Published: by Carolyn
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Kick your day into high gear with these delicious high protein breakfast muffins! With 14 grams of protein and only 3.2 grams net carbs, they’re an ideal low carb breakfast.
Here I am with the cottage cheese again! For so long, I overlooked this versatile low carb ingredient and now I can’t get enough. I added it to some protein bagels, and I’ve been testing it out in other recipes, both sweet and savory.
And these delicious Cottage Cheese Muffins are the result of one such experiment. I wanted something to add to my list of high protein breakfast ideas. It needed to be tasty, easy to make, and something I could make ahead. These muffins met all of my expectations and then some!
My husband has already requested another batch for next week and I am more than happy to oblige!
A perfect low carb, high protein breakfast
Many recipes for protein muffins are on the sweet side, but these cottage cheese muffins are a tempting savory breakfast option. And you can easily customize these with your favorite add-ins. I used crisp crumbled bacon and roasted red peppers, but you could add in sausage, broccoli, spinach, you name it!
They are perfect for anyone trying to increase their protein consumption at breakfast. And research for my upcoming cookbook suggests that we could all benefit from more high quality protein, regardless of health status and diet.
With 14 grams of protein and less than 5 grams total carbs per muffin, this recipe can help you meet your protein targets. The muffins store nicely in the fridge for up to 5 days, so you can grab them as an easy on-the-go breakfast or post-workout snack.
I paired them with some lean ham and some sautéed veggies for a well rounded breakfast. Whereas my husband would eat two of the muffins in one go. Which means I just need to make more next time!
Ingredients needed
- Cottage cheese: I used whole milk cottage cheese but 2% should work just as well.
- Eggs: Two whole eggs and two egg whites give these muffins a lighter, fluffier texture.
- Almond flour: Fine blanched almond flourwill give you the best texture for all your keto muffins.
- Protein powder: The protein powder in this recipe is for better structure AND additional protein. I used unflavored whey protein concentrate.
- Almond milk: You can use waterinstead of almond milk or a mixture of cream and water works well, too.
- Bacon: You will need to cook the bacon prior to making these muffins. I like to cook it very crisp.
- Roasted red peppers: It’s easiest just to get jarred, marinated peppers for this. But you can also use fresh red peppers, if you prefer.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: Grate your own cheeseif you want to avoid the added starch in pre-shredded cheeses.
- Pantry staples: Garlic powder, baking powder, salt and pepper.
Step-by-step directions
1. Combine the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the cottage cheese, eggs, and egg whites until well combined.
2. Add the dry ingredients: Add the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Stir in the almond milk.
3. Stir in the add-ins: Fold in the bacon, red pepper, and half of the cheese until well distributed.
4: Transfer to the pan: Spoon the mixture into a standard muffin tin lined with parchment or silicone liners. Top each with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake: Bake at 350ºF for 20 to 25 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely in the pan.
Expert tips
There is no need to blend the cottage cheese before adding it to the muffins. It looks a little curdy when the batter is unbaked, but it bakes up nicely.
If you choose to use bacon, I recommend cooking it until it’s nice and crisp, so it doesn’t become soggy in the muffins.
Make sure you use silicone or parchment liners for these muffins. Paper liners will stick very badly and you will lose a lot of muffin when you try to peel them off!
For a nut-free version, try using ½ cup of coconut flour, and increasing to 4 eggs and 2 egg whites. You may also need more liquid to have a proper batter.
Recipe FAQs
Is cottage cheese good for you?
This funny curdy cheese is a healthy addition to your low carb diet. Each ½ cup serving of cottage cheese has 12 to 14 grams of protein and only 3 to 5 grams of carbohydrate. I really like the Good Culture brand, for the probiotics as well.
How long will Cottage Cheese Muffins keep?
Store these savory muffins in a covered container the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for several months.
How many carbs are in these keto breakfast muffins?
This savory breakfast muffin recipe has 4.8g of carbs and 1.6g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.2g net carbs per muffin.
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Savory Cottage Cheese Muffins Recipe
Kick your day into high gear with these delicious high protein breakfast muffins! With 14 grams of protein and only 3.2 grams net carbs, they're an ideal low carb breakfast.
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cottage cheese muffins, high protein muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 223kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup unflavored whey protein powder or egg white protein powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup almond milk or water
- 6 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- ½ cup roasted red peppers chopped
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese divided
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a standard muffin tin with parchment or silicone liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cottage cheese, eggs, and egg whites until well combined.
Add the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Stir in the almond milk.
Fold in the bacon, red pepper, and half of the cheese until well distributed. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffins cups and top each with the remaining cheese.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely in the pan.
Notes
Storage Instructions: Store these savory muffins in a covered container the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for several months.
Nutrition Facts
Savory Cottage Cheese Muffins Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)
Calories 223Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Carbohydrates 4.8g2%
Fiber 1.6g6%
Protein 14.2g28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them.I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Reader Interactions
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Claudia says
See AlsoGluten-Free Maple Pecan SconesHi Carolyn, Love your recipes and videos! Matter of fact, when I mention a new recipe to my husband, I say it’s a “Carolyn Happy-Dance Ketchum”! 🙂
If I remember correctly, your husband does the videos; maybe sometime he might join you for a dance? A quick spin in the kitchen? Could be fun!!
-I do have a question… I need to avoid almonds (and thus, almond flour) for health reasons. Is there another flour in particular you think would work for muffins & such?
Thanks so much and keep up the great work!Reply
Carolyn says
You could do these with coconut flour but you’re going to have to play around with the amounts of ingredients. Like 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup coconut flour and 4 to 6 eggs…
Reply
Brenda Conroy says
These yummy breakfasts-on-the-go are definitely customizable. I didn’t have enough cottage cheese so added yogurt. I didn’t have bacon but I did have 4 leftover keto maple sage sausages — https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-homemade-maple-sage-breakfast-sausages/ — so I cut those up. BTW, the recipe is in the comments of that page. The sage flavour was great in these muffins! I will put some herbs in when I make again. I also added half a zucchini grated and squeezed out, just for some extra veggies. Mine were maybe bigger and runnier than the originals so I did have to bake for an extra 15 minutes. I highly recommend this recipe!Reply
Brenda Conroy says
I forgot to mention that I didn’t have unflavoured whey protein powder so I used the Leanfit Vanilla, and the muffins were still savoury tasting.
Reply
Alicia says
I made these tonight and didn’t have bacon so I fried up a few slices of black forest ham and then chopped that up and added it. I used a food processor to make almond flour from slivered almonds. They taste a bit like egg bites from Tim Hortons, I like the garlic flavour and next time I make them I think I will add one of the green seasonings (oregano?). the taste and smell and texture are good. I calculated with fitness pal for the ham sub and it came to 13g protein at 170 calories.Reply
Maria says
Love the versatility of this recipe. The texture is great. I have changed up the seasonings and have just sprinkled bacon bits on top with the extra cheese. Also used dill for the seasoning too. Delicious change from sweet muffins.Reply
Valerie says
Excellent! I am trying to increase the protein in my diet and cut back a tad on dairy fat and these are perfect! Will be making these often PLUS for our long travel days to Europe. A perfect “breakfast” before landing.
Thanks again for your oh, so many, wonderful recipes.
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Deborah says
Oh yummm!Reply
jill says
These are so so good! I’ve tried many whey protein and almond flour recipes and just don’t like them. I am so excited that I found one I like! Perfect as I try to build muscle and lower my A1C to get out of the prediabetic range. Thank you for sharing and I’m glad I found these. Also I accidentally dumped the entire cup of cheese into the muffins before reading the instructions that only half was supposed to go in (I still topped them with more cheese), but it was still very good!
Reply
Cat says
Winner once again!
I do appreciate it when you post links to the items you use such as the silicone or parchment muffin liners.Reply
Claire McGuire says
This recipe looks so delicious. I have one question before I try it. Are you using creamed cottage cheese or dry? I bought 4% creamed.
Reply
John Greiner-Ferris says
I was so excited about trying these for a change for breakfast but after more than two hours after eating just one with a cup of coffee after fasting my BG is 140! It’s so important to know and understand what you can eat, and despite every indication that these would be ok for me, they’re definitely a no!
Reply
Carolyn says
Well I find that very surprising. I just looked back at my CGM logs and these never spiked me at all. Not sure what you would be spiking from… What does your protein powder contain?
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Debbie says
Its the protein powder it affects blood glucose, esp important to know if you are Type 1, which I am.
Reply
Carolyn says
Type 1 is very different and yes, one needs to be very careful and eat to their meter. However, protein powder for most folks will not affect blood glucose.
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Denise says
can I skip the whey
Reply
Carolyn says
YOu need a protein powder of some sort for these muffins. It’s important to their texture.
Reply
Alison says
Oops I guess this is a creamy version? I just can’t find the brand you are using
Reply
Carolyn says
No… not creamy at all. If you can’t find the brand I use, that’s fine. Any good cottage cheese will work.
Reply
Leola says
What recipe adjustments should I do in order to make these from coconut flour instead of almond flour?
Reply
Carolyn says
Please read the blog post. I already addressed this.
Reply
Brian says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! We’ve made your Cheddar Jalapeno muffins quite often but I’ve never been fond of the coconut flour flavor. I’m thinking this would be a great option instead! Highly customizable, too! (That, and I, too, love cottage cheese.) 🙂
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