Cottage Cheese Muffins {Bakery Style}

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 obsessed with cottage cheese and have been using it in everything from cottage cheese cookies to cottage cheese cheesecake. These cottage cheese muffins have become a new favorite.

I know it sounds odd to add cottage cheese to sweet muffins, but it gives them a fabulously moist and fluffy texture. It also doesn’t hurt that it adds a boost of protein.

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).
• Easy to customize. I like to keep the muffin base as a blank canvas for all your favorite mix-ins. Blueberries, chopped nuts, and even flavor extracts are all fabulous additions.

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 little healthier, you can use wholewheat flour or white wholewheat 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

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

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.

Arman’s recipe tips

• Do not overmix the batter. I find overmixing is the #1 way to make dense and 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 the 15-minute mark has passed. Any heat that escapes can result in the muffins deflating slightly and losing their gorgeous domes.
• Sift the dry ingredients. Because we’re only lightly mixing the batter, we don’t want any clumps of flour to be baked.

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

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