Name: Savory Cheese Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 1/2 cup fresh parsley (chopped); 1 large egg; 4 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1.5 cups full-fat buttermilk

These savory cheese muffins are super easy to make and pack delicious savory flavors thanks to grated cheddar cheese and chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy these cheese muffins as a dinner side or savory snack!

savory cheese muffins in muffin liners, ready to eat

Let’s Hear it for Savory Muffins!

We’re big fans of muffins over here on The Cheese Knees (have you made our blueberry cream cheese muffins yet?!), but this is officially our VERY FIRST savory muffin recipe, and we could not be more excited to share this one.

These savory cheese muffins are reminiscent of a savory biscuit or scone, but made fun and easy into muffins. We love pairing these cheese muffins with a soup or stew at dinner, but for the savory breakfast lovers out there — this recipe is for you, too!

ingredients for savory cheese muffins ready to be mixed together

What You Need

These savory muffins contain a short list of ingredients that pack a ton of flavor! You’ll need:

Baking Ingredients

All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Sugar
Egg
Vegetable oil
Full-fat buttermilk

Get That Savory Cheesy Flavor

Shredded cheddar cheese
Fresh chopped parsley
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Salt & pepper

savory cheese muffins wet ingredients being mixed with dry ingredients

How to Make Savory Cheese Muffins

Preheat & Prep

First, preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a muffin tin with muffin liners. Then, spray with muffin liners with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Pro tip: we like to spray our muffin liners with nonstick spray to ensure that NO savory cheese muffin morsel is left behind when you take the liner off to eat.

Mix Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder and sugar. Add the grated cheese and chopped parsley to the flour mixture and mix until everything is combined.

Add Wet Ingredients

Add the egg, vegetable oil, and buttermilk and mix using a wooden spoon just until no dry flour is visible.

Don’t over-mix. Why? This will cause the muffins to be more dense and less fluffy.

Fill Muffin Liners

Divide the batter evenly between 16 muffin cups, making sure to fill each muffin linter 3/4 of the way full.

Bake

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400ºF or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Let Cool & Enjoy!

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy!

savory cheese muffin batter, ready to be poured into muffin liners and baked

Flavor Variations for Savory Cheese Muffins

Feel free to make any of the following flavor tweaks to these savory cheese muffins! We absolutely love the parsley + cheddar flavor combo, but any of the following would be absolutely delicious as well:

Swiss + Spinach: Swap out the cheddar and parsley for 1 cup grated swiss and 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach.

Bacon + Gruyere: Skip the cheddar and use 1 cup grated gruyere, and replace the parsley for 1/2 cup diced cooked bacon.

Ham + Cheddar + Parsley: Keep the grated cheddar AND parsley, and add 1/2 cup of diced cooked ham.

savory cheese muffin batter in muffin liners in a muffin tin, ready to be placed into the oven and baked

What to Serve with Savory Cheese Muffins

We love serving these savory cheese muffins with seafood or a veggie-packed salad! In addition to recipes here on The Cheese Knees, our sister site, Fit Foodie Finds, has some fantastic recipes we’d recommend pairing these with:

Breakfast

Lunch & Dinner

To Store Savory Cheese Muffins

Store these savory cheese muffins in an air tight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Just be sure to let your muffins cool completely before placing them into an air tight container and storing in the fridge for later.

To Freeze: Let the savory cheese muffins cool completely before placing the muffins into a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.

savory cheese muffins stacked and ready to be eaten

4.34 from 3 votes

Savory Cheese Muffins

Prep:15 minutes

Cook:25 minutes

Total:40 minutes

Fat 6

Carbs 13

Protein 4

Yield:

Print Rate

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
1 large egg
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5 cups full-fat buttermilk

Instructions

First, preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a muffin tin with muffin liners. Then, spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and sugar. Add the grated cheese and chopped parsley to the flour mixture and mix until combined.
Add the egg, vegetable oil, and buttermilk and mix using a wooden spoon just until no dry flour is visible. Don’t overmix.
Divide the batter evenly between 16 muffin cups, about 3/4 of the way full.
Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400ºF or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Tips & Notes

If you don't have muffin liners you can go ahead and bake without them, just generously spray your muffin tin with cooking spray. Once the muffins are baked, run a knife around the edges to loosen them while they are still warm.

Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk you can easily make it at home by combining 1.5 cups of milk (room temperature) with 1.5 tsp of vinegar and keep aside for 8-10 mins.