These pumpkin cottage cheese muffins are soft, warmly spiced, and packed with real pumpkin. The cottage cheese melts into the batter, so nobody can tell it’s there.
It just makes the muffins tender and adds protein without any protein powder.
They’re an easy fall breakfast or after-school snack, and they freeze well, so one batch goes a long way.
Why Put Cottage Cheese in Muffins?
Cottage cheese does two jobs here. It keeps the muffins moist, so the recipe only needs 3 tablespoons of oil. And it adds protein, which is why cottage cheese muffins are all the rage right now.
The secret is blending it first. Blended cottage cheese turns silky and disappears into the batter. Left whole, the curds can dry out and turn chewy by the second or third day.
How Much Protein Is in These Muffins?
About 6 grams per muffin with the chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds, and about 5 grams without them. That’s based on standard USDA values for each ingredient.
You’ll see a lot of “high protein” pumpkin muffins online. Without protein powder, it’s hard to get a muffin much past 6 grams. These get their protein from cottage cheese, an egg, flour, and pumpkin seeds.
If you want more, there’s a protein powder option below.
Ingredients
- Cottage cheese. Any fat percentage works. Use regular cottage cheese, not dry curd.
- Egg. One large egg.
- Pumpkin puree. A full cup, which gives real pumpkin flavor. Use 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Maple syrup or honey. Stick with a liquid sweetener; dry sugar throws off the batter.
- Oil. Just 3 tablespoons of a mild oil, like avocado oil.
- Vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
- Baking powder and baking soda.
- All-purpose flour.
- Mini chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds. Both optional, but the seeds add crunch and a little extra protein.
How to Make Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Muffins
- Prep the pan. Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan well, or use parchment liners or a silicone pan (more on why below).
- Blend. Blend the cottage cheese and egg until completely smooth.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Pour the blend into a large bowl. Whisk in the pumpkin, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, spices, baking powder, and baking soda until no white specks of baking powder are left.
- Add the flour. Stir in the flour just until you can’t see dry streaks. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Fill and top. Divide the batter among the 12 cups and sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top.
- Bake. Bake for 22 to 23 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Start checking a few minutes early, since ovens vary.
- Cool. Let them cool for 15 minutes before you dig in.
How to Keep Cottage Cheese Muffins From Sticking
This is the most common complaint about cottage cheese muffins: they bake up great, then cling to the paper liners. They’re a very moist muffin, and plain paper liners grab on.
Any of these fixes the problem:
- Skip the liners. Grease the muffin pan well with oil spray and bake right in the pan.
- Use parchment liners instead of regular paper ones.
- Use a silicone muffin pan.
- Spray your paper liners with oil before you add the batter.
Tips for the Best Texture
- Blend the cottage cheese. It’s the difference between smooth muffins and chewy curds a few days later.
- Don’t overmix. Stir the flour in gently. Overmixing makes muffins dense.
- Dry cottage cheese? Add milk. Brands vary. If your batter looks stiff, stir in a splash of milk.
- Don’t overbake. Pull them when a toothpick comes out clean but the tops still feel soft.
Variations
- No chocolate. Leave out the chips and let the pumpkin and spice shine.
- Nuts. Add up to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Whole wheat. Swap in 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour.
- Gluten-free. Try a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Almond flour and coconut flour won’t work in this batter.
- Greek yogurt. Full-fat Greek yogurt can stand in for the cottage cheese.
- More protein. Protein powder dries out the batter, so start with one scoop and add a splash of milk. Each scoop adds its label’s protein divided by 12 to every muffin. A scoop with 24 grams adds about 2 grams per muffin.
How to Store Them
Keep the muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Warm one in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
Got Leftover Pumpkin?
This recipe uses 1 cup of pumpkin, so a 15-ounce can leaves some behind.
So blend that cottage cheese, grease the pan, and give these a try. They taste like a pumpkin muffin should, with a little extra staying power for busy mornings.
Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Muffins
Equipment
- blender
- parchment or silicone liners (optional)
- 12-cup muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup cottage cheese any fat percentage, not dry curd
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 3 tablespoons mild oil such as avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips optional
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds optional
- Oil spray for the pan
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan well with oil spray, or line it with parchment liners or use a silicone pan.
- Blend the egg and cottage cheese until completely smooth.
- Pour into a large bowl. Add the pumpkin, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk until no white specks of baking powder remain.
- Add the flour and stir gently just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter among the 12 cups and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
- Bake 22 to 23 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Start checking a few minutes early.
- Cool 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Davin is a jack-of-all-trades but has professional training and experience in various home and garden subjects. He leans on other experts when needed and edits and fact-checks all articles. Also an aspiring cook we he researches and tries all kinds of different food recipes and shares what works best.