Can you bake with vegan protein powder?
Yes, you can certainly bake with vegan protein powder. It just behaves differently to wheat flour, so you can’t simply replace the flour on a one-to-one basis. If you replace some of the flour and adjust the recipe slightly for moisture and raising agent, you can easily bake pancakes, biscuits, brownies or banana bread with it.
Vegan protein powder (for example, made from peas or fava beans) contains no gluten and very little starch. As a result, it lacks the elastic structure that flour gives your batter. Once you understand that difference, you’ll immediately realise why a few small adjustments make all the difference between a dry and a moist baked good. Below are five tips to put that into practice.
Why does vegan protein bake differently to flour?
Vegan protein absorbs a lot of moisture and binds differently to flour. Protein powder is finer and denser than flour and draws moisture out of your batter, causing it to dry out more quickly and become firmer. Flour, on the other hand, provides elasticity and lightness through gluten and starch. If you replace too much flour in one go, your baked goods will become dense and crumbly. That’s no reason to give up; it just means you’ll need to adjust the moisture, fat, raising agent and baking time slightly.
Five tips for baking with vegan protein powder
1. Don’t replace all your flour in one go
Start by replacing about a quarter to a third of the flour with vegan protein powder. As the powder contains no gluten, replacing all the flour will cause you to lose the structure and result in a dry, crumbly texture. By starting small, you’ll retain the familiar texture and get a feel for how much protein powder your recipe can handle. You can then increase the proportion step by step.
2. Keep the fat in your recipe
Don’t replace the fat in a recipe with fat-free alternatives such as apple sauce. Vegan protein absorbs a lot of moisture, and fat forms a layer around the particles that keeps your baked goods moist. If you remove the fat, the powder will absorb the remaining moisture and your dish will dry out. A little oil, plant-based butter or nut butter keeps pancakes and cakes soft.
3. Add a little extra raising agent
Is your batter too thick or your baked goods too dense? Add an extra pinch of baking powder or bicarbonate of soda. Protein powder is heavier and denser than flour, which makes the batter rise less easily. A little more raising agent (think a quarter of a teaspoon extra per portion) will compensate for this and keep your batter light and airy. If the batter feels too stiff, add a splash of extra plant-based milk or water at the same time.
4. Mix briefly and not for too long
Stir your ingredients just long enough to combine them, no longer. Vegan protein makes batter thicker than flour, and mixing for too long makes it lumpy and tough. Mix until everything is just incorporated, then stop. A few lumps aren’t a problem; they’ll disappear during baking.
5. Bake for slightly less time and keep an eye on the oven
Don’t bake dishes made with vegan protein powder for too long. Protein sets and browns more quickly than flour, so your baked goods will be ready sooner and will dry out quickly if overbaked. Check your muffins or biscuits a few minutes earlier than the recipe suggests, and if necessary, reduce the oven temperature by ten degrees. This helps preserve the flavour and keep the texture soft.
Which vegan protein powder should you choose?
For sweet bakes, a neutral or complementary flavour profile works best. Our vegan protein powder is available in vanilla, blueberry and chocolate, as well as a plain, natural variety. Choose a flavour that suits your recipe: vanilla in pancakes and sponge cakes, chocolate in brownies. Want to know exactly what protein powder is and when it’s useful? Read about the benefits of protein powder.
Ready to get started? In our six protein-packed baked treats, you’ll find recipes to get started straight away, which you can easily make vegan with these tips.
Frequently asked questions
Can you completely replace flour with vegan protein powder?
This isn’t recommended. Vegan protein powder lacks the gluten and starch that give flour its structure, so if you replace it entirely, your baked goods will turn out dry and crumbly. Start by replacing a quarter to a third of the flour and build up from there.
Why do my baked goods turn out dry when I use protein powder?
Vegan protein absorbs a lot of moisture. If your baked goods turn out dry, there is either too little fat or moisture in the mixture, or you have baked them for too long. Keep the fat content in the recipe as it is, add a splash of extra moisture if necessary, and bake for a slightly shorter time.
Which vegan protein powder is best for baking?
A powder with a neutral flavour, or one that complements the recipe, works best. Vanilla suits most sweet bakes, whilst chocolate works well in brownies and muffins. Choose the flavour based on what you’re making.
Can you bake with whey or casein in the same way?
The basic principles are similar: don’t replace all the flour, keep the fat in, and don’t bake for too long. Whey and casein do bind and dry out slightly differently to vegan protein, so experiment with the quantities for each recipe.
Fancy getting started straight away? Take a look at our vegan protein powder and try one of the recipes above.
