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Cottage Cheese Muffins are moist, sweet and so delicious. Packing a whopping 8.1 grams of protein each, these flourless muffins are perfect for healthy breakfasts, snacks and guilt-free desserts. Quick and easy recipe in a blender!
If you are looking for new ways to eat cottage cheese, try these sweet cottage cheese muffins with banana and oats. They are moist and so delicious, you won’t even taste the cottage cheese. Perfect to pack in some extra protein into your diet!
I declare myself The Cottage Cheese King. Since my chocolate cottage cheese ice cream went viral on social media, I’ve came up with so many recipes. Cottage cheese brownies, cottage cheese cookies and even cottage cheese banana bread. Apparently we were missing just some choc chip muffins. So here I am, with the latest of my protein baking obsessions.
Why you will love this recipe
- Moist and tasty. Muffins with cottage cheese are moist, soft and fluffy like the original, but with no oil and no butter. Plus, they are so sweet and flavorful.
- Healthy and high protein. Made with cottage cheese, no refined sugar and no oil, these muffins are high protein, low calorie, high fiber and nutritious. Over 8 grams of protein each!
- Quick and easy. These cottage cheese cupcakes come together in a blender in minutes. And if you don’t have a blender, mix everything together in a bowl.
- Customizable and versatile. From chocolate chips to walnuts, the ways how you can personalize this recipe are endless. Or make them low carb and keto.
Ingredients and substitutes
Here is all you need to make muffins with cottage cheese. You won’t find any oil, butter, flour and refined sugar here. But plenty of oats, cottage cheese and bananas instead. As always, refer to the recipe card down below for precise ingredients quantities.
- Cottage cheese. You can bake muffins with low fat cottage cheese, full fat cottage cheese, or lactose-free cottage cheese. The higher the fat content, the tastier and moister your muffins will be.
- Ripe banana. In this recipe, the banana adds natural sweetness and moisture without the need for refined sugar and oil. Choose ripe bananas; those with dark spots all over the skin.
- Egg. You’ll need a whole egg to improve taste and texture, I recommend a cage-free egg. As a replacement you can also use one flaxseed egg.
- Rolled oats. This cottage cheese banana muffin recipe blends rolled oats until it becomes flour. Use certified gluten-free rolled oats if necessary, or replace with quick oats, spelt flour, almond flour or your favorite flour.
- Protein powder. I recommend vegan protein powder or casein for baking. Unlike whey, they will keep your desserts soft and moist as normal flour. I used vanilla flavored protein powder, but you are free to choose other options such as chocolate. Or replace with more rolled oats.
- Maple syrup. Maple syrup sweetens cottage cheese muffins in a healthier and more natural way, without refined sugars.
- Vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. Vanilla and cinnamon add flavor while salt balances sweetness and brings out all the goodness.
- Chocolate chips. For banana muffins without refined sugars, use dark or extra dark chocolate chips. The higher the cocoa percentage, the more the benefits for your health.
If you don’t have protein powder, replace it with half a cup (50 grams) of rolled oats more. Of course your cupcakes will have slightly less protein, but they will still be healthy and delicious.
How to make cottage cheese muffins
- Prepare for baking. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare a muffin mold with muffin liners. Make sure you grease the liners to prevent the cupcakes from sticking.
- Blend the ingredients. Add all ingredients to blender, aside from the chocolate chips. Blend on high until you get a smooth batter. If you don’t have a blender, combine all ingredients in a bowl.
If you notice that the batter is too runny, add more oats and blend again. Or mix in a splash of milk, in case it is too thick. This depends both on the size of the banana, the type of cottage cheese and the type of protein powder used.
- Add choc chips. Gently incorporate the chocolate chips into the batter. Make sure you do not blend the batter again, mix it with a spatula or a spoon.
- Bake the muffins. Fill ⅔ of each muffin liner with batter, sprinkle with more chocolate chips and bake in hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Make sure you do not overbake the muffins; they are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool over a baking rack for about 15 minutes before serving.
Storage directions
After baking, let the muffins cool over a baking rack or plate, then place leftovers in an airtight food container or pack in ziplock bags. Refrigerate for a maximum of 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Before serving, reheat for a couple of minutes in hot oven or put in the microwave for some seconds until warm.
Recipe variations
- Gluten-free cottage cheese muffins. Prepare this recipe with certified gluten-free oatmeal and gluten-free protein powder. As an alternative you can also make cottage cheese banana muffins with almond flour.
- Low carb cottage cheese muffins. Replace rolled oats with almond flour and substitute half of the banana with 2 additional tablespoons of cottage cheese.
- Fruity cottage cheese muffins. After blending the batter, fold through chopped strawberries, fresh blueberries, chunks of apples, or pieces of pineapple.
- Chocolate cottage cheese muffins. Swap out 1/3 cup (30 grams) of the oats with unsweetened cocoa powder, and use chocolate flavored protein powder.
- Pumpkin cottage cheese muffins. Replace the mashed bananas with about 1/2 cup (140 grams) of pumpkin puree.
- Mix-ins ideas. For more taste and texture, stir into the batter your favorite mix-ins such as chopped walnuts, pecans, raisins, pumpkin seeds, or a mix of everything you like.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions
This cottage cheese muffin recipe is a healthier alternative to regular desserts. First of all, it uses cottage cheese, which is a highly nutritious food packed with protein and vitamins such as vitamin B12. Additionally, these are oil-free, flourless cottage cheese muffins sweetened with banana and maple syrup. High fiber, nutritious and refined-sugar free. Enjoy for breakfast, as a snack or as a guilt-free dessert.
These muffins taste moist and sweet with a hint of vanilla and banana. You won’t even notice the cottage cheese because it gets blended. So even if you’re not a fan, you’ll still love them.
Yes, and it is very simple. If you don’t have a blender or a food processor, add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until the batter reaches a smooth consistency. The only difference is that the cottage cheese curds won’t blend and may add some extra texture. I actually love it!
More Cottage Cheese Recipes
- Cottage cheese cookie dough
- Whipped cottage cheese
- Cottage cheese brownies
- Cottage cheese banana bread
- Healthy Syrniki pancakes
- Cottage cheese pancakes
- Cottage cheese Alfredo pasta
Cottage Cheese Muffins
Equipment
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ripe bananas, about 150 grams (5.3 oz)
- 220 grams (1 cup) cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) maple syrup, or honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅙ tsp salt
- 150 grams (1 ½ cup) rolled oats, or preferred flour
- 50 grams (½ cup) protein powder, or more rolled oats, see notes*
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 50 grams (¼ cup) chocolate chips, dark or extra dark
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare a muffin mold with cupcake liners. Make sure you grease the liners to prevent muffins from sticking.
- Add all ingredients to blender, aside from the chocolate chips. Blend on high until the batter becomes smooth. If you don't have a blender, combine all ingredients in a bowl.If you notice that the batter is too runny, add more oats and blend again. Or mix in a splash of milk, in case it is too thick. This depends both on the size of the banana, the type of cottage cheese and the type of protein powder used.
- Fold through chocolate chips.
- Fill ⅔ of each muffin liner with the batter, sprinkle with more chocolate chips and bake in hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Make sure you do not overbake the muffins; they are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove cottage cheese muffins from the oven and let cool over a baking rack for about 15 minutes.
Notes
Protein powder notes
- This muffin recipe uses vanilla vegan protein powder. You can replace with casein protein powder, a blend of whey and casein or whey (whey is not recommended because it tends to dry when heated).
- The type of protein powder used may influence the batter consistency. Casein and vegan protein powder tend to absorb more moisture than whey protein powder. Fix the texture with a splash of milk in case that the mixture is too thick.
- Substitute protein powder with more rolled oats, if you don’t have it.
Really liked how easy it was. They came out great!
Hey Ashley,
thanks a lot for your feedback! I’m so glad you liked this recipe 😉
Have a great day,
Matteo
Tasty! All I had for protein powder was whey so I reduced the maple syrup to 1 TBS, added 1/3 c apple sauce and some cocoa powder. The apple sauce kept the moisture in spite of the whey powder.
Hey Justin,
Thanks a lot for the feedback. I’m so glad you liked these muffins 😉
Have a great day,
Matteo
Instead of using grams for measurements could you use the regular cup or teaspoon measurements?
Hey dear Janice,
thanks a lot for your kind comment! Of course, you can find all US measurements in the recipe card, just toggle the right measurement system in the recipe card up here, before the ingredient list.
Have a great day,
Matteo
Hi! How should I change the recipe if I use whey protein instead of casein? Because whey usually makes my baked goods much drier. Thanks!
Hey dear Nadyok,
Thanks a lot for your question. I completely get you, whey will always tend to make baked goods dry. When developing this recipe I tried my best to make it work also with whey. Since they contain some moisture from the cottage cheese and the bananas, the muffins should not dry out excessively. However, they will never be as moist as with casein or plant based protein. There’s no way to prevent whey desserts from drying out at least a bit.
To sum up, I’m quite confident that your muffins will turn out good, no change required!
Have a great weekend,
Matteo
How does one measure 1/6 teaspoon of salt? My measuring spoons do not have 1/6 measures.
Outside of that, and a few adjustments for a lower carb count, the gist of the recipe sounds marvelous.
Hey my dear,
thank you very much for your comment! If you don’t have a precision teaspoon, just add a pinch of salt and you should be fine. Just a small hint.
I am so so glad that you like this cottage cheese protein muffin recipe. Make sure to let me know here in the comment as a review how they come out, once you try them 😉
Have a great Friday and good luck with your bakings,
Matteo