Based on a classic Cheese Muffin recipe, these savoury Zucchini Muffins are the cheesy kind rather than the sweet zucchini bread kind. Quick to make and staying fresh for 4 days, they are great to tuck into lunch boxes or take into work to share for morning tea.
These are the savoury muffins worth reaching for over sweet ones. They bake up crusty and golden on the outside, cushiony soft inside, with a hint of garlicky flavour. And though there is a good mound of grated zucchini in the batter, you honestly cannot taste it — just cheesy goodness.
The zucchini fills out the muffin, adds pretty green specks, keeps it moist, and helps it stay fresh for days. Plus, you get to feel a little virtuous snacking on a muffin with hidden greens.
(If you are worried about picky eaters being put off by suspicious green bits, just peel the zucchini. They will never even know!)
Ingredients in Cheesy Zucchini Muffins
Here’s what you need to make these soft, cheesy savoury muffins.
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Zucchini (courgette) — A medium size one, around 180g/6oz. You don’t need to be meticulous about the size; the recipe works fine if yours is a little smaller or larger. Just don’t use a gigantic baseball-bat-sized one. And as noted above, if you have picky eaters who will be suspicious of green specks, you can always peel it.
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Cheese — Shredded cheddar, tasty cheese, or any other cheese that melts well, except mozzarella, which doesn’t have enough flavour on its own. Store-bought pre-shredded is fine here. A good option is the Devondale 3 Cheese Blend (mozzarella, parmesan, and Colby), available at Woolworths and Coles in Australia.
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Flour — Plain/all-purpose flour. Self-raising flour, which has baking powder built in, doesn’t produce as good a rise or as soft a crumb.
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Olive oil — The fat in these muffins, used instead of butter. Oil keeps muffins fresher for longer because, unlike butter, it stays fluid at room temperature rather than solidifying.
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One egg — Just one egg rather than the two you might expect for a dozen muffins. Egg holds the crumb together, but it also dries out baked goods. Using a single egg keeps the muffin fresher — something specifically tested when developing the original Cheese Muffin recipe on which this batter is based.
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Yogurt (or sour cream) — A baker’s trick for soft, fluffy muffins. It adds moisture to the batter, but because it’s thicker than liquid like milk, you don’t need as much flour to keep the batter thick enough for a nice dome. Full-fat makes nicer muffins, though low-fat will work too.
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Milk — Used alongside yogurt because yogurt alone would make the batter too thick. Milk is also more economical than yogurt, so using more of it where possible makes sense.
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Baking powder and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) — Both are leaveners that help muffins rise. They behave differently in different batters, and this recipe uses a combination of both for the best rise, dome shape, and soft crumb. If you don’t have one, you can substitute with more of the other — directions for this are included in the recipe card.
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Garlic — Just one clove, for a little garlicky goodness.
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Salt — A little seasoning goes a long way; without it, the muffins taste bland.
How to Make Cheesy Zucchini Muffins
One thing to note: these muffins have a tendency to stick in the tin, even with a generous oil spray, because of the cheese. To prevent this, dust the muffin tin lightly with flour after greasing. If you’d rather skip that step, simply line the tin with paper muffin cases — just know you’ll forgo the golden base and sides.
1. Preparation
Before you start the batter, prepare the muffin tin and grate the zucchini. There is no need to salt and sweat the zucchini — simply squeeze out the excess water using your hands.
Once the tin is ready and the zucchini is drained, you’re all set to mix the batter, fill the tin, and bake until the muffins are puffed, golden, and irresistibly cheesy.
