Savory Breakfast Muffins (Flourless, Gluten-Free)
These Savory Breakfast Muffins have eggs and cottage cheese for protein, and the flourless gluten-free muffins are loaded with flavor! Make these nutrient-dense muffins over the weekend and grab one or two for a quick low-carb breakfast during the week.
PIN the Savory Breakfast Muffins to make them later.
Savory Breakfast Muffins are a great option for anyone who’s looking for low-carb and Keto muffins to eat for breakfast. And I love to have muffins in the fridge for a grab-and-go breakfast, and these flourless breakfast muffin are just the thing for that!
I wanted a savory muffin that had eggs and cottage cheese, but one that had more texture and was more nutritionally dense than some of my breakfast muffins that are mostly egg. It took me five tries to come up with a combination I thought was just right, but now I’ve made these low-carb muffins many times since I finalized the recipe. I hope some of you will love them as much as I do.
This savory muffin recipe has ingredients like almond meal, raw hemp seeds, flax seed meal, and nutritional yeast along with eggs, cottage, Parmesan, and green onions, but please don’t be suspicious. I promise these Savory Breakfast Muffins muffins are also delicious! And all those ingredients add so many nutritional benefits, that I think they’re worth keeping on hand.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
- Almond Flour (affiliate link)
- raw Hemp Seeds (affiliate link)
- finely-grated Parmesan cheese
- Flaxseed Meal (affiliate link)
- Nutritional Yeast (affiliate link)
- baking powder
- Spike Seasoning (affiliate link)
- salt
- eggs
- cottage cheese
- green onion
What makes the savory muffins an extra-nutritious breakfast?
These savory muffins have cottage cheese and eggs for lots of protein! They also have nutritious ingredients like Hemp Seeds, Flaxseed Meal, and Nutritional Yeast which add nutrients and flavor!
What adds flavor to the savory breakfast muffins?
These savory breakfast muffins are called “flourless” muffins because they don’t have wheat flour. But the muffins are loaded with savory flavor from almond flour, hemp seed, Parmesan cheese, flax seed meal, nutritional yeast, and my favorite Spike Seasoning.
Can you make these savory muffins without Spike Seasoning?
I love the addition of a little Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) in all my savory recipes, but if you don’t have Spike just use any all-purpose seasoning blend.
How low in carbs are the savory breakfast muffins?
These delicious and nutritious flourless muffins only have 3 net carbs per muffin with 10 grams of protein!
How to Make Savory Breakfast Muffins:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Mix together the almond flour (affiliate link), Hemp Seeds (affiliate link), flax seed meal (affiliate link), Parmesan, Nutritional Yeast (affiliate link), baking powder, salt and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) if using.
- In a separate smaller bowl, beat the eggs and then stir in the cottage and sliced green onions.
- Then stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until they are well-mixed.
- Use a scoop to fill the sprayed muffin cups until they’re nearly full.
- Bake at 375F/190C about 30 minutes, or until the muffins are firm and nicely browned. Serve hot.
- The Savory Breakfast Muffins will keep well in the fridge for at least a week and can be reheated in a microwave or toaster oven.
Want more ideas for savory breakfast muffins?
Check out my collection of Low-Carb Muffins and Breakfast Muffins for more tasty muffin recipes!
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe for savory breakfast muffins has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Savory Breakfast Muffins (Flourless, Gluten-Free)
Make these low-carb and gluten-free Savory Breakfast Muffins with egg and cottage cheese over the weekend and grab one or two for a quick breakfast during the week.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup raw hemp seed (see notes)
- 1/2 cup finely-grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup flax seed meal
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional but good; can substitute any all-purpose seasoning mix)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Wet Ingredients
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
- Spray baking cups or muffin pan with non-stick spray or olive oil. (I’ve only used Silicone Baking Cups (affiliate link) for this, but I think it might work okay in well-sprayed metal muffin pans. The muffin cups I used are just over 2 inches inches across, so if you use a larger size you’ll get less muffins and may need to cook them slightly longer.)
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the almond flour, raw hemp seed, Parmesan cheese, flax seed meal, nutritional yeast flakes, baking powder, Spike Seasoning (if using), and salt. (affiliate links)
- In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs and then mix in the reduced-fat cottage cheese and thinly sliced green onions.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Scoop out the mixture with a small measuring cup and fill the muffin cups until they are nearly full, dividing the mixture evenly between the muffin cups.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the muffins are firm and nicely browned.
- These Flourless Egg and Cottage Cheese Savory Breakfast Muffins will keep in the fridge for at least a week and can be reheated in the microwave or in a toaster oven.
Notes
I used Manitoba Harvest Shelled Hemp Hearts (affiliate link). I used Almond Flour (affiliate link) for this recipe the last time I made them, but Almond Meal will also work. I recommend Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) for this recipe, but use any all-purpose seasoning blend you have.
Recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 148Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 98mgSodium 279mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 10g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet/ South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Savory Breakfast Muffins that are flourless and gluten-free would work for low-carb, Keto, or low-glycemic eating plans. Nut flours are not technically allowed for the original South Beach Diet Phase One, but these might work for phase two or three if you’re following South Beach, although they’re probably a bit high in fat.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Breakfast Recipes to find more ideas like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for savory breakfast muffins was first posted in 2012, and I’ve made it many times since then! The recipe was last updated with more information in 2025.
104 Comments on “Savory Breakfast Muffins (Flourless, Gluten-Free)”
Hi I used this again for my elderly mom who was having crazy sugar spikes in the morning (processed cereal) which were causing all kinds of health issues. She also has dementia and is very resistant to change. She accepted these as a substitute for cereal and the sugar issues stopped! Thank you so much for this yummy solution.
So happy to hear this worked well for her!
Hi …I made this recipe and the muffins are delicious. I’m from Canada, and Spike Seasoning is not available here, I found a handy substitute recipe on google of all spices I have in my pantry. I made the mistake of using muffin papers, a good portion of the muffin stuck, so next time I will try putting into the muffin tin with no stick spray. I also could not buy almond meal……I used natural almond flour, and I found the texture to be fine. I’m going to try making as a loaf as suggested by one of your readers. Thanks for this handy breakfast option.
Glad you found a seasoning mix that worked. I like these silicone baking cups for this type of muffin.
Can you post a link for where you get the almond meal. I have looked in stores and online and all I see is almond flour or almond meal that is fine (like flour) thank you. I really want to try this recipe.
When I first made this (MANY years ago) there was no such thing as almond flour, only coarsely ground almond meal. So that’s what I used originally, but any kind of almond flour will work fine. Sorry I missed that in editing, but I just edited it in the recipe. Costco has almond flour for a good price if you shop there.
I wish there was an easy way for me to get that information. This post talks about my efforts after I switched my blog from Blogger to WordPress and had to edit 2,000+ recipes. I have been working on that for nearly two years now, while trying to keep up with the blog. I am planning to add nutritional information, but not until the editing project is done.
If you look after the recipe itself, I give two links (where it says “Nutritional Information”) for suggestions of two ways to get that information. That’s all I am able to do at this time.
Pingback: Low-Carb High-Fiber Savory Muffins with Parmesan and Green Onions – rusticrosegiftco
I can’t have hemp seed as I have a safety sensitive position and sometimes They give a positive result.. Any suggestion for a substitute for that?
I would probably try substituting another 1/4 cup almond meal and another 1/4 cup flax seed meal for the hemp hearts. But hemp hearts are a big part of the flavor for these muffins and since I haven’t made it without them, I can’t say for sure how the flavor will be. But if you try it, I’d love to hear how it works.
LOVE this recipe. I’ve made the muffins many times. Today I turned it into a loaf. I thought it would make a good vehicle for a sandwich or toasted and topped with poached eggs. It’s excellent! I lowered the temperature to 325 and increased the baking time to 1 hour. It came out of the loaf pan perfectly…just don’t forget to spray your loaf pan. I highly recommend this. 🙂
I love that idea so much! I am definitely going to try it and if I end up posting the loaf version I’ll credit you for the brilliant suggestion! Happy to hear you have enjoyed it!
Pingback: Diabetic Meal Plan - |
Pingback: 12 Low-Carb Breakfast Ideas - Diabetic Nation
Pingback: 101 Delicious Low-Carb Breakfast Recipes And Ideas - TheDiabetesCouncil.com
This is a great recipe that makes delicious savoury muffins, i love them and enjoy with some butter on them. But i made some changes to make it more flavourful. Instead of Spike seasoning i used 1tbsp Madras curry powder + 1tbsp garlic powder + 1/4 tsp chilli powder + 1/3 cup chopped cilantro. Makes the recipe taste quite East Indian due to the flavours but i love it.
I love hearing how you adapted it! Sounds good to me.
These have sort of a soapy taste when I first start eating them, then they taste so good that I forget about the soapy taste. What might be causing it? The flax? I did not use nutritional yeast, but I'm going to next time.
They don't taste soapy to me, but I'm guessing it might be the taste of the hemp seeds that you're not familiar with. The nutritional yeast does add a good flavor.
Hi Kalyn, I greased my muffin tin really well and they still stuck! They taste so good but I'm wondering if you have any suggestions. Thanks in advance.
Did you use the silicone muffin cups? Maybe they are essential for this; sorry if I led you astray on that!
Thank you for this recipe. We substituted hazelnut flour/meal for the almond meal, and used Old Bay seasoning instead of the Spike seasoning, and it was delicious. Next time we're going to cook them a wee bit longer (the base of the muffins were not completely cooked) and maybe add some grated carrot and crumbled bacon, as bacon makes everything better.
Glad you liked it. Fun hearing how you substituted, and of course bacon is always delicious!
I have to admit I was skeptical when I found this recipe, but I made it last night. Not only was it super easy/quick, but OMG, girl, these are SOO good! I love the idea someone posted about adding raw spinach so I might add that in, too, to get a few more vegetables in the day. Thanks so much for posting this! I'll be sure and follow your other recipes!
Thanks Allison, so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Again, haven't made it that way so I can't say how it would work. But good idea.
coconut flour
Has anyone tried making these with shredded zucchini? I've got some to use and wondered if it would work ok in these.
Teresa, not sure how that would work. The zucchini would add moisture, so you'd probably need to add more of something that's a dry ingredient. It took me so many tries to make this come out right that I would dare guess how to adapt for zucchini, sorry! You might like this Zucchini Muffin Recipe that's also gluten-free and pretty low in carbs (but more of a sweet muffin recipe).
I love these. I made a big batch for myself as I am on a low carb diet. I froze them in individual snack bags (insige a gallon freezer bag) and heat them up for 1 minute in microwave (less time if thawed). I really enjoy them sliced in half with some cream cheese spread on.
You might try soy flour or quinoa flakes, but I haven't tried either of those so I can't say for sure how they would work.
Hello! I am allergic to nuts so looking to replace the almond meal. I am allergic to gluten and looking for a healthy low carb alternative to almond meal. Any ideas?
Oh, those look amazing Kalyn. I don't my gluten free bakes have ever looked sooo good. I'm going to mention this recipe in our newsletter if you don't mind?
That would be fine Margot, thanks for the shout-out!
I used canned green chilies and cheddar cheese for a corn bread-esque muffin and half the eggs. So far they look great out of the oven. Hoping they reheat as well for breakfast as the originals!
I like the sound of that!
My family LOVES breakfast muffins, so I'm excited to try this! Thanks!
I hope everyone enjoys it!
YUM! Love breakfasts that are easy to take on the go! Pinned!
Thanks Justine; glad you like it!
I really need to jump back on the South Beach band wagon 🙂 These look fabulous – do you think I could add some chopped broccoli to these or would that create too much moisture? Thanks for all you do, Kalyn – been checking out your site for years!
Thanks for being a loyal visitor; I really appreciate that. I'm not sure how broccoli would work in this. Not only the moisture, but it's a pretty dense mixture. But you could make my regular Egg Muffins and add a lot of broccoli. That's one of my favorite ways to get veggies for breakfast.
Yum! Such a perfect grab and go breakfast, which is what I totally need more of these days!
Thanks Ashlyn. I know just what you mean!
This is one of my favourite recipes…flavourful, savoury muffins. LOVE THEM!!
Thanks Karen! So glad you have enjoyed them!
Thanks Kalyn for posting the recipe again. I can't wait to make these…. I put brewers yeast in my smoothies (an acquired taste for sure) because it is a decent source of B-12. Love the flavor and nutrition it adds to savory food.
Thanks Letty; hope you enjoy! I am a fan of brewers yeast in small amounts to add nutrition and a bit of savory flavor.
I love all your gluten free recipes. I am going to send this to my sister her whole family just went on a gluten free diet because her husband and daughter are ciliac. She is always looking for more gluten free recipes.
Thank you so much Maria; I am thrilled the recipes are helpful for you.
These would be perfect for grab-and-go breakfasts on busy mornings. I need to stock my fridge with these.
Dara, I was just thinking today that I should make some tomorrow!
Wow love this recipe, all those healthy ingredients.
Thanks Amy; so glad you like it!
These sound wonderful and so convenient!
Thanks Kimberly, one of my personal favorites!
I sent a comment yesterday saying that I was going to try the muffins and let you know the result. I've done (microwave) muffins with only flax seed meal and they worked perfectly. There is another with a mix of soy flour and flax seed meal, also good. I'll let you know how yours come about. Take care.
Something must have gone wrong because I just checked and there wasn't a comment like that yesterday. I hate it when technology doesn't work right.
LOL! I think the problem was not technology, but human. I probably didn't hit the publish and thought I did. No harm done.
I see that my prior message is not showing, probably not yet approved. Anyway, I made the muffins yesterday and at one this morning. As I expected, I can't stand the ground almonds. It's just a matter of taste. The rest of the recipe is impeccable! I used (raw) spinach instead of green onions and it was perfect. Next time I'll use flax seed meal in stead of almond meal. Once more, thanks for sharing this very smart and tasty recipe!
There are no previous comments from you that I haven't approved, so I don't know what's happening with that. I see one directly above this one, and that's the only one I've seen. I'll be curious how this works without the almond meal.
I wonder if the yeast is necessary. I never used and don't even know where to get it… The recipe sounds great, I can't wait to try it! (I think you could add spinach, mushrooms, cilantro, tomatoes to it, in order to diversify the taste a bit!)
The nutritional yeast is for flavor and to add nutrients, not for making the dough rise. I don't know if it's "necessary" but since it's 1/4 cup I think you would need to replace it with another dry ingredient to keep the wet/dry balance the same. You could possibly add other things, but it took quite a few tries to get the texture and moistness of these muffins just right, and adding other things that are high in water might impact that. I'd love to hear how it works if you do some experiments.
BTW, you can find nutritional yeast in the health department of most any grocery store or in a store like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.
These are great! I've made them part of my regular breakfast rotation and have changed them up by adding diced ham or sausage, adding fresh basil, using ricotta in place of the cottage cheese. I like that they're so adaptable and work so well for a change-of-pace breakfast. I've even used them in place of bread for sandwiches.
So glad you have enjoyed the recipe so much!
Oh and I've frozen them with no problem. I reheat the thawed muffins in a toaster oven rather than the microwave. The toaster oven dries them better as they reheat.
Karen, good to know. Great idea to use the toaster oven to reheat.
Glad it worked for you!
I used coconut flour, oat flour, flaxseed meal and added paprika and some canadian bacon because mostly that is all I had.
I also had to use parsley instead, they tasted just fine!
Hi Marianne,
Since it took me so many experiments to get the recipe right (and I've never used the goat cheese or goat cream cheese in it) I'm not really sure how it would work. But seems like it might, worth a try!
This sounds great. I am cow dairy free. I can buy a soft goat cheese, would that be an ok replacement for the cottage cheese? Also can get a goat cream cheese, what about that? I am so glad to find a healthy alternative. Thanks!
I haven't frozen them, but most things with a lot of egg will release liquid when they're thawed. I think they'd keep in the fridge for at least a week, so I would probably store them that way. If you try freezing, I'd love to hear how they do.
Do these freeze well?
Since it took me five tries to perfect the savory version, I'm afraid it would take a lot of experimenting for me to adapt it. Maybe look at some of my recipes for sweet muffins with almond meal and compare ingredients. I think you might be able to taste the yeast unless you have some pretty flavorful ingredients.
These are delicious! I would love to take this recipe and make a sweet cinnamon and nutmeg version. I would like to keep the nutrish yeast in the recipe, but I don't want it to give it an off taste. If you have any thoughts or ideas, they would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Vee, glad you liked them, and thanks for sharing your version. Good to know that quinoa flour will work!
These muffins were great! I made them twice and the only changes I made were 1) substituting quinoa flour for the almond meal (because that's what I had in the house) 2) added diced onion, smoked paprika and chili powder, 3) used 1 1/2 cups egg beaters instead of whole eggs. I love savory breakfast foods so thanks a lot!
Kimberly, I do think the hemp seeds add a nutty flavor that I really like (and they're nutritious!) but glad to hear it worked for you with poppy seeds!
I just made these last night – really good! I couldn't find the raw hemp seeds, and just tossed in some poppy seeds I had. Do the hemp seeds add flavor? My daughter, who famously hates eggs, thought these smelled so delicious in the oven she tried them.
A very satisfying (and quick!) breakfast this morning.
thanks — hope to make it soon 🙂
MaryJoO, I will always answer questions if I can. The nutritional yeast adds flavor (and nutrition) here, so I don't know how it will affect the taste to leave it out. But I think subbing something like oatmeal should work. Love to hear how it works if you try it!
I realize this isn't a current recipe but hope I can still ask:
I have mold allergies, which have "morphed" into food sensitives aka no sour dough bread, no fermented things, limited other yeast foods …
do you think I can just leave out the
yeast flakes? I could throw in oatmeal or something …
thanks!
So glad you enjoyed!
I've been meaning to make these for a while for a Wheat Belly/grain-free breakfast option, and finally did today – outstanding! Savory, tasty, filling without being heavy. And easily adaptable. I realized too late that I had only 4 eggs on hand, but I went ahead anyway and just added a couple of tablespoons of regular mayo at the end – I was afraid they'd be dry without it. I also found the tub of what I thought was cottage cheese in my fridge was actually plain green yogurt, so I said what the heck and just used that instead, along with a handful of crumbled feta that needed to be used up. I skipped the hemp as I didn't have any. Next batch I make, I'm thinking of submerging a little disk of my homemade turkey breakfast sausage in each one…bet they'd be great with a little chopped ham sprinkled in as well! Thanks for a great recipe. Going grain-free has been great for my weight but breakfast is without a doubt the hardest meal for me – getting pretty tired of eggs! So happy to find these.
Terry, good to know it will still work without the hemp seeds, and glad you are enjoying the recipe.
I've been omitting the hemp seed completely (due to cost) and the muffins all taste terrific. Thanks for another great recipe.
And just to add to the fabulousness….I just seared a slice of Canadian bacon and made a little muffin sandwich–delicious.
Carol, thanks so much. So glad you enjoyed them. The desire for something that was not quite so "eggy" was what inspired me to come up with this recipe!
I've been excited about making these muffins today, and here's my take on the experience:
l. Easy to mix up and bake.
2. Smelled divine while baking.
3. Lovely texture..not so "eggy".
Warm, savory, nutty, salty and slightly cheesy–these did not disappoint. Great classic muffin texture and clearly PACKED with nutrition. What a great change for breakfast. I don't know how I would do South Beach without Kalyn!!
Made these today, and they are delicious! Thanks for the recipe, Kalyn!
These look really great! I'm trying to go somewhat GF, and have been looking for a substitute for the breakfast pitas I usually have…
Can't wait to make these! I'm a huge egg person, eat them just about every day in some form or fashion, but even I get tired of egg muffins or scrambles. Your recipe came just in time!
Glad you are enjoying them! I think flax is a pretty strong flavor, so if you're not fond of that you could use more hemp and less flax.
I like the texture of these better than your other egg muffins; they have more structure. I'm enjoying them two at a time for breakfast. They do taste a bit healthy. I think it's either the flax or hemp. The recipe came together in a snap and feels almost too easy to be true. Thanks Kalyn.
that's brilliant to add cottage cheese. I'll try that next time.
You have a knack for making me crave your recipes – now that I commute for one hour to work, I am looking for recipes that I can grab and eat in the car in the morning. This is PERFECT!
Terry, hope you enjoy!
Leesa, thanks so much for that nice feedback.
TW, I am trying to use both hemp and flax seed meal more, and loved how these turned out. And this was my first time cooking with nutritional yeast, which I decided I LOVE!
These look great – I love your portable breakfast! And, I'm looking for more recipes that use flax.
WOW! What a love and small cakes which you shared i just want to say that you have an outstanding blog on food.
These sound great and two of them would make a fantastic breakfast. Can't wait to make them
Joanne, hope you enjoy!
Lori, I think you could make a good muffin by increasing some of the other ingredients (almond meal, flax seed, nutritional yeast) to equal the amount of hemp seed. Or you could use something else that's nutritionally dense like Chia seed (although when I tested the muffins with those, I didn't care for the way they popped on my teeth!) If carbs are not an issue you could use something like ground oatmeal or another type of high-protein flour. I'd love to hear what you come up with!
These sounds delicious! Do you have a suggestion for a substitution for the hemp? I'm allergic to it, but would like to try your recipe!
Almond meal was actually the only flour of mine that survived a recent grain beetle infestation so I'm on the lookout for recipes that use it…winner right here!