Savory Zucchini Muffins with Cheddar Cheese

These savory zucchini muffins take in the ballpark of 30 minutes to make and are perfect to serve any time of the day! Loaded with fresh chives, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and buttermilk. They’re a cross between a garlicky cheddar bay biscuit and a zucchini muffin and are phenomenal! 

Quite possibly my favorite way to eat zucchini!

These savory zucchini muffins are a cross between a cheddar bay biscuit and a zucchini muffin and they are absolute perfection. I know zucchini and baking usually means sweets like my zucchini bread, but if you’ve never used zucchini to make a cheesy muffin, you’re in for a real treat.

@littlespicejar Savory Zucchini Muffins aka Red Lobster Biscuits Full recipe linked in my profile and on littlespicejar.com. #cheddarbaybiscuits #cheddarbaybiscuits #zucchinirecipes #zucchinirecipe #savory #savoryfood #bakingtiktok #muffins #cheeselover ♬ Chillest in the Room – L.Dre

I’ll be honest, I went back and forth on whether to call these muffins or biscuits. Because the texture on these is a cross between the two. They’re made in a muffin pan, so ultimately I called them savory muffins. I love warming them up in my air fryer for breakfast – the cheese gets all melty and the muffins crisp up around the edges while the centers are melty, garlicky, and warm. They are perfect to grab and go with my egg bites.

If you’re wondering what the perfect time of day is to serve these savory muffins – I’d say anytime! They’re great for breakfast with eggs and even better for dinner with some grilled chicken and salad or even a large bowl of soup. They work for a midday snack too with 10 grams of protein packed into each muffin.

Plus, the prep time on these is about 10 minutes so you can have them on the table in no time!

Ingredients for savory zucchini muffins:

• All-purpose flour: This recipe uses both all-purpose flour and almond flour to make them a bit more protein-packed and lighter on carbohydrates.
• Almond flour: Amps up the protein content of these zucchini muffins. Each muffin has a whopping 10 grams of protein!
• Baking powder: this is the leavening agent we use in the batter to help the muffins rise in the tin.
• Garlic Powder: Gives these muffins a cheddar bay-like flavor!
• Kosher salt: is the sodium for the recipe. If you happen to use salted butter, you can drop the kosher salt to 1 teaspoon.
• Sugar: we’ll use 1½ tsp of sugar in the muffin batter to balance the savory elements.
• Eggs: Add structure and stability to baked goods. They also add more protein to the muffins.
• Buttermilk: reacts with baking soda or baking powder and helps the muffins rise. If you don’t have buttermilk, use any dairy milk (or non-dairy) and add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the milk. Vinegar works too!
• Butter: is the fat in the recipe.
• Zucchini: we’ll shred the zucchini on a coarse grater. Don’t worry about squeezing the water out of the zucchini for this recipe. The little bit of moisture will help aid the muffin batter from being too dry along with the other wet ingredients.
• Shredded cheese: I like to use a medium cheddar for this recipe. It’s the perfect cheese to use in cheddar bay biscuits and it works well with zucchini. Feel free to use mozzarella or any other meeting cheese that you like.
• Chives: Chives add an oniony flavor to the savory zucchini muffins. I have tried the recipe without them and prefer to use them as they make the muffins so much more delicious!

Instructions for savory zucchini muffins:

1.  Start with the prep. You’ll want to start by preheating the oven to 375ºF. Then we’ll grab your muffin pan and give it a good spray with cooking spray. I like to use avocado oil, but any kind will work. I suggest avoiding using muffin liners for this recipe. The muffins don’t rise as well and they end up sticking to the liners. For best results, bake the cheddar zucchini muffins directly in the muffin cups.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, almond flour, garlic powder, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Feel free to use a little pepper if you want the muffins to have a kick to them, I didn’t. Give everything a stir. Then in a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. You’ll also want to grate the zucchini on a coarse grater.
3. Fold in the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix them until they’re halfway combined. Fold in the cheese, chives, and shredded zucchini. Don’t over-mix the batter otherwise, you run the risk of having dry muffins.
4. Bake the muffins. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tins and bake the muffins until they’re golden and cooked through. Test with a toothpick to make sure you don’t end up with wet batter on the toothpick. Carefully remove the muffin pan with a towel or pot holder and allow the muffins to cool for several minutes before removing them from the pan.

If you like this zucchini recipe, you might also like:

• Summer’s Best Zucchini Bread
• Warm Lemon Zucchini Muffins
• Homemade Minestrone Soup
• Grilled Zucchini Salad with Peppers and Corn
• Fresh Corn and Zucchini Chowder

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Yield: Makes 12 muffins

Savory Zucchini Muffins with Cheddar Cheese

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 24 minutes

Total Time 34 minutes

These savory zucchini muffins take in the ballpark of 30 minutes to make and are perfect to serve any time of the day! Loaded with fresh chives, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and buttermilk. They're a cross between a garlicky cheddar bay biscuit and a zucchini muffin and are phenomenal! 

Print

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1¼ cups buttermilk (see notes for sub)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1¾ cup zucchini, grated with skin (do not squeeze)
• 1¾ cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, etc.)
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

Instructions

1. PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a standard nonstick muffin pan generously with cooking spray and brush it well so that all the sides are evenly coated with oil. See notes about muffin liners.
2. MIX: In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and sugar together. In a 4-cup measuring cup mix together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Whisk the wet ingredients then add them to the dry ingredients and stir until halfway combined.
3. FOLD: Then add the grated zucchini and shredded cheese and chives. Fold until the ingredients are *JUST* combined. Overmixing will produce dry muffins.
4. BAKE: Divide the batter out into the muffin pans. Bake for 24-30 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center doesn’t have any wet batter. Allow to cool for several minutes before removing from pan. Gently use an offset spatula to loosen any stuck on muffins.

Notes

• No Buttermilk? Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a 2-cup measuring up. Then fill it up to the 1¼ cup line with milk and let it sit for 5 minutes before using it in the recipe.
• Muffin liners: I suggest avoiding muffin liners for this recipe. Because of the amount of cheddar cheese, I found that the muffins stuck to the liners and were difficult to peel away. Parchment paper tulips might have better results, but this is something I haven’t tested myself.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 181Total Fat: 10gCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gProtein: 10g

The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is just an estimate. To get the most accurate information, please input the ingredients you've used into a nutrition calculator.

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