Quick Cottage Cheese Banana Blueberry Muffins

Here are my cottage cheese banana blueberry muffins, made with ripe bananas, cottage cheese for extra protein, hemp seeds, warm spices, and bursts of fresh blueberries throughout.

These muffins have become a regular in our breakfast rotation. My kids love them, and I love that they’re packed with good ingredients that keep everyone full until lunch. Plus, they make the whole house smell amazing while they’re baking.

What Kind of Cottage Cheese Should I Use?

Any cottage cheese you have in your fridge will work great for these muffins. Small curd cottage cheese tends to blend in more seamlessly, but if you’ve got large curd on hand, don’t worry – it’ll still give you that nice moist texture and protein boost. Full-fat, low-fat, or even fat-free cottage cheese all work fine here since the olive oil and bananas are already adding plenty of moisture to the batter. If you’re bothered by visible curds in your muffins, just give the cottage cheese a quick blend before mixing it in, though honestly, most people won’t even notice them once the muffins are baked.

Options for Substitutions

These muffins are pretty forgiving when it comes to swapping ingredients:

• Cottage cheese: You can use Greek yogurt or sour cream in the same amount. Both will give you that moist texture and protein boost, though the flavor will be slightly different.
• Coconut sugar: Regular granulated sugar, brown sugar, or honey work just fine here. If using honey, reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon since honey adds extra moisture.
• Olive oil: Melted coconut oil, vegetable oil, or melted butter are all good swaps. Use the same amount and your muffins will turn out great.
• Hemp seeds: If you don’t have hemp seeds, try ground flaxseed, chia seeds, or chopped walnuts. You can also leave them out entirely and add an extra 1/4 cup of flour.
• Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries both work – if using frozen, don’t thaw them first or they’ll bleed into the batter. You can also swap them for chocolate chips, raspberries, or diced strawberries.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is what this recipe calls for, and I’d stick with it for the best texture. Whole wheat flour can make the muffins dense, so if you want to try it, swap only half the amount.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake when making these muffins is overmixing the batter once you add the dry ingredients to the wet – stir just until the flour disappears, even if you see a few lumps, because overmixing develops the gluten and creates tough, dense muffins instead of light and fluffy ones.

Another common error is skipping the step to fold in the blueberries gently at the end, as stirring them in too vigorously can break them apart and turn your batter an unappetizing purple-gray color.

To get perfectly domed muffin tops, make sure your oven is fully preheated to 375°F before baking, and resist the urge to open the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking.

Finally, don’t forget to check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center – it should come out with just a few moist crumbs, not wet batter, and let them cool in the pan for those full 10 minutes so they don’t fall apart when you remove them.

What to Serve With Cottage Cheese Banana Blueberry Muffins?

These muffins are perfect for breakfast or brunch alongside a hot cup of coffee or tea. I love pairing them with a simple fruit salad or some Greek yogurt topped with a drizzle of honey for a complete morning meal. They also work great as an afternoon snack with a glass of cold milk or as part of a weekend brunch spread with scrambled eggs and bacon. Since they’re already packed with fruit and protein from the cottage cheese, they’re pretty satisfying on their own, but a smear of butter or almond butter takes them to the next level.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep your muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for about a week. I like to grab one for breakfast throughout the week, and they taste great cold or at room temperature with a little butter spread on top.

Freeze: These muffins are perfect for freezing! Let them cool completely, then wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. It’s so nice having a stash ready to go for busy mornings.

Thaw: Just leave a frozen muffin on the counter for about an hour to thaw, or pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. You can also warm it in the oven at 300°F for about 10 minutes if you want that fresh-baked feel again.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1850-2050
• Protein: 38-44 g
• Fat: 70-80 g
• Carbohydrates: 260-290 g

Ingredients

For the batter:

• 4 bananas (very ripe and mashed, about 2 cups)
• 1/3 cup olive oil (I prefer California Olive Ranch for its mild flavor)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature for better emulsion)
• 2/3 cup cottage cheese (I use Good Culture for the best texture)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp milk

For the dry mix:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I always use King Arthur all-purpose flour)
• 1/2 cup hemp seeds
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the fruit:

• 1 cup blueberries

Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Mise en Place

• 4 bananas

Preheat your oven to 375°F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line it with paper liners.

While the oven heats, mash the very ripe bananas in a large bowl until you have approximately 2 cups of smooth mash with just a few small lumps remaining—this helps create a tender crumb.

Measure out all your other ingredients so everything is ready when you start mixing.

Step 2: Create the Wet Ingredient Mixture

• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup cottage cheese
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Add the room-temperature eggs, cottage cheese, milk, vanilla extract, coconut sugar, and olive oil to the mashed bananas.

Whisk everything together vigorously for about 1-2 minutes until the mixture is well combined and slightly lighter in color—this helps emulsify the oil throughout the batter and creates a more tender muffin.

The cottage cheese should break down and incorporate smoothly into the wet base.

Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup hemp seeds
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, hemp seeds, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

This distributes the leavening agent and spices evenly throughout the dry mixture, ensuring consistent flavor and rise in every muffin.

I like to whisk the dry ingredients rather than just stirring them because it aerates the flour slightly and makes folding them in gentler.

Step 4: Build the Batter

• dry ingredient mixture from Step 3
• wet ingredient mixture from Step 2

Pour the dry ingredient mixture from Step 3 into the wet mixture from Step 2, then gently fold together using a spatula until just barely combined—there should still be some small flour streaks visible in the batter.

Overmixing develops gluten and creates tough, dense muffins, so stop folding as soon as you no longer see dry flour.

This gentle approach is the key to keeping these muffins tender and moist.

Step 5: Add Blueberries and Fill Muffin Cups

• 1 cup blueberries

Reserve a small handful of blueberries for topping, then fold the remaining 1 cup of blueberries gently into the batter using minimal strokes.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full—this leaves room for the muffins to rise without overflowing.

Place 2-3 reserved blueberries on top of each muffin for a beautiful presentation.

Step 6: Bake and Cool

Bake in the preheated 375°F oven for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with just a few moist crumbs—not dry and not with thick batter clinging to it.

Remove from the oven and let the muffins rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire cooling rack.

This resting time allows the structure to set slightly so they don’t fall apart when removed from the pan.

Quick Cottage Cheese Banana Blueberry Muffins

Delicious Quick Cottage Cheese Banana Blueberry Muffins recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 18 muffins

Calories 1950 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the batter::

• 4 bananas (very ripe and mashed, about 2 cups)
• 1/3 cup olive oil (I prefer California Olive Ranch for its mild flavor)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature for better emulsion)
• 2/3 cup cottage cheese (I use Good Culture for the best texture)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp milk

For the dry mix::

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I always use King Arthur all-purpose flour)
• 1/2 cup hemp seeds
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the fruit::

• 1 cup blueberries

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 375°F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line it with paper liners. While the oven heats, mash the very ripe bananas in a large bowl until you have approximately 2 cups of smooth mash with just a few small lumps remaining—this helps create a tender crumb. Measure out all your other ingredients so everything is ready when you start mixing.
• Add the room-temperature eggs, cottage cheese, milk, vanilla extract, coconut sugar, and olive oil to the mashed bananas. Whisk everything together vigorously for about 1-2 minutes until the mixture is well combined and slightly lighter in color—this helps emulsify the oil throughout the batter and creates a more tender muffin. The cottage cheese should break down and incorporate smoothly into the wet base.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, hemp seeds, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. This distributes the leavening agent and spices evenly throughout the dry mixture, ensuring consistent flavor and rise in every muffin. I like to whisk the dry ingredients rather than just stirring them because it aerates the flour slightly and makes folding them in gentler.
• Pour the dry ingredient mixture from Step 3 into the wet mixture from Step 2, then gently fold together using a spatula until just barely combined—there should still be some small flour streaks visible in the batter. Overmixing develops gluten and creates tough, dense muffins, so stop folding as soon as you no longer see dry flour. This gentle approach is the key to keeping these muffins tender and moist.
• Reserve a small handful of blueberries for topping, then fold the remaining 1 cup of blueberries gently into the batter using minimal strokes. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full—this leaves room for the muffins to rise without overflowing. Place 2-3 reserved blueberries on top of each muffin for a beautiful presentation.
• Bake in the preheated 375°F oven for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with just a few moist crumbs—not dry and not with thick batter clinging to it. Remove from the oven and let the muffins rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire cooling rack. This resting time allows the structure to set slightly so they don't fall apart when removed from the pan.