20 dishes you can make in a muffin pan

Whether used for portion control or grab-and-go snacks, muffin pans are a great kitchen tool that you can use for so much more than just muffins. Get creative and surprise your family with these 20 muffin-pan dishes.




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Mini frittatas

Muffin-pan frittatas are the perfect portable breakfast, and you can customize the ingredients to suit your family’s preferences. Just chop and pre-cook your vegetables or meat, let them cool for a bit, and then add beaten eggs. Top with your favourite grated cheese, pop the pan in the oven, and bake until the frittatas are puffed and set.




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Cheesecakes

Individual cheesecakes baked in a mini muffin pan are great for portion control! For the crusts, combine graham cracker crumbs with sugar and butter and press a spoonful of the mixture into the bottom of each cup. Create your cheesecake batter by blending cream cheese, eggs, sour cream, and sugar; pour this over the crusts, then bake and chill. Serve plain or drizzled with dessert sauce.




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Chocolate peanut butter cups

These homemade chocolate peanut butter cups are simple to make in a muffin pan. You can adjust the sweetness, use either milk or dark chocolate, and even sub in a different nut butter. Mix together your choice of nut butter and sweetener for the filling. Melt your chocolate and pour a little into each muffin cup; then, add some filling, top with more chocolate, and freeze.




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Mini corn dog muffins

These yummy bites make amazing game-day munchies or after-school snacks, and the prep couldn’t be simpler: Make a batter with cornmeal, flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and buttermilk. Fill the muffin cups about two-thirds of the way, tuck a chunk of hot dog in the middle, and bake until the tops are browned. Serve with ketchup or mustard.




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Mini quiches

Tiny quiches are perfect for parties! Roll out some pastry dough (homemade or store-bought) and use a round cookie cutter to cut out circles. Press dough into muffin tins and partially bake. Beat some eggs and cream, add your choice of diced vegetables, meats, or shredded cheese, pour into the crusts, and bake until set.




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Fresh fruit tarts

A muffin pan makes creating beautiful bakery-style fruit tarts a breeze. Press a simple dough made from butter, flour, and powdered sugar into the muffin cups and bake until lightly browned and crisp. Meanwhile, whip up a sweetened cream cheese filling, pipe it into the cooled crusts, and top with your favourite fresh fruits.




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Butter tarts

Traditional Canadian butter tarts are great when made in a muffin pan. Press a round of rolled-out pie pastry into each muffin cup. Cook brown sugar, butter, cream, and vanilla together, cool slightly, beat in an egg, then pour into pastry cups. Add raisins or nuts if you like, then bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is brown.




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Poached eggs

Did you know you can poach eggs in a muffin pan? It’s a great trick when cooking for a crowd. Preheat your oven and add a tablespoon of water to each muffin cup. Then, crack an egg into each one. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then bake for about nine minutes, or until the yolks are done to your liking.




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Cloverleaf dinner rolls

These classic soft dinner rolls are made by placing three balls of rich, buttery yeasted dough into each muffin cup. As they bake, the balls rise and stick together to form a cloverleaf shape. Once they’re done, you can pull the pieces apart to spread with butter and enjoy while warm from the oven.




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French toast muffins

These toasty treats are a fun brunch dish that can easily feed a group—no frying required. Press cubed bread into muffin cups and pour a mixture of beaten eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon over each one. Refrigerate at least two hours before topping with a cinnamon streusel and baking until golden brown.




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Spanakopita tarts

These spinach-and-feta pastries are made in a mini muffin pan. Brush squares of ready-made phyllo pastry with butter and layer into the muffin cups. Top with a filling composed of spinach, eggs, feta, ricotta, and onions. Once baked, they’re ready to eat right away, but you can also freeze them for future enjoyment (no need to thaw before reheating!).




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Upside-down apple tarts

These mini French apple tarts will impress everyone at your next dinner party! Slice some apples, cook in a simple caramel, then portion out into muffin cups. Roll out prepared puff pastry, cut out rounds, and place one in each cup. Bake until flaky and golden, then remove the tarts carefully with a spoon and place them apple-side up on plates. Drizzle with the leftover caramel.




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Mini meatloaves

What could be more cozy and comforting than a mini meatloaf topped with barbecue sauce? Combine minced onion, celery, and green pepper with ground beef, breadcrumbs, seasonings, and an egg, then portion into the muffin cups with an ice-cream scoop. Brush with sauce before baking until cooked through.




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Taco cups

Less messy than traditional tacos, these crispy cups use soft flour tortillas pressed into a muffin pan. Fill them with shredded cooked chicken (or your favourite cooked meat or beans), salsa, and grated cheese, bake until the tortillas get crunchy and the cheese melts, and top with lettuce, sour cream, more salsa, or whatever you like.




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Popovers

These aptly named pastries bake up tall and puffy before tipping over in the oven. They can be filled with sweet cream or jam, or drenched in gravy alongside roast beef. Heat a spoonful of oil in each muffin cup until very hot before filling each cup halfway with a batter of eggs, milk, and flour and baking at high heat.




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Pecan sticky buns

Gooey on the bottom and flaky on top, these sticky buns are a fantastic breakfast or dessert. After tucking a butter-and-brown sugar paste and some nuts into each muffin cup, roll out a sheet of frozen puff pastry, spread with brown sugar and cinnamon, roll it up like a log, and cut into rounds. Drop one into each cup and bake.




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Apple cinnamon oatmeal cups

If you love oatmeal but don’t have time in the morning to sit and eat a bowl of it, this is a perfect solution. Oats, milk, eggs, apples, spices, and maple syrup are mixed together and baked in muffin cups for a hearty and healthy breakfast you can take with you anywhere.




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Baked apples

It’s hard to keep baked apples from toppling over while they cook. The solution? Bake them in a muffin pan! Hollow out the centres of the apples, stuff them with a combination of sugar, butter, nuts, and granola, then place each one into a muffin cup and bake until they’re tender and the juices are bubbling.




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Crab cakes

Savoury crab cakes always look so tidy and round at restaurants, but it’s hard to get homemade ones to keep their shape. A muffin pan helps them hold together neatly. Combine crab meat, breadcrumbs, minced scallion, and red bell pepper with eggs and mayonnaise. Divide among the muffin cups, press in gently, and bake until browned and crispy.




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Pear and prosciutto cups

Salty and sweet meet in this quick and easy muffin-tin appetizer. Press a paper-thin square of prosciutto (Italian cured ham) into each muffin cup and bake about 15 minutes, then cool to let it crisp up. Fill with diced fresh pear that’s been tossed with a little lemon juice to keep it from browning.




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