I don’t like making breakfast during the week. I want to make my coffee, grab something to eat, and get on with the morning. I’m happy to spend a little time baking beforehand if it means breakfast is already taken care of. Enter Protein Pumpkin Muffins!
These protein pumpkin muffins are made with block cottage cheese, brown butter, maple syrup, and warm spices, then finished with a generous brown sugar crumble. They’re soft, moist, and easy to make ahead for weekday breakfasts.
That’s the idea behind my grab-and-go breakfast series: recipes you can prepare ahead and look forward to eating throughout the week.
These muffins started with leftover pumpkin purée from making pumpkin pie. I wanted to use it in a breakfast muffin with a little extra protein, a soft crumb, and plenty of warm spice. Block cottage cheese goes into the batter, and brown butter adds a nutty flavour that works so well with the pumpkin and maple syrup.
During testing, the muffins were already soft and moist. What I wanted more of was sweetness, warmer spice, and a generous crumble topping. Those were the details I focused on as I worked on the recipe.
Why I use block cottage cheese
I use pressed block cottage cheese for these pumpkin muffins. It’s the firm kind sold in a block, rather than the loose, creamy cottage cheese you scoop from a tub.
I prefer it for the simpler ingredient list, and it adds the extra protein I wanted without needing protein powder. Ingredients and protein content vary by brand, so it’s worth reading the label when choosing yours.
Because block cottage cheese is firm and dry, I blend it with the measured milk before mixing it into the batter. Stop and scrape down the blender or food processor as needed, then continue until the mixture is as smooth as possible. This helps it mix evenly into the muffins.
This recipe was developed with block cottage cheese. I haven’t tested a direct swap with creamy tub cottage cheese, so I would stick with the block version for the same result.
Ingredients for protein pumpkin muffins
- Block cottage cheese and milk: Blend these before adding them to the batter. Measure the milk carefully rather than adding more freely.
- Pumpkin purée: Use plain pumpkin purée. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sweetener and spices, which would change the recipe.
- Brown butter: Adds a nutty flavour. Scrape the golden-brown bits into the bowl along with the melted butter.
- Maple syrup: Sweetens the muffin batter and pairs well with the pumpkin and spices.
- Eggs: Help bind the batter and give the muffins structure.
- Vanilla extract: Adds flavour alongside the brown butter and maple syrup.
- All-purpose flour: Gives the muffins structure while keeping the crumb tender.
- Chia seeds: Add a little extra fibre.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help the muffins rise.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt: Give the muffins their warm spice flavour and balance the sweetness.
For the brown sugar crumble
The crumble uses flour, brown sugar, cold butter, cinnamon, and salt. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a mixture of fine crumbs and larger clusters, then chill it while you prepare the batter.
I wanted enough crumble to cover the whole muffin top. Keep some larger pieces in the mixture so you get that texture in each bite.
How to make cottage cheese pumpkin muffins
1. Make the crumble
Combine the dry crumble ingredients, then rub in the cold butter to form clusters. Refrigerate while you make the muffin batter.
2. Brown the butter
Cook the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring and watching closely, until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, including the browned bits, and let cool until warm.
3. Blend the cottage cheese
Blend the block cottage cheese with the measured milk until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients
Whisk the pumpkin purée, blended cottage cheese mixture, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and cooled brown butter together. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, chia seeds, leaveners, spices, and salt.
5. Fold and rest
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no dry flour remains. Scrape along the bottom of the bowl to catch any flour pockets. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before portioning.
6. Top and bake
Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and generously cover each one with crumble. Bake according to the recipe card, checking the muffin centres for doneness beneath the topping. A tester should come out without wet batter.
Let the muffins settle briefly in the pan before transferring them to a wire rack.
For large, bakery-style muffins
Bake in two batches, starting with 6 muffins spaced in alternating cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Keep the remaining batter and crumble covered in the refrigerator.
After the first batch, let the pan cool and bring the oven back to 425°F (220°C). Fill 2 cups with the remaining batter, add the crumble, and repeat the baking process: 5 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then reduce to 350°F (175°C) and bake until the centres are cooked through.
Tips for soft pumpkin muffins with crumble
- Measure the moist ingredients carefully. The pumpkin, maple syrup, eggs, and cottage cheese mixture all contribute moisture. Extra milk can change the batter.
- Let the brown butter cool. Brown it early so it has time to cool before you mix the wet ingredients.
- Blend the cottage cheese thoroughly. This step helps distribute it evenly throughout the batter.
- Fold gently after adding the flour. Stop once the flour is incorporated; the batter doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth.
- Check beneath the crumble. A golden top doesn’t tell you whether the middle has finished baking.
- Cool completely before packing. Trapped steam can make the tops damp and soften the crumble.
A make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings
This is the kind of baking I like having done before the week starts. There’s a batch of muffins ready to grab, and I can spend the morning making my coffee without also preparing breakfast.
Once the muffins are completely cool, store them in a covered container in the refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze them individually, then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Take out what you need and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
You can gently warm a muffin before serving if you like. The crumble will soften with storage, particularly after freezing and thawing, so the top will have a different texture from a freshly baked muffin.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use regular cottage cheese instead of block cottage cheese?
This version was developed with pressed block cottage cheese. Creamy tub cottage cheese has a different consistency, and I haven’t tested it as a direct substitute with the same amount of milk.
Do I need protein powder?
No. Cottage cheese and eggs contribute protein to the muffins without protein powder.
How much protein is in each muffin?
The amount depends on your cottage cheese brand and the number of muffins you make. Use the product label and your batch yield to calculate the protein per muffin.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling?
Use plain pumpkin purée. Pumpkin pie filling contains added sweetener and spices, which would change the flavour and sweetness.
Are these pumpkin muffins refined-sugar-free?
The batter is sweetened with maple syrup, but the brown sugar crumble means the finished muffins are not refined-sugar-free.
Why are my muffins gummy in the middle?
Check that the centres are fully baked and that you measured the wet ingredients accurately. Using a different type of cottage cheese or adding extra milk can also change the batter. Let the muffins cool before judging their finished texture.
Protein Pumpkin Muffins with Crumble
Equipment
- Standard 12-cup muffin pan or large muffin pan
- Paper muffin liners
- Digital kitchen scale
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Heatproof bowl
- Blender or food processor
- Two mixing bowls
- Small bowl for the crumble
- Silicone spatula
- Large spoon or cookie scoop
- Cake tester or toothpick
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoon unsalted butter for browning (70-73g browned)
- 8.8 ounces pressed block cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons milk
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- ⅔ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour spooned and levelled
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Brown Sugar Crumble
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour spooned and levelled
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 4½ tablespoon unsalted butter cold and cubed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Stir together the crumble flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Add the cold butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture forms crumbs with some larger clusters. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes while preparing the batter.
- Place the muffin butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty. Immediately transfer to a heatproof bowl, scraping in the browned bits. Let cool until warm rather than hot.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a muffin pan with paper liners. If baking larger-style muffins, only bake 6 at a time, spacing them out.
- Blend the block cottage cheese with the milk until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the blended cottage cheese mixture, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and cooled brown butter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the muffin flour, chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula just until no dry flour remains, scraping the bottom of the bowl. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide the batter evenly between 12 standard muffin cups or 8 large muffin cups. Distribute the crumble generously over the tops, including the centres.
- Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes. Leaving the muffins in the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C). Continue baking standard muffins for approximately 18–23 minutes, until a tester inserted into the centre comes out without wet batter. Large muffins may need longer; check the centres beneath the crumble for doneness.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack. Cool completely before storing.
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