Vegetarian Spinach Feta Muffins

Name: Vegetarian Spinach Feta Muffins
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder; ½ tsp (3 g) baking soda; ½ tsp (3 g) kosher salt; ½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground; 1 tsp (1 g) dried oregano; 2 large (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature; 1 cup (240 g) plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature; ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk, at room temperature; ⅓ cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 1 clove (4 g) garlic, finely grated or minced; 1 tsp (2 g) lemon zest, finely grated (optional); 10 oz (283 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, then squeezed very dry (yields about ¾ cup / 120 g); 6 oz (170 g) feta cheese, crumbled into small pieces (about 1 cup); 4 whole (60 g) scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts; 2 tbsp (6 g) fresh dill, finely chopped (optional); 1 tbsp (9 g) sesame seeds (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tender, tangy savory muffins studded with spinach, salty feta, scallions and dill. Greek yogurt keeps the crumb moist, and they're perfect for breakfast, lunch boxes or alongside soup.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 22 min
Wait: 10 min
Total: 52 min
Makes: 12 standard muffins

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Ingredients

12 servings

For the batter
2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
½ tsp (3 g) baking soda
½ tsp (3 g) kosher salt
½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp (1 g) dried oregano
2 large (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (240 g) plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
½ cup (120 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
⅓ cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove (4 g) garlic, finely grated or minced
1 tsp (2 g) lemon zest, finely grated (optional)
Mix-ins
10 oz (283 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, then squeezed very dry (yields about ¾ cup / 120 g)
6 oz (170 g) feta cheese, crumbled into small pieces (about 1 cup)
4 whole (60 g) scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts
2 tbsp (6 g) fresh dill, finely chopped (optional)
Topping
1 tbsp (9 g) sesame seeds (optional)

Equipment (8)

12-cup standard muffin tin (½-cup / 120 ml cups)
12 paper or silicone muffin liners
Large mixing bowl
Medium mixing bowl
Clean kitchen towel or fine mesh sieve (for squeezing spinach)
Rubber spatula
Large cookie scoop or ¼-cup measure
Wire cooling rack

Steps

Before you start

Thaw the frozen spinach (overnight in the fridge, or 2 minutes in the microwave) so it's ready to squeeze.
Take the eggs, yogurt and milk out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so they mix smoothly and don't firm the olive oil.
Position an oven rack in the center and preheat to 400°F (200°C) while you prep.
Feta is salty, so this recipe uses only ½ teaspoon of salt. Taste your feta first and don't add extra salt.

1
Prep the panOven 400°F / 205°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F (200°C).
- Line all 12 cups of a standard muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.
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Ready when: Oven reaches 400°F (200°C) by the time the batter is ready.
Tip: Paper liners can stick to low-fat muffins; lightly spray them with oil if yours are thin.
2
Squeeze the spinach
- Place the thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel (or press it in a fine sieve) and wring out as much water as you can over the sink.
- Fluff the squeezed spinach with a fork to break up clumps.
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Ready when: No more liquid drips when you squeeze hard; you should have about ¾ cup (120 g) of dense spinach.
Tip: Wet spinach is the top cause of gummy, green-streaked muffins. Squeeze twice.
3
Mix the dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper and oregano for 20 seconds until evenly combined.
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Ready when: No streaks of baking soda or lumps of flour remain.
4
Whisk the wet ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks and whites are blended.
- Add the yogurt, milk, olive oil, garlic and lemon zest (if using) and whisk for about 30 seconds until completely smooth.
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Ready when: The mixture is smooth with no visible streaks of yogurt or oil.
Tip: Cold ingredients can make the oil clump into specks; room temperature gives a smoother mix.
5
Prepare the mix-ins
- In a small bowl, toss the fluffed spinach, crumbled feta, scallions and dill (if using) together, separating the spinach strands with your fingers.
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Ready when: Spinach is spread out in loose strands and evenly distributed with the feta, with no big clumps.
Tip: Tossing the mix-ins first keeps you from overmixing the batter later.
6
Combine the batter
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula just until most of the flour disappears, about 10 strokes.
- Add the spinach mixture and fold 6–8 more strokes until evenly distributed.
- The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
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Ready when: No dry flour pockets remain; batter is thick and scoopable, not pourable.
Tip: Stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated. Overmixing makes tough, tunneled muffins.
7
Fill the cups
- Use a large cookie scoop or ¼-cup measure to divide the batter among the 12 liners, filling each to the top (about ⅓ cup / 80 g each).
- Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds, if using.
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Ready when: All cups are filled evenly and slightly mounded.
8
Bake the muffinsOven 400°F / 205°C
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) on the center rack for 20–22 minutes, rotating the tin front to back after 12 minutes for even browning.
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Ready when: Tops are deep golden and spring back when lightly pressed; a toothpick in the center comes out clean (a few melted feta smears are fine). Internal temperature reads 200–205°F (93–96°C).
Tip: Don't open the oven in the first 12 minutes or the domes may fall.
9
Cool and serve
- Let the muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
- Cool at least 5 more minutes before eating; they're best warm.
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Ready when: Muffins lift out of the tin easily and are warm, not piping hot, in the center.
Tip: Leaving them in the hot tin longer than 10 minutes can steam the bottoms soggy.

Good to know

Tips

Do not skip squeezing the spinach; excess water makes the muffins heavy and damp.
Crumble the feta by hand into small pieces rather than using pre-crumbled dry feta for the creamiest, juiciest pockets.
The 400°F (200°C) oven gives a quick rise and domed tops. If your muffins brown too fast, tent the tin loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes.
Fill the cups completely; this batter doesn't spread much and needs the height for nicely domed tops.

Make ahead

"Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls up to 12 hours ahead; cover the wet bowl and refrigerate it, then combine and bake as directed. Or bake fully a day ahead and reheat before serving."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: up to 8 hours in an airtight container. Refrigerator: up to 4 days in an airtight container. Freezer: up to 3 months, wrapped individually in a freezer bag. Reheat refrigerated muffins at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes, or microwave for 20–30 seconds. Reheat frozen muffins at 350°F (175°C) for 15–18 minutes, or thaw overnight in the fridge first."

Substitutions

frozen chopped spinach → 10 oz (283 g) fresh baby spinach, wilted in a dry skillet over medium heat, cooled, squeezed dry and chopped. Fresh spinach cooks down to about the same volume; squeeze out water well.
plain whole-milk Greek yogurt → Sour cream or buttermilk-thickened plain yogurt. Sour cream works 1:1. Regular (not Greek) yogurt is too thin unless you reduce the milk to ¼ cup (60 ml).
feta cheese → Goat cheese or sharp cheddar. Use the same weight. Cheddar gives a milder, less tangy result; goat cheese melts into creamier pockets.
all-purpose flour → 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour plus 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour. Gives a nuttier, denser crumb; add 1 tablespoon extra milk if the batter seems stiff.