Feta and Spinach Muffins
Tender, tangy savory muffins studded with salty feta, bright dill, scallions and spinach. Greek yogurt keeps the crumb moist, and the tops bake up golden and lightly crisp. They're great warm with soup or packed in a lunchbox.
- Prep
- 22 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Wait
- 15 min
- Total
- 59 min
- Makes
- 12 standard muffins
Steps
Before you start
- Thaw the frozen spinach in the fridge overnight, or microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes until no longer icy, then let it cool until you can handle it.
- Take the eggs, yogurt and milk out of the fridge 20 to 30 minutes ahead so the batter mixes smoothly.
- Use block feta packed in brine if you can. It is creamier and less dry than pre-crumbled feta. Feta is salty, so don't add extra salt to the batter.
- Position an oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) before you mix.
Prep oven and tinOven 400°F / 205°C
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C).
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.
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Ready when: Oven reads 400°F (200°C) and all 12 cups are lined.
Tip: If your liners tend to stick, lightly brush the inside of paper liners with olive oil.
Squeeze spinach dry
- Put the thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel, gather the corners and twist hard over the sink, squeezing out as much liquid as you can.
- Alternatively, press it in a fine-mesh sieve with the back of a spoon.
- Fluff the spinach with your fingers into loose clumps.
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Ready when: No more liquid drips out when squeezed, and you have roughly ¾ cup (130 g) of spinach.
Tip: Wet spinach is the top cause of soggy, gummy muffins. Squeeze longer than you think you need to.
Combine dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper for 20 seconds until evenly combined.
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Ready when: No streaks or lumps of leavener remain.
Whisk wet ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth, then whisk in the yogurt, milk, olive oil, grated garlic and lemon zest until the mixture is completely smooth and uniform.
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Ready when: No visible streaks of egg or yogurt.
Tip: Cold ingredients can make the oil clump, so use room-temperature eggs, yogurt and milk.
Fold in mix-ins
- Add the squeezed spinach, the crumbled feta (except the 2 tbsp reserved for topping), scallions and dill to the wet mixture.
- Stir gently to distribute them evenly and break up any spinach clumps.
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Ready when: Spinach and herbs are evenly speckled throughout the wet mixture.
Tip: Mixing the fillings into the wet mixture first means you need fewer strokes once the flour goes in.
Make the batter
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold just until the flour disappears, about 15 to 20 strokes.
- The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
- Stop as soon as no dry flour is visible.
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Ready when: No dry flour pockets; batter is thick, lumpy and scoopable.
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and gives tough, rubbery muffins with tunnels.
Fill the tin
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 liners using a ¼-cup (60 ml) scoop or large spoon, filling each about three-quarters full (roughly ⅓ cup / 80 g batter each).
- Sprinkle the reserved 2 tbsp feta over the tops and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
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Ready when: All cups are filled evenly and slightly mounded.
Tip: Work quickly after mixing so the baking powder's lift isn't wasted before the tin hits the oven.
Bake the muffinsOven 400°F / 205°C
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the tin front to back after 12 minutes, until the tops are deep golden and the feta is browned in spots.
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Ready when: A toothpick in the center comes out clean (a few melted feta smears are fine), tops spring back when pressed lightly, or an instant-read thermometer reads 200°F (93°C).
Tip: If the tops brown too quickly before the centers are set, tent the tin loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes.
Cool in the tin
- Set the tin on a wire rack and let the muffins rest for 5 minutes so they firm up enough to lift out without tearing.
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Ready when: Muffins feel firm when gently touched and release easily from the tin.
Cool and serve
- Lift the muffins out of the tin and place them on the wire rack.
- Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before serving warm, or let them cool completely for packing.
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Ready when: Muffins are warm, not steaming hot, and the bottoms feel dry.
Tip: Don't leave them in the hot tin, which steams the bottoms and makes the liners soggy.
Good to know
Tips
- Squeeze the spinach until it is truly dry. This matters more than any other step for the texture.
- Crumble the feta into small pieces, about the size of peas, so it spreads evenly instead of creating large wet pockets.
- The high 400°F (200°C) oven gives these muffins a quick rise and domed tops. Keep the oven door closed for the first 15 minutes.
- Fill the cups no more than three-quarters full for neat, domed tops that won't spill over.
Make ahead
"Squeeze and fluff the spinach, slice the scallions and crumble the feta up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate separately in covered containers. Bake the muffins up to 2 days ahead and reheat before serving. Don't mix the batter ahead, since the baking powder loses lift."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 4 hours after cooling. Refrigerator: store cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freezer: freeze cooled muffins in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Reheat refrigerated muffins in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or frozen ones for 15 to 18 minutes, until warm in the center. A microwave works in a pinch: 20 to 30 seconds for refrigerated, 45 to 60 seconds for frozen."
Substitutions
- frozen chopped spinach → 10 oz (280 g) fresh baby spinach. Wilt it in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, cool, squeeze dry and chop finely. You will have about the same amount as the squeezed frozen spinach.
- plain whole-milk Greek yogurt → Full-fat sour cream or buttermilk-thickened plain yogurt. Use the same amount of sour cream. Regular (non-Greek) plain yogurt is thinner, so reduce the milk to ¼ cup (60 ml).
- fresh dill → Fresh mint or flat-leaf parsley. Use the same amount, or 1 tbsp dried dill if fresh isn't available.
- all-purpose flour → Half whole wheat flour (125 g) and half all-purpose (125 g). The muffins will be denser and nuttier. Add 1 tbsp extra milk if the batter seems stiff.