As the school summer holidays come to an end, here in Australia, my focus is switching from lazy days at the beach to filling my freezer with lunchbox friendly goodies. These Savoury Muffins are my newest recipe and perfect for the lunchbox. Packed with four different vegetables they are easy to adapt. Use the same base recipe but customise you own vegetable muffins to suit your child’s taste.
Most of my lunchbox ideas are actually foods that I used to make my youngest when he was a baby. I weaned him using the baby-led weaning method and was always looking for great finger foods that I could take out and about with me. Some of my favourites were Sweet and Sour Quinoa Balls, Curried Lentil Bake, Egg Rolls and Mini Blender Muffins.
These Savoury Muffins would have been great for when I was doing baby-led weaning. To reduce the sodium level you can add less cheese to the mixture. The cheese is there for flavour only.
Of course, these vegetable muffins are not just limited to baby-led weaning and the lunchbox. They make a great breakfast, lunch or snack for both adults and kids.
Savoury Muffin Baking Tips
Here are my tips to help make light, fluffy and delicious vegetable muffins.
- Ensure to squeeze out the juice from the grated carrots and zucchini. I do this by placing the grated vegetables onto a clean tea towel and squeezing it as hard as I can! I have made these muffins without doing this and they were a little too wet inside. NOTE: Save the juice and use it in smoothies or sauces. – don’t throw away all that goodness!
- Don’t over stir the mixture. Resist the temptation to over stir or beat the batter, it will cause your muffin to go tough. You want the final mixture to be lumpy, thick and looking very messy. (see below) It should only take around 10 strokes with your wooden spoon.
- Don’t skimp on the veggies. If your child doesn’t like one of the vegetables, don’t just leave it out. Add extra of the other vegetables or replace it with a different one. These muffins are so much better with a bit of veggie in every bite.
- Grease the muffin pan really well before adding the batter. I have baked these with muffin cases and without. I got better results without cases. Often I found the muffins stuck to the cases but if you use a non stick pan and grease it well the muffins are easy to remove. If you do prefer to use the paper muffin cups, I would recommend greasing them with oil spray before putting the batter in. Alternatively you could try the silicon muffin cases.
- Keep an eye on the baking time. Take the muffins out of the oven too soon and they will be sticky and uncooked. Bake them too long, and you run the risk of dry muffins. Every oven is different, so while you should still follow the bake time in this recipe, use a skewer to test your muffins a couple minutes before the end of the bake time. Your skewer will come out clean if they are ready.
How to Best Store Savoury Muffins
If you have gone to the effort to make great savoury muffins then you want to take the time to make sure you store them properly. Not doing this can greatly affect the texture and shelf-life of you vegetable muffin. Here are my top tips for storing muffins:-
- Let your muffins cool completely on a wire rack.
Before storing your muffins, it is important to allow them to properly cool. Allow your savoury muffins to cool in the muffin tray for around 5-7 minutes. If you leave them in the pan too long they run the risk of going soggy, you just want them to be firm enough to transfer to a wire rack.
Once on the cooling rack the muffins should be left to cool completely before storing. Storing the muffins when they are even a little bit warm will result in condensation and soggy muffins.
- Decide on how long and where you want to store your muffins
My favourite way to store savoury muffins is to freeze them, and if properly frozen they will be good for around 2-3 months (but will remain safe to eat well past that). To ensure best quality, individually wrap the muffins in clingfilm or foil and then transfer to ziplock bags or freezer containers.
To reheat – just pop them out of the freezer and place them back in the muffin tin. Reheat at 170c /350f until heated through. Alternatively, allow them to thaw and then reheat them in the microwave.
You can refrigerate muffins, but it isn’t recommend. Refrigeration temperatures alters the texture of the muffin and can make them go stale quicker.
Storing at room temperature is better than refrigeration when it comes to muffin quality. The best way to store them is to line a air tight container with kitchen paper, pop the muffins on-top and then another layer of kitchen paper, before adding the lid. The paper absorbs the moisture from the muffins, stopping them from going soggy.
It is hot and humid here, at the moment, so I only store the muffins at room temperature the day I bake them, the rest I always freeze. Normally muffins would last a couple of days at room temperature. However, as I haven’t tested these, I can’t say for sure how they would last.
I’ve already mentioned that these muffins are easy to adapt. Some other vegetable inclusions you could try are-
- Finely chopped capsicum (bell pepper)
- Chopped spinach
- Finely chopped and lightly fried onion, shallots, mushroom, celery or leek.
- Chopped tomato or sun-dried tomato
- Fresh herbs
I’d love to know what variations you try, please do comment below or tag me on Instagram or Facebook.
Is your child muffin daft? Then why not try my:-
Carrot & Apple Muffins (Only sweetened with fruit)
Blender Muffins (Mini muffins, with a denser texture, perfect for little hands)
Fruity Oat Breakfast Bites (An oat mixture cooked in muffin trays)
Vegetable Savoury Muffins
Savoury muffins packed with four different vegetables. Light and fluffy making them perfect for baby-led weaning, toddlers and the lunch box.
Ingredients
- 1 medium (250g) Zucchini, grated
- 1 medium (120g) Carrot, grated
- 1/4 cup (30g) Frozen Peas
- 1/4 cup (30g) Frozen Corn
- 1 cup (125g) Cheddar Cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Plain Greek Yoghurt
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 2 Eggs
- 2 cups (250g) Plain Wholemeal Flour *See Note 1
- 3 tsp Baking Powder
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180C / 350F
Place the zucchini and carrot onto a clean dish towel and wrap it around the vegetables. (see image above) Squeeze all the juice out. *SEE NOTE 2
Place the zucchini and carrots into a large mixing bowl along with the peas and sweetcorn. Add the cheese, milk, yogurt, olive oil and egg and stir until combined.
Mix the flour and baking powder together and then slowly add to the wet ingredients. Fold in gently, until just combined. *SEE NOTE 3
Spray a 12 hole muffin tray with oil or grease with butter. Spoon the mixture, equally, between the 12 muffin sections. Bake for 20-25 mins. *SEE NOTE 4
Recipe Notes
- I used a plain wholemeal flour, I am currently living in Australia and find their wholemeal flour whiter in colour and it appears more processed than the wholemeal flour I was used to in the UK. I can not guarantee what the results will be like with less processed wholemeal flour as I haven't tested although some people have commented that it produced a denser muffin. The recipe will also work well with plain / all purpose flour.
- Don't throw away the juice. Save it and add it to smoothies or pasta sauces etc.
- Don't be tempted to over stir the mixture. The mixture should be lumpy, thick and looking very messy. It should only take around 10 strokes with your wooden spoon.
- Every oven is different, so while you should still follow the bake time in this recipe, use a skewer to test your muffins a couple minutes before the end of the bake time. Your skewer will come out clean if they are ready.
Nutritional facts are an ESTIMATE only, calculated using an online nutrition calculator. They should be used as a rough guide only.
Have you tried these in a mini muffin tray?
I Haven’t tried these in a mini muffin tray yet, sorry. I’m sure they would work well, I’d just check on them earlier.
Hi Amy! I tried these over the weekend in a regular muffin tray. I completed your recipe as is with one exception -I used wheat (brown) flour instead of white flour. I think next time I will add a bit of spice for flavor. Also, the muffin is very dense. Do you think this is because of my flour choice? My 14 month son would not eat it without cutting it up and dipping. I made an avocado dip for these which he enjoyed. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hi Pooja, Sorry I have just seen this comment. I’m not sure why the muffin was dense, I’m presuming it was the flour. Did you make them in the mini muffin trays – perhaps they don’t work so well as a mini muffin?
Hi. I just made these and they didn’t turn out. Is the problem a lack of levening agent (baking soda)? I also think some herbs are a must as there is very little flavor. So close though!
Sorry Nadia, I have made these several times with just the baking powder and found they have worked well every time. Were you careful not to overmix the batter? Herbs, more cheese / a little salt will boost the flavour profile if you are looking for something stronger.
I just used a mini tray, I halved the recipe and made 12 🙂
Can almond meal replace the wholemeal flour??
Hi Michelene, without trying I can’t really say how this would work with almond meal. I don’t think it will rise as much, you could try mixing it with buckwheat or rice flour if you are looking for a gluten free substitute. Let me know if you try it, I’d love to know if it works.
Hi. Do you think it’s possible to sub the dairy and egg in this recipe ( due to intolerances)
Hi Michelle, Without experimenting myself I can’t say for sure but….
YOGHURT – On my first trial of these I didn’t use greek yoghurt and instead added more olive oil, they worked great (but I was looking to use less oil). So I know you can replace the yoghurt with another 1/4 cup of olive oil.
MILK -I guess you could use a dairy free milk.
CHEESE -The cheese is there for flavour so you can miss it out but they will be very bland tasting. You could add herbs to add more flavour. I know a lot of people use nutritional yeast for a cheese flavour but I have never used it before so can’t say how it would work for sure.
EGG – I would try a chia egg in this.
Hope this helps, again I can’t guarantee how it will turn out but would love to know if you try it.
Thanks, Amy
I think canned pumpkin might work in place of the yogurt. It doesn’t have a lot of flavor on it’s own. And plant/nut milk in place of milk. Chia or flax egg to replace egg. And leave out the cheese.
Thanks for your dairy free tips Ruby, they sound great!
This is such a great recipe for jazzing up lunchboxes: I love it! Pinning now so I don’t forget to give it a go soon. x
Thanks Mel!
Jalapeno, corn, and cheese would be so awesome…. These would make perfect soup dippers.
Oh yes! Anything with jalapeno is a winner in my books (shame my kids don’t agree with me!)
Hi am a vegetarian and i want to replace eggs. What do you suggest. Thanks.
Prabha
Hi Prabha, I’d try a chia egg. I can’t say for sure how it would work without trying it myself though. If you do try, I’d lobe to know how it works for you.
I didn’t understand the vegetarian tag when it contains egg. So misleading.
Hi Pradha, I’m not sure what you mean. I have called these Vegetable Savoury Muffins because they contain vegetables. I haven’t mentioned that they are vegetarian. However many vegetarians eat eggs so I’m not sure what the issue would be. You could try replacing the egg with a chia egg, I haven’t tried it in this recipe but I have used them before with great results.
I think you mean vegan. Vegetarians still eat dairy and eggs, whereas vegans refrain from eating anything animal based.
vegetarians generally eat eggs ,vegans do not
I’m a vegetarian and we eat dairy but not eggs as egg has a potential for life. Anyway… I just made these substituting eggs for chickpea tin water. They’re still in the oven so let’s see how they turn out!
This recipe looked delicious! Do you use frozen peas and corn frozen or thaw them first to get the water out?
Hi Waka, Thank you! I used frozen corn and peas and I didn’t thaw them first.
Could you maybe sub out some of the milk with the juice that you squeezed out of the vegetables? Does the milk make that big of a difference? Just wondering.
Good idea, I’m def going to try that next time. I think it would work great.
My daughter can not handle Greek yogurt at all. She’s okay with other dairy (weird) but I limit it all together. Do you have an idea of something to substitute with? I’d love to make these for us, without hurting her little tummy.
Hi Briana, I have made these without the yoghurt and just added and extra 1/4 cup of olive oil instead. Someone has also mentioned pureed pumpkin as a replacement but I haven’t tried that so can’t confirm how they would turn out.
Amy, these sound and look super yummy! We don’t have little ones anymore but I’m thinking I’ll make for my grandbaby or just for us as a soup dipper! Can’t wait to experiment with these and other veggies! I want know what that delicious looking dip is in your photo and get the recipe please!
Thanks so much Karen, I hope you and your grandchild enjoys them! The dip is just my standard go to dip – Greek yogurt mixed with a little mayo and a good sprinkle of smoked paprika. Easy and my boys love it!
Amy, try these with 1cuo cornmesl and 1cup flour of choice, 1/2 cup chopped onion. 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, i/2 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning, and ttwelve pickld jalapeno slics, and 1/2 cup of olive oil along with salt and 3tsp baking. Powder. Add enough milk, or even water to moisten very well, bake in muffin tins till browning. They are phenomenal hot with butter and soup!
Sounds amazing! Why have I never thought to add jalapeno to muffins before. Delicious!
I will be trying this recipe, it looks delicious. I have a silly question What is kitchen paper? Is it paper towels or a kitchen towel.
Hi Joci, it is kitchen towel – sorry for the loss in translation! Hope you enjoy 🙂
How do I substitute the white wholemeal flour? I have bread flour,almond flour and all purpose flour and cornmeal…
Hi Sky, All purpose works well in this recipe 🙂
I’m sad to say these really didn’t work out well. They’re dense. Never got fluffy. Also they desperately need salt or some seasoning. I checked the recipe to make sure I didn’t leave something out. They have very little flavor. I followed the recipe except I used 1 C white all purpose flour and 1 C whole wheat flour and I used mini muffin tins.
Hi Lauren, Sorry you didn’t have success with the recipe. As you can see from my picture (with bite out) mine weren’t dense at all. Where are you from? I’m wondering if the flour is different. I have moved to Australia from the UK and the wholemeal flour here is whiter in colour and I’d say more processed than the wholemeal in the UK. Obviously it differs from country to country and therefore it may effect the recipe. *I will now add this detail to the note section of my recipe.
Were you careful not to over mix the recipe, as detailed in the recipe notes? Over-mixing can effect the texture too.
I have never tried this recipe in mini muffin trays – perhaps this altered the texture too, did you cook it for the same length of time?
I deliberately don’t add salt to my recipes as most my audience are parents looking for food ideas for their babies and young toddlers. My kids are getting older now and I usually season my food more, I leave that up to the parents to decide. I did mention that you could add herbs / different vegetables to the muffin to suit taste.
Your Australian wholemeal flour ( which I’m sure some of your readers would think is whole wheat flour via the name) would most likely be Graham Flour in North America of, which is unbleached AP flour that’s had some of the removed bran via processing, added back it to make it a bit more healthier.
As for omitting salt. Salt plays a role in every baking formula. ( Think ratio’s) If you don’t want the baking project you undertake to turn out bland, ( herbs and spices don’t always do it ) even a pinch or so of good salt such as kosher or sea salt, not table salt, will heighten the flavour of your finished baked goods. There’s never the need to go overboard with salt.
Something you and readers might find of interest.
Flour facts from The Never ending cookbook by mum.
“Wholemeal flour, despite common belief, is neither ‘less refined’ nor ‘less processed’ than plain flour. It is processed to white flour and in most cases, the bran only (not the germ) is mixed back into the flour. Similarly, ‘stone ground’ flour (which, I am assured by one of Defiance’s ex-millers, is not, and never has been stone ground) is processed to plain flour and some bran is added. Such flours have more dietary fibre than white flour and are less white in appearance. They are better for you, but ‘less processed’ they are not. Because of the presence of the bran, the gluten content (in grams per 100grams of flour) of such bread is lowered. Breads made with such flours will naturally be heavier.”
Link to above.. Good reading for anyone unsure about Australian flours.
https://theneverendingcookbookbymum.com/tag/bakers-flour/
Cheers
Hi Joyceln, thanks for taking the time to share, this is great to know and I appreciate your time 🙂
Have you ever tried this with regular yogurt (plain, whole milk yogurt)?
Hi Olivia, I haven’t sorry. I have tried it without the yoghurt, replacing it with an extra 1/4 cup of olive oil.
These have been so useful for lunch boxes and BLW. I substituted the wm flour with 1 cup wm spelt and 1 cup white spelt flour and that works well too.
I just tried this and it came out great!! I used whole wheat flour. The mixture looked very dense when all ingredients were added so I added a little bit of milk and oil. Also I used normal yoghurt not Greek yoghurt. Thanks for this. I will defiant try variations on this!!!
Brilliant, glad they worked for you even if you did have to adapt the recipe slightly 🙂
I did them with wholemeal flour, 3 table spoons of coconut oil, almond milk (little bit more than in receipe) nd no cheese at all, only parmesan cheese on the top. They grew while baking so much! I added salt, pepper and spices. I did two lots, one with mushrooms & onion and parsley and one with zucinni, carrot and peper. Both are amazing! 🙂 and calories are reduced 🙂
Hi Jo, thanks for the feedback an info on your adaptions. Readers often like to know what works for others so this is good feedback. The mushroom and onion version sounds delicious.
I made these muffins today for my son! They turned out beautiful! I added some green onion and I used the juice that came out of the zucchini and carrot it equaled 1/4 cup so I added only 1/4 of milk. They are nice and fluffy! Thank you for sharing I will be making these for my little guy again 🙂
Thanks, Megan! So glad they turned out well for you. Thanks for taking the time to let me know, I appreciate it.
These turned out so fluffy and delicious. I think next time I’m going to a bit more cheese and some salt. But otherwise I think my kids are really going to enjoy these. And they need more veggies in their lives lol!
Great, thanks Megan! Hope your kids liked them 🙂
Hi Amy,
I want to use spinach instead of zucchini. What alterations should i make in the recipe and how much spinach do i use?
Hi Saumya, without trying it I can’t say for sure but I would just replace the zucchini with 250g of spinach (trimmed and shredded). Hope they turn out for you!
These were delicious! Light and fluffy since I didn’t overmix! Also I sprinkled a little salt on them when they were done baking. It helps to bring out the delicious flavors. If I want to bake with salt in them, do you think 1/2 tsp is enough?
Hi Tasha, thanks for the feedback and I’m so glad they came out light and fluffy for you. Yes, I’d try 1/2 a tsp and see how that work
These turned out brilliantly! Looked just like the picture. I think reading all the tips and following the recipe to the letter helped. That said I did use plain flour (not a fan of whole meal because of the heaviness as said in other comments) but I swapped 1/4 cup for ground oats for a little extra nutrition. My 2 year old is happily munching one as I type… with ketchup for dipping of course.
Thanks Sarah, so happy you had success with the recipe 🙂 I like the idea of adding ground oats into the mix!
So I made these with 8tbsp chickpea tin water instead of eggs. They tasted so good I had 3 whilst my 10month baby enjoyed hers quietly:-D
This is so great to know for other readers. I often get asked for egg replacement ideas but without trying them in the recipe I can never guarantee how they would work out. I’m delighted you enjoyed the recipe and that you could make it work for your diet!
Hi Amy,
Your recipe looks great, I cant wait to try it!
I sometimes use an egg substitute in my baking – I think its called ‘No Egg’.
I am in NZ and got this from common sense organics, your Aus alternative store should hopefully stock it!
Thanks for the recommendation, Emma. Good to know for when others ask!
Great recipe, turned out really well and my little boy loved them. Even ended up having them for lunch myself with a little bit of philli cheese spread on them warm from the oven yummmmmm 🙂
Hi Melissa, Fab! So happy that they were a success for you and that your little one loved them. Cream cheese sounds delicious on them!
Just made them. Very easy and delicious. Used 1/2 whole meal flour and 1/2 plain flour just in case and worked fine. Definitely making it again!
Thanks, Fabiana. So happy you liked them! Thanks for the feedback and info on what flour you used, it is useful feedback for other readers.
Were not fans of frozen corn or peas here could I use fresh instead? Or would it not turn out correctly?
Hi Shelby, fresh should work great 🙂
I just made these (though slightly adapted) and they’re yummy! I halved the recipe because I only have a mini muffin tray and used half a courgette, half a leak, about a quarter of a broccoli and 1/4 cup of peas. I made them for a picnic tomorrow for me and my son and I think he’s going to love them!
Hi Anya, Thanks for the feedback – hope your son loved his picnic!
I am on Weight Watchers, have no little ones at home. I’m adapting it by using fat free milk, 1/2 regular cheese, the other half 50% reduced fat Cabot sharp cheddar, 2 Tbls EVOO vs 1/4 cp plus 2 Tbls reduced fat butter/canola blend, throwing in 1/4 cp fat free cheddar. Will let you know how they turn out. Probably add garluc powder, dash salt, Mrs Dash and dash of pepper!
Hi Sherry, hope you got a good result!
I made these with half white all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour. I didn’t have any zucchini on hand, so I added a bit more carrot and some red bell pepper, along with the frozen sweet peas and corn. I will admit that they are a tad bland without seasoning for my liking. BUT, my 14 month old LOVES them! Sometimes we add a bit of butter on them for him (he’s a preemie and small for his age so they say a bit of extra fat is good for him.) But we don’t do it all the time though. Sometimes we just cut one up and give it to him plain with a side of berries or fruit. He absolutely loves these muffins. And they freeze well! I’m currently making my second batch since we ran out of the first batch. Thank you for this recipe. It’s a great way to get vegetables into our little guy.
Hi Lynn, Brilliant! So happy your 14 month loves these. Thanks for giving feedback, it makes my day when I hear people are enjoying my recipes.
I made this muffings today. They look and taste amazing. I didn’t have any yogurt and added some Philadelphia cheese.
I was unsure about the texture and cooked them in two batches incase the first batch was to dry but not it came out perfect.
Thank you Amy for this lovely recipie x
Hi Ana, thanks for your feedback. Loving the sound of Philadelphia in the muffins!Yum!
These were delightful! Made with plain flour and doubled the cheese content – absolutely devine in flavour. Texture was spot on too, moist and fluffy (I folded the flour in as advised which no doubt helped keep it light). Thank you.
Double cheese – YUM! Glad you enjoyed them, thanks for taking the time to rate and comment 🙂
I have just made these and they smell so yummy. I get what people say about lacking flavour but I was kind of looking for that as I have a toddler who has gone off veg and was looking for something to see if we can change this.
I am in the UK so I used self raising flour. They’re a little sticky in the middle and took a long time to cook! Considering I don’t bake I am quite happy with them. Let’s see if the little one agrees when she wakes up!
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Stefanie, thanks for your feedback – how did they go with your little girl? Fingers crossed she liked them!
Doing these for a school project where we are supposed to make a difference in our community, going to serve them to homeless people. Thanks for making this recipe!
I love this! Such a lovely thing to do, hope they go down well!
Hi there, thanks for posting this will try this weekend.
Once defrosted do they need to be warmed up or can be eaten cold? As sending with my son to daycare.
Hi Renee, My two are happy to eat them cold. 🙂 Hope you enjoy them!
Hi Amy,
I baked these for my baby last night and they turned out beautifully! I used whole wheat flour and had no issues with density. I didn’t take the time to squeeze out all the liquid; rather I added 2 tbsp chia to soak it all up.
My baby loved them this morning!
Thanks for the recipe!
Laura
Thank you Laura, I’m so happy they worked well for you. I love your chia seed idea. Thanks for taking the time to comment and rate 🙂