it. I would either make a double batch, or freeze the leftover lentils for a second muffin batch!
More tasty muffin recipes:
- Low Carb Cauliflower Pizza Muffins
- Lemon Chia Yogurt Muffins
- Coconut Cranberry Muffins
- 7 Healthy Baked Oatmeal Muffins
- 7 Healthy Breakfast Egg Muffins
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Coconut and Carrot High Protein Muffins
Ingredients
- 19 oz can of brown lentils (drained & rinsed; note that you will not use the whole can in the recipe)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup plain yogurt (full fat, not light)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour (125 g, fluffed, spooned & levelled)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 carrots shredded finely (just over 1 cup)
- ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a standard-sized muffin tray with parchment or silicone liners and set aside.
- Add the lentils to a food processor and process until smooth. You can also mash with a fork or potato masher.
- Measure out ¾ cup of the lentil purée, and mix in a large bowl with the eggs, applesauce, vanilla, yogurt and brown sugar.
- Add in the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined (do not over-mix). Fold in the carrots.
- Spoon the mixture into the muffin liners, filling just to the top. Sprinkle with the coconut.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Storage
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Store wrapped in parchment paper in a meal prep container in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Reheat and serve with butter.
Tips:
Freeze leftover mashed lentils for another batch of muffins
Video
Nutrition Information
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Aspen says
These muffins taste like a guilt free carrot cake! They turned out absolutely fantastic! I substituted 1/3 of a cup of flour out for a mix of brewers yeast and flax seed for even more health benefits, making the perfect lactation muffins. I had no idea lentils would work so well in muffins. Thank you for the recipe!
maren says
These are fabulous - I love how much fiber they contain and my toddler loves the flavor! Thanks so much!
Courtney Rogers says
These were amazing! I was a little skeptical at first with the brown lentils, but I really shouldn't have been. Even my picky husband and son loved them. I will definitely be making these again in the future <3
Patty says
Made these used Wheat flour and coconut sugar instead of all purpose and brown sugar . Turned out great moist and delicious. Thanks for recipe
Chels says
These are really good for a healthy muffin. I will definitely make them again and my kids loved them. I topped with a can of coconut milk whipped with 6 dates or so. Then once blended you refrigerate the mixture and it becomes the consistency of icing! So good with your muffin.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Chels! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them! That coconut milk frosting sounds amazing 😀 Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Hayley says
Hi! Do you think I could use ripe banana in place of the applesauce? I rarely have applesauce kicking around, but always keep ripe bananas in the freezer! I love the idea of this recipe!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Hayley! Huge apologies for my late reply. I don't know if that would work as I've never actually baked with banana before (it's the one fruit I abhor). Wish I could be more helpful with your question.
Violetta says
Sooooo thankful I found your recipe! My 3 year old grandson is going through a phase and my daughter was at her wits end because he wasn’t eating anything other than PB&J. I made these muffins using lentils I cooked, omitted the coconut on top and he devoured them!!! There were a couple of visible carrot shreds on top so I told him I put “orange sprinkles” in the muffins! Boy was he excited about that! So now I’m going to experiment with zucchini and sweet potatoes. Thanks again!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Violetta! I can so relate to the picky 3 year old, mine is going through a very similar phase right now! I'm really happy to hear the muffins were a hit, and how brilliant to call them orange sprinkles! I might borrow that one 🙂
Sarah says
These are freaking delicious! I substituted oil for the apple sauce because I made them for my 2 year old and she can use the healthy fats. I used the Nutribullet for the lentils and had to add the oil and yogurt to the Bullet to allow it to blend, but that worked super well. They came out so moist sand tasty! My 2 year old also loves them! (And I used Amazon Basics silicone muffin cups and they came out perfectly!)
Denise Bustard says
Hi Sarah! I am so happy to hear you and your toddler enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for including your tips with the Nutribullet, that sounds like a great way to avoid cleaning a whole blender or food processor! I appreciate you taking time out of your day to come back and leave a review.
Jenn says
These are so delicious! I love that my kids are getting extra protein and you really can’t tell there are lentils in there at all.
Denise says
Sneaky sneaky lentils! So glad you enjoyed, Jenn!