These Cheese Muffins will disappear in seconds! Quick and easy, sinfully more-ish, these savoury muffins are buttery and garlicky with golden crusty tops and fluffy moist insides.
Keep a stash for snacking, pop them in lunch boxes or serve a basket of these with dinner!
Cheese Muffins – a great savoury muffin recipe!
So basically, these muffins are every cheese-lovin’-Carb-Monsters’ dream come true.
Inhale deeply, and you’ll get a waft of buttery garlicky goodness mingling with that unmistakable smell of melting cheese.
Look closely, and you’ll feel the warmth radiating from these muffins, fresh out of the oven.
That top one’s got your name written all over it. Go on. I saved it for you!
OK, technology hasn’t advanced quite far enough yet that I can deliver you fresh-out-of-the-oven Cheese Muffins through a screen.
But luckily, just 10 minutes of effort is all that stands between you and and a fresh batch of these!
Add-in options for these savoury muffins
These Cheese Muffins are absolutely terrific as is, and it’s how I make them most of the time.
Having said that though, it’s a sensational base for all sorts of add ins. Imagine the possibilities! I’ve used sun dried tomatoes, olives and feta in the photo below. Try mushrooms, spinach, zucchini (grated and excess liquid squeezed out), BACON, ham, chorizo, even cooked chicken. You could really turn these savoury muffins into a mini meal!
I’ve added some more suggestions in the recipe notes – basically, just add 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of whatever add ins you want.
Give me any combination of cheese, garlic, butter and bread, and it’s all over. It’s almost worrying that I have not one, but FIVE versions of garlic bread in various forms on this blog:
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Garlic Bread. (Skip the artisan bread. Gotta use cheap French stick!)
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Cheese and Garlic Crack bread (there are no words…)
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Cheese, Herb and Garlic Quick Bread (loaf form, no yeast)
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These Cheese Muffins.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to grab one of these Cheese Muffins while they’re still warm. One of the most torturous photo shoots I’ve done in a while! – Nagi x
MORE SAVOURY MUFFIN RECIPES
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Bacon and Egg Breakfast Muffins – with a whole egg inside!
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Cornbread Muffins – personal favourite!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Savoury Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Butter and Cheese:
- 3 tbsp / 50g salted butter (unsalted + salt)
- 2 garlic cloves , crushed
- 2 cups / 200g grated cheddar cheese (Note 1)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups / 300g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda / bi-carb soda (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 egg (large, about 60g / 2 oz) , lightly whisked
- 1 cup milk (full or low fat)
- 1/4 cup / 60 g sour cream (or plain yoghurt)
- 1/3 cup / 85 ml vegetable oil (or any plain oils, not olive oil)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (Note 3)
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan).
- Place butter and garlic in a microwave proof bowl and melt in 30 second bursts. Mix.
- Brush a 12 hole standard muffin tin generously with butter, being sure to slather with some garlic. Reserve some butter to brush tops.
- Whisk Dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Whisk Wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Pour Wet into the Dry ingredients bowl. Mix 8 times. Add cheese, mix as few times as possible just to incorporate remaining bits of flour - no more than 7 big stirs (secret to soft muffs).
- Divide between 11 holes in muffin in (I use an ice cream scooper). Batter should be thick and fill muffin tin to top (if in ball shape due to scooper, leave as is). See video.
- Bake for 22 - 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden and crusty and spring back when touched in the centre.
- Remove onto cooling rack, brush with remaining butter (microwave again if needed) and cool slightly before getting stuck into them!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
He’s home! The first thing I thought when I saw his shaved leg was “Yessss!!!! 25% less fur droppage all over the house!” 😂
In all seriousness though, he is doing just fine. Zonked out for most of the day.
I am loving that harness he got sent home with. And so is Dozer – just that little bit of help to get him on his feet and hobble outside to the toilet. That’s the most action he’s going to get for a while!!
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This is my first time trying a recipe from your site and WOW, I am impressed! These are DELICIOUS. The house smells amazing!
Using your mixing trick, these came out so fluffy and soft. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Hi!
Can I use multigrain four i/o regular flour? And natural greek yogurt i/o sour cream?
No sorry – the hydration amounts are different so that won’t work! N x
Delicious – I used avocado oil for the oil and cottage cheese instead of sour cream. I also used wholemeal plain flour, basil as the herb and grated pumpkin and a little finely chopped red onion. While I was making the mixture I oven roasted some cherry tomatoes and added to the top of the muffins. Fingers crossed my 2 year old likes them!
Another great recipe from you Nagi! I didn’t have enough sour cream but had some leftover french onion dip and smooth ricotta cheese so used them in a 25/25/50 ratio making a double batch. Also used wholemeal flour and added some veg and meat as suggested in the tips. Excellent lunch box filler.
Wow! Delicious, I gad to joke MG isn buttermilk (milk anc apple cider vinegar) as I didn’t have yogurt or sour cream. I added a small very finely diced red onion, pinch of cayenne pepper anc a touch of mustard… will definitely be on the make again list 💕
Wow. Yummy.
My family have been hassling me to make some savoury muffins for ages but I like chocolate too much.
Made these. Absolutely gorgeous and so tasty.
I used natural yoghurt which worked great. Also used my favourite cheddar and was glad I did. Maybe a little salty? I might leave out the salt next time.
Made for a friend as a birthday gift. They smell, look, and taste delicious! I didn’t have sour cream or cheddar cheese so I substituted buttermilk and colby+parmesan (respectively) and they turned out fine.
Thank you Julia! So glad you enjoyed them! N x
Every recipe I have tried by Nagi has turned out delicious! One of my favorite food bloggers ever and I’m making her pot roast tomorrow for my family.
Thank you for those kind words Sharon! N x
Hi Nagi! Thank you so much for this recipe. My family loved the salty, cheesy fluffyness…. LOVED. P.S. I want to be superstitious for life about the “do not stir more than” rule you talk about for the muffins, because I have an over-whisking problem, and this rule gave the most beautiful muffins I’ve ever made! #gamechanger 😋
Hi Nagi, thanks millions for a super recipe. Works every time, didn’t have milk this round, but had some whey left from cheese making the other day. Used that with a bit of extra butter for lost fat content from milk and sour cream and it was still amazing. Defenitely one for the family recipe book.
Yes! Zero food waste…good idea! N x
Can I bake it as a loaf instead of muffin. N can I use paper cups for muffins in this recipe as the cheese will melt n the muffins might stick to the pan
I don’t know about the loaf but you can use paper liners if you prefer. N x
I made these for our extended family on the morning of my mother in law’s funeral, knowing everyone would need something tasty to ‘fill the gap’ before heading to the 1pm service. They were a huge hit – thank you Nagi for providing such excellent recipes and methods. The number of times to stir the wet / dry mix even! And the muffins were perfect – definitely a keeper, thanks again.
Oh, I am sorry for your loss. Thank you for the compliment. N x
Well
I promised my mother I would make these for her birthday tomorrow. And now I just found larvae in all my flour…
The only flour that survived was my whole grain einkorn flour xD
Do you think it would be possible to use this flour? Or will that completely ruin the texture?
Nagi, thank you for this recipe! And all your other recipes- they’re always a hit with friends and family, and many are recurring weekly meals. You should sell a cookbook!
Around 10yrs ago I followed a recipe for savoury muffins, and they were terrible- my dog then, who ate everything- refused to eat them, and this is the only time in his 15yrs he ever rejected food. This is the first time I’ve attempted savoury muffins again- and these are awesome!
Nagi, I’ve tried several of your recipes thus far and yesterday was my first try on the savoury muffins. They were amazing delicious! Thank you for the simple, delicious recipes with easy steps and the most amazing insider tips!
I made these this morning for a ladies mimosas/coffee morning. Very easy to make and tasted delish, a hit with everyone.
We just made these and added cooked onion, bacon bits and capsicum. Wnt down a treat! Easy to make and easy to eat!
Nagi, you are the best!
Any time I need a recipe I check your site.
These are the best savoury muffins I’ve ever made. You make it so easy for us to cook delicious things.
I especially like that I could add whatever little extras I wanted and they still turned out fluffy and moist.
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Brigette, think of all the combos – what are you making next?? N x
Thank you Nagi, this is now my go-to when we need to take something on a picnic, or when we have people coming over for morning or afternoon tea!
Dear Nagi, I’ve made these muffins for my kids to take to school twice in the span of two weeks, and they keep asking for more. Thank you fir another fantastic and versatile recipe!