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Savoury Breakfast Muffins

Name: Savoury Breakfast Muffins
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour; 3.5 oz (100 g) fresh figs; 1.8 oz (50 g) smoked ham; 1.4 oz (40 g) Gruyere cheese; 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk; 2 eggs; 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil; 2 1/2 teaspoons (12 g) baking powder; salt to taste; ground pepper to taste

Published: Aug 20, 2021 · Modified: May 1, 2022 by Irina · This post may contain affiliate links · 57 Comments

Try this must-make do-not-miss summer savoury breakfast muffin recipe to upgrade your breakfast routine to the next level.

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These savory muffins loaded with fresh figs, smoked ham, and Gruyere cheese will become your instant favorite from the first bite! What's the bonus? It is a 30-minute recipe!

Muffins loaded with figs and ham on a wooden board with figs in the background

I have never made savoury muffins. However, traditional sweet muffins such as Blueberry Muffins, Banana Bread Muffins with streusel topping, or morning glory muffins are well known in our home.

What is it if to combine something sweet and savory in a single recipe?

How about starting the morning with fresh figs, savory ham, and tasty cheese in a muffin form for a perfect breakfast?

I cannot get enough of figs every year when they are in season. That is why my blog is full of fig dessert recipes.

Everything started from the gorgeous Fig And Cinnamon Pavlova. Then I made this fantastic Fig And Almond Cake and rustic-looking Fresh Fig Tart.

I even created our family favorite - Fig Mini Tiramisu Cups - a fruity twist on the traditional Italian dessert.

Now, this is the turn for an amazing combination of sweet figs and savory ham.

And if you have never tried such a combo, this is your chance! I hope you like easy recipes because these cheese muffins are a baking project made in 30 minutes.

There is no way not to like it even during your busy mornings! It takes 10 minutes to make the dough and 20 minutes to bake.

As a result, you will get nine regular-sized homemade muffins (not jumbo muffins) loaded with figs, ham, and cheese.

You will then enjoy them for a quick breakfast or lunch, as a snack in the afternoon, or as an appetizer for dinner.

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Why you should try this recipe
Ingredients
How to make savoury breakfast muffins
Recipe variations
How to eat savoury muffins
Storage
Expert tips
Frequently asked questions
Love savory recipes? Try these next!
Need to adjust your baking pan size?
Recipe card
Comments

Sliced fig muffin, figs, other savory muffins on a wooden board in the background

Why you should try this recipe

It is one of the easiest and quickest appetizers you can ever make.
These savory muffins are a perfect grab for kids' and adults' lunch boxes and are brilliant for picnics.
This savory breakfast muffins recipe is so easy that even kids can help make these muffins the most.
The slightly salty taste of smoked ham is harmonized with a hint of sweetness due to figs.
Adding Gruyere cheese brings an additional flavor.
Using only two bowls in the preparation of muffins makes the cleanup easy and quick.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

Figs: seasonal fresh figs are the stars of the recipe. Use Mission figs due to their purplish-black skin and red flesh, giving a beautiful color and texture contrast in muffins.

Smoked ham: this is the best part of the recipe. I would not recommend substituting this ingredient, but you can experiment with smoked turkey, smoked sausage, turkey sausage, or breakfast sausage if desired.

Gruyere cheese: cheese is an essential ingredient of the savory muffin filling.

Replace Gruyere cheese with Emmental, Jarlsberg, Beaufort, Comté, or Raclette, or use a mixture of a few kinds of cheese.

If all of these cheeses are not available at your grocery store, use Swiss cheese. The last option is to use sharp cheddar cheese, but it is not quite the same.

Milk: the recipe calls for whole milk.

Eggs: use large whole eggs.

Olive oil: it makes moist muffins, and its taste is perfectly combined with the filling ingredients such as figs, ham, and cheese.

Baking powder: it gives rise to muffins to get a lovely dome on top. The best baking powder to use is aluminum-free baking powder. Please, make sure it is fresh.

How to make savoury breakfast muffins

Preheat oven to 355 degrees F/180 degrees C. Butter cavities of a muffin pan and put aside.

To make the muffin dough, sift plain flour and baking powder with a flour sifter in a large mixing bowl.

Combine eggs, olive oil, milk, salt, and black pepper in a separate medium bowl with a hand whisk (photo 1).

Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture and combine well.

To make the filling, cut fresh figs into medium-sized pieces. Next, cut the smoked ham into triangles or squares.

Also, prepare grated cheese. Add figs, ham, and cheese into the main preparation (photo 2) and gently mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon (photo 3).

Photo 1: Eggs mixture in a bowl Photo 2: Cheese, ham, and figs over the dough — **PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2**

Pour the dough into the prepared muffin pan cavities, filling up to two-thirds (photo 4).

Photo 3: Muffin dough in a glass bowl Photo 4: Dough into muffin mold cavities — **PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4**

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are golden brown (photo 5). Check readiness of muffins with a toothpick: if it comes out dry, the muffins are ready.

Remove them from the mold and let them cool on a wire rack. Serve immediately (photo 6).

Photo 5: Baked muffins in a pan Photo 6: Baked muffins, a board in the background — **PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6**

Recipe variations

Sometimes contrasting flavors are magic. So why not use the same base recipe, but have fun with changing toppings?

Here are some ideas for your inspiration to create your own delicious muffins (you will need to cut all these ingredients into small pieces):

1.7 oz. (50 g) smoked ham + 3.5 oz. (100 g) sundried tomatoes + 1.4 oz. (40 g) grated Emmental cheese or Comté cheese;
1.7 oz. (50 g) cooked bacon + 3.5 oz. (100 g) chopped olives + 1.4 oz. (40 g) Gruyere cheese;
1.7 oz. (50 g) smoked salmon + 3.5 oz. (100 g) sautéed baby spinach + 1.4 oz. (40 g) grated parmesan cheese;
1.7 oz. (50 g) cooked chicken + 3.5 oz. (100 g) cooked mushroom slices + 1.4 oz. (40 g) mixed cheese;
1.7 oz. (50 g) sausage mixture + 3.5 oz. (100 g) green onions, bell peppers, or leftover vegetables + 1.4 oz. (40 g) mixed cheese.

How to eat savoury muffins

Savory muffins are best eaten fresh and warm from the oven. Here are fun ways how and when to eat them:

Enjoy savory muffins with a cup of coffee as a healthy breakfast, or grab and go.
Pack them in your lunch box and enjoy them as a tasty snack during the day.
Place a few of them on a platter for brunch or afternoon tea.
Enjoy them with the soup during lunchtime.
Serve them as a delicious appetizer before dinner.
Bring them to a picnic to share with friends.

Storage

You can store muffins at room temperature in an airtight container by lining them with a paper towel to absorb the moisture from the muffins.

In this way, they would keep their quality for up to one to two days. As for refrigeration, it is not the recommended way to store savory muffins since cold temperature changes the texture of muffins.

Freezing muffins is a great way to keep muffins fresh. Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap or foil, place in a Ziploc bag and freeze for up to two to three months.

To reheat, unwrap frozen muffins and place them in a muffin tray or pan. Reheat in a microwave or the oven at 350 degrees F/170 degrees C for a few minutes.

Expert tips

Don’t over stir the mixture. Once you add figs, ham and cheese, mix them just to combine.
Grease the cavities of a muffin tin well. If you want to use paper muffin cups, spray them with oil before placing the dough; although, using paper liners is unnecessary.
Keep your eye on the baking time: use a toothpick test to check the muffins for readiness. Just remember that every oven is different.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between 'savoury' and 'savory'?

In standard English spoken in the UK and other English-speaking countries, the taste is described as “savoury,” while the herb is always spelled “savory.” However, in the United States, both words - the adjective and the herb - are spelled “savory.” That is why you will notice that "savoury" and "savory" as the adjective are often used interchangeably nowadays.

What is Gruyere Cheese?

Gruyere cheese (Gruyère in French) is a firm cheese of Swiss origin. It is made of whole cow's milk and is aged from five months to a year. Gruyere cheese is usually served in slices as part of a cheese platter, used on a sandwich, or to make traditional cheese fondue.

Can you make vegetable muffins using this recipe?

Yes, you can create your new veggie-loaded muffin recipe. Replace ham and cheese with grated vegetables of your choice, for example, red peppers, nuts (walnuts or pecans), and substitute whole milk with a vegetable option.

How to make gluten-free savory muffins

It is easy. Just replace all-purpose flour in the recipe with gluten-free flour.

Love savory recipes? Try these next!

Craving more sweets? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Yummly, and subscribe via email to receive all of the new recipes. Also, have a look at my favorite baking tools I use daily.

Need to adjust your baking pan size?

No worries! This simple cake pan converter is here to help. Now you can easily adjust any size of pan to fit your needs.

Try Cake Pan Calculator

Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from https://www.likeachef.fr/. It was originally published on September 23, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.

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