High-protein desserts are great ways to add protein to your diet. If you have a sweet tooth, you already love desserts, so adding protein through them will be the easiest and most delicious way to up your protein intake. As protein is crucial for your health and all of your weight goals (no matter if your goal is weight loss, weight gain, or weight management), and a lot of people don’t get enough of it on a daily basis, finding a way to include more of it in your diet while making it enjoyable and delicious is the best way to make it a regular part of your diet.
That’s why I love protein mug cakes.
First of all, what are mug cakes, you might ask? As the name suggests, those are mini single-serving cakes made in mugs aka in the microwave. You simply put all of the ingredients in a mug, mix it up, and microwave it for a few minutes, and voila – you have a delicious and easy cake!
What I love about them is that, as you can imagine, they’re super quick and easy to make. You can have a dessert ready for yourself in just a few minutes. And you can even make it healthy and good for you! You can make regular mug cakes, but if you add some protein powder to them, you get a high-protein dessert! High-protein recipes don’t have to be complicated, and protein powder mug cakes prove that.
Another amazing thing about them is that they’re super customizable. Depending on the ingredients you choose to use, you can easily have a vanilla protein mug cake, chocolate protein mug cake, honey protein mug cake, peanut butter protein mug cake, and so on.
That’s why in this post, I’m sharing a few protein mug cake recipes for you to try out, so you can add some more protein to your diet in the most delicious way possible.
Easy Protein Mug Cake
As I mentioned above, you can make regular mug cakes as well. They’re really popular desserts, especially amongst college students who don’t have a full kitchen available to them, as this delicious recipe only requires a microwave and a mug.
However, adding protein powder to your favorite mug cake recipe turns it into a great post-workout snack, or even a healthy protein-rich breakfast.
Just keep in mind that your protein intake for the day should not only come from protein powder. That is just an addition to your diet, but the majority of your protein intake should come from protein-rich foods. Luckily, there are lots od foods that are high in protein. If you’d like to know how protein-rich foods compare to one another in terms of protein content, here is a protein comparison you can use.
What Is A Mug Cake
Okay, we already talked about this above, but let’s cover it again.
A mug cake is a single-serving cake made in a mug using a microwave. The unique thing about it is that (besides the fact that it’s made in a mug and in a microwave instead of an oven) it’s super quick, as it’s done in just 2-3 minutes. You can make them as often as you want, as it’s a healthier dessert (depending on the ingredients you put into it). It typically has between 300-400 calories, so it can be a great pre-workout breakfast, or a post-workout snack.
Adding protein powder to your mug cake will not make it less appealing at all – it will add more flavor (from the protein powder flavor you choose to add), and it will add more protein, so there’s no reason not to add it when you want to up your protein intake for the day. It’s a more delicious way to consume protein powder than simply mixing it with water and drinking it. 1 scoop of protein powder is usually about 25 grams of protein, which makes this dessert an amazing high-protein recipe.
Easy Protein Mug Cake Recipe
Here are a few different easy protein powder mug cake recipes, so you can try them out and choose your favorite.
Chocolate Walnut Protein Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Cacao powder – 20 calories
- 1.3 Tbsp Almond flour/Almond meal – 52 calories
- 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder – 110 calories
- 2 tsp Brown sugar – 34 calories
- 1 Tbsp Butter (Tbsp) – 103 calories
- 1 tsp Water (tsp) – 0 calories
- 2 Tbsp Yogurt, flavored (<15 gm sugar/ serving), 2% Greek (Tbsp) – 24 calories
- ⅛ cup Walnuts – 96 calories
- 1 Tbsp Chocolate chips, semisweet, Tbsp – 60 calories
- ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories
Instructions
Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together until the batter’s smooth
Step 2: Microwave for 60 seconds, then in 30 seconds intervals until no longer watery
Step 3: I’m using vanilla yogurt here, but use whatever you have
Honey Almond Protein Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 3.5 Tbsp Almond flour/Almond meal – 140 calories
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder – 110 calories
- ½ Egg, large – 36 calories
- 3 tsp Butter (tsp) – 108 calories
- ¼ tsp Baking powder – 0 calories
- 3 tsp Honey – 60 calories
Instructions
Step 1: Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk together, and add egg, butter, honey, and whisk again
Step 2: Spray a mug with an oil spray – I used a coconut oil spray for a slightly better taste
Step 3: Add in mixture to the mug
Step 4: Microwave for 30-second intervals until no longer watery
No nuts? Use whole wheat flour or coconut flour
Vanilla Berry Protein Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup mixed berries (e.g., blueberries, raspberries)
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Step 1: In a microwave-safe mug, combine the dry ingredients (vanilla protein powder, almond flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt).
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients (honey or maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla extract, and half of the mixed berries) to the mug. Stir until the batter is well mixed.
Step 3: Microwave the mug on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the cake has risen and is set in the middle.
Step 4: Top the cake with the remaining mixed berries and enjoy your vanilla berry protein mug cake.
If you’re looking for low-carb desserts, check out my blog for lots of ideas.
