I was recently asked by a reader if it was possible to bake with protein powder.
Great question!
So, I had to try it for myself! And considering Friday, February 10th is national “have a brownie day”, I thought I might as well try it with one of my favorite baked goods.
Yes, you can definitely bake with protein powder but there are a few things to consider. Many protein powders contain flavors or alternative sweeteners, so you’ll want to be mindful of that as you make adjustments in your recipes.
- If you want to bake with protein powder, I would first consider the flavor profile. For these brownies, I chose a chocolate collagen protein powder because I thought that would compliment the cocoa powder. You might be able to use vanilla, but the chocolate definitely gives these brownies a richer flavor. In addition, you could lower the amount of cocoa powder in the original recipe because you are adding a chocolate flavored protein powder.
- Next, consider what type of sweetener is used in the protein powder. Several protein powders use alternative sweeteners. This particular protein powder that I used (Vital proteins collagen peptides) uses stevia as the sweetener. If you decide to bake with an artificial sweetener, these are often sweeter than sugar so you can lower the amount of sugar in the recipe. For example, if the original recipe called for 1.5 cups of sugar, you could probably lower the sugar to 1 cup as the protein powder will provide some flavor and some sweetness.
- Pro tip: Don’t bake with aspartame. I love aspartame in my diet sodas and I am not concerned about safety. However, aspartame is not heat stable and will break down, making it less sweet. Again, it’s not a question of safety, but one of quality and flavor.
I think these actually turned out pretty good and it’s a great way to utilize that jar of protein powder that might be sitting in the kitchen cabinet. =) Enjoy!
