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Cheese Muffins loaded with three full cups of sharp cheddar and brushed with garlic butter are the savory bake that turns any soup or dinner into an event, and they are ready in 30 minutes flat. The first time I made them on a chilly soup night, the basket emptied before the bowls did, and now they trade weeknights with our banana cream cheese muffins.
A simple stir together batter packed with sharp cheddar bakes into golden, tender muffins that get a warm garlic butter bath the second they leave the oven.
Cheese Muffins Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 25 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 muffins
- ⚡ Calories: 295kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory and cheesy with a garlic butter finish (sharp cheddar in every bite)
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our apple banana oat muffins
Quick Answer
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a muffin tin. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, then stir in 3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar. In a second bowl, whisk the egg, milk, and melted butter, pour it over the dry mixture, and stir until just combined. Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups and bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Brush the hot muffins with a quick garlic herb butter and serve warm.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Cheese goes into the dry mix first. Tossing the cheddar with the flour coats every shred, which keeps it evenly suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom.
- Minimal stirring means tender muffins. Mixing just until the flour disappears keeps the gluten relaxed, so the crumb bakes up soft instead of dense and rubbery.
- Sharp cheddar earns its place. Three cups of sharp cheddar stand up to baking with real cheese flavor where mild cheddar would fade into the background.
- Melted butter in the batter, twice the flavor on top. Butter inside keeps the crumb rich, and the garlic herb butter brushed on after baking soaks into the hot tops for that steakhouse roll flavor.
- Hot muffins drink up the garlic butter. Brushing while the muffins are fresh from the oven lets the seasoned butter absorb instead of sitting greasy on the surface.
- No mixer, one bowl each. A whisk and a spatula are all the equipment this recipe needs, so it comes together while the oven preheats.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Thirty minutes, start to basket. Five minutes of prep and the oven does the rest, faster than a bakery run.
- Garlic butter finish. That brushed on topping makes these taste like your favorite steakhouse cheese biscuit, in muffin form, right at home next to our crispy baked potatoes.
- The side dish that steals the show. Soup night, chili night, holiday dinner, these cheesy muffins upgrade all of them.
Key Ingredients
Everything here is probably in your kitchen right now. Quantities are in the recipe card below; here is why each one matters.
- Sharp cheddar cheese. Three full cups. Shred it from a block for the best melt and boldest flavor; pre shredded works but melts a touch drier. It is the same block we reach for in our everything bagel cheese ball.
- All purpose flour and baking powder. The structure and the lift. A full tablespoon of baking powder gives these muffins their tall, golden domes.
- Whole milk and a large egg. The moisture and richness that keep the crumb tender around all that cheese.
- Melted butter. It shows up twice: in the batter for richness and in the garlic herb topping brushed over the hot muffins.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley. The topping seasonings that turn plain melted butter into the signature garlic butter finish.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This savory muffin base loves a remix.
- Add jalapenos. A quarter cup of diced jalapeno in the batter gives them a cheddar jalapeno kick, the same flavor crowd as our jalapeno popper pinwheels.
- Stir in bacon. Half a cup of crumbled crispy bacon makes them a full breakfast on the go.
- Swap the cheese. Pepper jack brings heat, gruyere goes fancy, and a cheddar mozzarella blend gets extra melty.
- Add fresh herbs. Chopped chives or rosemary folded into the batter make them dinner party worthy.
- Make them mini. Bake in a mini muffin tin for 12 to 14 minutes for poppable party bites.
How to Make Cheese Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a muffin tin with baking spray, brushing it evenly into every cup. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Stir the shredded sharp cheddar into the dry ingredients until every shred is coated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and melted butter.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and stir until just combined, no dry patches and no overmixing.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the 12 sections of the muffin tin.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- While the muffins bake, mix the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and parsley for the topping.
- While the muffins are still hot from the oven, brush them evenly with the garlic butter, using it all, then take them out of the tin and serve warm.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Shred your own cheese. Block cheddar melts creamier and bakes into better cheese pockets than bagged shreds.
- Do not overmix the batter. Stir just until the flour disappears; a few lumps are exactly right for tender muffins.
- Grease the tin thoroughly. All that cheese loves to stick, so brush the spray into every corner of each cup.
- Check at 20 minutes. Ovens vary, and the muffins are done when the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Brush the butter while hot. Hot muffins absorb the garlic butter; cooled muffins just wear it.
- Reheat for that fresh baked feel. Ten seconds in the microwave or 5 minutes in a 300 degree oven brings leftovers right back to life.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These cheese muffins were born for soup and chili night. Serve them warm next to a bowl of our award winning slow cooker chili and watch them disappear before the spoons are even out.
They also play the dinner roll role beautifully. Set a basket beside our southern fried chicken or a plate of spaghetti and meatballs and skip the garlic bread entirely.
For weekend brunch, pair a warm cheese muffin with eggs, or serve them alongside our marry me chicken when you want the whole table to feel fancy with zero extra effort.
Cheese Muffins FAQs
Almost always overbaking or overmixing. Stir the batter just until combined, check at the 20 minute mark, and pull them as soon as the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. The garlic butter brush at the end also adds back moisture and flavor insurance.
Yes. Bake, cool completely, and store airtight at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5. Reheat 10 seconds in the microwave or 5 minutes in a 300 degree oven, and they taste fresh baked again. Save a little garlic butter to brush on after reheating.
Absolutely. Cool them completely, freeze on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or microwave from frozen in 20 second bursts. They are a great grab and go side for soup season.
Sharp cheddar is the gold standard because its bold flavor survives baking. Freshly shredded from a block melts best. Pepper jack, colby jack, gruyere, or a cheddar mozzarella blend all work, just keep the total at 3 cups.
Cheese is sticky business. Spray the tin generously and brush the spray into every cup, or use paper liners sprayed lightly on the inside. Letting the muffins rest 5 minutes after baking also helps them release cleanly.
Savory, all the way. There is only a half tablespoon of sugar in the batter, just enough to round out the flavor, and the garlic herb butter finish puts them firmly in dinner roll territory rather than breakfast muffin territory.
Want more easy bakes? Our pistachio muffins bring bakery case energy to your kitchen counter.
If you like garlicky bread, our focaccia bread is a must-bake.
Easy Garlic Cheddar Cheese Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
For the garlic topping:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F degrees.
- Spray a muffin tin with baking spray, brush the spray around with a pastry brush to make sure it is evenly coated, set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Stir in cheese.3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Whisk together the egg, milk, and butter in a separate bowl.1 cup whole milk, 1 large egg, 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and stir until combined.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the sections of the muffin tin.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top.
- Mix the butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and parsley until combined.1/2 cup unsalted butter melted, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/8 teaspoon onion powder, ⅛ teaspoon dried parsley
- While the muffins are still hot out of the oven, brush them evenly with the butter mixture, use it all! Take the muffins out and serve warm.
Notes
- Doubling these muffins is highly encouraged!
- You can use any of your favorite cheeses, see some of my ideas above.
- You can add mix in’s such as ham, bacon, jalapenos, etc.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above on how to properly do that.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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I’m pinning this right now! Those look amazing!
I would eat every single one of those muffins! Thanks for linkin up to Sunday FUNday!
These muffins look like the perfect accompaniment to dinner! And their small so you can have 10-15 and not feel bad about it right?? These look great and they were very popular @ Great Idea Thursday’s! You are being featured 🙂
Cheese, check. Garlic, check… om nom nom nom nom! I’m pinning, thank you for sharing it at the Pinworthy Project Party.
Wow wow wow!!!
This is “Editor’s Pick” on today’s Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop…I am the editor and I say “WOW!!!” Move over Red Lobster!
These muffins look amazing an like a perfect accompany to any dinner!
My readers loved them too. Check out your feature here: http://www.crystalandcomp.com/2013/10/best-mom-advice-101313/.
Talk about deliciousness! Yum!
Thanks again for joining the Link Up this week!
These look really good. I was just talking to a friend of mine who I wanted to bake something nice for as a way to say thank you. She was telling me she likes anything that has cheese on it. It seems that I am finding your recipe at the right time! Pinning and saving!
Maria
Making me hungry in the A.M.!
pinning this for later. surely lookd delicious
Those looks so good – I saved the recipe so I will have it and I plan to pin it, too. Thanks for sharing.
These are going to be perfect for tonight’s dinner!! Thank you for sharing on Foodie Friday.
Looks delicious…my family would love these! They look really tasty!
These look great! I will be pinning this!
These look so great, I know they would be a crowd pleaser in my house. I am glad I stopped by from the Best of the weekend Link party! 🙂