Savoury carrot and cheese muffins with ham are the perfect lunch box muffin! These easy to make savoury muffins are loaded with hidden veggie, ham and cheese. They can easily be frozen for later too in case you want a savoury snack in a hurry!
Keeping school lunches loaded with variety can be a challenge so I am always looking for new flavours and combinations to keep things interesting for my kids.
One of these recent experiments was these delicious savoury ham, carrot and cheese muffins which are super easy to make, have hidden veggies and you can freeze for later.
Pretty much the trifecta… oh and they taste great!
My kids love carrot and often eat raw carrot as a snack with a bit of crunch, so I knew this was a flavour they would enjoy baked into their muffins as a relatively healthy savoury muffins recipe.
In fact, I have to freeze them quickly or I may accidentally on purpose eat half the batch before they even make it into my kid’s school lunch boxes. They are that good!
We love making muffins for lunch boxes although most of our favourites are sweet muffins, such as pear and walnut muffins or banana chocolate chip.
These savoury muffins are a much better option for a sandwich substitute for school or work.
SEE ALSO:
- Over 30 muffin recipes for kids
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- After-school snack ideas
- How to set up a fridge snack station
- Applesauce banana oat muffins
- Mango banana muffins
- Cheese and bacon lunch box scrolls
- Pizza scrolls
- Air fryer pizza rolls
SAVOURY HAM, CARROT & CHEESE MUFFINS RECIPE
One of the best things about this carrot muffin recipe is the fact that most of these ingredients are likely already in your fridge or pantry, so it’s on you can throw together and bake without a lot of preparation.
This also makes it great for those last-minute back to school lunch ideas if you are feeling a bit disorganised.
These savoury carrot muffins are quick to make. Under 10 minutes prep time and you’re done!
It makes it so easy when you can bake in bulk and freeze, as it means you have load of homemade baked goods ready to go for school lunches, with different flavours, textures and goodness!
It’s important to note that these are savoury carrot muffins. Not those decadent sweet carrot cake with cream cheese type that are also amazing.
These ones are more of a sandwich alternative for school lunches or a perfect after school snack. They would even make great breakfast muffins for kids on the go!
RELATED: 30+ HEALTHY MUFFIN RECIPES FOR KIDS
The printable recipe card with a FULL ingredients list and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.
What You Will Need:
- Grated carrot – Peeled and grated. The recipe requires around 2 medium to large carrots.
- Ham – You can substitute ham for bacon or any other similar diced meat. Or for a meat-free version, add in extra carrot and cheese instead.
- Grated cheese – We use cheddar or tasty cheese or whatever block cheese we have in the chiller.
- Egg
- Self-raising flour – If you have no self-raising flour, use plain all-purpose flour with a teaspoon of baking soda.
- Butter or margarine – Either is fine. Make sure you melt it first.
- Milk
- Salt and pepper to season
Optional: You can also add other seasonings such as chives, dried herbs or oregano, which all work great for adding a little extra flavour.
These are definitely a perfect lunch box muffin. I usually pop 2 mini muffins or one larger one into my daughter’s lunch boxes, as they are only in junior primary school right now.
However, it will also depend on the size of your muffin tray or liners as to how many you may need.
I use silicone muffin trays so there is no need to grease or line.
Tips for freezing muffins
These ham, carrot & cheese muffins can be enjoyed warm or cold, or freeze them for later.
To freeze wrap in plastic wrap and foil, or you can use an airtight container.
If freezing muffins in a container, add a sheet of paper towel to the bottom and on top of your muffins to help control excess moisture.
You can then pop them out of the freezer in the morning and into a lunch box and they should be defrosted and ready to eat by morning tea or lunch.
Or take them out of the freezer and keep in lunch boxes overnight in the fridge.
If you need them ready in a hurry, you can also pop them in the microwave to defrost fast.
Looking for a delicious sweet muffin recipe? Check out my mango, banana and yogurt muffins and pear and walnut muffin recipes.
Plus don’t miss these delicious muffin recipes too:
And if you need even more great lunch box ideas, grab my freebie printable list by clicking the image below:
If you try this recipe, be sure to pop back and tell me what you think. Can’t wait to hear from you!
Carrot Cheese & Ham Muffins
These savoury carrot & cheese muffins with ham are the perfect lunch box muffin, loaded with hidden veggie and dairy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 50g ham (or substitute with bacon)
- 3/4 cup grated cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 cups self-raising flour
- 2 tbs butter, melted
- 1 cup of milk
- Salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Prepare a 12-cup muffin tray.
- Whisk eggs, milk and melted butter in a large bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix until just combined.
- Add your mixture evenly in your muffin tray sections. Place into the oven.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Test with a skewer or knife to ensure that the centre is cooked. It should come out mostly clean.
- Give them time to rest in the muffin tray before removing and cooling on wire rack.
Notes
Substitutes: Instead of ham, use bacon or similar dice meat. Or leave this out of your recipe and add extra carrot and cheese if you prefer a meat-free alternative.
To avoid soggy muffins, squeeze out the juice from the grated carrot before adding to the mixture.
To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap and foil, or you use an airtight container. If freezing muffins in a container, add a sheet of paper towel to the bottom and on top of your muffins to help control excess moisture. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or in the microwave.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 145Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 398mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g
These figures are provided as an approximate guide only.
What is your favourite flavour muffin? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear it! And share this post to Pinterest! Be sure to follow me on Facebook or YouTube for more recipe ideas like these!