Based on my beloved Cheese Muffins, these savoury Zucchini Muffins are the cheesy kind rather than the sweet zucchini bread kind. Quick to make, stays fresh 4 days, these are great to tuck into lunch boxes or take into work to share for morning tea!
Cheesy Zucchini Muffins
I don’t mean to undermine the (many!) sweet muffins I’ve shared over the years, but I’m a savoury gal so I’d take these these Zucchini Muffins over sweet ones any day of the week. I love how crusty and golden they are on the inside, and cushiony soft inside with a hint of garlicky flavour. And though they’ve got a good mound of grated zucchini inside, to be honest, you can’t actually taste zucchini at all, just cheesy goodness.
But the zucchini fills it out, adds nice little green specks, keeps the muffin moist and stay fresh for days and days. Plus, you get to feel a little virtuous, snacking on a muffin with hidden greens!
(PS If you’re worried about your eaters being turned off by suspicious green bits, just peel the zucchini. They’ll never even know!)
Ingredients in Cheesy Zucchini Muffins
Here’s what you need to make these soft, cheesy savoury muffins.
A zucchini (courgette) – A medium size one around 180g/6oz in weight, though you don’t need to be meticulous about the size. This recipe will work fine if yours is a little smaller or larger. Just don’t use a gigantic baseball bat size one!
And as above, if you have picky eaters who will be suspicious at the sight of green specks in the muffin, you can always just peel it! 🙂
Cheese – Shredded cheddar, tasty cheese, or any other cheese you like that melts well, except mozzarella as it doesn’t have enough flavour by itself. Store-bought pre-shredded is fine here – I don’t always say that! My go-to is the Devondale 3 Cheese Blend (mozzarella, parmesan and Colby), carried at Woolworths and Coles here in Australia.
Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. I rarely use self-raising flour which has baking powder built in because things just don’t rise as well, and the crumb is not as soft.
Olive oil – This is the fat in these muffins, instead of butter. Oil, rather than butter, makes muffins stay fresher and with for longer for a number of reasons, but the most obvious one being that oil stays fluid at room temperature whereas butter solidifies.
One egg – Just one egg rather than two which you’d usually expect to see for a batter to make a dozen muffins. Egg holds the crumb together, but eggs also dries out baked goods. So when I can get away with using just one egg, I’ll take it! The muffin stays fresher than when using two, something I specifically tested when I made the original Cheese Muffins on which this batter is based.
Yogurt (or sour cream) – A bakers’ trick, for soft fluffy muffins! It adds moisture into the batter but because it’s thicker than liquids like milk, you don’t need to add as much flour to keep the batter thick to make the muffin dome nicely. Full-fat makes nicer muffins, but low-fat will work too.
Milk – I also use milk because using just yogurt would make the batter too thick! Also, milk is cheaper than yogurt, so I’d rather use more of that where I can. 🙂
Baking powder and baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) – Both of these are leaveners that make muffins rise. They behave differently in different batters and for this muffin, I use a combination of both for the best rise, dome shape and soft fluffy crumb. But if you don’t have one of them, you can substitute with more of the other, I’ve popped the directions in the recipe card.
Garlic – Just one, for a little bit of tasty garlicky goodness!
Salt – To add a little seasoning into the muffin. Bit bland without!
How to make Cheesy Zucchini Muffins
One thing about these muffins – they have a tendency to get stuck in the muffin tin, even with a generous oil spray, because of the cheese. Admittedly though, the non stick coating on my muffin tin has seen better days! So I dust the muffin tin lightly with flour. If you can’t be bothered to do this, you can just line with paper muffin cases, though you’ll forgo the golden base and sides.
1. Preparation
Before you start the batter, get the muffin tin prepared and grate the zucchini. No need to salt and sweat, we’re just going to squeeze out excess water using our hands.
Grate the zucchini using a standard box grater.
Squeeze – Then grab handfuls and squeeze out excess water. No need to go crazy here with superhuman strength or use a tea towel to wring out every droplet. The muffins are actually designed to use water released from the muffins as they bake.
Flour coat muffin tin – As noted above, these muffins have a tendency to stick so I use flour as a precaution for easy release! Spray the holes of a standard muffin tin lightly with oil. Spoon a little flour into each hole then shake and rotate to coat the sides and base with flour.
Remove excess – Bang over sink to remove excess well (if it’s coated thickly, you’ll end up with visible flour on the muffins).
Alternatively, just line with paper muffin cases!
2. make and bake
These muffins are made the standard way: whisk wet and dry in separate bowls, then mix them together, stirring the zucchini and cheese in at the end. Use all the batter to fill the muffin tin holes – so they dome nice and tall!
Whisk dry – Put the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Whisk wet – Put the wet ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Combine – Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until you can only see a bit of flour (about 8 big stirs). I am limiting your stirs because excess stirring = tough muffins = 😭!
Zucchini and cheese – Add the zucchini and cheese, then stir just until they are mixed through, then stop stirring. Try to limit to 10 stirs. The mixture will be quite thick. The muffins get extra moisture from water released by the zucchini as they bake.
Fill – Divide the batter between the muffin tin holes. A cookie scoop is efficient here!
Bake for 25 minutes at 200°C/390°F (180°C fan-forced) until the tops are golden. They will dome impressively!
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing onto a cooling rack.
Stuck? If the muffins seem stuck, run a knife around the rim of the muffin tin holes (muffin top overflow tends to adhere) and if they still won’t come out, bang the pan on the counter to loosen (it really works and it’s so satisfying!). I have been known to bang quite furiously in order to loosen stubborn muffins.
These muffins will keep for a good 4 to 5 days in an airtight container in the pantry. Though if it’s warm in your house, keep them in the fridge or they’ll grow fur! (I mean mould. I didn’t want to say mould, but then I thought I’d better clarify. 😂)
Enjoy them as a snack (it’s such a great one for taking places because the muffins are lovely and soft even if it’s a cold winter day), tuck them into lunch boxes, serve them alongside a a warm bowl of soup like this Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, cosy Country Harvest Root Vegetable Soup or a delicious Leek and Potato Soup.
Or take them to work for morning tea to share with you co-workers. Well, your 11 favourite co-workers. Must have one for yourself of course! – Nagi x
Cheesy Zucchini Muffins FAQ
4 days in the pantry in an airtight container, though if it’s warm it is better to keep them in the fridge.
Yes! For the loaf pan recipe, see my Zucchini Cheese Loaf Bread, and to make a sheet-pan style slab for cutting into squares, this Zucchini cheese muffin slab (sometimes washing a muffin tin is just a pain, y’know?? 😂).
For the mini muffin tin, use the same oven temperature (gives the initial rise a boost and a lovely golden cheesy dome) and reduce the oven time. Check first at 15 minutes using a toothpick, then bake in 2 minute increments thereafter if needed. You’ll get more than 24 mini muffins out of one batch – maybe 48!
We made these with White Wings gluten free flour and they came out just like you see in the pictures – on the outside and inside! I literally could not tell the difference.
Note: Gluten-free flour blends vary a lot between brands, so I can only vouch for White Wings, a brand that is sold in main-stream grocery stores here in Australia. However, the fact that it worked so well gives me confidence other good gluten-free flour blends should work too, though softness and rise may vary slightly.
Yes, you could shred or finely slice things carrots, baby spinach. Use 1 1/2 cups, tightly packed.
Watch how to make it
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Cheesy Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray , for greasing the muffin tins well
Add Ins:
- 1 zucchini , larg-ish, about 180g / 6 oz each, shredded using a box grater, excess liquid squeezed out using hands (Note 1)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded (or tasty, Colby or other melting cheese except mozzarella – Note 2)
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups plain flour / 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 cooking salt / kosher salt
Wet ingredients (no need to bring to room temp):
- 1 large egg (~50 – 55g/2 oz each)
- 3/4 cup milk (full or low fat)
- 1/4 cup plain yoghurt or sour cream, full fat best but low-fat works as well
- 1/4 cup olive oil (or any plain flavoured oil)
- 1 garlic clove , grated or crushed using a garlic press
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
- Whisk wet and dry in separate bowls, combine, stir in cheese and grated zucchini (excess water squeezed out). Bake 25 min in flour dusted or paper lined muffin tin (cheese gets stuck!) at 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
FULL RECIPE
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan-forced).
- Prepare muffin tin – Spray a 12 hole standard muffin tin generously with oil. If your non-stick coating isn't in great shape (like mine), either use liners instead or lightly dust with flour – I prefer this, for golden muffin sides and base. (Note 3 for how to flour dust pans). Cheese is a strong glue!!
- Grate the zucchini with a standard box grater. Grab handfuls and squeeze out excess water (no need to go to extremes with a tea towel).
- Dry ingredients – Whisk Dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Wet ingredients – Whisk Wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Combine wet and dry – Pour Wet into the Dry ingredients bowl. Mix 8 times or until flour is almost mixed in but you can still see some.
- Add zucchini and 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 will be quite thick – don't worry, the zucchini releases moisture as it bakes.
- Bake 25 min – Divide between 12 holes in muffin in (I use an ice cream scooper). Bake for 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden and crusty, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. If they are a bit stuck (cheese!), run a knife around the rim then invert and bang the pan on the counter so they tumble out. Serve warm for optimum experience!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More savoury muffins
Give me cheesy savoury muffins over sweet ones any day!
Life of Jaffle
The next generation oven timer, reporting for duty!
He looks a little impatient here though. Why is baking so SLOW???
My heart skipped a beat when I saw his reflection in the oven door in the recipe video though, I thought for a moment it was Dozer. 💔
Can you make small ones… if so how long to bake ?
Absolutely! Check them at…hmm, 15 minutes. Same oven temp, you want hot for a nice golden cheese crust and give them a rising boost! – N x
I’m going to try these tomorrow. I also have a part bag of baby spinach I’ll add to the mix, just because I love the flavour!
Easy to make! I used vintage Gouda but think cheddar may give a more cheesy flavour! Lovely and moist with crispy edges. Will make again soon. Thank you.
I have unsweetened oat milk, can I use that instead of dairy milk? Or does the dairy milk have acid or something else that is necessary to the recipe?
Thanks!
I have to make them this weekend. I love…love…love zucchini.
I have a similar recipe with feta cheese, and sometimes I even put olives in. It’s so good. Thank you for another great recipe.
Jaffle waiting in front of the oven is too cute. He is so well behaved. I have to show this picture to our puppy Luna, who seems to be a staffy-kangaroo mix, because she hops and can’t sit still. She will be impressed by Jaffle.
Can this recipe be baked in a loaf pan?
Got a recipe for it right here! -> https://hairloss-solved.info/cheesy-zucchini-bread-no-yeast/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Thanks for including the abbreviated recipe. As an “old” cook, the long ones are way too wordy!
What can I substitute the egg with? My toddler had an extreme egg allergy.
Orgran have a no egg, egg replacer. It is a powder. You can get it from Coles. I used to use it in baking when my daugther had an egg allergy.
I love savoury muffins and have been experimenting with oat flour …it
S delicious!
Omg Jaffle grew up so fast, he is so big now. And zucchini muffins I need a healthy tasty snack.
Can’t wait to try these muffins…..but my first thought was to add diced jalapeño peppers. Would that work?
WOW……Jaffle’s pic 🐾💕🐾💕
I was so excited to try these. They look good but they taste like there is either too much baking powder or soda. I followed the recipe exactly. A bit disappointing as I have have been so happy with other recipes. Any idea what I may have done wrong?
I have been following you for a while young lady. I’ve enjoyed every recipe, which is why I decided to give this zucchini cheesy garlicky muffin recipe a try. I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but there was something just very offsetting to me about it. Unfortunately, I will not try this one again. Everything else of yours I’ve absolutely loved! You are wonderful in your craft. I’m guessing a zucchini muffin just isn’t up my alley for whatever reason. Even though I enjoy zucchini fresh or cooked. It seems, I just don’t enjoy it in a muffin. So sorry, but thank you and keep sending your great recipes my way. Cathy
Oh no! I have just read messages from other readers who loved it. How odd that you like zucchinis in other forms but not in cheesy muffin form! I’m sorry to hear that 🙁 – N x
So delicious Nagi! Thank you. I have made your zucchini slice and it was awesome but wondering if adding bacon and onions to these muffins would change the other ratios of ingredients and time to cook….but would be AMAZING! Thank you 🪷🩷
Lovely! These look like they’d be perfect in the form of mini-muffins for an hors d’oeuvre tray. Do you have an oven timing suggestion for that?
Hi Diane! Check them at 15 min, use the same oven temp so they get a nice boost to rise and a lovely golden crust 🙂 – N x
My niece is stopping over this morning and I made a batch of your delicious zucchini cheese muffins. It’s such a good recipe and easy to make along with some bacon strips.
Your recipes. never fail
Thanks Candy
Love hearing that Candy! I’m so glad you both enjoyed them – N x
Thank you so much for doing a gf test run! I do want to give one tip for gf baking (parent of child with celiac disease and pro baker in a past life)… let the batter set for 15 minutes before baking. This will let the flour hydrate and will prevent dry, crumbly muffins and will add some time to your shelf life.
Thanks for the tip, Lyndsay! I’ve eaten more than my share of dry, crumbly gf muffins.
Oohh thanks for the tip!
I want to make these as mini muffins. What would be the cooking time?
HI Cate! Check them at 15 min, use the same temp! Use the toothpick to check they’re done – N x
He is the reincarnation of Dozer. I am so glad you found him. I miss Dozer too, but Jaffle is filling some very big boots. BTW, l love the recipes too!!
I cooked this recipe. Very happy with the end result . I might try adding parsley . . Thanks Nagi love your recipes. ❤️ &!Jaffle 🐾🤎
Cooo, I look forward to owning an oven big enough for my muffin tin!
The squeezed out courgette juice can be a rather refreshing drink, don’t ditch it 🙂