Cheddar Dill Muffins: Savory, Golden, and Gone in Minutes
Cheddar dill muffins are the savory muffin that makes people reach for a second one before the first is gone. One bowl, a handful of simple ingredients, and thirty minutes are all it takes to have golden, cheesy, dilly muffins on the rack!
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There are recipes that require a grocery list, a free afternoon, and a certain level of ambition. And then there are these muffins.
Cheddar dill muffins have no business being this good for how little effort they take. A simple biscuit mix base, sharp cheddar, fresh dill, and just a whisper of dry mustard. That’s it!
The mustard doesn’t announce itself. It just quietly makes everything taste more like itself, the way a good supporting character does.
They’re the kind of thing you pull out of the oven and set on the counter, and somehow nobody in the house can wait for them to cool. Serve them alongside a bowl of soup, tuck them into a bread basket for company, or eat one warm over the sink with a little butter. No judgment here!
One and a half dozen muffins, one bowl, and about thirty minutes. Let’s make them!
Key Notes
Cheddar dill muffins are a savory muffin made with a biscuit mix base, sharp cheddar cheese, and fresh dill weed. They bake at a lower temperature than most muffins (350°F versus the more common 400°F) which gives them a tender, even crumb rather than a domed, bakery-style top. They’re best served warm and pair beautifully with soups, salads, and brunch dishes. This recipe makes 18 muffins and comes together in about 30 minutes from start to finish.
What You’ll Need
This is a wonderfully short ingredient list for a muffin that tastes like you put in considerably more effort. Lots of cheese, a handful of fresh herbs, and a few pantry staples are all that stand between you and a basket of something wonderful.
- Egg, milk, and vegetable oil — your standard wet ingredients, nothing fancy required.
- Biscuit mix — the base that does most of the heavy lifting
- Shredded cheddar cheese — sharp cheddar gives you the best flavor here. Pre-shredded works fine, but if you have a block and a box grater, freshly shredded melts a little more beautifully into the batter.
- Fresh dill — please use fresh if you can find it. The flavor is brighter, greener, and more delicate than dried dill weed. If fresh isn’t available, use one teaspoon of dried in its place.
- Dry mustard — more on this in a moment, but don’t skip it.
Missy’s Muffin Note
Fresh dill makes a real difference here. If you only have dried dill weed, use about one teaspoon in place of the tablespoon of fresh. Dried dill is more concentrated and can go from “herby” to “overwhelming” pretty fast.
🥣 No Biscuit Mix? No Problem!
To replace the 3 cups of biscuit mix, combine the following in a large bowl:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
Whisk the dy ingredients together first. Then, work the butter in with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Use in place of the biscuit mix and proceed as directed.
So What Does Dry Mustard Actually Do?
This is the ingredient that makes people squint at the recipe and the make it anyway.
And they are so glad they did!
Dry mustard doesn’t make these muffins taste like mustard. What is does do is act as a flavor amplifier. It sharpens the savory notes already in the batter and makes the cheddar taste more like itself.
Think of it less as an ingredient that you’ll notice and more as one you’ll miss if it weren’t there.
Can I Skip the Dry Mustard?
You can, but the muffins will be slightly flatter in flavor.
If you don’t have dry mustard, a small squeeze of regular flavored mustard (about half a teaspoon) can work in a pinch. Just stir it into the wet ingredients before combining.
Is Dry Mustard the Same as Mustard Powder?
Yes, dry mustard and mustard powder are the same thing. You’ll find it in the spice aisle, usually labeled one or the other depending on the brand.
How to Make Cheddar Dill Muffins
One bowl, one whisk, and about ten minutes of hands-on time.
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and coating your muffin tins with cooking spray. If you prefer, liners work just as well. Just give them a little light spray as well so the muffins release cleanly. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the biscuit mix, shredded cheddar cheese, and dry mustard until combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
This little step matters! It keeps your from over-mixing…which is the one thing that could make a muffin go dense and tough.
In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, beat the egg and then stir in the milk, vegetable oil, and fresh dill. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
The batter will look a little lumpy. But that’s exactly right. So put down the spoon!
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each about three quarters full. Divide the batter as evenly as you can across eighteen muffin cups.
Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven immediately and transfer them to a wire rack to cool. This keeps the bottoms from steaming and going soft in the pan.
Try to let them cool for at least a few minutes before eating one. Try.
Missy’s Muffin Note
The “well method” isn’t just a fussy extra step…it’s the secret to a tender muffin. When the add the wet ingredients to a well in the dry ingredients and stir gently, you’re limiting gluten development. Less gluten, more tender. More tender, more muffin. It’s simple math!
Cheddar Dill Muffins
Equipment
- 2 bowls
- 1 set measuring cups
- 1 set measuring spoons
- 2 muffin pans (18 muffins)
- 1 Cooling rack
- cooking spray
Ingredients
- 3 cups biscuit mix
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp fresh dill weed, chopped
Instructions
- Combine the biscuit mix, shredded cheddar cheese, and dry mustard. Make a "well" in the center of the mixture.
- In another bowl, combine the egg, milk, and vegetable oil. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
- Coat the muffin pans with cooking spray. Spoon the batter into 18 muffin cups.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 28 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
Ways to Serve Cheddar Dill Muffins
These muffins are generous like that…they fit almost anywhere on the table and never out of place.
Ladle up a bowl of Brown Jug Cheese Soup and set a basket of these on the table, and dinner is officially handled. The double hit of cheddar cheese in both the soup and the muffins is exactly as good as it sounds.
They’re equally at home on a brunch spread. Tuck them alongside an Overnight Everything Bagel Casserole when you’re feeding a crowd and watch them disappear before anything else on the table.
For something a little unexpected, try them with Tropical Curry Chicken Salad. The warmed, spiced curry flavors and the cool herby muffin are one of those combinations that makes you wonder why you hadn’t thought of it sooner.
More to Love from SHD
brown jug cheese soup
Overnight everything bagel casserole
Tropical curry chicken salad
And honestly, a warm muffin straight from the oven, split open with a little cold butter melting into it, needs nothing else at all. Sometimes the simplest serving suggestion is the best one.
Missy’s Muffin Note
These muffins freeze beautifully. Let them cool completely on the wire rack and store in a freezer bag for up to three months. Reheat wrapped in foil at 300°F for about ten minutes and they taste like they just came out of the oven!
Can You Make Cheddar Dill Muffins Ahead?
The short answer is yes, and enthusiastically so! These savory muffins are genuinely one of the better make-ahead baked goods because they hold up beautifully and reheat like a dream!
Can you freeze cheddar dill muffins?
Yes. Let them cool completely on the wired rack first, and then store in a labeled zip-top freezer bag. They’ll keep well for up to three months. When you’re ready to serve, reheat them wrapped in foil at 300°F for about ten minutes.
How long do cheddar dill muffins keep at room temperature?
Stored in an air-tight container at room temperature, these muffins stay fresh for up to three days. Because they’re savory rather than sweet, they don’t dry out as quickly as a traditional muffin. A quick ten second warm in the microwave before serving brings them right back to life.
Can you make the batter ahead of time?
This one is better to avoid. Biscuit mix based batters don’t hold well once the wet and dry ingredients are combined. The leavening starts working immediately and you’ll lose lift if the batter sits too long. Mix, bake, then store the finished muffins instead. The whole process takes about thirty minutes, so it’s an easy same-day bake even on a busy schedule.
Swap It Your Way
The base muffin recipe is simple enought that it plays well with variations. Here are a few worth trying once you’ve made the original and fallen in love with it.
The cheese. Sharp cheddar is the star here, but gruyère is a beautiful swap if you want something a little more nuanced and nutty. Pepper jack works wonderfully if you like a little heat. A half-and-half mix of sharp cheddar and gruyère is arguably the best of both worlds.
The herbs. Fresh dill is the move, but if you want to experiment, fresh chives are a lovely complement, either alongside the dill or in place of it. A little fresh thyme also works surprisingly well with the cheddar. Fresh herbs in general are one of the best ways to make a simple savory muffin taste like something special.
The add-ins. A handful of crumbled cooked bacon stirred into the batter takes these firmly into special occasion territory. Finely chopped green onion adds a mild bite that plays nicely with the dill. Either one, both, or neither…the muffins are wonderful as written!
The mix. If you’d like to make these gluten free, a cup-for-cup gluten free biscuit mix substitutes seamlessly here. No other adjustments needed.
Missy’s Muffin Note
Resist the urge to pile on too many add-ons at once. The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity. Pick one or two swaps and let them shine. A crowded muffin is a confused muffin!
One Last Crumb
If you make these cheddar dill muffins, I have a feeling they’re going to earn a permanent spot in your recipe rotation.
They’re the kind of thing you make once and then find yourself thinking about the following Tuesday when soup is on the stove and the bread box is empty.
Now go make a batch. The butter is waiting!
Cheers!
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hi! I’m missy. so nice to meet you!
“Decorate with Joy! Live with Happiness!”
I truly believe that your home should be a reflection of your personality, a space where you feel free to express yourself and create a sanctuary that feels uniquely yours.
I love creating mood boards, hunting down unique home décor treasures, tackling easy DIY projects, and gathering with family and friends for a delicious meal.
Homes are meant to be enjoyed, filled with laughter, and shared with the people you love!
– cheers! –
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