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:
Garlic Bread. (Skip the artisan bread. Gotta use cheap French stick!)
Cheese and Garlic Crack bread (there are no words…)
Cheese, Herb and Garlic Quick Bread (loaf form, no yeast)
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
Bacon and Egg Breakfast Muffins – with a whole egg inside!
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!!
Hey nagi, wanting to make these into a zucchini muff version. Quick Q, can I sub the milk for Buttermilk? Noticed that buttermilk is your base for blueberry, choc chip etc muffins. Cheers! Phoebe
I simply shared an adaption on how to make this without unnecessary animal products, sharing adaptions is a very normal thing to do on a recipe, but of course a harmer feels the need to be bothered by my tips. Animal health is only a priority for you Rachel, to stop the animals from dying before you have them killed. What a joke. I’ve seen first hand how unhealthy and miserable these animals are.
Loved these muffins.I didn’t have any vegetable oil, so I used sesame oil, delicious. I also accidental brushed the butter on before cooking,again delicious.
Bland muffins are the worst. Well these are not that! A perfect mix of toastiness and sponginess, these are totally yum.
Made with Donna Hay Gluten Free SR flour and used nuttelex to sub butter and coconut cream to sub sour cream, coconut milk to sub milk and dairy free bio cheese to sub cheese and these made perfect and delicious Gluten Free and Dairy Free Muffins for the school tuckshop! Thankyou for an AMAZING recipe all the kids will love 🥰
I just made these with salami spinach and eshalottes and instead of parsley (not a fan) I used a teaspoon of chilli flakes. Instant hit and I have the housemates asking me to make more for work lunches.
So yummy
I made these this morning, and am now greedily devouring my second warm, garlicky, cheesy, buttery muffin.
So much for saving them to accompany a vegetable soup for supper!
So very tasty. I made these today and they went so fast! A few of us ate them, so they didn’t stand a chance of lasting. I added some cold baked carrot and pumpkin and used creme’ fresh instead of cream as that is what I had – I will be definitely be making these again. Thanks Nagi. Your site is the first place I look now for recipes – used to be Jamie or Nigella, but yours are so easy and foolproof…x x
Just made these delicious muffins! As extras I added sun-dried tomatoes, feta and spinach. They’re so soft, fluffy and tasty. Thanks for another great recipe, Nagi! 🙂
Nagi, I love all your recipes that I have tried. I’m having company and want to make these muffins. Do you think I can make them Gluten free for them ?
Hi Janet, I havent trend with gluten free flour just yet sorry – would love to know if you give it a try! N x
These muffins are perfect!!
Thank you for sharing another great recipe Nagi x
This has become my go-to recipe, even for a non-baker like me. This recipe is so forgiving, it just can’t go wrong. I do use a good olive oil though, & beat it into the wets. Also have subbed dip for when I don’t have yoghurt. Nagi, you’re the Best.
Lovely recipe yet again. Only discovered your website during lockdown, and have never had such consistent results from recipes. These were a little moist, with a lovely flavour and very delicate inside, lots of little air pockets. Beautiful!
Awesome to hear Tim! I’m glad you’re enjoying my website and recipes 🙂 – Nx
Used medium cheddar in recipe but that increased salt content significantly. Baked well. Just a shame muffins were salty. Probably will use mild cheddar next time.
I used extra mature. Nobody thought they were salty at all. Sounds like something went wrong, or your palate is quite different.
These muffins are delicious! The instructions on mixing the batter result in a beautifully tender and fluffy muffin. The only changes I made were to add a pinch of Parmesan cheese to the cheddar and a handful of bacon bits. Super yummy!
A super recipe thanks so much. ❤️
I have a question please. Why not Olive Oil or even melted butter? I had to borrow sunflower from a neighbour and we battled with the flavour and slight oily smell and feel.
Hi Nagi, I love your recipes and I get great results everytime, You are my go to when I search for recipes online.
My go-to website for recipes too! You move fail to please, Nagi! Thank you 🤗
Thank you SO much Barry, that’s so great to hear!! N x
This recipe looks amazing, which I expect because I’ve made some of your other recipes before, to great success.
I just wanted to clarify the instruction for crushed garlic. Do you mean to, for example, wack it with the back of a cleaver? If so, that sounds fine for making the garlic-infused butter, but then I imagine whole chunks of garlic in one muffin and none in the rest. Or did you mean to mince it or use something like a garlic press? I ask because I know that mincing it will cause it to release stronger flavors, and I just don’t know if that’s the intention. I like garlic, but not too much garlic!
Can you substitute wholemeal spelt flour to make it more wholesome? Thinking about a kids lunch box.
I’m not one to leave comments but hot damn these muffins change my view of savoury Muffins being dull and dense. These are more like savoury cupcakes they are that moist. The trick is to mix it exactly 8 times like you said. Thanks for the tip. I made giant ones for the cafe (makes 8) adding extra cheese on top to form a cheese crust and they sold out!
Hi Natasha, you could but I haven’t tested it, the liquid rails may be out and the muffin will turn out drier. N x