If you only think of sweet, fruity or spicy flavors when you think of muffins… think again! Savory muffins are super easy to make and are a great side dish for soups or to serve for a brunch, holiday meal or just a snack. These Leek and Parmesan Savory Muffins are a treat we have been enjoying here for more than 10 years!

a person holding a tray of savory muffins

I originally shared this recipe on November 2, 2010. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

Table of contents

Why You’ll Love these Leek and Parmesan Muffins

The savory muffin are a go-to around here. Not only are they convenient to make ahead, freeze and toss in a lunch box, but they’re filling and have only 2 grams of added sugar per muffin. I also love them as a quick grab-and-go breakfast.

I started making them two decades ago when I was a personal chef. I could quickly whip up a batch of them, customized with various add ins, and then wow my clients with freshly baked goods to pair with their dinner or for snacks.

Today I still make them. I love them as a side dish for saucy recipes and especially with soups.

For today’s version, we used diced cleaned leeks, sauteed in butter to soften a bit. This brings out their natural flavors. The leeks play nicely with the saltiness of the parmesan to make one uber-yummy savory muffin. Just 20 minutes of prep and you’re off to the muffin-lovin-races!

a closeup of the tray of muffins

Ingredients For Parmesan Leek Muffins

Leeks

You will need one large leek for the muffin batter. Once you clean it, you should end up with about 2 cups of diced clean leeks. If you cannot find leeks, scallions or green onions are a good alternative.

Parmesan

We used grated Parmegiano Reggiano. But you can use another hard Italian cheese like Pecorino, Asiago or Romano.

Whole-Wheat Flour & All-Purpose Flour

As with most of our baking recipes, we use a blend of whole wheat (for added nutrition) and white flour (for good texture and rise.) If you can find it, we suggest baking with white whole wheat flour which has a less distinct wheat taste.

Buttermilk

We love buttermilk in quickbreads, cornbread, buttermilk mashed potatoes, oatmeal pancakes and whole wheat blueberry pancakes. So we have it on hand most of the time. It makes baked goods more tender and reacts with leavener to make them rise better. If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, place 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in the bottom of a measuring cup. Fill to the one cup mark with milk. The acidity of the lemon will sour the milk and it will work just as well as regular buttermilk.

Additional Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoons white pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup avocado oil or organic canola oil

How To Make This Recipe

Step 1: Preheat Oven and Prep Pan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.

Step 2: Cook Leeks

Melt butter over medium heat in a medium skillet.  Add leeks and cook, stirring often until softened but not browned 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Step 3: Mix Batter

Whisk white whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, buttermilk and oil in a large bowl. Stir in the flour mixture, the leeks and Parmesan cheese until just combined.

Step 4: Bake

Spoon into the prepared muffin pan and transfer to the oven.  Bake until the muffins have risen, are light golden and spring back when touched lightly, 22 to 24 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool.

a stack of parmesan muffins on a slate board with blue mottled background

Expert Tips and FAQs

Can these be made ahead or frozen?

To make these muffins ahead wrap them individually in plastic wrap, place in a re-sealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. When you feel that muffin-craving just remove the plastic wrap, wrap your muffin in a paper towel and microwave until just warmed through or defrost at room temperature. 

What do Savory Muffins go with?

Savory Muffins, like these Parmesan Leek Muffins are great for a make-ahead side for a holiday meal. They are great with roasted meat and chicken. They are great for an Easter or Christmas dinner and pair well with Roasted Pork, Roasted Turkey or ham. They are also great as a side dish to brothy soups and saucy comfort food dishes like Chicken al la King.

a blue napkin with parmesan muffins on top

More Muffin Recipes

Bake a batch of these Apple Upside Down Muffins. They are low-sugar and great for an after school snack.

Our Chocolate Raspberry Paleo Muffins are made without dairy or grains.

Cranberry orange muffins on parchment paper on counter, sugared cranberries in a bowl

Cranberry Orange Muffins
A bunch of muffins sitting on a table with carrots and nuts on the table

Whole-Wheat Morning Glory Muffins
paleo banana muffins

Paleo Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
side view of apple muffins with apples in the background

Healthy Apple Muffins

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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a closeup of the tray of muffins

Leek and Parmesan Muffins

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Print Recipe

Description

These Leek and Parmesan Muffins are a perfect make-ahead kid-friendly breakfast or snack! They are filled with healthy and filling whole grains and are also low in sugar.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large leek, sliced, see prep tip*
  • 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoons white pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk, see substitution tip*
  • ¼ cup avocado oil or organic canola oil
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
  2. Melt butter over medium heat in a medium skillet.  Add leeks and cook, stirring often until softened but not browned 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
  3. Whisk white whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, buttermilk and oil in a large bowl. Stir in the flour mixture, the leeks and Parmesan cheese until just combined.
  4. Spoon into the prepared muffin pan and transfer to the oven.  Bake until the muffins have risen, are light golden and spring back when touched lightly, 22 to 24 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool.

Notes

2 g added sugars, 40 mg cholesterol

Substitution tip* for buttermilk: Place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in the bottom of a measuring cup. Fill to the one cup mark with milk.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: Oven/stove top
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 muffin
  • Calories: 156
  • Sugar: 3.5 g
  • Sodium: 316 mg
  • Fat: 8.5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 16 g
  • Fiber: 1.5 g
  • Protein: 5 g

Keywords: leek muffin,savory muffin,how to clean a leek

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Here is the original image associated with this blog post.
A close up of Leek Parmesan Muffins
Leek and Muffin photo collage with text overlay