These light and fluffy gluten-free cheddar muffins are filled with lots of melty cheese pockets. All you need are a few simple ingredients, including gluten free flour, baking powder, cheddar, eggs, seasonings, and milk. Nobody will believe they are gluten free! If you are looking for a fun new savory muffin recipe, try my simple recipe.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: These homemade gluten free cheddar muffins turn out light and fluffy. You can vary the flavor by switching the type of cheese and herbs that you use. They are perfect for dipping into soups and stews.
Even better than expected (and I had high expectations!) Delicious on their own, and equally delicious as a base for scrumptious breakfast sliders! Thank you so much for posting this 🙂.”
diana, blog comment
I am proud of how this recipe turned out. I have been making this recipe for several years, and nobody can tell they are gluten-free. I am really excited to hear what you think! These homemade gluten free cheese muffins are delicious on their own, and they’re even better dipped in chili, soup, or stew!
Each bite is full of cheesy, herby goodness, and you can even add fresh herbs for extra flavor! I have several gluten free muffin recipes on the blog, but this is my only savory muffin recipe.
If you LOVE light and fluffy muffins, you MUST try these Gluten Free Strawberry Muffins and my Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins. If you are new to gluten free baking, be sure to read my Gluten Free Baking Tips.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend. I also listed a UK blend a reader wrote to me about: Waitrose Gluten-Free Flour. Other blends will work, but you may need to adjust the moisture by adding more flour or milk. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
- Binder – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain a binder, such as xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon. Read Why Binders are Important In Gluten Free Baking to learn more.
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free baking powder to avoid any metallic aftertaste.
- Eggs – Use large eggs to keep these muffins fluffy.
- Milk – Use regular milk or non-dairy plant-based milk. I tested this recipe using Oatly 4 Ingredient Oat Milk. Other milk types will also work, but it is important to use unsweetened.
- Cheese – I used shredded cheddar cheese, but you can use any flavor. Pepper jack cheese is also fun to use.
How to Make Gluten Free Cheddar Muffins (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425º F (or 350º F if you don’t want a dome top). Add your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
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Step 2: Add the shredded cheese and herbs/seasonings. Whisk to blend it all. This helps prevent the shredded cheese from clumping when you add the wet ingredients.
Step 3: In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until barely mixed.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use affects the muffin batter moisture. If your batter is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquid.
Step 5: Line your muffin tin with parchment paper muffin liners; they are the best at preventing sticking, and fill each cup about 3/4 full with batter.
Step 6: Bake at 425º F for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350º F and bake for 15-20 minutes until done.
To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the muffins. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, bake the muffins longer.
Try these fun flavor variations!
Everyone has their own herb/cheese favorites. Feel free to customize this gluten free savory muffin recipe to make it something you love! Here are a few ideas:
- Substitute mozzarella and basil for the cheddar and rosemary
- Try a sharper cheese like gorgonzola or blue cheese
- Give these a Mexican flavor with Cheddar and Jalapeño
- Something different, like smoked gouda and thyme
Need help with your muffins? I have a great gluten free muffin troubleshooting guide, and here are my favorite tools for making muffins.
Frequently Asked Questions:
The short answer is yes, shredded cheese should be gluten free…But you ALWAYS want to read the labels. Highly processed cheeses (think Cheez-Whiz and Velveeta) may contain gluten. Also, double-check all shredded cheeses to make sure they don’t contain gluten.
You can make these muffins with dairy-free cheese. I recommend using VioLife because the flavor is better when baked.
More Gluten Free Muffin Recipes:
- My kids love these Gluten Free Banana Oat Muffins. They are perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast.
- My Gluten Free Mochi Muffins are popular in Japan. They are easy to make with sweet rice flour, Mochiko.
- This homemade Gluten Free Muffin Mix is perfect to have on hand. It is a great muffin base to add your favorite fruits.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know it’s delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Cheddar Muffins (Fluffy and Soft)
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup gluten free flour blend (*Note, my flour blend has xanthan gum included. If yours doesn’t, add 1 teaspoon.)
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 teaspoons baking powder use aluminum free
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. (Bake, not convection bake.) Set the oven rack to the middle of the oven. Line a muffin pan with parchment paper muffin liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 large eggs, 2/3 cup water and melted 4 tablespoons unsalted butter. Whisk to combine
- Combine 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk to blend. Add the 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and spoon the flour mixture over the cheese to prevent the cheese from clumping. Mix together to distribute the cheese evenly.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just barely mixed.
- Scoop batter into each muffin tin so they are all filled 3/4 full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until done. The actual baking time can vary depending on the material of your muffin tin. (Glass tends to need a longer bake time.)
- Remove the muffin pan from the oven. Let the muffins sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully Remove each, and put each muffin on a cooling rack.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Bake the muffins at this high temperature for 5 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake an additional 18-20 minutes.
Nutrition
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure, Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend in this muffin recipe. That doesn’t mean other flours won’t work; I just haven’t tested other flours. Every flour blend varies, so you may need to add more flour or water to get the correct batter consistency.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain a binder, such as xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the muffins. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the muffins need to bake longer.
- These muffins will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
This post was updated from an older March 2017 post with more recipe details.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Delicious! just made these using waitrose gluten free flour (I’m in UK) and adding xanthan gum. added mustard cayenne pepper and sundried tomatoes. they came out perfect, thank you.
Thank you so much for letting me know that flour blend works. I will add a note to the post so others in the UK know that blend works well.
It’s a very good recipe!! I have already prepared it 3 times with very good results, Thank you!!
I am so glad you loved these savory muffins. Thank you so much for writing and letting me know.
Wondering if you’ve ever tried these with a baking paper? I’m making for a church function and think they would provide a more aesthetic look in baking papers…
Hi Susan, I haven’t used those papers, but I know what you are talking about. I am thinking it should be fine to use those.
Hey Sandy, I did try with muffin papers and they stuck to them. I guess the cheese is just too much. I made these again and added breakfast sausage and ham to some of them and they were completely delicious. This is a new favorite recipe!
I am so glad you loved them, but to clarify, you used parchment paper muffin liners and they stuck?
These muffins were fabulous, thanks for a great GF recipe!
Thank you so much, Jennie. I am glad you loved the recipe.
I gotta say – I absolutely detest most GF “breads” but this one was good, so good my kids even ate them with no questions. I used 1/2 almond flour and 1/2 oat flour for my grains.
I am so glad you enjoyed my cheese muffins. They are one of my favorites. It is good to know almond flour and oat flour worked. I haven’t tried that combo yet.
Does it make 8 or 12 muffins? Video shows 8 and recipe says 12.
Hi Leanne, It probably depends on the size of the muffin tin. Mine did make 8, but they are large.
Hi! I make these all the time! I am wondering if I can make the batter, refrigerate it, and bake them in the morning? Have you tried this? Thank you!
The batter should be fine to sit in the fridge overnight :-).