These Cheese Muffins taste like cheesy garlic bread, in muffin form!! I’ll take these savoury muffins over sweet ones any day. Quick to make and sinfully more-ish with golden crusty tops and incredibly fluffy soft 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 unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves , crushed using a garlic press or grated finely
- 2 cups (200g) shredded cheddar cheese (Note 1)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups 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)
- 1 cup milk (full or low fat)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (or plain yoghurt)
- 1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil (or any plain flavoured oils)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley , optional (Note 3)
- 1 garlic clove , crusted using garlic press or finely grated using microplane
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Melt butter with garlic, brush 11 holes generously (reserve bit for tops). Whisk Dry and Wet ingredients in separate bowls. Pour Dry into Wet, mix just 8 times. Add cheese, mix as little as you can. Fill 11 holes of muffin tin. Bake 25 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan), brush tops with remaining butter.
FULL RECIPE:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced)
- Garlic butter – Place butter and garlic in a microwave proof bowl and melt in 2 x 30 second bursts. Mix.
- Great muffin tin – Brush a 11 holes of a standard muffin tin generously with the butter, being sure to slather with some garlic. Use most – just reserve a bit for brushing the tops later)
- Make batter – Whisk Dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk Wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour Wet into the Dry ingredients bowl. Mix 8 times – some flour will remain not mixed in, that's ok.
- Add cheese, then mix as few times as possible just to incorporate remaining bits of flour – no more than 7 big stirs (secret to soft muffs). The batter can be lumpy, that's fine.
- Fill muffin tine – 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 25 – 27 minutes or until the muffins are domed, golden and crusty. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
- Butter brush and cool – Brush remaining butter on the surface (re-melt again if needed). Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove onto cooling rack. Cool for at least 5 minutes 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!!
I made these for a Church Shared Lunch. Everybody loved them. Absolutely delicious. I added capsicum, onion and corn to the ingredients. I used Mild Cheese with a handful of grated Smoke Cheese. The only tip I would say is if you are going to use Mild Cheese, season well. If you are going to use Tasty Cheese the amount of salt in the recipe is fine. I have already had requests from my Church Family to make these again, but double the quantity.
Made these this morning & they were delicious! Turned out perfect. I did make 2 batches, 1 lot I brushed the tops with the garlic butter once cooked as recipe said & 2nd lot I only brushed the muffin pan with the garlic butter & skipped the tops. Strangely I preferred the ones without the tops brushed with the garlic as I could taste the muffins more rather than a massive garlic taste. So for a less intense garlic flavour I would suggest not putting it on top. But both ways were amazing! Thank you Nagi X
Mine turned out dry. Finished baking at the 22 minute mark. I only had about 5 oz of cheese instead of 7, but don’t think that would be the reason why.
Is the batter supposed to be thick? Like wet bread dough think.
Thank you for the recipe. I rarely cook and I am awful in the kitchen but these muffins came out perfect!
Have just found you Nagi,
We had a large bag of beautiful New Zealand red apples given to us and decided to look up apple muffins and found your site .
I made your beautiful MOIST APPLE MUFFINS .
BEAUTIFUL
Have never used white Vinegar before in muffins before it’s amazing how it will activate the soda .
Will experiment more.
Thank you .
These were amaaaazing! I can’t wait to make them again. Is there a substitute for sour cream if I don’t have any on hand?
Wondering this myself today. Did you attempt it without? I’m about to. Possibly I’ll try one more egg and splashes of milk …
The recipe says you can use yoghurt instead of sour cream.
I’m wondering if I can make the batter a day ahead so I can simply bake them when my guests arrive.
I would say not as the baking powder will have de-actvated
These are the softest fluffiest savoury muffins I think I’ve ever had. Substituted fresh garlic for jarred minced garlic. Then I added bacon, carrot, red onion, capsicum, zucchini and corn as add ins. So delicious!! 🤤
I made these today. I added shredded carrots and chopped jalapeños. The muffins were light, fluffy and delicious . Thanks!
Hi! Any chance you’d know if they would be good with whole grain flour?
Oh no!!! Popped them in the oven with all the gorgeous add-ins, started tidying up ands found the whisked egg in the jug!! Forgot to add it in. So upset. Booohooooo. Lesson learned. Must check off all ingredients…
Long time Nagi fan here. I’m never disappointed in her incredible recipes and this one is no exception! I added some chopped green onions because I needed to use them up and WOW. I will be making these regularly and in the future I will make sure to also have breakfast sausages (American style made from ground Meats and herbs) made up to pair with them. I’m so tired of sugary and sweet breakfasts and this is a long term solution to that. Thank you, Nagi! (I also can’t wait to add some red Bell peppers to these, if you’re reading reviews and are wondering if you should make these, let me save you some time- make them right now!)
These are super delichious! I just made them and am afraid they are not going to last long. Instead of garlic I used garlic and herb and parsley. When they came out of the oven I brushed butter and put back under the grill for further 3 mins instead of microwaveing.
Hi, I want to make these muffins but I don’t have fresh garlic. How much jared minced garlic do I use? Thanks
I used 2 teaspoons in the butter garlic mix and 1 in the muffins. Tastes amazing!
You are right. These cheesy garlic muffins came out light & fluffy. I only had 1 cup of flour, so I added 1/2 cup whole wheat + 1/2 cornmeal to equal the second cup of flour. Expected these muffins to be ‘belly bombs’, but they were so light!
Added dried herbs from our garden. Will experiment with other add-ins now that I know the basic recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
Hi, I want to make these muffins but I don’t have fresh garlic. How much jared minced garlic do I use? Thanks
1 tspn jar minced garlic = 1 garlic clove
Awesome recipe. I substituted the all purpose flour for 100% whole wheat flour and they turned out great. Crispy on outside and nice and fluffy on inside. Perfect addition for a cold rainy soup night! …and to fill the kids up! Lol.
I just made this recipe using gluten free plain flour and lactose free milk, turned out perfectly! Thanks!
Second time i make it this week. Its ridiculously good. They are so fluffy and flavorful. First time i made them we almost ate all of them 😬
I have made these 4 times and they are by far the best muffins I have made. Thank you. If I can make them anyone can.
I have just taken these out of the oven. My kitchen smells amazing. I removed them from the tins immediately after brushing the tops with the garlic butter and they didn’t stick or crumble at all. Ended up with 12 after adding feta, olives and sundried tomatoes. Now I’m off to taste test! I’m certain they won’t last long!
These were excellent!!
I had the last of a can of Maesri red curry paste knocking around my fridge (~2 Tbsp), so I whisked it into the wet ingredients, and used cilantro in place of parsley. So insanely good! There was just a hint of red curry flavor – in fact more of a SCENT than a flavor. Perfect with the sharp cheddar I used. Will absolutely make again!