Regardless of where you stand in the brownie versus blondie debate, the simplicity and nutrition breakdown of this high protein mug blondie are not to be ignored. With just 200 calories and 17 grams of protein, this blondie is perfect for curbing a sweet tooth or treating yourself after a hard workout.
And with just five ingredients and a 3-minute prep time, it’s certified easy peasy.
How to Make a Protein Blondie in a Mug
It’s as easy as 1-2-3. Add the ingredients to a mug or bowl, stir them together, and microwave. Voila.
If you’re wondering where I got the s’cute mini rubber spatula or the bowls and mugs I like to use, they’re all on my Amazon recommended tools and products list.
Mug Blondie Ingredients
Let’s quickly run through what you’ll need to make this protein blondie. I’ll tackle common questions about ingredient modifications you might have.
Protein Powder
I used Vanilla PEScience Select Whey and Casein Blend for this recipe. Interestingly enough, PEScience makes a blondie flavor in this protein, but I’ve yet to try it. If you come across it, that may eliminate the need for the next ingredient on the list.
Before we cover the sweetener, however, I’ll add that you can use any protein powder you like for this mug blondie. Another common protein powder I use is the Vanilla Cupcake Dymatize 100% Whey. I tested this recipe with both and found the Dymatize worked better with slightly less protein powder in the mix.
That’s why you’ll find a note in the recipe card about starting with 1/2 scoop instead of 2/3 scoop with other protein powders. It’s better to undershoot than have a dry or tough protein blondie, ya know?
Swerve Brown Sugar
Like I mentioned above, you may find that a blondie flavored protein powder alleviates the need for brown sugar. But I’m a proponent of buying vanilla protein powder since it’s a bit of a blank slate that can be turned into other flavors by adding ingredients like cocoa powder, brown sugar, etc.
In this case, I used Swerve’s brown sugar substitute. If you’re unfamiliar with Swerve, here’s a line straight from their about page: Swerve is zero-calorie, non-glycemic and measures cup-for-cup like sugar. It’s sweet, safe and natural.
If you don’t have Swerve on hand, the easiest swap would be plain brown sugar. The recipe only calls for half a tablespoon. So the calories won’t be affected too drastically.
Light Butter
When I say I tested this recipe 25 times, know that’s undershooting the real number. One of my most popular recipes is a one-minute, 100-calorie protein brownie that has just three ingredients—pumpkin, cocoa, and protein powder. And a modification for that recipe is using unsweetened apple sauce in place of the pumpkin or going half pumpkin half apple sauce.
Honestly, I thought this mug blondie might be as simple as protein powder, apple sauce, and brown sugar. But it’s really difficult to mask the apple flavor without cocoa powder considering you need quite a bit of apple sauce to avoid a dry protein blondie.
Pumpkin and apple sauce are what I like to call lower calorie fat replacements. They mimic some of the properties of fat in a recipe—moisture, tenderness, binding—without actually having fat and all the calories. These ingredients have their limits, though.
So, the recipe calls for light butter, which is a favorite ingredient of mine. It has half the calories of regular butter and a little bit goes a long way in making high protein goodies fluffy and moist. That said, this long section about light butter and fat replacement is to show you there are other options, including other fats like coconut oil.
Final Notes
In case you’re wondering about the all purpose flour, my typical recommendation for swapping coconut flour is two or three for one. In this case, that would be 1/2 a tablespoon of coconut flour. If you go for something like almond flour, I might keep it at one tablespoon. This might take some tinkering on your end.
If you try this high protein mug blondie, make any modifications, or experiment in any way, I’d love to hear about it. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @mugsformuscles or join my free Facebook group and share it with the crew.
High Protein Mug Blondie

A light and fluffy blondie that's ready in minutes.
Ingredients
- 2/3 scoop (21g) PEScience Vanilla Protein Powder
- 1 Tbsp (7g) All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Tbsp (6g) Swerve Brown Sugar, or brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp (45g) Unsweetened Apple Sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp (21g) Light Butter, I used Land O' Lakes
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients in a mug or small bowl.
- Add the apple sauce and light butter to the dry ingredients and stir well.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl or mug to make sure all the blondie batter is evenly spread across the bottom. (A rubber spatula works great for this.) You can also transfer the batter to a second bowl or mug sprayed with a bit of nonstick cooking spray.
- Microwave for 45-60 seconds or until the blondie is almost cooked in the center. I like to leave a bit of the uncooked batter in the center to ensure the blondie isn't dry.
- Top with fat free whipped cream, low cal ice cream, or any toppings you'd like. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you're using another protein powder, make your first blondie with 1/2 scoop instead of 2/3 scoop to ensure the blondie stays moist and fluffy.
Nutrition Information
Yield
1Serving Size
1 blondieAmount Per Serving Calories 202Total Fat 10gUnsaturated Fat 0gCarbohydrates 18gProtein 17g
More Healthy Mug Cakes You Might Like
My Peach Cobbler Mug Cake has 19 grams of protein and just 5 ingredients. It’s also the perfect shuttle for low cal ice cream.
While my High Protein German Chocolate Mug Cake has a few more ingredients, it touts 30 grams of protein and has a delicious coconut buttercream style frosting.
Paula
Wednesday 7th of November 2018
I love pumpkin mug cake recipie. It's a bomb for all pumpkin lover. I only added myself cinnamon and pumpkin spices.. highly recommend to try every single one 😎😋😋😋