What’s better than an ooey-gooey chocolate brownie fresh out of the oven? I’m thinking an ooey-gooey chocolate protein mug brownie with 100 calories and 13 grams of protein that’s ready in one minute!
Since I first published this recipe, it’s gone on to be one of my most popular recipes. And for good reason. It tastes amazing, has the texture of a real brownie, and is unbelievably easy to make.
Microwavable Protein Brownie Ingredients
Most readers love this protein brownie straight out of the box, but I’ll tackle some common ingredient questions below.
What can I use instead of pumpkin?
Another great thing about this protein brownie is that it’s highly customizable. If you don’t love pumpkin, there are lots of potential swaps:
- Unsweetened Apple Sauce
- Mashed Banana
- Light Butter (lower carb option)
- Avocado (lower carb option)
- Cooked and Mashed Sweet Potato (or any starchy carb puree)
I’ve included notes on using half pumpkin and half apple sauce in the recipe card’s notes section, as well as a peanut butter banana protein brownie variation.
Additional Sweeteners and Toppings
Depending on how sweet your sweet tooth is, you can add stevia or zero-calorie sweetener to either recipe, but I find it’s sweet enough without it.
As for toppings, fat-free whipped topping is a great way to trick your mind into thinking brownie with ice cream since the whipped topping melts a bit. Placing a few chocolate chips on top right out of the microwave will give a melted chocolate, extra gooey consistency without adding many calories. Just be sure not to go chocolate chip crazy here!
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend using a half cup of a lower calorie ice cream like Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla. Yum.
My Choice of Protein Powder
Nearly all my protein powder recipes use PEScience Select Whey and Casein. You can use my affiliate discount code ‘mason’ to save 15% on PEScience products.
How to Avoid A Tough or Dry Protein Brownie
Since there are a lot of moving parts in recipes with protein powder (different types of protein, volume differences in scoops, scooping vs weighing accuracy, etc.), there’s always a chance you’ll end up with a tough or dry finished product. I’ll include a few ideas to combat this below:
- Use whey concentrate or a blend of proteins that’s not super lean like whey isolate (the extra carbs/fat goes a long way)
- Slightly reduce the amount of protein powder used
- Increase fat sources or faux fat sources (i.e. pumpkin, mashed bananas, sweet potato, avocado, unsweetened apple sauce, coconut oil or processed coconut flakes, etc.)
- 14 grams of light butter only has 50 calories and changes lives
- Slightly increase liquid ingredients
- Reduce cook time
- Add moisture after cooking via whipped topping, ice cream, or fruit reductions
Life’s too short for dry protein treats. I hope this helps!
If you do like this breakdown, I recently did an even deeper dive to find the internet’s best healthy brownies.
Okay, that’s pretty much all ya need to know. As always, if you make this microwave protein brownie, tag me in your creation on Instagram. Enjoy!
One-Minute, 100-Calorie Protein Brownie
Ingredients
- 1/4 C 60g Canned Pumpkin*
- 1/2 scoop, 16g Vanilla Protein Powder
- 1 Tbsp 5g Unsweetened Dark Cocoa Powder
- 1-2 tsp Granulated Sugar Substitute, optional
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl or mug. If you'd like to easily remove the brownie from the mug after cooking, transfer the protein brownie batter to a second mug or bowl sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- Microwave for 1-1.5 minutes for a single recipe or 2-2.5 minutes for a double recipe. Depending on the size of your bowl, watch for overflow.
Notes
Peanut Butter Banana Brownie Version
Mix the following in a small bowl or mug and microwave for 1.5-2 minutes:- 1 large (150g) Mashed Ripe Banana
- 1 scoop (31g) Vanilla Protein Powder
- 2 Tbsp (12g) PB2 or Powdered Peanut Butter
- 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1-2 Tbsp Water or Milk, as needed
Nutrition
For Make Ahead Brownies
You can fill 4-ounce microwave safe jars with the brownie batter and refrigerate for 4-5 days. When you’re ready for a brownie, pop the jar in the microwave. You’ll likely need to play around with cook time as it will vary on the size of jar and amount of brownie batter you put inside the jar. (The 45-75 second range would be my guess.) I’ve not tried freezing them, but you could probably freeze and thaw overnight.
If you’re using smaller jars, you could use a piping bag or Ziploc bag with a corner cut off the get the batter in the jars.
This recipe is easy and versatile. I am able to adjust it, depending on the macros I need to hit, by adding peanut butter or sugar free mini chocolate chips, or more or less protein/cocoa powder. I like it best with some salt flakes added. But it’s also perfect with no additions. Spray the mug with Pam first for easier clean up.
Loved this recipe! I’m a personal trainer and I’m always looking for tasty, high protein meals and snacks for my clients. This was so simple and there are so many ways to customize it, it really takes away the cravings to “cheat” for my clients. I’m also not much of a cook myself so if I can do it, so can they. I’m looking forward to using you as a resource for future recipes!
This mug cake is amazing! Tasty, quick, low cal and high protein!! What more could you ask for? I make this brownie sat least 3 times a week because I am addicted!!
This is my favorite. I’ve made it with both regular cocoa powder and dark chocolate and I prefer the dark! It’s so easy and a perfect desert topped with some fat free or protein ice cream. Just have to make sure to mix it really well before microwaving. I made the mistake the first few times of just barely mixing and it wasn’t brownie consistency but once I figured it out they turn out great!
This is my favorite. I’ve made it with both regular cocoa powder and dark chocolate and I prefer the dark! It’s so easy and a perfect desert topped with some fat free or protein ice cream. Just have to make sure to mix it really well before microwaving. I made the mistake the first few times of just barely mixing and it wasn’t brownie consistency but once I figured it out they turn out great!
These are LEGIT. Mason’s recipes are the amazing because they don’t have that diet taste to them, including this one. Sure, this doesn’t taste like something packed with sugar would taste, but OMG does it satisfy my sweet tooth. Also, the pro tip about mixing vanilla protein powder with cocoa to get a chocolate protein powder is genius – way to save me money, Mason!
These are LEGIT. Mason’s recipes are the amazing because they don’t have that diet taste to them, including this one. Sure, this doesn’t taste like something packed with sugar would taste, but OMG does it satisfy my sweet tooth. Also, the pro tip about mixing vanilla protein powder with cocoa to get a chocolate protein powder is genius – way to save me money, Mason!
This is my favorite. I’ve made it with both regular cocoa powder and dark chocolate and I prefer the dark! It’s so easy and a perfect desert topped with some fat free or protein ice cream. Just have to make sure to mix it really well before microwaving. I made the mistake the first few times of just barely mixing and it wasn’t brownie consistency but once I figured it out they turn out great!
These are LEGIT. Mason’s recipes are the amazing because they don’t have that diet taste to them, including this one. Sure, this doesn’t taste like something packed with sugar would taste, but OMG does it satisfy my sweet tooth. Also, the pro tip about mixing vanilla protein powder with cocoa to get a chocolate protein powder is genius – way to save me money, Mason!
Oh my word….I have been missing out!! I made the peanut butter banana version and subbed chocolate protein for the vanilla and oh hot dang was it ever delicious!! This recipe is pure genius!! These protein brownies are going to become a staple in my snack rotation for sure!