Carrot corn and cheddar muffins are a delicious healthy lunch perfect to freeze and pop in little lunch boxes or a savoury muffin for a snack on the go.
I’ve never really understood the savory muffin.
To me it was a bit of an odd thing.
The word muffin instantly conjures up a sweet treat best enjoyed warm with a good blob of butter preferably after breakfast as breakfast dessert (yes that’s a thing).
What place do savoury muffins have?
Are they for lunch?
But they’re a muffin!
I was and still am a little confused but when I spotted this carrot corn and cheddar muffin recipe I remembered the suffering cob of corn threatening to die in the crisper and thought ‘oh why not, I’ll give this savoury muffin thing a go.’
They were definitely a great way to use up the random bits and pieces.
Recipe Ingredients
To make this delicious savoury muffin recipe you will need:
- Corn - Kernels only (fresh or frozen)
- Cheddar cheese - grated
- Carrot - peeled grated carrots
- Olive oil
- Milk - full-cream milk
- Eggs - lightly beaten
- Wholemeal flour - (whole wheat flour) or spelt flour or just regular plain flour (all purpose flour) if that's all you have
- Baking powder
Ingredients Variations
Cheese
You could use any other type of hard cheese.
Just don't choose anything with a really strong flavour or it will overpower the other ingredients.
Some suggestions would be:
- Parmesan (parmigiano reggiano)
- Swiss cheese (like gouda)
If you want to use something softer like feta just beware it may change the texture of the muffins a little and make the muffin batter too moist.
A little extra flour could be added to get the perfect muffin texture.
Additions
You can add extra flavours to the batter.
Diced bacon (pre-cooked or raw is fine) or ham would be a delicious addition.
You could also do zucchini in place of the carrot just make sure you drain the liquid before adding it to the batter.
Chives would also be a delicious addition to these savory muffins.
I was pleasantly surprised.
It turns out savoury muffins do have a place in my life and the kids are rather keen on them too.
I still struggle to relate them to something though – a bit like pizza, sort of, I guess?
But with carrot and corn. Ok what would you say savoury muffins are closely related to?
I should probably worry about more important things but these are the sorts of questions I often ponder (my brain never stops).
These savoury muffins are best eaten on the day you make them but they also freeze beautifully.
Storage
Do savoury muffins need to be refrigerated?
Yes, generally anything with cheese in it I will put in the fridge to be on the safe side.
FAQs
The most common reason for dry muffins is baking them too long.
It's best to check them 5 minutes before the recipe says they'll be ready to make sure they don't overcook.
To check, insert a cake tester or skewer in the middle of one. If it comes out clean then they're ready.
If it is coated then they will need a little longer.
No not at all. These easy savoury muffins are much more like a cornbread muffins if I had to liken them to something.
There's no sugar and they don't have a fluffy texture like sweet muffins.
There's definitely no cream cheese frosting on these either although you could top savory vegetable muffins with plain cream cheese if you liked.
I just pop them all in a container then straight into the freezer.
They’re the perfect lunch for little fingers on the go.
I just grab one and throw it in a lunchbox then in the bag and it has usually defrosted by lunch time.
But they're especially delicious warmed up with a slathering of butter.
They’d be perfect for big and little people’s lunch boxes (maybe with salad for us big people). Enjoy!
Recipe
Carrot corn and cheddar muffins
Ingredients
- Kernels from 1 cob of corn
- ¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 carrot peeled and grated
- ⅓ cup EV Olive oil
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 free-range eggs lightly beaten
- 2 cups plain wholemeal flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C(356F) fan-forced and line a 2 12-hole muffin tins with 15 muffin cases.
- Place the corn, cheese, carrot, oil, milk and eggs in a large bowl and stir them together.
- Gently fold in the flour and baking powder until just combined.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cases.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
- Serve warm from the oven, cold or freeze individually wrapped in plastic wrap.
- To defrost just leave on the bench or pop in a lunchbox to defrost in time for lunch.
Kathleen M Jordan says
I have a question. About how much corn is that removed from the cob and what is wholemeal flour?
Claire says
Hi Kathleen. I would say it's about 1/2-2/3 of a cup of corn kernels. Wholemeal flour is flour where some of the wheat husk is still attached. It's a less-refined version of white flour.
Sara says
For anyone planning to make these, I would recommend putting in a little bit of butter or salt! I rarely cook with either, but these muffins definitely need a little extra "something." For now, I will settle for soaking them in my tomato vegetable soup at lunch.
Claire says
Good tip Sara. I did make them to be kid-friendly too but adding a bit of butter or a pinch of salt would be great.
Elizabeth says
Oh I love a savoury muffin and these look particularly good! I think that you can put corn in anything savoury to make it taste great! Liz x
Tania @My Kitchen Stories says
Oh I love a savoury muffin. These sound particularly good. I always think they have to have cheese in them. great for children
Claire says
Oh yes a savoury muffin should always have cheese in my non-savoury-muffin-eating opinion.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
I'm not a huge muffin lover but I would definitely make an exception for this one. I'm also cooking with corn a lot lately as it has been so plentiful! :D
Claire says
I just got a few more cobs in our set box!
Hotly Spiced says
I haven't eaten too many savoury muffins either. Whenever given the choice, I always pick the sweet ones. I do think though that your carrot and corn and cheddar muffins are a lovely colour and would have good flavours and I'm sure Ollie would be a fan xx
Claire says
Yes I still think I'd go for sweet but these are pretty good x
Helene says
A burst of Spring!
Claire says
Haha yes for you lucky ducks. Autumn (Fall) here.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Savoury muffins are always like a bread to me and I think of them that way. These carrot, corn and cheddar muffins are outstanding, Claire!
Claire says
Thanks Maureen!