Baked goods can be both delicious and healthy but sometimes lack the right amount of protein to fuel your body’s muscle growth and recovery. One simple way to increase protein in your cakes and cookies is to substitute flour with protein powder.
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Increase protein in baked goods by replacing flour with protein powder
The easiest way to add protein to your baked goods is to partially replace flour with protein powder. This can even be done in a combination with oatmeal, chickpea powder or other protein-rich sources.
When replacing flour, it is essential to get the right amount so the texture is how it should be. Also, if the protein powder you’re using has a flavor, it should be taken into account by adding less sugar to the recipe, if there is any.
How to substitute flour with protein powder
When using protein powder to increase your daily protein intake, you can replace ⅓ of the flour used in each recipe. This means that if the recipe states you need to use one cup of flour, in your case ⅔ should be flour and ⅓ should be protein powder.
Some of the baked goods you can add protein powder to are:
- Cookies
- Protein bars
- Bread (it is preferred to use unflavored protein powder here)
- Muffins
- Pancakes
Some baked goods can use more protein powder in them, for example in pancakes you can put them in a ratio of 1:1 with flour and still get a great consistency. You’ll probably need to experiment a bit.
Increase protein in baked goods by adding protein-rich foods
Protein-rich diets are essential in both weight-control, metabolism adjustment and muscle growth. Many people increase the amount of protein in their baked goods by simply increasing the amount of protein-rich foods that they put into their recipes.
The most widely-used ingredients to enrich baked goods with protein are chickpea powder, egg whites, yolks, grains and pseudo-grains such as barley, whole wheat, and oatmeal. Furthermore, milk, nuts and seeds are rich in both fiber and protein.
Giving another example with pancakes here, a combination of chickpea powder and blended oatmeal can entirely substitute flour in the recipe, add an extra egg and voila, you have a delicious, healthy and protein-rich pancake.
Inscrease the amount of protein with an egg white based protein powder.
FAQ about baking with protein powder
Can you partially substitute flour with protein powder in all baked goods?
Yes. You can partially substitute flour with protein in all baked goods, just make sure you substitute the right amount. If you are using a flavored type of protein, ensure that the taste is not in contrast with the recipe of the baked goods you are preparing.
Does it matter if you are using flavored or unflavored protein?
In terms of the amount, it does not matter what type of protein powder you are using. The ratio should remain the same – ⅓ protein powder and ⅔ flour for each cup of flour in the recipe.
As far as taste is concerned, it comes down to your preference. Blueberry protein flavor might not mix as well in a chocolate cookie recipe as say a chocolate cookies and cream protein flavor would.
What is the best way to increase the protein in your baked goods?
It is a good idea to combine both protein powder and high-protein flour or chickpea powder in the same amount mentioned above: ⅓ protein powder and ⅔ flour or chickpea powder for each cup of flour stated in the recipe. There is no best way, be creative, you might end up discovering the next killer cookie recipe.
Comment about baking and protein powder
I Add Extra Protein When I Am Baking
When I say I add extra protein to my baked goods, I’m not talking about the extra carbs or the extra fats. Rather I’m talking about adding extra protein to my baked goods.
When you are making a sandwich, or even a simple hamburger you have three choices for proteins: eggs, meat, or cheese. If you are using the eggs you can use the yolks and the whites separately. If you use the meat you can use either the white or the black meat. If you use the cheese, most people use cheddar or some other mild cheese. The problem with this is that it tends to add more calories than it actually needs to.
So instead of using one of these ingredients, the best way to make sure that your baked items contain more protein and fewer calories is to use the extra protein you already have in your body. The problem with this is that it can be difficult to find foods that contain high amounts of protein but have a low amount of calories. However, there are some foods that are naturally high in protein, yet they are very low in calories.
