Mexican Chorizo Sausage and Cheddar Muffins

Breakfast can be difficult to throw together if you’re busy in the morning. You want a breakfast that can fill you (and maybe the kids) up for at least a little while, but who has the time to cook in the morning?

That’s where breakfast muffins, like these Mexican Chorizo and Cheddar muffins, come in.

Take your favorite ground meat sausage, add some cheese and some finely sliced scallions, mix it all with a basic muffin batter, and you have a breakfast of champions!

Or an afterschool snack. Or part of a brunch.

This recipe lends itself well to variation, so you can play with the ingredients and flavorings again and again and again.

Breakfast muffins with chorizo and cheddar
Breakfast muffins with chorizo and cheddar

How to Make Cheese and Chorizo Muffins

To start, cook your sausage. You need to make sure your sausage of choice, in this recipe’s case Mexican chorizo, is cooked all the way through so you don’t risk eating undercooked meat in your baked muffins. Let it drain on some paper towels to remove

Next, mix your dry ingredients together in a large bowl: the flours, the baking powder, salt, and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together your oil, plain yogurt or sour cream, milk, and eggs. Pour it into the dry ingredients, then fold them together with the shredded cheese and scallions with a silicone spatula.

Divide the batter into a well-greased 12-cup muffin tin, then bake the muffins for about 25 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean.

Eat them as desired, or wrap in plastic wrap individually and freeze for several months!

Mexican Chorizo vs. Spanish Chorizo

The namesake of these muffins is the Mexican chorizo.

Why do I specify Mexican chorizo? Because not all chorizo is created equal.

Spanish chorizo is more like salami—it’s a cured sausage ready to eat as is. While it can be added to recipes to give them lots of spice, cooking it isn’t necessary. I prefer it in a paella or thinly sliced with some Spanish cheese, quince paste, and Marcona almonds!

Mexican chorizo has similar spices to Spanish chorizo but isn’t cured; you need to cook the sausage all the way through to make sure it is safe to eat. Any extra Mexican chorizo you have leftover would be great with eggs, refried beans, as a taco filling, or as a topping to queso dip. You can even save the leftover fat for cooking later, similar to bacon grease.

Suggested Equipment/Appliances

  • Muffin Tin(s)
  • Non-Stick Spray or baking cups
  • 2 Large mixing bowls
  • Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
  • Whisk
  • Wire cooling rack

Ingredients

  • ½ pound ground Mexican chorizo (or hot Italian, sweet Italian, or breakfast pork sausage)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground or cracked black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
  • ⅓ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
  • ⅔ cup whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and grease the muffin cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Be generous; you want the muffins to pop out when they’re done.
  2. Take your Mexican chorizo or other kind of ground sausage out of its casings if necessary. Cook the ground Mexican chorizo until well done, then let it drain on paper towels and cool.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Whisk together and then set it aside.
  4. In a small mixing bowl, combine the oil, plain yogurt, whole milk, and eggs. Whisk together until combined.
  5. Pour the milk and plain yogurt mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Using a silicone spatula, fold the ingredients together. Dry patches are fine.
  6. Fold in the cooked Mexican chorizo, sharp cheddar cheese, and sliced scallions until just combined; don’t overmix or you’ll get tough muffins!
  7. Use an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup to evenly divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake the muffins for 25 minutes until a skewer or toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
  8. Remove the muffins from the muffin cups immediately; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. Makes about 10 muffins.

Ingredient Tips and Substitutions

Don’t think Mexican chorizo is the only ground meat sausage you can use in this recipe. Hot Italian, sweet Italian, or breakfast pork sausage would also taste great in these muffins.

If you don’t have any whole wheat flour in your pantry, don’t worry: you can replace the whole wheat flour with more all-purpose flour. You can even replace the flours, baking powder, oil, and a little salt with one cup of Bisquick mix if you’re in a hurry.

For more ways to flavor your muffins, try swapping the sharp cheddar with shredded mozzarella or parmesan, and the scallions with minced sun-dried tomatoes or sauteed minced bell pepper. Chopped boiled eggs would give the muffins even more of a breakfast vibe. You can even add more spices and herbs, like paprika or cayenne, but if you have a very strongly flavored sausage you may not need them.

How to Serve and Save Mexican Chorizo and Cheddar Muffins

These muffins are best eaten warm. If you save them in the refrigerator or freezer, don’t be afraid to reheat them in the microwave or toaster oven to get them to the right temperature.

I love these as an all-in-one breakfast, but they’re also perfect as substantial snacks between lunch and dinner when you (or the kids) need a little energy boost. With whole grain carbs and filling protein, they’re bound to satisfy any appetite.

If you plan on finishing these muffins in 3 days or less, just keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For bakers with a longer timeline in mind, you can wrap these muffins individually in plastic wrap and freeze them in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag. They’ll maintain flavor and freshness for up to 3 months in the freezer.

No matter how you modify these Mexican chorizo and cheddar muffins, they’ll become a steady part of your breakfast rotation.

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