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pistachio cherry muffins in parchment liner on speckled serving plate.
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5 from 6 votes

Cherry Muffin Recipe {Healthy and High Protein}

Bakery-style muffins with a protein boost? Soft, nutty, and bursting with juicy cherries—this Cherry Muffin Recipe is perfect for breakfast, snack time, or whenever you're craving something a little sweet and a little nourishing.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time28 minutes
Course: Breakfast, brunch, Snack
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 265kcal
Author: Courtney Paige

Equipment

  • 2 Mixing bowls
  • electric hand mixer
  • measuring cups / spoons
  • Whisk
  • Muffin tin
  • muffin liners
  • 3 tbsp cookie scoop

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp almond extract

Dry ingredients

  • 1 ⅔ cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder I used Clean Simple Eats
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

Additional ingredients

  • 1/2 cup oil vegetable or avocado
  • 1 ⅔ cups halved & quartered cherries + more for topping
  • 1/2 cup crushed pistachios + more for topping!
  • 1/4 cup turbinado sugar optional, for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line muffin tin with liners and grease with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, add all of the wet ingredients together. Use an electric hand mixer to beat until smooth.
    wet ingredients for cherry protein muffins mixed in large mixing bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, fold together the dry ingredients *I usually try to avoid extra dishes but when baking with protein powder, it’s crucial that all of the ingredients are dispersed evenly!
    dry ingredients for cherry protein muffins mixed in large mixing bowl.
  • Pour the dry mix into the large mixing bowl with the wet ingredients. Use a whisk to fold everything together until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the oil and fold again until a smooth batter has formed. Fold in chopped cherries and crushed pistachios.
  • Use a 3 tbsp cookie scooper and scoop batter into muffin liners - the batter should be to the top but not overflowing.
    pistachio cherry muffin batter distributed into muffin liners in muffin tin.
  • Top each muffin with a few extra cherry pieces, crushed pistachios, and a tsp of turbinado sugar on each.
  • Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven at 425°F, then without removing the muffins, decrease the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes, once the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. See tip for perfect muffins!
  • Enjoy warm or room temperature!

Video

Notes

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze them individually for a quick grab-and-go breakfast. Wrap in foil and reheat in a toaster oven for that fresh-baked vibe.
It is key to use a whisk when incorporating the dry ingredients to avoid having to over-mixed batter (which causes the muffin to go flat while baking).
Note: use the 200F rule! When the inside of the muffin reaches 200F, they're fully cooked inside.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 311mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g