Protein Rice Pudding has all the creamy decadence of the popular dessert, but with a healthy dose of protein. I’ve created 4 versions for you to choose from with different add-ins and toppings, so you have a healthy post workout meal ready for you any day.
On top of that, if you have an instant pot, this can be ready for you in the time you take a shower. No stirring and standing at the hob required!
Why You Will Love This
Instant Pot for Instant gratification
I’ve always loved the rice pudding my mom made for me when I was a kid, but rarely made it myself due to the stirring and watching and possibility of milk burning. Happened to me multiple times and if you ever had the small of burned milk in your kitchen, you know it isn’t pleasant.
All of this changed when I got my beloved Sage Fast Slow Pro. The notion of the pot just doing everything for me when it comes to both risotto and rice pudding was a revelation and opened a whole new range of dishes for me to enjoy, without dreading the ages of stirring.
All it takes is 10-12 minutes of cooking and a few minutes more for the pressure release, and you can use any instant pot you have, to get the perfect rice pudding. Even late evening cravings can be satisfied in minutes. You let it do the work for you, while you have your post workout shower, to enjoy a healthy, protein packed meal.
Can be made Vegan and Lactose free
Being lactose intolerant always left me queasy after eating things like rice pudding or oatmeal. Took me years to realise why that is (being essentially gaslit into not trusting your own feeling leaves marks, doesn’t it?).
Now I make all my dishes with various plant based milks and am just fine.
A Note on Protein Powder
I think I have said this many times on this blog, but I’ll include it here, as the protein powder is such an essential ingredient in this recipe: Despite being lactose intolerant, I do use Whey Protein powder from MyProtein.
This is neither affiliated nor sponsored. Just the powder I found to taste best after trying a fair few. If you never found one you enjoy, give this one a try.
I never had any issues with it and just can’t stomach the taste of the vegan ones. But if you have one you enjoy, you can of course use that.
Why Protein?
Protein is such an important building block for our bodies and its important to eat enough of it. Personally, as I don’t each much meat or legumes for that matter, I wouldn’t have enough in my diet to fulfil my bodies needs. Hence protein powder to the rescue. Preferably in sweet recipes.
How to vary your Protein Rice Pudding
While this Protein Rice Pudding is utterly delicious on its own, topped with just a bit of cinnamon sugar, there are so many more options, that I decided to give you a few here.
If you read any of my posts you probably stumbled over my way to lose weight and keep it stable and of course give my body the nutrition it needs, which is to include as many fruit and veggies as I can in every meal. This one is no exception.
There are plenty of fruit that go fantastic with milky or creamy dishes, so you can wildly pick and choose your favourites. I’m giving you just a few ideas here.
Cherry or Berry. Or Both.
My all-time favourite and a classic with rice pudding in Germany is cherry compote. Essentially sweet cherries briefly cooked with a tiny bit of water, to help them heat up and release their juices, then thickened with cornstarch. That’s as easy as it gets and works nicely with berries too. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or a mix of all would be lovely. Add a bit of vanilla and honey and you are set.
Rice Curd-ish with Pomegranate and Grapes
Another variation, borrowed from a co-worker from India are grapes and pomegranate and the rice pudding being enriched with yoghurt, bringing it into the direction of a favourite summer dish from India: Rice curd. The yoghurt adds even more protein, especially if you are using any type of Greek yoghurt.
A few pistachios sprinkled on top, a hint of cinnamon if you like will round this off nicely.
Black Forest or Chocolate Hazelnut
Now we can’t talk rice pudding without mentioning chocolate, can we?
I mean I love chocolate anything of course, and who wouldn’t, but here it’s just so incredibly easy to include it simply via protein powder flavour and, if you want it extra chocolatey (as I always do) a bit cocoa and a hit of espresso powder, to enhance the flavour even more.
Add some cherry compote or even fresh cherries and, if you are having this for dessert or feeling extra indulgent, some Kirsch (a German clear cherry liqueur), top with some whipped cream or coconut cream and you have yourself an irresistible treat.
Want to add some crunch to this one? Roasted and chopped hazelnuts instead of cherries would transform this into a sort of Ferrero Rocher experience. Or drizzle over some melted chocolate or slightly warmed Nutella, to have an utterly indulgent, yet still reasonably healthy dessert.
Mango-Coconut
Last but not least, a tropical mango-coconut rice pudding. You can either cook it straight from the start with coconut milk, or, as I did here, add some after cooking, for a gentle coconut flavour and stir in fresh mango pieces or mango puree. Or both.
Take it over the top with toasted coconut flakes (can I convince you to make maple-lime coconut chips just for this? It’s so worth it!) and enjoy being taken to a tropical island via dessert.
The Ingredients
Of course some of the ingredients with depend on the flavour combination you choose, but the basic recipe is always the same:
1 cup pudding rice or use arborio as alternative. Round corn rice is best suited for pudding, as the grains absorb more liquid and contain more starch than, say Basmati rice, resulting in creamier rice pudding. And creamy is what we want here.
4 cups liquid. You can use any type of milk you enjoy. If you aren’t lactose intolerant like me, whole milk is a great option. I’m using unsweetened almond milk to cook the rice in, then, after cooking, mix the protein powder with a bit of creamy soy or coconut milk, to add even more creaminess.
A pinch of salt – I’m a firm believer of adding a bit of salt to anything sweet. It balances and enhances the flavour of everything it touches. There is a good reason why salted caramel is so popular!
Protein Powder – This is my favourite way to get a high protein sweet meal. It sounds like a cheat, maybe it is. But I have yet to find a better way to add protein, sweetener, and whatever flavour you enjoy in one step to dishes. My Protein is my favourite brand, as it’s super creamy and doesn’t taste artificial. I mostly use the limited edition “Jelly Belly Buttered Popcorn”. Any good vanilla flavour would work too. Though I dread the day when this one reaches its time limit of the limited edition, as I’m utterly in love with it.
For the Black Forest version I used Gold Standard Whey Chocolate, as I have a ton left from before discovering MyProtein. It’s pretty decent, if less creamy.
Again, just to be clear: This is in no way sponsored or affiliated. Just what I use. Though if anyone from MyProtein reads this: Please sponsor me?
The Process
Pressure Cooker/ Instant Pot
If you have a pressure cooker/instant pot/Sage Fast Slow Pro, this couldn’t be any easier:
Add your rice and 3.5 cups of your milk of choice and pinch of salt to your cooker. Set to 10 minutes high pressure, then 10min auto release and let it do its thing while you get on with your day.
After the time is up, mix your chosen protein powder with the remaining half cup of milk or yoghurt until no lumps remain and stir it into your rice pudding. Don’t let it come to a boil after you mixed in the protein, or it might get a bit grainy.
If you make a bigger portion for several days, I would advocate for adding the protein-milk mix just before eating, as rice pudding has the habit of thickening in the fridge. And if you add too much liquid, the rice might essentially dissolve. If you love that, feel free of course.
Add your chosen fruits and flavourings, decorate, and top to your heart’s desire and enjoy hot or cold.
I often prepare a large portion at the start of the week, to have a super quick breakfast/dessert or even dinner (yep, I love sweet dinner! That’s my favourite way to satisfy sweet evening cravings: Make it a healthy dinner!).
You can have this Protein Rice Pudding straight from the fridge for hot summer days or simply re-heat it in the microwave.
On Stovetop:
While I’m plain too lazy to make this on the stovetop, you can absolutely do that too.
It will take about 20- 30 minutes of patient stirring and very gentle simmering to get creamy rice pudding.
Tips and Tricks
If you have no round corn rice, you can use Basmati. It might not get as creamy though
In India, Rice Curd is made by using ready cooked Basmati rice and stirring in “curd”, which is similar to yoghurt, but thinner. So if you are feeling even lazier or just have leftover rice to use up, either stir some plain yoghurt with protein powder into it and top with fruit for a refreshing summer treat. Or heat it up in the microwave, stir in some milk mixed with protein powder and top with whatever your heart desires.
A classic Thai version of this would be to boil the rice in coconut milk. To get the best flavour, use the drinking version, not a can.
You can make this also with black rice, which would look absolutely stunning, or brown rice for added fibre. For those versions follow the cooking instructions for your particular rice. Time and needed liquid may vary.
Want even more protein? Add some chia seeds or hemp hearts and top with more Greek yoghurt. I love the 0% fat version, as I feel the rice has plenty of creaminess already.
Need extra indulgence and want this to taste like the classic rice pudding dessert? Temper an egg yolk by adding a bit of warm milk at the end of the cooking process and stir into the rice, warming it through gently, to avoid curdling the egg. Add some butter to take it over the top. May I suggest browned butter if you do?
The 4 Different Versions
All amounts and instructions are given to make 4 portions of the same variation.
If you’d like to try all 4, as I did in the pictures, simply halve the amounts.
Except the cherry compote. I would always make the full 2 cups, as I love it so much, I happily eat it over everything or on its own. Plus just boiling half a cup is too much hassle for the output.
After your rice pudding is cooked mix 2 cups of milk/yoghurt/coconut milk with 4 scoops of your favourite protein powder. Depending on the version you are going for and stir into the rice until it reaches your preferred consistency.
If you find it too cold after that, feel free to briefly microwave to heat it up, but don’t let it come to a boil again, or your protein might curdle a bit. Which still tastes ok, but doesn’t look as inviting and creamy.
Cherry or Berry. Or Both.
Use about 2 cups of fresh or frozen sweet cherries or mixed berries together with 1 tbsp of sugar (brown or white), maybe a little lemon juice or vanilla extract or both, if you like. In a pot on the stove, bring them to a boil, adding about 2-3 tbsp water, to help them release their juices. Mix ½ tbsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp water in a separate container. Once your cherries or berries are hot and bubbling, pour in your cornstarch slurry while stirring. Bring once more to the boil and stir until it thickens. Take off the heat and your compote is ready.
I used this for both the cherry version and dusted it with a tiny bit of vanilla powder and in the Black Forest version.
Mix 2 cups of soy milk with a good vanilla protein powder until no clumps remain, Stir into the rice pudding.
Top with the cherry (or berry) compote and enjoy.
Rice Curd (-ish) with Protein, Pomegranate, Grapes and Pistachios
If using a fresh pomegranate, cut it in half crosswise. Tuck one half into a small freezer bag. Ideally with a zip and close it, with the open side of the pomegranate pointing down.
Now get a cooking spoon, Wood with the classic spoon shape works best I found.
Start smacking the top of the pomegranate until all seeds have tumbled into the bag.
Discard the empty shell and fish out any pieces of pith that might have fallen out.
Halve the grapes. Roughly chop the pistachios if using.
Mix 2 cups of yoghurt (I used 0% fat Greek yoghurt) with 4 scoops of a good vanilla protein powder until no lumps remain. Stir into the cooked rice pudding. Ideally after it has cooled a bit.
This version is particularly good cold on a hot summer day.
Mango-Coconut Protein Rice Pudding
Prepare your coconut chips if using.
Pre-heat your oven to 350°F/175°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix 1 cup of coconut chips with 1 tbsp maple syrup, a pinch of salt and the grated zest of 1 lime.
Spead onto the baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 min, stirring halfway, until golden brown.
Let them cool to crisp up while you prepare the mango. They will keep in an airtight container for about a week (if they last that long, as they are seriously more-ish). You will find reasons to make them again and again as snack or topping for sweets, cake, salad and even Thai soup or curries.
Peel your mango and chop into bite sized cubes.
Mix 2 cups of coconut milk (canned or from a tetra pack is both good) with 4 scoops of a good vanilla (or coconut) flavoured protein powder until no lumps remain.
Stir into the ready cooked rice pudding, top with mango and coconut chips.
Black Forest Protein Rice Pudding (or chocolate without the cherries)
Prepare the cherry compote as per instructions for the cherry version. If you feel extra indulgent, add some Kirsch.
Whisk some cream or coconut cream into soft peaks. If using coconut cream, make sure it’s very cold or it won’t hold its shape. I found cans of coconut whipping cream at a local health food store, but using just the firm layer from a can of cold coconut milk will do just fine.
Mix 2 cups of soy milk with 4 scoops of chocolate flavoured protein powder and 1 tbsp cocoa until no lumps remain. If you only have vanilla flavoured protein powder use that, but add 2-3 tbsp cocoa, depending on your preference.
Stir the chocolate protein mix into the cooked rice pudding.
In pretty glasses, layer some cherry compote, then rice pudding, finishing with more cherry compote and a large spoon or whipped cream or coconut cream.
Decorate with fresh cherry and chocolate shavings if you like. I simply used a vegetable peeler to create shavings from a piece of dark chocolate.
How to Store
As mentioned above, I often meal prep a big batch for the week and store it in a lidded container in the fridge. It will keep quite happily for about 3-4 days, depending on the milk you used.
If you want to mix it up, portion the Protein Rice Pudding into single portion jars and add your favourite toppings, to have an amazing meal to grab and go.
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please rate, share and/or comment. It helps me a lot!
Protein Rice Pudding 4 Ways
Protein Rice Pudding has all the creamy decadence of the popular dessert, but with a healthy dose of protein. I’ve created 4 versions for you to choose from with different add-ins and toppings, so you have a healthy post workout meal ready for you any day.
On top of that, if you have an instant pot, this can be ready for you in the time you take a shower. No stirring and standing at the hob required!
3.5cupsunsweetened almond milkor milk of your choice
2cupssoy milkor any other milk of your choice. Coconut for the Coconut-Mango variation
4scoopsprotein powderI used MyProtein Whey Buttered Popcorn. Any good vanilla flavoured powder will work fine. Since this is the main flavour component, please use one you enjoy.
1pinchsalt
2tspvanilla extractoptional but lovely
Topping Versions
Cherry Protein Rice Pudding
2cupsof cherries
½tbspcornstarch
1tbspsugar
2cupssoy milk and 4 scoops vanilla protein powder as stated in basic version
Rice Curd-ish with Pomegranate and Grapes
1Pomegranateseeds only (see post on how to get them out without a mess)
1cupgrapeshalved
2cups0% fat Greek yoghurtinstead of the soy milk in the basic version
4scoopsvanilla protein powderas stated in the basic version
½cuppistachiosroughly chopped
Mango- Coconut Protein Rice Pudding
1cupcoconut chips
1tbspMaple syrup
1limegrated zest only
1mangochopped in bite sized cubes
2cupscoconut milkcanned or tetra pack
4scoops vanilla or coconut protein powder as stated in basic version
Black Forest Protein Rice Pudding
2cupsof cherries
½tbspcornstarch
1tbspsugar
1tbspKirschoptional
2cupssoy milk
4scoops chocolate protein powderinstead of vanilla as stated in basic version
1tbspcocoa
½cupwhipped cream or whipped coconut creamor to taste
1small piece dark chocolateshaved with vegetable peeler, to decorate
Instructions
Using a Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot/Sage Fast Slow Pro:
In the cooker, combine the rice, 3.5 cups of almond milk (or milk of your choice), and a pinch of salt.
Set the cooker to 10 minutes on high pressure, then allow for a 10-minute auto release.
While the rice cooks, mix the protein powder with the remaining 2 cups of milk until smooth.
After the pressure cooking cycle completes, stir the protein-milk mixture into the rice pudding gently. Avoid boiling after adding protein to prevent graininess.
If preparing a larger portion for multiple days, add the protein-milk mix just before serving to avoid over-thickening and potential rice dissolution. 1/2 cup of soy milk +1 scoop of protein powder per portion.
Customize with your chosen fruits and flavourings, and top with desired toppings.
Serve hot or cold. Refrigerate leftovers for future servings.
On the Stovetop:
In a saucepan, combine the rice, 3.5 cups of almond milk (or milk of your choice), and a pinch of salt.
Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice pudding reaches a creamy consistency.
Follow steps 3-7 from the pressure cooker instructions to complete the dish.
Enjoy your protein-rich rice pudding as a quick breakfast, dessert, or even dinner option! Adjust toppings and flavourings to suit your preferences.
Cherry Protein Rice Pudding
Prepare the cherry compote by simmering cherries, sugar, and a splash of water until hot.
Mix cornstarch with water, then add to the cherries, boil and stir to thicken.
Mix soy milk and vanilla protein powder and stir into the cooked rice pudding.
Serve topped with cherry compote.
Rice Curd-ish with Pomegranate and Grapes
Extract pomegranate seeds. See post on how to get them out without a mess.
Halve grapes and chop pistachios.
Mix yogurt and vanilla protein powder, then stir into rice pudding.
Serve chilled, topped with pomegranate seeds, grapes, and pistachios.
Mango-CoconutProtein Rice Pudding
Mix coconut chips with maple syrup and lime zest, bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350°F/175°C for about 10min until golden.
Mix coconut milk and protein powder, then stir into rice pudding.
Serve topped with mango and coconut chips.
Black Forest Protein Rice Pudding
Prepare the cherry compote by simmering cherries, sugar, and a splash of water until boiling and cherries are hot.
Mix cornstarch with 2 tbsp water, then add to the cherries to thicken.
Add 1 tbsp Kirsch if desired
Mix soy milk with chocolate protein powder and cocoa.
Stir into cooked rice pudding.
Layer with cherry compote and top with whipped cream.
Decorate with chocolate shavings if you like.
Notes
The nutrition here is given for the basic Protein Rice pudding. It will vary slightly depending on the toppings, though the protein will remain roughly the same. Slightly more for the curd version due to the greek youghurt, slightly less for the coconut mango version, as the coconut milk has less protein than soy milk.How to StoreAs mentioned above, I often meal prep a big batch for the week and store it in a lidded container in the fridge. It will keep quite happily for about 3-5 days, depending on the milk you used. If you want to mix it up, portion the Protein Rice Pudding into single portion jars and add your favourite toppings, to have an amazing meal to grab and go.
Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein have everything you could possibly want in a muffin: Crunchy, nutty pistachios, a soft and fluffy inside, studded with sweet-tart dried apricots and a crunchy brown sugar sprinkled top. All that with 7g protein per muffin and just 280cal. So you can have a yummy snack with your coffee and feel good about it!
Why You Want to Make Them
Are you going nuts for Pistachios too?
I’m honestly hooked recently. I got a big jar of pistachio butter from Bulk and it’s utterly delicious on pretty much everything. I spread it on some rice cakes, topped with blueberries as my evening sweet snack, stirred it in oatmeal with cherries, made Pistachio-Protein Crème Brulee and now these Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein.
Of course Pistachios aren’t technically nuts, but rather the stone of a fruit, very similar to almonds, which explains their affinity for very similar foods almonds go with. I added some almond essence to these muffins, which underlines the Pistachio flavour rather perfectly.
Speaking of Protein
If you read a few of the sweet recipes on my blog, you probably noticed that I’m adding protein to many of them. Considering I’m not eating much meat and am not the biggest fan of legumes, so I don’t want to include them into every single meal. Yet, have an acute need to add more protein to my diet, to meet the target for muscle building and/or maintenance, which is at least around 1.2-1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, I keep looking for ways to increase my intake, without drinking shakes. Why not shakes you ask? They simply bore me.
I feel if I’m not eating or drinking something that is worth the calories, I’m wasting my time.
Is it a weird way to see food? Maybe.
But having lost 70lb taught me, that I’m working on an energy budget per day. Loving food and eating means, I want to spend it well. This does not include the same boring protein shake every day, but rather finding recipes to excite me and have me look forward to eating them.
That’s where Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein come in: Something I really enjoy eating and am looking forward to, which also adds a nice portion of protein to my day.
Easy to Make
If you ever made muffins, you probably loved how easy they are. I know I do. The batter comes together in 10-15 minutes and that includes getting the ingredients out.
Well…unless your store cupboards are way too full, like mine, and you have to rummage around in them to find stuff. I knew I had dried apricots somewhere! *Empties half her pantry before finding the bag*
Lower calories than your average Muffin
Eating an average muffin, according to Google, you are looking at 340-424 calories. That is a fairly big chunk out of your daily budget, if you are watching your weight like I do.
Having gained a few pounds over Christmas (because I can’t be trusted around sweets), I’m currently trying to get rid of them again. But I really don’t want to go without a sweet treat per day! That would just leave me grumpy and missing something, which in turn means, once I lost the weight I’d go even more for sweets again. Not a good cycle.
So my solution is, to develop recipes that are sweet, not compromising in flavour, yet lower in calories than the standard versions. This is one of them.
Oh and I want them to have nutritional value too. High standards for sure.
These Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein have only 280 calories per muffin, which is a nice bit of saving for one satisfying snack. Or even breakfast if you like.
The Ingredients
Looking at the typical Pistachio Muffin recipe, I noticed that most are using rather artificial pudding mix to accomplish taste and texture of them. I wanted natural taste though and not use some mix with barely any real pistachio in it.
That means my muffins aren’t bright green, since they have no colouring either, but instead mostly natural and nutritious ingredients.
Except the protein powder. Let’s be honest, it isn’t natural, but I feel the benefits outweigh that downside.
Note, these are just some of the ingredients and why I use them, not all, as most are still those of a classic muffin.
Let’s start with the obvious bit: Pistachio butter. I only replaced half of the butter with it, as nut butter has less fat than butter, which would have meant I needed to add more other fat back in, which wasn’t the idea.
Keeping half and adding a mix of sour cream and 0% fat Greek yoghurt gave me the moisture content I lost, by swapping part of the butter into Pistachio butter.
I also reduced both the flour and sugar by adding protein powder. Buttered Popcornflavoured in this case, though you can easily use vanilla.
I particularly love MyProtein (not sponsored or affiliated, though I wish it would be, I use it so much!), which adds lovely flavour and sweetness to my recipes, without any weird aftertaste.
You can safely replace about ¼ of the flour in a recipe with it, without any negative impact. Use more, and the results might be drier than intended.
I’m still using a mix of white and brown sugar, but less than usual, to keep the structure needed. The sugar mixed with the sweetener from the protein powder also means it still tastes just naturally sweet.
While looking into the secrets of Pistachio muffins, I found the pudding powder not only adds flavour and sweetness, but also a bit of cornflour, which will thicken the pudding, but add a lovely softness to muffin batter. So I replaced some of the flour with cornflour to achieve the same effect.
Nutrition and flavour wise, I prefer a mix of white flour for lightness and the typical muffin feel and whole wheat flour for some nutty flavour. If you can find it, use fine whole wheat flour, which is great for lighter pastry.
For even more flavour, I’m using a bit of almond extract, which is in the same flavour family as pistachio, making it a natural choice. Unless you have natural pistachio extract, which would be a fantastic replacement. But I couldn’t find any in my local supermarkets and wasn’t keen on ordering just for this recipe. Though…it’s in my head now, I still might. Has anyone tried it? What were your thoughts?
To reduce the sugar and up the fruit content, I swapped out 2 eggs for 2 bananas. You can choose to use just eggs for more protein but add a little more sugar.
For the add-ins I’m using dried apricots, as they are not adding a lot of additional water, which I’d have to account for if I’d be using fresh ones. But, since I found some fresh apricots at Tesco, I decided to add half a fruit on top of each muffin, which gave them an amazing fruity-fresh kick I loved.
They are purely optional though.
Also some chopped pistachios for extra crunch and more pistachio flavour.
Each muffin got a little sprinkling of demerara sugar on top, adding some sparkle, crunch, and sweetness, making the muffins extra special.
The Process
The one thing that makes all baking easier is, to have all the ingredients at room temperature. If you have fridge cold butter, it’s much harder to mix it with the sugar. Just melted however, will give you a greasy result.
Similar for the eggs, which, when cold, can lead to a curdled result while mixing into the soft butter.
So plan a little bit ahead by taking everything out of the fridge an hour or so before you plan to make your muffins.
Preheat your oven to 425°F/220°C and line a muffin tin with muffin cases. Or grease it thoroughly if you prefer. Personally I find muffin cases much easier to remove and they leave less to clean, which is always a plus in my book.
If you have 2 muffin tins, you’ll need both. Otherwise you might bake in 2 batches, as this recipe makes about 16 large muffins.
From there on it’s as easy as mixing the butter with the sugar until fluffy and white. Then, one by one, whisk the eggs and mashed bananas in until well incorporated.
Add the protein powder with the remaining wet ingredients, to make sure you have no protein lumps in your Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein.
Now mix your dry ingredients, keeping back about 1-2 tbsp of the chopped pistachios for sprinkling on top, and add most of them to your batter. But not all. Keep a few tablespoons of the flour mix back, to coat the chopped apricots in. This is to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
Gently fold your dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. A few lumps are fine. Don’t overmix, or your muffins will be tough from the gluten you developed.
Then add the flour coated apricots and fold them in too.
Divide the batter between the muffin molds, filling them all the way, so you get nice and high tops. I use an ice cream scoop for this, to make it very easy. Two tablespoons work too.
Sprinkle with the remaining chopped pistachios, lay a sliced fresh apricot half on top, if using, then sprinkle lightly with demerara sugar.
Now you might have looked at the high oven temperature and thought it might be a typo. It’s not. The high initial temperature is what gives you the beautiful high muffin tops, but it will be lowered after 5-7 minutes of baking, to the classic 350°F/175°C, to bake for another 15-17 minutes, depending on your oven.
Just don’t open the oven door, except once, around half of the baking time, to turn your muffin tin, should your oven bake unevenly.
Your Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein are ready when the top is golden brown and toothpick comes out mostly clean, a few crumbs are ok.
Let them cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then take them out onto a wire rack.
Enjoy your fluffy, tangy, and crunchy Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein with a nice cup of coffee or tea. They are also really good for breakfast.
Storing your Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein
The muffins keep well in a tin or box for about 3 days.
They also freeze very well. I usually place most in freezer proof containers or small freezer bags and just air fry them for about 7 minutes when I want one. They taste like fresh!
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share and comment. It helps me a lot.
Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein
Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein have everything could possibly want in a muffin: Crunchy, nutty pistachios, a soft and fluffy inside, studded with sweet-tart dried apricots and a crunchy brown sugar sprinkled top. All that with 7g protein per muffin and just 280cal.
So you can have a yummy snack with your coffee and feel good about it!
½cupchopped pistachios1-2 tbsp kept for sprinkling on top
1tbspdemerara sugar for sprinkling
8fresh apricots for toppingoptional but delicious
Instructions
Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature for easier mixing. Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Line a muffin tin with cases or grease it.
In a large bowl, cream together ½ cup + 2tbsp softened butter, pistachio butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy and white.
Whisk in the eggs and mashed bananas, one at a time, until well incorporated. Add sour cream, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until smooth.
Combine the protein powder with the remaining wet ingredients to avoid lumps. Mix until well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, mix the white flour, whole wheat flour, cornflour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Reserve 1-2 tbsp of the flour mix to coat the chopped dried apricots and 1-2 tbsp chopped pistachios for topping the muffins.
Add most of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently fold until just combined.
Toss the chopped dried apricots in the reserved flour mixture to prevent sinking. Fold them into the batter.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cases, filling them to the top. Use an ice cream scoop or two tablespoons for ease. Sprinkle the remaining chopped pistachios on top. Optionally, place a fresh apricot half, cut in slices on each muffin and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes at 425°F/220°C, then reduce the temperature to 350°F/175°C and bake for an additional 15-17 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve and enjoy your fluffy, tangy, and crunchy Pistachio Muffins with Apricots and Protein with a cup of coffee or tea. They make a lovely breakfast treat too.
These Sourdough Buttermilk Protein Pancakes are my festive version of the all-time favourite breakfast. Super fluffy and tangy from the buttermilk and sourdough, yet lots of good nutrition from protein powder, whole wheat flour and eggs. They might be the perfect pancake!
And, since it’s the holidays, I’m serving them with homemade cranberry sauce topped with some extra indulgent Advocaat for a very grown up treat!
Why You Want to Make Them
Buttermilk and sourdough discard for flavour
Have you ever had buttermilk pancakes? If not, it’s about time!
Similar to buttermilk waffles, they are incredibly tender and flavourful. The tang of the sourdough emphasizes it and helps you use up your discard.
And what’s more: The calories are even lower than for the version without buttermilk!
Protein powder for extra nutrition
Same as in my original, buttermilk free pancakes, I’m using my favourite protein powder here to up the nutrition. This time I added the toasted marshmallow flavoured version, since that’s what I just had delivered and wanted to try out. It was a full success since it balanced the tangy buttermilk beautifully with its sweetness.
This is neither affiliated nor sponsored. Just the powder I found to taste best after trying a fair few. If you never found one you actually enjoy, give this one a try.
Indulgent topping
With it being the holidays, I was reminded of a very classic German cake we used to have around the season. It might be my all-time favourite German cake: An airy hazelnut-chocolate sponge, cranberry jam spread all over it, topped with whipped cream and crowned by a layer of Advocaat, just about contained by the whipped cream tufts around the edge of the cake. This is how it looks and it’s utterly delicious!
Let me know if you’d like to see a recipe for it here and I might come up with a slightly healthier version of it.
And while these pancakes have no cream or hazelnuts, the cranberry sauce and advocaat drizzled over made for a worthy breakfast reminder of it! Well….late breakfast. Not sure I can have advocaat early morning, but if you enjoy it, I’m certainly not judging!
The Ingredients
Sourdough discard – You could use active starter here if you’d like, but since it’s not left to ferment, this is a great place to use up your discard. It will add flavour and nutrition to your pancakes. Don’t worry about it being too sour. Just a gentle tang is coming through, adding complexity.
If you have no sourdough starter yet, here is how to make it. With its million uses, it’s one of the best things you can easily make at home with just water and flour. Plain white flour works fine.
Buttermilk – Apart from being delicious and giving your pancakes an extra light texture, buttermilk is great for digestion, has lots of calcium and even aids your immune system if you have some daily.
Flour – A mix of whole wheat flour and white flour gives the perfect balance of light and fluffy plus nutty flavour, fibre and better nutrition than just using plain white flour. During my weight loss journey I came to love whole wheat flour in nearly all of my baked goods. Partially because it keeps you fuller for longer, but again mainly for the added flavour. You can use other types of flour instead such as spelt. Or just use all white flour.
Protein powder – As mentioned above, I’m using MyProtein here, as I love the creamy consistency and flavours they offer. Use one that you enjoy having as a shake, and you’ll like it in the pancakes too. Ideal for this recipe are vanilla or similar flavours. Though, if you have something like chocolate or hazelnut, it might even serve as more of a reminder for the Cranberry-Advocaat cake. If you try it, let me know what you think.
Eggs – I upped the portion size of this recipe compared to the original Sourdough Protein Pancakes, as I love having some in the freezer for a super quick breakfast when toasted. Hence 2 eggs. The egg to pancake ratio is a little bit higher and I think it benefits the flavour. Plus of course more protein is always welcome.
Soy Milk – I’m using soy milk for its creamy texture and protein content. You could substitute with full fat cows’ milk if you want or any other full fat plant milk.
Coconut oil – Adding coconut oil gives these Sourdough Buttermilk Protein Pancakes a very subtle scent of coconut and a crispy crust. I also use some for frying them in. You could use melted and cooled butter instead, if you prefer the flavour.
Vanilla extract – The vanilla extract on top of the vanilla scent of the protein powder will spread a heavenly smell throughout your house and give the pancakes that extra special flavour. Don’t skip it.
Salt – Every sweet baked good needs a pinch of salt to bring out the flavours and balance the sweetness.
Cinnamon – This is optional but delicious, especially during the holiday season. You can leave it out if you prefer or even up the content if you like more cinnamon flavour. It goes particularly well with the cranberries.
Baking powder and soda – I’m using more baking soda than powder in this recipe, as it’s activated by the acidity of the buttermilk and adds the fluffiness to the pancakes.
Topping – Optional. For my extra special holiday breakfast, I’m using a home made Cranberry Sauce with Port and Clementines. You could use any leftover cranberry sauce, as long as it’s not seasoned with salt and pepper. Though…you do you of course.
As reminder of the above mentioned Cranberry-Advocaat cake, I’m topping the whole thing with Advocaat as a treat. If you have never tried it on your pancakes, you are missing out!
These Sourdough Buttermilk Protein Pancakes would be equally delicious with sliced banana, Nutella, and Advocaat. My all-time favourite pancake topping!
The Process
Mix the wet and protein
In a large mixing bowl or blender, combine the sourdough discard, buttermilk, soy milk, protein powder, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well until the ingredients are fully incorporated and no protein lumps are left.
Mix the wet with the dry
For the next step: You can prepare the batter the evening before, but if you do, leave out the baking powder and soda until the next morning, as it would lose some of its effectiveness overnight.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and fine sea salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing; a few lumps in the batter are fine.
Frying
Preheat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. If needed, lightly grease the surface with additional coconut oil.
Once the skillet is hot, pour approximately 1/4 cup of the pancake batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles start to form on the surface and it looks matte.
Carefully flip the pancakes with just a flip of your wrist, to avoid them sliding across the pan, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
If you’d like to keep the stack of pancakes warm while you fry the rest, keep them on a plate in your oven, set to the lowest temperature.
Serve
Serve the Sourdough Buttermilk Protein Pancakes stacked on a plate, topped with icing sugar if you like, cranberry sauce and Advocaat drizzled over for the grown up version.
Meal Prep
As most of my recipes, Sourdough Buttermilk Protein Pancakes are great for meal prep.
There is the fact that you can prepare the batter, except baking soda and powder, in the evening and it only gets better overnight.
Once fried, they freeze really well and can be heated through simply in the toaster. I like to keep them in portions in little bags or containers, so I can just grab a super quick and healthy breakfast, when I’m in a hurry.
Looking for other breakfasts with Protein?
Try this Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal, bringing the flavours of German Christmas Market right onto your breakfast table.
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.
Sourdough Buttermilk Protein Pancakes
With Cranberries and Advocaat topping
These Sourdough Buttermilk Protein Pancakes are my festive version of the all-time favourite breakfast. Super fluffy and tangy from the buttermilk and sourdough, yet lots of good nutrition from protein powder, whole wheat flour and eggs. They might be the perfect pancake!
And, since it’s the holidays, I’m serving them with homemade cranberry sauce topped with some extra indulgent Advocaat for a very grown up treat!
In a large mixing bowl or blender, combine the sourdough discard, buttermilk, soy milk, protein powder, eggs, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well until the ingredients are fully incorporated and no protein lumps are left.
Mix the Wet with the Dry:
In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt. If preparing the batter the evening before, leave out the baking powder and soda until the next morning.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing; a few lumps in the batter are fine.
Frying:
Preheat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. If needed, lightly grease the surface with additional coconut oil.
Once the skillet is hot, pour approximately 1/4 cup of the pancake batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles start to form on the surface and it looks matte.
Carefully flip the pancakes with just a flip of your wrist, to avoid them sliding across the pan, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
If you’d like to keep the stack warm while you fry the rest, keep them on a plate in your oven, set to the lowest temperature.
Serve:
Serve stacked on a plate, topped with icing sugar if desired, and drizzle with cranberry sauce and Advocaat for the grown-up version.
Enjoy your delicious Sourdough Buttermilk Pancakes!
Notes
As most of my recipes, Sourdough Buttermilk Protein Pancakes are great for meal prep.
There is the fact that you can prepare the batter, except baking soda and powder, in the evening and it only gets better overnight.Once fried, they freeze really well and can be heated through simply in the toaster. I like to keep them in portions in little bags or containers, so I can just grab a super quick and healthy breakfast, when I’m in a hurry.The nutrition is calculated without toppings, as the nutrition would vary depending on what you use and how much of it.Calories: Approximately 100 kcal per serving
Protein: Around 4g
Carbohydrates: Roughly 15g
Fat: About 3g
Fiber: Around 2g
Sugar: Approximately 1g
Nutrition
Calories: 100kcal
Nutrition Facts
Sourdough Buttermilk Protein Pancakes
Amount per Serving
Calories
100
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
I was tempted to call this Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal “German Christmas Market Oatmeal”, as that’s essentially what it tastes like. Minus the Mulled wine, which I guess would just be weird in oats. It has the spices, caramelised apple flavour, creamy vanilla-caramel taste and all topped with spices caramelised almonds. This is a worthy oatmeal for Christmas morning, yet still has you covered nicely on the nutrition front with added protein.
Why You Want to Make This
German Christmas Market in a Bowl
Who wouldn’t want a Christmas market tasting, steaming bowl of oatmeal in the morning, right? I mean, it’s getting rather cold here in Ireland and all I want in the morning is, to wrap myself around a hot bowl of yummy breakfast. Bonus points for deliciousness.
More often than not, it’s a very simple Blueberry-Apple Oatmeal with protein powder mixed in, but for the season I wanted something a little more special.
So I figured I’ll try to get it as close to the thing I miss most about Germany during this time of the year: Christmas Markets.
Thinking about the essence of those for me, two things popped into my mind: Caramelised, spiced almonds and candy apples. Which is how this Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal came into play.
These have their own recipe, as they are entirely optional, but very delicious!
I made a few versions of them, the simplest and quickest topping my Banoffee Protein Mousse Pie which is just taken to the point of the caramelised sugar crystallizing again and clinging to the almonds.
The version for this Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal is taken a good bit further, to shiny caramel perfection, and just as suited as topping as it is for a snack in its own right. Or a lovely homemade Christmas gift. So better make a lager batch, as you’ll absolutely want to nibble them! (She says, sneaking into the kitchen and grabbing the last piece of them).
Stewed Caramel Apples
Where was I? Ah, yes. Oatmeal. Now I can’t really include a whole crunchy, candy apple in my bowl (Please send pictures if you tried!). But I sure can capture the flavour. So I slowly let a little bit of honey caramelise and then add the chopped apples and spices, stewing them to perfection for a few minutes.
Protein
As always, I’m adding protein powder (For flavour and the benefits it provides) mixed with ½ cup of Soy milk towards the very end of the cooking time, to just heat it through, achieving a custardy creaminess in the Oats which I absolutely love.
Very little added Sugar
Usually I add no sugar at all to my oats, as I feel the fruits and protein powder add plenty of sweetness, but we need some for the almonds here (No sugar, no caramel unfortunately) and a little maple syrup for the apples. But it’s by no means a lot and I would still happily count Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal as healthy breakfast, even though it tastes utterly indulgent.
The Ingredients
Protein Powder – As usual I’m using MyProtein here.
In this particular case I just got a new bag of Toasted Marshmallow Flavour, which worked a treat with the general caramel theme.
This is neither affiliated nor sponsored. Just the powder I found to taste best after trying a fair few. If you never found one you actually enjoy, give this one a try.
Rolled Oats – As I enjoy the texture they give me and feel they are a bit more wholesome than the slightly more processed instant or porridge oats. But use what you prefer or have. If using instant oats, adjust the cooking time, as they need less time to get creamy.
Milk – Since I’m lactose intolerant when it comes to any unfermented milk products, I’m using unsweetened almond milk for cooking the oats and soy milk to mix the protein powder and add towards the end, for delicious custardy creaminess.
Apple – I always have Pink Lady around, as I love its sweetness with gentle acidity. And they are easily available in all supermarkets here. Use whatever apple you enjoy.
Spices – I’m adding a mix of Cinnamon, allspice, ground ginger, clove, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt for balance. If you just have cinnamon, that’s delicious too.
Caramelized Spiced Almonds – The recipe here makes more than you need for one portion of the oats. But once you made them, you’ll want more to nibble on. So better even double the recipe, to have some for guests and loved ones, popping by around this time of the year.
Honey – I used honey to caramelize the apple in it. You could use maple syrup or sugar instead.
The Process
To make your Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal, prepare the optional Caramelised Spiced Almonds as per this recipe if you decided to use them. You can keep them around for about a week in an airtight container.
Caramelise the Apple
Add honey to a cooking pot and let it bubble and caramelize on medium/high heat for a few minutes.
Stir in the chopped apple, ground cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. Ensuring it’s coated with the fragrant, caramelised layer of spices and honey.
Cook until the apple softens slightly. If it gets too dry, add a tablespoon of water. Transfer 1/3 of the mixture to a bowl for topping later.
Cook the Oats
Add oats and unsweetened almond milk to your pot, stirring, and let it boil gently until the milk is mostly absorbed. Meanwhile, shake the protein powder and the soy milk, to get a custard like consistency.
Stir your protein “custard” to the oats until well combined. Lower the heat and just gently warm the whole mix while stirring, until the liquid is mostly absorbed but the oats are still creamy.
Serve
Transfer into a serving bowl. Garnish with the remaining apples and top with caramelised almonds and, if you like, with a little more cinnamon.
Enjoy your Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal, feeling like you are walking over a German Christmas Market.
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share and comment. It helps me a lot.
Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal
I was tempted to call this Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal “German Christmas Market Oatmeal, as that’s essentially what it tastes like. Minus the Mulled wine, which I guess would just be weird in oats. It has the spices, caramelised apple flavour, creamy vanilla-caramel taste and all topped with spices caramelised almonds. This is a worthy oatmeal for Christmas morning, yet still has you covered nicely on the nutrition front with added protein.
1applewashed and chopped into bite sized pieces, without peeling
1tbsphoney or maple syrup
1tspbutter or olive oil for the pan
1tspground cinnamon
¼tspEACH of ground gingerallspice and nutmeg.
1/8tspground cloves
½cuprolled oats
1cupunsweetened almond milk
1scoopprotein powderI used MyProtein Toasted Marshmallow
½cupsoy milk
2tbspCaramelised Spiced Almondsoptional
Instructions
Prepare Caramelised Spiced Almonds:
Follow the recipe for Caramelised Spiced Almonds and set them aside. These can be stored in an airtight container for about a week.
Caramelize the Apple:
Add honey to a cooking pot and let it bubble and caramelize on medium/high heat for a few minutes.
Stir in the chopped apple, ground cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. Ensuring it's coated with the fragrant, caramelised layer of spices and honey.
Cook until the apple softens slightly. If it gets too dry, add a tablespoon of water. Transfer 1/3 of the mixture to a bowl for topping later.
Prepare Oatmeal Base:
In the same pot, add oats and unsweetened almond milk. Stir and let it gently boil until the milk is mostly absorbed.
Meanwhile, shake the protein powder and soy milk to achieve a custard-like consistency.
Combine Oats and Protein Custard:
Add the protein "custard" to the oats and stir until well combined.
Lower the heat and gently warm the mixture while stirring until the liquid is mostly absorbed, and the oats are creamy.
Serve:
Pour the Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal into a serving bowl.
Garnish with the remaining spiced apples and top with Caramelised Spiced Almonds if using.
If desired, sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top.
Notes
Calories: Approximately 380 kcal
Protein: Around 20g
Carbohydrates: Roughly 60g
Fat: About 8g
Fiber: Around 10g
Sugar: Approximately 25g
Nutrition
Calories: 380kcal
Nutrition Facts
Apple Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal
Amount per Serving
Calories
380
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Breakfast, Easy, fruit, Healthy, High Fibre, High Protein, Vegetarian
This Cranberry Sauce with Port and Clementines is a very grown up version of your usual Cranberry Sauce. It’s made by caramelising the sugar first, giving it depth of flavour. Even richer by adding port, taking it into Christmas territory via cinnamon and clementines, all working together wonderfully. You can use it as sauce or, if cooked longer, jam.
Why You Want to Make This
Everyone needs a good Cranberry sauce recipe. Especially if you, like me, are utterly tempted by the lovely bright ruby berries appearing on the supermarket shelves around this time of the year.
So why would you choose this one, considering you have to *gasp* caramelise sugar for it? (I promise, it’s easy)
Depth of Flavour
Have I made the very simple Cranberry sauces and jams that just require you to boil the cranberries with some sugar and be done? Of course I have. Were they good? Absolutely.
So why go through this extra step? Because caramel flavour just adds a whole new dimension to your sauce. The deeply dark, even slightly burnt, caramel flavour elevates this to a dish worthy for a Christmas Table. Either in form of Sauce or, if you prefer, as I do, as jam on your breakfast table.
It doesn’t add much extra work either. Just a little patience and occasional swirling of your pot, until you achieve that deep amber colour we are aiming for.
Port
Friends told me that for them, Port is the epitome of a Christmas drink. For me, being German, it always was Mulled Wine. So I basically combined the two here by using spices found in mulled wine and adding Port to the Cranberries while cooking, so the alcohol evaporates. It leaves behind its deep, sweet, and fruity notes, adding richness to the slightly astringent cranberries.
Versatility
As mentioned above, you can use this as Sauce by cooking shorter and adding some salt and pepper or Jam, by cooking longer. But have you ever tried adding it to butter, making essentially a cranberry compound butter, to spread under chicken skin. This is what I used for my Cranberry Rosemary Roasted Chicken.
The Ingredients
Cranberries, of course. You can use fresh or frozen here. I used 1 pack of fresh ones as I found them in the supermarket in Ireland.
Sugar, which will be caramelised first. Caster sugar, being finer, will melt a tiny bit faster, but I used standard white sugar, and it worked just fine.
2 cinnamon sticks – You could also use ground cinnamon. About 1 tsp should be enough.
Allspice – This, together with the cinnamon and the clementine zest, gives this sauce it’s very Christmas-like flavour.
A pinch of salt – Don’t skip this. It might seem like a tiny addition, but it lifts all the other flavours.
Clementines – Instead of the more classic oranges, I’m using clementines for their sweeter flavour. Both zest and fileted flesh.
Port – Use whatever port you’d also like to drink. Not only because there will be plenty left over in the bottle, but also because the flavour of it will shine through very clearly.
If you’d rather not include alcohol, you could use grape juice instead.
Variations: Try adding a different alcohol. Red wine, for a less sweet flavour or maybe some Amaretto for almond flavour. In Germany it’s sometimes added to mulled wine and it’s delicious.
Especially if using it as sauce, some Rosemary or Thyme would be lovely here.
Orange instead of clementine will do just fine and be a little less sweet.
The Process
For the clementines I specified zest and filets. I grated the zest, then, with a sharp knife, sliced off the top and bottom peel, so I could see the flesh. Then, following the curve of the fruit, I sliced off the skin, to expose the separate segments, taking off the bitter pith. By cutting with a small knife along the dividing skin between the segments, I cut out the little filets.
If you feel that’s just way too much work, feel free to just squeeze out the juice after zesting.
In a heavy based pot, for even heat distribution, add the sugar. Without stirring, but the occasional swirl, let it slowly melt and caramelise. It should turn a deep Amber, but not burn. Use your nose to determine when it reaches caramelisation. A stainless steel pot can help too, as you see the colour. Mine is dark and antistick, but the caramel scent worked perfectly, telling me when it was enough.
Once the caramel has reached the desired colour, add the remaining ingredients, and stir, so everything is coated with the caramel.
Let the Cranberry Sauce with Port and Clementines simmer for 10-20 minutes, depending on your desired consistency. I wanted a relatively firm and concentrated Jam I could spread on bread, so mine was cooked close to 20min.
With a spoon, fish out the cinnamon sticks and discard.
Serve you Cranberry Sauce with Port and Clementines either warm, as sauce or fill into a very clean jar and keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, if used as Jam. This is lovely either with cold meats (Try Roast Beef with crispy potatoes!) or spread on bread or used in a compound butter for all sorts of recipes.
Meal Prep
The Sauce can be made up to a week ahead and will keep fine in the fridge. Just gently warm it through before serving and maybe stir in a little water if needed, as it tends to firm up when cooling.
As Jam, this is absolutely delicious on my Sourdough Pumpkin Soda Bread, which would be lovely as Christmas breakfast.
Please Comment
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share and comment. It helps me a lot.
Cranberry Sauce with Port and Clementines
This Cranberry Sauce with Port and Clementines is a very grown up version of your usual Cranberry Sauce. It’s made by caramelising the sugar first, giving it depth of flavour. Even richer by adding port, taking it into Christmas territory via cinnamon and clementines, all working together wonderfully. You can use it as sauce or, if cooked longer, jam.
Put a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and allow the sugar to melt (without stirring) and turn a rich caramel colour before adding the cranberries, clementine filets and zest, spices and port.
Stir to coat everything in the caramel. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-20 minutes until the cranberries break down and thicken.
If you’d like to use this as sauce, season while cooking with salt and pepper and cook a bit shorter, to achieve a more sauce like consistency. For Jam, cook longer, until very thick.
Take out the cinnamon sticks and discard.
Pour into a very clean Jar and store in the fridge. The Sauce will keep about 1 week in the fridge.
Notes
Meal PrepThe Sauce can be made up to a week ahead and will keep fine in the fridge. Just gently warm it through before serving and maybe stir in a little water if needed, as it tends to firm up when cooling.6 Portions:Calories: Approximately 107 calories
Protein: Approximately 0.3 grams
Carbohydrates: Approximately 27 grams
Fat: Approximately 0.1 grams
Fiber: Approximately 3 grams
Nutrition
Calories: 107kcal
Nutrition Facts
Cranberry Sauce with Port and Clementines
Amount per Serving
Calories
107
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Easy, For Guests, fruit, meal prep, Vegetarian
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