10 Healthy Muffin Tin Recipes

You probably have a muffin tin in your kitchen. This standard piece of bakeware is certainly handy for whipping up baked goods, but there’s actually a lot more your muffin tin can do. All sorts of sweet and savory dishes can spring from its wells of metal or silicone.

In fact, the compact size of anything baked in a muffin tin offers built-in portion control! Mini pizzas, frittatas, and desserts are just a few of the tasty creations you can conveniently pop in (and out) of a muffin tin for smart-sized eating. Try these nutritious recipes.

Spinach and Quinoa Mini Breakfast Quiche

 Your muffin tin can just as easily produce a savory egg breakfast as it can grain-based baked goods. Try using it for these spinach and quinoa mini breakfast quiches from Verywell Fit. Loaded with high-protein quinoa and eggs, these mini quiches provide 10 grams of protein in a single serving—and only 5 grams of carbs and 132 calories.

Plus, this low-calorie, low-carb breakfast is extremely easy to customize. Can’t tolerate dairy? Leave out the cheddar cheese. Cutting back on meat? Skip the Canadian bacon.

To-Go Baked Oatmeal

With its high-fiber, whole grain goodness, oatmeal makes a wholesome breakfast any day—but it’s not (usually) one you can take on the road. These portable baked oatmeal cups from The Wholesome Dish are a game-changer! Their hand-held size makes them the grab-and-go breakfast you never knew oatmeal could be.

As you prep a batch of these muffin tin munchies, toss in your favorite oatmeal ingredients, like fresh or dried fruits, berries, nuts, or seeds. Then enjoy for breakfast, brunch, or healthy snacking.

Cheesy Hash Brown Egg Bites

For another variation on the mini frittata concept, check out these cheesy hash brown egg bites from Simply Recipes. They blend hearty, potassium-rich hash brown potatoes with eggs, cheddar, scallions, and spinach. The crunch of the crispy potatoes beneath fluffy baked eggs and stretchy cheese is a little bit of foodie heaven.

Even better, there’s no need to fry your hash browns in oil before adding them to this recipe. Simply baking them in the muffin tin before adding other ingredients is enough to hold them together and create their signature crispiness.

Low-Carb Cauliflower Pizza Muffins

Pizza in a muffin tin? Low-carb cauliflower pizza muffins from Sweet Peas and Saffron prove it’s totally a thing! These snack-able cups may not look like traditional slices, but their flavor mimics the pizza you know and love. 

The secret to their low-carb nature is right there in the name—cauliflower. (You can use store-bought or homemade riced cauliflower here, too.) Meanwhile, almond flour instead of wheat means gluten-free folks are able to enjoy them.

Mix up the cauliflower and almond flour, along with eggs and spices, then top each pizza muffin with tomato sauce and mini pepperoni pieces, and bake.

Mac and Cheese Muffins With Hidden Veggies

You may not think of mac and cheese as healthy, but there are ways to up the nutrition factor of this comfort food classic. These mac and cheese muffins with hidden veggies from A Mindfull Mom contain pumpkin, which blends right in with cheddar cheese. In addition to deepening the cheesy pasta’s orange color, pumpkin puree adds fiber and vitamin A.

Kids and grown-ups alike will relish the fun of mac and cheese in muffin form (and grown-ups may especially appreciate eating them in pre-portioned mini cups).

Healthy Vegetarian Stuffing Cups

Just like muffin tins aren’t just for breakfast, stuffing isn’t just for Thanksgiving. Whip up these healthy vegetarian stuffing cups from Verywell Fit in a muffin tin any time of year. They’re an herby, earthy side to accompany meat, veggie, or bean-based dishes.

Want to make them vegan? Use a plant-based butter instead of dairy butter.

Frozen Fruit and Cereal Yogurt Bites

Sure, a muffin tin has you covered for making tasty breakfasts, but it can venture into snack territory, too!

To make the bites, simply place sliced bananas in the bottom of each muffin well, top with Greek yogurt, and add your favorite cereal and fresh fruit. A couple hours in the freezer, and voila! You’ll have a cool and creamy treat that can provide a whole serving of fruit (not to mention plenty of protein from the Greek yogurt).

Mini Lemon Cheesecakes With Almond Crust

Dessert is another course where your muffin tin can shine. These mini lemon cheesecakes with almond crust from Verywell Fit come in at a moderate 212 calories per treat (but pack plenty of rich flavor). Instead of high-fat cream cheese, the cheesecakes keep calories low by using a combination of cottage cheese and DIY drained yogurt.

For those with IBS, these muffin tin treats can also be a godsend, as they’re made entirely with low-FODMAP ingredients like almonds, lactose-free yogurt, and even low-FODMAP cookies.

Raw Carrot Cake 'Muffins'

Although these cake-like treats are technically called muffins, this recipe involves no baking. Instead, these raw carrot cake muffins from Serious Eats come together with the help of the food processor, the fridge, and... an encyclopedia?

This unique recipe begins with extracting liquid from grated carrots by pressing them underneath a heavy object like a large book. Once pressed, the carrots are ready to join dates, walnuts, spices, honey, and raisins in muffin tin cups, where they’ll chill until solid. The finished product is gluten-free, dairy-free, and friendly for most food allergies.

Greek Yogurt and Strawberry Phyllo Cups

Some meals need just a little something light to finish them off. Greek yogurt and strawberry phyllo cups from Serious Eats could be just the thing after a heavier dinner. These also work well as part of a make-ahead brunch spread.

In this easy recipe, phyllo squares press into muffin cups for baking, then get filled with a dollop of yogurt, sliced strawberries, and a drizzle of honey. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!