Strawberry Lemonade Muffins

I celebrate strawberry season wholeheartedly. Not only are strawberries *the* symbol of early summer, but they are also just so sweet, juicy, fragrant, and delicious this time of year.

AND they are a harbinger of so many more delicious summer fruits on their way in the coming weeks and months. My heart feels light just thinking about it!

I find these whole food plant-based Strawberry Lemonade Muffins to be the perfect way to showcase strawberries in all their glory.

You'll find the full recipe with step-by-step photos below 👇

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You may be delighted to learn that this recipe also contains a little protein surprise.

You'll be baking some plant-based vanilla protein powder right into the batter, such that each muffin contains 7 grams of plant-based protein. That's more protein than you get from an egg. You'll find the full nutrition information for these muffins at the bottom of this page for those who track that data.

Note: Adjust the amount of lemon juice to your taste. If you want the muffins to be more lemon-forward, use the full 4 Tbsp (¼ cup) of juice.

Don't worry, the pure maple syrup will balance the lemon perfectly with just a touch of sweetness.

If you bake a batch of these Strawberry Lemonade Muffins, please post a photo on social media and tag me @greensagelife so I can see it and cheer you on!

This recipe yields 12 muffins. 

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Click here to download a printable copy of this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1¼ cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup oat flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• ½ cup vanilla plant-based protein powder (Truvani brand recommended)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ⅓ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 3 to 4 Tbsp lemon juice (see note above)
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1 cup plain unsweetened plant milk (or water)
• 1¼ cup fresh strawberries, diced small

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and place parchment baking cup liners into the 12 wells of a standard muffin pan.

This is the best time to dice the strawberries, and zest and juice your lemon, as well.

Make your flax egg. In a small bowl, combine the 1 Tbsp ground flax seed with 3 Tbsp of water. Whisk with a fork, then set it aside to thicken.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1¼ cups whole wheat flour, ½ cup oat flour, and ½ cup almond flour (sometimes labeled almond meal).

Add ½ cup of vanilla plant-based protein powder.

Note that your choice of protein powder can have a widely varying effect on the texture of your muffins.

For baking, I generally recommend Truvani Vanilla Plant-Based Protein Powder (not sponsored), and that's the one I use in this recipe.

Add 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and ¼ tsp of salt.

Mix the dry ingredients until they're thoroughly combined.

Then make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Now we'll add the wet ingredients.

Place ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce into the well you just formed in the dry ingredients.

Add ⅓ cup full-fat canned coconut milk.

Add ¼ cup pure maple syrup. Check the ingredient label to make sure it contains only one ingredient.

In this recipe, it amounts to 1 tsp of pure maple syrup per muffin, which is just a touch of added sweetness to balance the lemon juice.

Add 3 to 4 Tbsp of lemon juice. If you prefer the lemon flavor to be subtler, use only 3 Tbsp, but if you prefer the muffins to be more lemon-forward, go with the full 4 Tbsp.

Add 1 Tbsp of lemon zest as well. You can adjust this quantity to taste as well, if you wish.

Now add the "flax egg" (ground flax + water mixture) you whisked together earlier.

And finally, add 1 cup of plain, unsweetened almond milk or whatever your favorite plant milk might be. You could also substitute water for this ingredient.

Begin stirring the wet ingredients amongst themselves first.

Then gradually begin incorporating the dry ingredients from the sides into the wet ingredients in the center...

... JUST until you don't see any more dry streaks in the muffin batter. Stop stirring at that point and avoid over-stirring, in order to leave as many of the air bubbles created by the baking powder and baking soda trapped inside the batter. This will help the muffins rise better in the oven and give them a more appetizing, lighter texture.

Now add the diced strawberries.

Aren't they so pretty? 😍🍓😍

Gently fold the diced strawberries into the batter until they're evenly incorporated throughout.

Divide the batter among the 12 wells of your prepared muffin pan. I use a soup spoon for this task along with a silicone spatula to coax the batter off the spoon and into the pan.

Here's what the pan looks like fully loaded. You'll want it get it into the oven as soon as you can at this point, now that the baking powder and baking soda have been activated.

Then slide the pan into the oven and bake the muffins for 33 to 35 minutes.

I like to use my toaster oven for baking in the summer, because it doesn't seem to heat up the kitchen as much as the regular-sized oven. I'm lucky because my Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is large enough to accommodate a regular baking pan. I highly recommend this appliance!

The muffins will be done once they're golden and lightly browning on top.

Allow them to cool in the pan for a good 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Look how pretty these muffins are!

They will be golden and toasty on the outside, but light and spongey on the inside.

You can enjoy these once they've cooled with some tea as an afternoon snack, but they're also great as a quick, easy grab-and-go breakfast. I usually reheat them in the toaster oven before serving.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Home-baked treats do not last on the kitchen counter the way store-bought baked goods do, because there are no preservatives.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

As this recipe is written, each muffin contains 157 calories, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fat, 3 g of fiber, and 7 grams of protein.

If you'd like to reduce some of the calories, and particularly the calories from fat, consider these substitutions:

• Use lite canned coconut milk in place of full-fat canned coconut milk
• Use low-fat almond powder in place of the almond flour
• Use water in place of the almond milk

I hope you love this recipe! ❤️

If you make these Strawberry Lemonade Muffins, please snap a photo, share it on social media, and tag me @greensagelife.

I'd love to see and cheer you on.

Thank you for baking with me! 😀