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 flour will 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 water instead 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 cheese if 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 1/2 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
This funny curdy cheese is a healthy addition to your low carb diet. Each 1/2 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.
Store these savory muffins in a covered container the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for several months.
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.
More healthy breakfast recipes
Savory Cottage Cheese Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (220 g) cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups (168 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (54 g) unflavored whey protein powder, or egg white protein powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) almond milk, or water
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
- 1/2 cup (70 g) roasted red peppers, chopped
- 1 cup (113 g) grated cheddar cheese, divided
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
Nutrition
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.
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These savory protein muffins are delicious and easy to prepare. I like having a ready made protein snack on hand.
Hi Carolyn I have been a fan for a long time.
Love your recipes BUT, can you please post recipes without protein powder every time? I can not tolerate it
Thank you for all you do.
I cut the recipe in half to make 6 muffins . Substituted precooked sausage crumbles for the bacon. added a splash of liquid egg whiles to add a little more moisture as the batter was dry. Excellent result! Used mixed cheeses. One muffin kept me full for hours!
Filling Snacks
I doubled it, made it in a glass pan & did not add the red peppers. It is delicious, protein packed, & so easy! My husband said he wants it everyday! Thank you for the recipe!
Hi, Carolyn. I’d love to make these, but cottage cheese is high in sodium & I need to limit sodium intake. Can I sub with ricotta instead? I know that it has a higher water content, so what do you suggest re: quantity & prep?
Yes you can. They will be softer and possibly more fragile.
I have a serious sweet tooth. What would you recommend instead of the peppers and cheese?
This was amazing! I’m in Australia and the protein powder i’ve used was the Pure Product Complex (WPI + WPC + CASEIN) – Unflavored. I only used salt and pepper as seasoning, and just added Babybel Protein as filling. And i’ve used powdered egg whites + water. I’ve baked them in my breville smart oven, same temperature and same time (350F, 25min, fan off). I will definitely be making this again.
Excellent!
Curious if you could add some ground flax or psyllium husk to give these a bit more fibre?
Sounds like you need to experiment! 🙂
I noticed you say to grate your own cheese to reduce the starch added to pre grated cheese. I just discovered this trick on FB, add pre grated cheese to a strainer & soak in cold water, then rinse. All that starch is removed.
PS: loved the muffins, I’ve been making them since the recipe posted.
Very good! Hubby approved too. I added a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast too. Thank you Carolyn!
These are delicious! I didn’t have cheddar and substituted pepper jack which worked great. Very reminiscent of a corn muffin to me.
I’ll definitely make again
This recipe produces firm and tasty muffins which freeze well and lend themselves to being sliced and toasted in an air fryer. Infinitely adaptable by varying the additional flavourings.
Is it possible to substitute collagen peptide powder in place of the unflavored protein powder?
thank you!
No, they will be too gummy and hard to cook through.
I made these with just cheese and onion. they were delicious and tasted somewhat like the cheddar bay biscuits from red lobster. Will definitely make again!
Made these this morning. Delicious! The texture was surprisingly breadlike. I’ll be using this recipe again and trying different variations. Thanks for another great recipe!
Have fun with it!