With warm vanilla and simple ingredients, these vanilla protein powder cupcakes with strawberry frosting are the best cupcakes period (non-protein included)! With a fluffy texture, bright strawberry filling, and creamy buttercream they are bursting with flavor but SO simple to make. I’ve gifted these cupcakes to those around us and have already been asked for the recipe - so you know it’s a good one!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get fun new recipes from us every week!
I grew up in an era of boxed cake mixes and tubs of pre-made frosting. But after learning that making your own vanilla cupcakes is actually quite easy as long as you do a few simple things - I’ve made them from scratch ever since. That being said, I’ve known for a while that we needed a protein cupcake recipe to add to our protein dessert recipes and I’m ecstatic to finally be sharing it!
I’m a chocolate lover through and through, from chocolate mug cakes to chocolate hazelnut tartlets to chocolate coffee birthday cake, I love all things chocolate. So I figured my first protein cupcakes would be chocolate. That is until I saw gorgeous bright red strawberries and vanilla bean paste staring at me whispering “make vanilla protein cupcakes with a strawberry frosting”... And since they run the show, let's get on with the recipe!
Jump to:
- Why these vanilla protein powder cupcakes will make you do the happy food dance
- recipe ingredients
- how to make vanilla cupcakes with protein powder (with photos & video!)
- expert tips
- common questions
- troubleshooting & testing notes
- storage & make-ahead tips
- more strawberry and vanilla protein recipes to love
- Recipe
Why these vanilla protein powder cupcakes will make you do the happy food dance
- Normal cupcake ingredients: Many protein cupcakes use things like almond flour, loads of protein powder, greek yogurt, etc - trying to be macro-friendly, sugar-free, or similar. But I’m not afraid of butter and sugar, I’m just trying to eat more protein so I don’t crash after eating a cupcake. That’s why these protein vanilla cupcakes use all standard cupcake ingredients plus a little protein powder and collagen.
- Easy to make: Besides creaming together the butter and sugar, everything else just gets mixed into a bowl and baked. Easy peasy!
- Dairy-free friendly: I’ve made this recipe with plant-based protein powder, vegan buttermilk, and vegan butter and had delicious results! We love a flexible recipe!
recipe ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these cupcakes and protein frosting.
notes
- The dry goods: You will need all-purpose flour, baking powder, vanilla protein powder, cane sugar, and salt.
- The wet stuff: Grab softened and unsalted butter, eggs, vanilla, and plain kefir (natural protein - ya!) to bring the batter together.
- Strawberry jam: I use a jam with less sugar, something where the first ingredient is strawberries, not sugar. You will use this to fill the cupcakes and to make the frosting.
- Frosting basics: Like any good buttercream, we need powdered sugar, unsalted butter, salt, a little milk (I use protein milk), and the special ingredient here - collagen peptides!
substitutions & variations
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See recipe card for quantities.
- All-purpose flour → cake flour: cake flour has less protein in it so it results in a lighter cake texture but it’s not as common.
- Strawberry jam → any kind of jam: this recipe can work with raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, or apricot jam to name a few. You can also use Nutella to make chocolate frosting.
- Kefir —> Buttermilk: vegan buttermilk or regular buttermilk will work in place of kefir. To make vegan buttermilk, combine 1 cup of plant milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes to curdle.
- Vanilla protein powder: You can use whey protein powder or your favorite plant-based. I wouldn’t use egg white because it messes with the texture.
- Dairy free swaps: You can use a plant-based or dairy free protein powder, vegan butter, and vegan buttermilk in these protein cupcakes.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
how to make vanilla cupcakes with protein powder (with photos & video!)
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full cupcake recipe!
- Cream the room-temperature butter and the sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then add the vanilla and egg in.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Slowly combine the dry ingredients and kefir with the butter mixture, alternating between the two.
- Bake in a lined muffin tin for 20-25 minutes
- Make the frosting while the cupcakes bake by mixing all the ingredients together. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Let the cupcakes cool and then fill with strawberry jam and top with frosting!
What is "creaming"? Creaming together butter and sugar refers tot he process of whipping them together to form a fluffy texture. Air is whipped into the butter as its structure is broken down, then the sugar fills those gaps creating structure for the cupcakes as the other ingredients are added.
quick recipe video
expert tips
- To quickly soften butter, pop the whole stick in the microwave (on a plate) for 5 seconds, then flip and do 5 more seconds.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Mix the wet and dry ingredients together on low speed or by hand to avoid overmixing.
- Add the milk to the protein frosting last: Frosting is about ratios and powdered sugar is hard to measure, so I like to add the milk at the very end. I add it in small amounts to make sure I don’t over do it because too much liquid requires a lot of powdered sugar to correct the texture.
- Scooping out the center: Use a piping tip or spoon to scoop out the center of the cupcakes for filling with jam. You can save this cake for making cake pops or just snacking on.
common questions
Yup, just add the salt to the protein batter or frosting last. Taste the batter and/or frosting to see if you need salt and if you do still need it, add salt little by little.
Yes, you can make plain vanilla cupcakes by just swapping the protein powder for additional flour in the cupcakes and leaving out the collagen in the frosting. You cannot use protein powder and collagen interchangeably though, check out this post on collagen peptides vs whey protein powder to learn more.
To tell if your cupcakes are done, you can either insert a tooth pick and see if it comes out clean (it should when they are done). Or, you can gently tap the top of the cupcakes. They should spring right back when tapped.
Yes, you can use any complimentary flavor like strawberry or berry, cheesecake, cake batter, or even peanut butter or banana protein powder. You could also make these into strawberry lemonade cupcakes with lemon protein powder!
Yup, one of my favorite ways to make these cupcakes is as Funfetti protein cupcakes! Replace the strawberry jam with additional butter and powdered sugar or cream cheese and mix in sprinkles to the batter.
troubleshooting & testing notes
My frosting seems runny.
If your frosting is runny, it's likely because of too much milk or the butter was melted instead of softened. If you think it’s a butter issue, pop the frosting in the fridge or freezer for a little bit to help the butter firm up, then try whipping it again. If you think it’s too much milk, add more powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency (which could be a lot).
I tried these with almond flour and here’s what happened.
They were crumbly and not great. I’m sure there is a way to make them with almond flour but the trade-off in taste and texture is just not worth it to me. I need my protein desserts to taste GREAT, not good - great!
I tried protein powder in the frosting and here’s what happened.
It tasted super chalky. Protein powder is great to bake with, but when you mix it into something like a frosting that you expect to be sweet and fluffy, it’s chalky texture and stevia is so forward. Now, if you have a protein powder you absolutely adore, you can definitely use it in place of some of the powdered sugar. The vanilla egg white protein powder from Drink Wholesome actually tastes good in it!
storage & make-ahead tips
fridge
These cupcakes should be kept in the fridge because they are filled and have a buttercream frosting. They will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge but they will begin to dry out after 2 days.
Helpful Tip: Storing cupcakes with the frosting on prevents them from drying out so fast.
frozen
To freeze them, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then place them in a ziplock bag or freezer-safe airtight container. They will keep for 3 months frozen.
make ahead
To make these in advance, make all the components up to 3 days in advance but don’t assemble until the day before. The day before assemble the cupcakes and then store them in the fridge. If you don’t fill them with jam, store them at room temperature for up to 2 days.
reheating
These can be eaten straight from the fridge or freezer. But, I would recommend letting them come to room temperature on the counter before eating. This takes about 5 minutes from the fridge and 15 minutes from the freezer.
more strawberry and vanilla protein recipes to love
Recipe
Fluffy Vanilla Protein Powder Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 2 medium bowls
- 1 hand mixer or similar
Ingredients
Vanilla Protein Cupcakes
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder (plant-based works too)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter (unsalted and softened, vegan works)
- ¾ c sugar
- 2 eggs (room tempurature)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup kefir (or buttermilk, vegan or regular)
- ½ cup strawberry jam
Protein Strawberry Frosting
- ¼ c strawberry jam
- ½ c butter (unsalted and softened, vegan works)
- 2 c powdered sugar
- ¼ c collagen peptides (unflavored)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon milk (any kind, protein milk preferred)
Before you start!
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin papers. Place the butter and eggs on the counter to soften.To do this quickly, you can put the eggs in a bowl of warm water and microwave the butter sticks on a plate for 5 seconds, then flip and microwave another 5 seconds.
- In a large bowl, beat together the ½ cup butter and ¾ c sugar until fluffy - about 2 minutes (it takes longer than you think!).Then add the 2 eggs and 2 teaspoon vanilla and mix until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the ¾ cup flour, ½ cup vanilla protein powder, 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt until evenly distributed.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the ½ cup kefir to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed or by hand to avoid over mixing.
- Portion out into the muffin cups, filling about ⅔rds of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. It may take up to 30 minutes depending on your oven.
- While the cupcakes bake, make the frosting by mixing together ½ c butter, ¼ c strawberry jam, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Then slowly add the 2 c powdered sugar and ¼ c collagen peptides. If the frosting is not smooth, add in 1 tablespoon milk or up to 2 tbsp's to create the fluffy buttercream texture. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely, then remove the centers and fill with ½ cup strawberry jam, using about 1 tablespoon per cupcake. I like to use a pipping tip upside down to cut out the centers of the cupcakes but a spoon will also work. Top with strawberry frosting and enjoy! You might need to re-mix the frosting if it's hardened too much in the fridge. You can also set the bowl in a larger bowl of warm water to slightly soften the frosting.
Video
Notes
- To quickly soften butter, pop the whole stick in the microwave (on a plate) for 5 seconds, then flip and do 5 more seconds.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Mix the wet and dry ingredients together on low speed or by hand to avoid overmixing.
- Add the milk to the protein frosting last: Frosting is about ratios and powdered sugar is hard to measure, so I like to add the milk at the very end. I add it in small amounts to make sure I don’t over do it because too much liquid requires a lot of powdered sugar to correct the texture.
- Scooping out the center: Use a piping tip or spoon to scoop out the center of the cupcakes for filling with jam. You can save this cake for making cake pops or just snacking on.
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
Yum! These were delicious! I wanted to try a "healthier" cupcake recipe for an upcoming event and these were a winner. I made them using my low sugar homemade jam. These cupcakes had great flavor and texture. I can't wait to have an excuse to make them again!