Savoury Muffins are cheesy muffins studded with Mediterranean flavours – olives, sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers and feta! Because these stay fresh for several days, they’re ideal as a food gift, a school fete, lunchbox idea, and making ahead for afternoon tea with friends or to serve in place of bread rolls at dinner.
Brilliant base recipe to make your own – just add 2 1/2 cups of whatever you want into the batter!
Savoury Muffins
When I need to make something quickly, whether it be friends dropping by on short notice, to take somewhere or a last minute food gift, I turn to these muffins more than any other sweet treat recipe I’ve shared. Ever.
And why it’s taken this long for me to share this remains a mystery – to both you and me. 😂
The beauty of these muffins are that:
Super quick and easy to make – you probably have everything you need to make them right now;
They stay moist and fresh for 3 to 4 days (which you can’t say about most muffins which tend to be quite dry the next day, unless warmed up);
Highly versatile – put in any bits and bobs in your fridge, or things you find in cans and jars in your pantry. Think: ham, bacon, fresh and canned vegetables, pickles, olives, canned corn, roasted peppers, capers, sun dried tomatoes, pickled onions;
Everyone loves them. I’ve had friends give my Choc Chip Muffins a miss. Nobody passes on these savoury muffins!
That moment when you break open the warm cheesy muffin and bite into an olive mixed in with some feta…. SO GOOD!
What you need for savoury muffins
Here’s what you need to make savoury muffins.
A few notes on some of the items:
Baking soda (aka bi-carb) can be substituted with more baking powder (baking soda is basically baking powder on steroids);
Flour can be white or wholemeal;
Add ins – use 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups of whatever you want. I’ve used feta, olives, sun dried tomatoes and roasted peppers because I have all those in my fridge, always! Think: diced vegetables (mmmm, garlic mushroom muffins anyone??), canned and jarred vegetables, antipasto type foods, and anything from the deli!
Yogurt / sour cream – the sour element in these helps to activate the baking soda to give it a kick start so the muffins are lovely and soft with a tender crumb.
No butter – butter adds flavour but oil makes baked goods moist. With all the flavour from the Add ins plus cheese, just using oil in the batter is fine!
How to make savoury muffins
No different to your favourite Blueberry and Chocolate Chip Muffins!
Whisk dry ingredients
Whisk wet ingredients
Add wet into dry ingredients
Mix 8 times or less (excess mixing = tough cannonballs instead of soft fluffy muffins)
Fold through 2 1/2 cups Add Ins of choice – I’ve used olives, sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers (capsicum), feta and green onions.
Plonk into muffin tin then bake!
More ideas for add ins
The beauty of this recipe is that you can literally add almost anything (savoury!) into the muffins. Here’s a few ideas:
diced, sautéed vegetables – zucchini, corn, carrot, onion, potato. Cook them in a little butter, garlic, salt and pepper until softened;
roasted vegetables – pumpkin, sweet potato!
grilled vegetables – leftover homemade Marinated Grilled Vegetables would be 100% amazing!
cauliflower or broccoli, cooked then roughly diced;
ham or cooked bacon, diced;
other deli and cooked meats (diced or shredded);
canned corn, asparagus, mushrooms or other vegetables;
any antipasto type deli goods – canned, jarred, in oil or brine;
flaked salmon, trout, tuna (fresh cooked or canned drained); and
leftover cooked meats.
I’m sure I’m missing some other obvious suggestions – if I am, leave them in the comments section below and I’ll update the recipe!
When to make these savoury muffins
Thinking back over the past 3 months, here are all the occasions for which I have made these muffins – and it’s a fair few times because they’re really handy being they are quick to make and stay fresh!
Impromptu gathering with friends – whether at mine, at a friends’ place, in a park, anywhere!
Gift for personal and work purposes – ideal because they are almost as good as freshly made 3 days later;
For a fundraiser – everybody makes sweet things, but I swear, savoury ones are more popular;
As an alternative to a basket of warm bread rolls at dinner;
And the most frequent reason I make them? Speaking really frankly – when I’m trying to get or stay in someone’s good graces. 😂 I find these Savoury Muffins are highly effective for this purpose!
– Nagi x
PS Other things that I make for similar reasons (again, because they stay fresh for ages and are made in individual portions) include: caramel popcorn (bag them separately), brownies (wrap each one with paper and twine) or gluten free brownies, cornbread muffins and apple muffins. ❤️
Watch how to make it
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Mediterranean Savoury Muffins
Ingredients
- Butter or oil spray , for greasing
Add Ins:
- 2 cups (200g) cheddar cheese , shredded (or other cheese)
- 75g / 2.5oz feta , crumbled*
- 1/2 cup green olives slices *
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes strips *
- 1/2 cup roasted peppers *, drained and chopped (capsicum)
- 1/2 cup green onions *, sliced
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups (300g) flour (plain / all purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda / bi-carb soda (sub 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 egg (large, about 60g / 2 oz)
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk (full or low fat)
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or plain yoghurt (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil (or any plain flavoured oil)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/320°F fan).
- Brush a 12 hole standard muffin tin generously with butter
- 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, feta, sun dried tomato, capsicum, olives and green onion. 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 12 holes in muffin in (I use an ice cream scooper). Batter should be thick and fill muffin tin slightly mounded (see video)
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden and crusty and spring back when touched in the centre.
- Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Serve warm for optimum experience!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Today – Yakitori Team Lunch.
Dozer – in position.
I live in Florida and wonder if I should put the leftover muffins in refrigerator since our weather is hot and humid? Always a concern!
Thanks
HI Pam! Yep, for super humid yes I agree, Thank you for pointing that out, I will put it in the recipe 🙂 N x
Delicious. I didn’t have any sour cream or yoghurt so added 2 tbsp lemon juice into the milk to make buttermilk then let it. stand for 30 mins.
100% perfect, I should add that tip! N x
First time I have ever written a note on line! These muffins are so scrumptious! Olives, feta, capsicum, cheese, so yum! They turned out perfectly. Don’t make them unless you want to get hooked. Move over chocolate. LOL. Stumbled on Nagi’s site as I fell in love with Dozer and stayed for the recipes!
Oooh YAY!! So glad you loved this (and even gladder Dozer hooked you 😂)
I wonder if the batter could be baked in an 8×8″ pan like you may use with cornbread. Not changing anything in the original recipe, even temperature.
Yes! It works great 🙂 About 30 minutes I think, from memory?? N x
Don’t think I’ll make these to give away ! What fantastic breakfast fodder 🙂 ! Wholemeal flour, sour cream and chorizo for an occasional treat . . . !! Heaps of onions . . . wow !!
CHORIZO!!! Yuuuum….
Hi Nagi, I have been baking a recipe very similar to these for years but just in a rectangular tray and then just slicing them into individual portions. They also freeze really well and are are a yummy side when having a bowl of soup. Yum!!!
YES! I saw it made like that at a B&B I was at last year, it was so good! Sometimes I just can’t be bothered washing muffin tins 😂
Hi Nagi!! I haven’t seen savory muffins since I was a kid. Most muffins are sweet these days, but this looks delicious!! I will definitely be making these (maybe this weekend).
I would take savoury over sweet any day! 🙂 N x
Do you think these can be made in mini muffin tins?
100% yes, guessing 15 min in oven 🙂 N x
These muffins are super delicious. .and Dozer you are such a cute rascal waiting for a table treat. .Luca says hello🐕👍
rascal is right 😂
These are right up my alley, Nagi!!! Can’t wait to make them, lots of ideas for mix ins swirling in my head!
Do you think I could add ricotta cheese, in place of shredded cheese, or would that be too wet?
Hi Rozanne! If you dollop it onto the top after putting the batter in the holes I think it will work a treat!
yummy! there was no option to pin this recipe? Would love to save it for later.
Hmm! Thanks for letting me know, will look into it! N x
Hi Nagi! These sound delicious and they will be coming out of my oven very soon! It is you who got me hooked on sun dried tomatoes…thank you, thank you!
Aren’t they the BEST??!! N x
Just LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes and every one I try is a true winner!!! But I must tell you the best part of your blog posts is seeing that beautiful Dozer! Just want to hug him!
And I LOVE LOVE LOVE that Dozer is your favourite part!😂
Oh, yum.. I will definitely be making these delicious looking muffins over the weekend. I gave 5 stars because every recipe of yours that I have made is a 5 star. Thanks for all your hard work.
Hope you get a chance to try it Angela! N x
How wonderful…. I’m sure my family and friends will love it. Thank you very much