Tasty Cottage Cheese Muffins

These muffins are my little breakfast multitaskers: cozy and tender with that bakery-top dome, but secretly higher in protein thanks to a cup of cottage cheese blitzed into the batter. They’re lightly sweet, not cake-sweet, and they play nicely with whatever you’re craving—blueberries, lemon zest, chocolate chips, cinnamon sugar. You can mix the batter in 10 minutes flat, bake for about 18, and boom: snack stash for the week.

My husband is the kind of person who forgets to eat until 11 a.m., then raids the pantry like a raccoon. These save him. He warms one up, smears on peanut butter, and calls it “a situation.” Our kiddo taps the tops to “check the bounce,” then runs off with two. I once hid a batch in the freezer behind the frozen peas to keep a few for myself. It didn’t work. Apparently I live with detectives.

How to Make It

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin. I blend the wet stuff so the cottage cheese goes silky—no curds peeking at you. So: cottage cheese, eggs, milk, oil (or melted butter), a little vanilla, and your sweetener (sugar, honey, or maple). Zip it up till smooth. In a bowl, whisk your dry crew: flour, baking powder, a touch of baking soda, salt. Pour the wet into the dry and stir gently—like you’re folding a sweater, not kneading bread. Lumpy is fine. If you’re adding berries or chips, fold them in at the end. Scoop into the cups (about 3/4 full) and bake 16–20 minutes, till tops are lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 standard muffins. Let them sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a rack so they don’t steam themselves soggy.

✔Ingredient Notes

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– Cottage cheese: Small-curd is nice, but any kind works once blended. Full-fat = extra moist muffins; low-fat still works.
– All-purpose flour: Keeps things fluffy. I’ve swapped up to 1/2 cup with oat flour for nuttiness—works, just a smidge denser.
– Eggs: Two, room temp if you remember. They help with lift and that soft crumb.
– Sweetener: Granulated sugar, honey, or maple. Honey browns faster—watch the bake at the end.
– Oil or melted butter: Oil gives a tender, springy texture; butter gives flavor. I pick oil on busy mornings.
– Milk or yogurt: Milk keeps it light; yogurt makes it tangier and extra soft. Both are great.
– Baking powder + soda: The power couple. Don’t skip the soda—it reacts with the dairy and boosts the rise.
– Mix-ins: Blueberries (fresh or frozen), mini chips, lemon zest, cinnamon, chopped strawberries. Frozen berries stain a bit—no one cares.

✔Recipe Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan.
2. Blend 1 cup cottage cheese, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk or yogurt, 1/3 cup sugar or honey, 1/4 cup oil or melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth.
3. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt in a bowl.
4. Pour wet into dry and gently fold until just combined; add 1 cup mix-ins if using.
5. Divide batter (3/4 full each cup) and bake 16–20 minutes, until tops spring back and a toothpick is clean.
6. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to a rack to finish; eat warm or at room temp.

What to Serve It With

– Coffee (obviously) or a vanilla latte if you’re fancy today.
– Sliced fruit and a handful of nuts for a quick protein-y breakfast.
– A swipe of peanut butter, almond butter, or salted butter with a drizzle of honey.
– Scrambled eggs or a yogurt bowl when you need Actual Fuel.

✔Tips & Mistakes

– Don’t overmix. Stir just until the flour disappears or you’ll get tough muffins.
– If using honey or maple, check at 16 minutes—they brown quicker.
– Frozen berries? Toss them in 1 teaspoon flour so they don’t sink.
– Dry muffins happen if you overbake. Pull them when the tops spring back.
– Liners stick? Let muffins cool 10 minutes; liners release way cleaner.

✔Storage Tips

Room temp: Keep in an airtight container up to 2 days.
Fridge: 4–5 days, still soft. A 10–15 second microwave zap brings them back to bakery life.
Freezer: Wrap individually and stash up to 3 months. Reheat in the toaster oven at 325°F for 6–8 minutes.
Cold, straight from the fridge at 6 a.m.? Weirdly good with jam. Zero shame.

✔Variations and Substitutions

– Lemon blueberry: 1 tablespoon lemon zest + 1 cup blueberries.
– Banana-chocolate chip: 1 mashed ripe banana (reduce milk by 2 tablespoons) + 1/2 cup mini chips.
– Cinnamon sugar tops: Brush warm muffins with melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar.
– Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour; add 1 extra tablespoon milk if the batter’s thick.
– Sweeteners: Honey ↔ sugar ↔ maple syrup all work. Honey/maple = slightly denser, extra moist.
– Dairy tweaks: Greek yogurt instead of milk gives plush texture; dairy-free milk + dairy-free yogurt works too.
– Add-ins that don’t work great: Big frozen strawberries (too watery) and fresh pineapple (same reason).

Frequently Asked Questions

Tasty Cottage Cheese Muffins

Moist, protein-rich muffins made with creamy cottage cheese, lightly sweetened and perfect for breakfast or snacking. Tender crumb, golden tops, and optional bursts of blueberries.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 120kcal

Ingredients

 

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Main Ingredients

• ▢ 1.5 cup cottage cheese (small curd) drained of excess liquid
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 0.25 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 0.25 cup unsalted butter, melted slightly cooled
• ▢ 1.25 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 0.25 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 0.25 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 0.75 cup fresh blueberries optional; toss with 1.0 teaspoon flour to prevent sinking
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest optional

Instructions

Preparation Steps

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly.
• In a large bowl whisk eggs, cottage cheese, sugar, vanilla, and melted butter until mostly smooth. A few small curds are fine.
• In a separate bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Add dry ingredients to wet and fold gently just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
• Fold in blueberries and lemon zest if using.
• Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about 0.75 full.
• Bake 18 to 22 minutes until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

For extra moisture, use full-fat cottage cheese. Swap blueberries with chocolate chips or diced strawberries. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerate up to 4 days; rewarm briefly in the microwave.