Cottage Cheese Muffins
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These bakery-style cottage cheese muffins are moist and fluffy in the middle with a gorgeous exterior. They bake in under 20 minutes and use pantry staples.
I’m still deep in my cottage cheese era and have been using it in everything from cookies to cheesecake– so these cottage cheese muffins were the natural next step.
I’ve baked a ton of muffins and quick breads with Greek yogurt, so how different could cottage cheese be? After a couple of rounds of testing, they’ve become a new snack or wholesome dessert favorite in our house.
I know adding cottage cheese to sweet muffins sounds odd, but it gives them the most fabulously moist, fluffy texture without needing tons of oil or butter. It also sneaks in a boost of protein, and no one could tell- not even my picky partner and sister who claim cottage cheese is diet food!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Quick and easy. From mixing bowl to plate, these muffins take less than 20 minutes to make.
- No cottage cheese flavor. Yes, I know cottage cheese on its own can be a little bland, but no one can tell it’s the signature ingredient in these muffins (seriously, then try the cottage cheese brownies!).
- Easy to customize. I like to keep the muffin base as a blank canvas for all your favorite mix-ins. I’m including five of my favorites in the flavor variations section.
Key Ingredients
- Cottage cheese. I like to use whipped cottage cheese as it mixes in seamlessly into the batter. If you don’t have any on hand, it’s easy to blend it up yourself.
- Olive oil. Or any neutral-flavored oil, like vegetable oil, refined coconut oil, and safflower oil.
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs, please.
- Milk. I typically use unsweetened almond milk or whole milk, but any milk works.
- Vanilla. A must for any baked good.
- All-purpose flour. Sifted to ensure there are no clumps. If you prefer muffins that are a little healthier, you can use whole-wheat or white whole-wheat flour.
- Sugar. I like to use white sugar, but brown sugar will work, too.
- Baking powder. The leavening agent gives the muffins that gorgeous dome shape and keeps the middles fluffy.
- Chocolate chips. Or any mix-ins of choice.
How to make cottage cheese muffins
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1- Whisk the wet. In a large bowl, whisk the wet ingredients until smooth.
Step 2- Make the batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold through the chocolate chips.
Step 3- Assemble. Evenly distribute the muffin batter amongst a 12-count muffin tin.
Step 4- Bake the muffins for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cottage cheese muffin variations
I’ve had fun trying out different mix-ins or additions to give these muffins a new flavor:
- Cottage cheese blueberry muffins- Fold through 1/2 cup of fresh or blueberries.
- Banana cottage cheese muffins– Replace the oil with equal parts mashed banana.
- Cottage cheese pumpkin muffins– Replace the oil with equal parts pumpkin puree.
- Cottage cheese cinnamon roll muffins– Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and swirl through 1/2 cup of cream cheese frosting before baking.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Do not overmix the batter. I find that overmixing is the #1 way to make dense, rubbery muffins. You want the dry ingredients to be mostly incorporated into the wet.
- Bake until ‘just done.’ Remember, the muffins will continue to cook as they cool down. Once a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs, they are fine to be removed from the oven.
- Don’t open the oven until at least 15 minutes have passed. Any heat that escapes can cause the muffins to deflate slightly and lose their gorgeous domes.
- Sift the dry ingredients. Because we’re only lightly mixing the batter, we don’t want any flour clumps to form.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover muffins can be kept at room temperature, covered, for up to three days. If you want them to keep longer, place them in the fridge for up to one week.
To freeze: Place the cooked and cooled muffins in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
I tested these muffins with full-fat, low-fat, and non-fat cottage cheese. As it’s blended down, they all turned out pretty much the same. Use whichever you prefer.
You can, but only with gluten-free all-purpose flour with added xanthan gum. Alternative flours like almond flour and coconut flour will not work.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information has been reviewed by registered dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Cottage Cheese Muffins
Video
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whipped cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup olive oil or any neutral-flavored oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 12-count muffin tin with muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, add the whipped cottage cheese, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined. Fold through the chocolate chips.
- Evenly distribute the muffin batter amongst the muffin liners, about 2/3 full.
- Bake the muffins for 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool for five minutes in the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Leftovers: Keep at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for one week.
Wow. As soft as cupcakes. I love that I used olive oil, which I always want to find ways to eat more of, and the amount of protein for my athletic daughter. Whipping the cottage cheese in my ancient binder require me a little patience but I used the lowest setting and poked it frequently with a spoon until I had smooth and fluffy cheese like the picture!
Thank you Stephanie!
The best muffins! Minimal ingredients and yet great taste!
Thanks Rose! These ones never last very long in our house either 🙂
This recipe looks fantastic. Can I substitute ricotta for the cottage cheese? I was looking for a muffin to make for Christmas that was new. Thank you for all your great recipes.
Fantastic. Easy, tasty. We love them. Make them at least twice a week.
I have made this recipe two times in the past few weeks. Everyone in my family loves them!! These are so light and fluffy as well as delicious!
I made these Cottage cheese muffins and they are so delicious 😋Thank you so much for the recipe Arman ☺️
I took a lazy shortcut and used regular cottage cheese without blending it and these muffins still turned out great! This recipe was the perfect way to use up cottage cheese I had in the fridge
How would I make it into chocolate muffins?
I like to fold through 1/4 cup of cocoa powder.
Can you in post recipe with almond or coconut flour ?
Nope, as I haven’t tried it using that, but feel free to experiment and see and let us know how it went!
Made these in my jumbo muffin tin (about 6 muffins) and they turned out so good. No one could tell there was cottage cheese in it.
Love these cottage cheese muffins. They puffed up beautifully and I also added some sliced strawberries.
I love all your recipes and I love it when you post new ones! I want to know if you think almond flour would work in this recipe.
Hi Muna! I tested these with almond flour and I didn’t like the texture- It was a little greasy on the outside. Saying that, it still worked. 🙂
That looks like cream cheese in your photos with eggs just before mixing. I’ve never heard of whipped cottage cheese. Whipped cream cheese, yes????
Nope, it’s whipped cottage cheese. You just blend the cottage cheese until thick and fluffy. You can also click the link provided for my method to do so.