These Savory Veggie Muffins and packed with zucchini, carrot, corn, fresh herbs and cheese. They are a fantastic way to get picky eaters to eat (and enjoy) their veggies!
I love these muffins and had to share them with you today, because I think (and hope) you will love them too!
They are definitely different from many of the other muffins you will find on my site. There’s no sugar or sugar substitute in these muffins at all. In fact, these muffins are savory, cheesy and packed with so many veggies!
These savory muffins hold quite a bit of vegetables too. A dozen muffins hold 2 small zucchinis, 2 carrots, and almost a cup of corn! They’re a fun and delicious way to get those picky eaters to eat more vegetables.
I definitely have a savory tooth and so these muffins are right up my alley. My hubby is also a huge fan too. Despite his very powerful sweet tooth, he has just gobbled down 3 of these, mmmm-ing the whole time. So I have every confidence that you will like them too.
These savory veggie muffins make a great snack, breakfast, or even side dish for meals. Think of them as a biscuit made in a muffin tin.
I highly recommend giving this recipe a go anytime of year but you may also want to save and use this recipe when your garden is exploding with zucchini!
Why you should make these muffins
- They’re a great way to get picky eaters to eat more veggies (and enjoy them)!
- They make great grab and go snacks or breakfasts. (Tip: You can prep these and boiled eggs for quick grab and go breakfasts or school lunchboxes).
- The recipe is easy to do and can be mixed up in one bowl.
- These freeze well which means you can make batches and store them for easy snacking.
- They are really delicious!
Ingredients for Savory Veggie Muffins and Possible Substitutions
- Vegetables: zucchini, carrots, corn. If you want to switch up the vegetables in this recipe, spinach, peas, finely chopped broccoli, red pepper, and leeks are other great options.
- Herbs: fresh herbs are my favorite but when i don’t have them on hand, I use dried herbs instead. Substitute about 1/3 of the amount of dried herbs when you are replacing fresh since dried herbs are stronger in flavor. Dill and rosemary are my go-to herbs for these muffins but you can substitute in your favorites.
- Eggs
- Flour: all purpose flour is what I use. You can also make these with a gluten free all purpose flour mix.
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Cheese: cheddar cheese is my favorite cheese to use for these muffins. Other melty cheese options like Gouda, Havarti, mozzarella, and Gruyere are great options too. You can also substitute in feta cheese but I recommend using only about 1/2 cup as it will be too salty if you use a full cup.
- Milk: any type of milk can be used in these. Skim milk, 1% milk, 2% milk, whole milk or even nondairy milk alternatives like almond milk or oat milk can be used.
- Butter: unsalted butter is what I use but if you use salted butter, you can omit the additional salt in this recipe. If you wish to make these dairy-free, you can substitute in coconut oil instead.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make Savory Veggie Muffins
- Prep the zucchini. Grate zucchini and carrots and squeeze out excess water (from the zucchini. I do this by placing the grated zucchini in a cheese cloth or paper towel and squeezing out the liquid).
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, fresh dill, fresh rosemary and salt and mix together.
- Add the veggies and wet ingredients. Mix in the veggies and the remaining ingredients until the muffin batter comes together.
- Scoop and bake. Scoop the batter into the muffin tin, filling each muffin cup 3/4 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Optional: If you wish to make these extra cheesy, sprinkle a little extra grated cheese over the top of the muffins in the last 5 minutes of baking for a nice melty, cheesy top.
Storing muffins
Once cooled completely, muffins can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge for a few days. They can also be frozen (see instructions below).
If you wish to heat them up before eating, you can pop a muffin in the microwave for about 15 seconds or more if needed to warm them up.
Freezing savory veggie muffins
I love making a couple batches of these muffins at a time and freezing them for quick snacks when I need them. To freeze them, once cooled, place them in a freezer safe bag or container. They can be frozen for a couple of months.
When you want to enjoy one, you can thaw it first and then pop it in the microwave for 15 seconds to warm up. Alternatively, you can heat them from frozen in the microwave starting at 30 seconds and then adding more time if needed.
I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we do!
-Cathy
You may also like:
Carrot Zucchini Muffins (sweet muffins)
Baked Zucchini Feta Fritters
Zucchini Oat Waffles
Savory Veggie Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup zucchini shredded (about 1 medium zucchini or 2 small)
- 1 cup carrot grated (about 2 carrots)
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup cheddar shredded (or similar). [Tip: You can also sprinkle a little extra shredded cheese on top of the muffins in the last minutes of baking if you choose to.]
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners. Spray liners with baking spray (I find these muffins tend to stick to my nonstick muffin liners so I opt to spray them a bit to prevent this).
- Grate zucchini and carrots and squeeze out excess water (from the zucchini. I do this by placing the grated zucchini in a cheese cloth or paper towel and squeezing out the liquid).
- In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, fresh dill, fresh rosemary and salt and mix together.
- Mix in the veggies and the remaining ingredients until the muffin batter comes together.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin tin, filling each muffin cup 3/4 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Optional: If you wish to make these extra cheesy, sprinkle a little extra grated cheese over the top of the muffins in the last 5 minutes of baking for a nice melty, cheesy top.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
Wait, you have to spray the paper liners that are in the tins?
Hi Mina! I do. I don’t normally do this when I use the same liners for cupcakes or other muffins but I find this batter sticks to them more so I take this extra step. You can try skipping this step if you like but I think it prevents any sticking.
Hi just curious if these can be made without cheese or what substitute you’d suggest? My little one can’t have cheese and I don’t want to use chemical ‘fake’ cheese.
Thanks!
Hi! I haven’t tried it without cheese but I think it should work out just fine if you leave it out.
I made these with all non-dairy swaps for my allergic daughter, and they were really good. Daiya dairy-free cheese shreds worked great!
Do these have to be refrigerated
Because of the cheese, I store them in the fridge to be safe. Then I warm them up in the air fryer or microwave when I am ready to nibble on another one.
Can these muffins be made with gluten free flour?
I haven’t tried them with gluten free flour, but you can often make that substitution with other muffins so I imagine it would work out similarly. You would get a different texture though (because of the lack of gluten). Let me know if you try it out. 🙂
Hey, can you tell me what to replace the egg with ?
I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe, but you can replace eggs in many baked goods by using “flax eggs” instead. To make 1 flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxmeal with 2 1/2 tablespoons water. Let it sit for a few minutes to thicken and then use in the recipe. Hope that helps! Would love to know if it works out for you! 🙂
Perfection!! Super easy to make and the results are so delicious even though I omitted the two herbs because I didn’t have them. Yum!! Thank you for sharing.
Have you ever frozen these??
Yes, you can freeze these just like any other muffin. Once cooled, place them in a freezer safe container or bag.
I made this exactly as your recipe called for. I like it very much. So does my husband & he is picky. Next time I would add some cumin powder & chili powder,to give it an Indian touch!
Thank you. I will probably make it again