Fudge Protein Pitaya Workout Cups (vegan, gluten-free, white beans)

A protein-packed fudge workout snack with white beans and dragonfruit, easy to blend up, freeze and eat, before or after your workout or busy day.

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Fudge Protein Pitaya Workout Cups (white beans, vegan)

Pre-workout snacks became very important to me the day I noticed a serious difference in the benefit of a 45-min workout when I had had a healthy snack before beginning my workout one early morning earlier this year.

I generally workout in the morning, spinning for about 45-min, and I used to start with my ginger-lemon shot before beginning since I have a 7 am wake up, but one morning in January I was just hungry!

I needed something, so I had some of my 2-ingredient white bean strawberry bites here, and wow, what a difference! I went 1 hour spinning and could have gone much longer!

So that was the day I realized how important pre-workout snacks are. And I began in earnest creating several, including this one. And in these recipes, I decided to use white beans for a strong source of protein and fiber.

White Beans are a Protein-Packed Secret Weapon in Desserts

White beans are an excellent recipe-booster because they add protein and fiber. But they are especially useful in desserts because they serve as a blank palate, allowing the sweet bright dessert flavors to stand front and center.

They are also full of a slew of other nutritional benefits, including potassium and iron, good for shiny hair among other effects; thiamine for a boost to your cognitive abilities; heart-supporting folate and magnesium, and copper to fight inflammation and antioxidants galore!

I chose to use organic canned beans though I’m sure freshly cooked beans would work as well. If you use canned, be sure to use organic, to be sure the beans don’t have additional ingredients. And I chose unsalted so I could control the sodium.

In this recipe I used anti-oxidant-rich pitaya and delicious almond flour. The crust literally tastes like a cookie.

Here I mixed it with coconut oil (healthy fats) and maple syrup to make the base, and added a creamy no-bake filling with pitaya and white beans.

Wow! So energizing! Just one is probably needed before a workout.

Sometimes I top them with coconut yogurt, but on treat days, as pictured here, I pipe on vegan fudge frosting!

Here are a few more of my high-protein white bean recipes:
3-ingredient Chocolate Protein Workout Bites
2-ingredient Blueberry Pre-workout Protein Bites
White Bean Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Have a great workout and a great day!


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Fudge Protein Pitaya Workout Cups (vegan, gluten-free, white beans)

A protein-packed fudge workout snack with white beans and dragonfruit, easy to blend up, freeze and eat, before or after your workout or busy day. This recipe makes 6 regular cupcake-sized cups or 12 small cupcakes

Course Snack

Cuisine vegan, dairy-free

Keyword dragonfruit, fudge, pitaya, protein, white beans

Does it keep? 1-month in freezer

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 139 kcal

Author Dee Dine

Ingredients

Pitaya (dragonfruit) Layer

• 1 can (15oz/425gms) of white beans, organic & precooked (navy beans;I have used Eden and Whole Foods 365 brand)
• 2 pkgs (3.5oz/100G) frozen Pitaya packages (found at Whole Foods)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional - pitaya tastes like bland kiwi but if you like things sweet, you might want to add this maple syrup)

Almond Cookie Base

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners or use a silicon mold.

2. Mix base in bowl with spoon. Press 2 tbsp into each cupcake paper. Freeze while you make pitaya filling.
   

3. Blend up rinsed beans and the contents of the pitaya packages. I melt mine by dropping them in a pot of hot water (stove turned off).
   

4. Pour filling over base and freeze cups overnight.
   

5. To eat, thaw 10 minutes and keep frozen until ready to eat! I piped vegan frosting swirl on top with a 1M tip.

Nutrition Facts

Fudge Protein Pitaya Workout Cups (vegan, gluten-free, white beans)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 139 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9g 14%

Saturated Fat 4g 20%

Sodium 2mg 0%

Potassium 132mg 4%

Total Carbohydrates 12g 4%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 4g

Protein 4g 8%

Calcium 4.6%

Iron 6.2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.