I love cooking with pumpkin during the autumn months, and these cheese and chive pumpkin muffins are a lovely way to make the most of it. Halloween food is often all about sweet treats, but pumpkin works brilliantly in savoury recipes too.
These easy savoury cheese and chive pumpkin muffins are soft, cheesy and full of flavour, making them a great option for children and the whole family. They’re also a fun way to bring a little autumn or Halloween theme to lunchboxes, snacks or family meals without relying on something sweet.
They take around 10 minutes to prepare, use just one bowl and are delicious served on their own or alongside a spread, some veget
able sticks and fruit. They can also work well as part of a toddler lunch or snack.You can use this recipe as a base and experiment with different flavours too. Swap the chives for herbs such as parsley or basil, or try adding a little extra grated cheese on top before baking.
Makes 10-12 muffins
Ingredients
- 200g cooked pumpkin or butternut squash, mashed or puréed (If using tinned pumpkin, choose one with no added salt.)
- 2 eggs
- 100g plain Greek yoghurt (or dairy-free alternative)
- 2 tbsp olive oil or melted unsalted butter
- 180g self-raising flour (white or a mix of white and wholemeal)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 60g grated cheddar
- Handful of chopped chives
- Pinch of paprika (optional)
- 1-2 tbsp milk, if needed
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional and grease or line a muffin tin.
- In a bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, yoghurt and oil.
- Add the flour, baking powder, cheddar and the chives. Add the paprika if using.
- Fold everything together until just combined. The mixture should be thick but spoonable. Add a splash of milk if it feels too stiff.
- Divide the mixture between 10-12 muffin holes.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, until risen, lightly golden and cooked through.
- Allow to cool slightly before removing from the tin.
Top tip: As these muffins are lovely and soft, they can sometimes stick to paper muffin cases. Silicone muffin cases work well or simply grease your muffin tin well. If using paper cases, go for non-stick ones and allow the muffins to cool completely before peeling them away.
More Halloween recipes for kids
As well as these cheese and chive pumpkin muffins, please check out my other halloween recipes, including lower sugar biscuits, date and nut butter bats and pumpkin pancakes.