How To Make Muffins Without A Muffin Pan—5 Ways To Try

Muffins are a delicious food that you can enjoy at any time of day. However, many people may decide they can't make them because they don't have a muffin pan at home. We're here to tell you that you can still enjoy homemade muffins anyway! We've conducted the research and can tell you the different ways to make muffins without the pan.

Here are some things you can do to make muffins without a special pan:

• Use baking cups in a regular pan or baking sheet.
• Make your own baking cups.
• Use a cake pan.
• Use ramekins.
• Make sheet pan muffins.

Keep reading to learn how to do each technique, how much to fill muffin cups, and how to stop your finished product from sticking to paper liners!

Is muffin pan necessary?

American-made muffins are created using a batter and require a mold to be baked. However, that doesn't mean that you have to get a muffin pan before starting to make your muffins. There are several ways for you to make this food without needing a special pan.

Use Baking Cups and a Baking Sheet

The great thing about baking cups is that you don't need a muffin pan to use them! To use these cups without a pan, you will need to use two or three liners. The extra liners will support the batter and hold its shape until it finishes cooking.

Paper liners aren't sturdy. To help cups hold their shape, you can try using a metal mason jar lid. Place the baking cup into the cover and then put it onto your baking sheet. Don't forget to remove any paper or plastic liners that come with the lid! You only want to use the metal piece.

Foil baking cups typically won't need any additional support. But you should still consider double lining them. Other baking cups will be strong enough to use one with.

Check out these standard-size, white muffin liners on Amazon!

Check out these disposable foil baking cups on Amazon!

Can you use baking cups without a muffin pan?

Absolutely!  The muffin pan is designed to help support liners. This is especially helpful with paper liners, which tend to be too flimsy to hold their shape when a batter is added. You can easily overcome this problem by using more baking cups or a stronger one.

Make Your Own Baking Cups

Making your own baking cups is an effortless process! They can be made from everyday pantry staples. You can use wax paper, aluminum foil, or parchment paper. A stiff material is ideal because it will easily hold the muffin's shape.

To make your baking cup take your selected material and cut it into a square. Then, use the bottom of a cup or jar to shape it. Set it aside once you've created a shape that resembles a baking cup. Repeat as necessary, and remember that you may need to double line your cups.

Can you use parchment paper as muffin cups?

Yes, you can! Parchment paper is a great item to have on hand. You can use it to create baking cups, eliminate sticking, and for easy cleanup!

Use a Cake Pan

If you don't have a baking sheet, you can still make muffins with a cake pan. There are a few ways to make muffins using the container. You can use baking cups and place them all around the pan. You can use storebought or homemade liners in this situation.

There's also the option of using a biscuit cutter once baking is complete. Biscuit or cookie cutters come in several sizes and shapes so you can customize your finished product.

Finally, you can cut the baked muffin into smaller individual pieces like you would with a cake.

Check out these biscuit cutters on Amazon!

Use Ramekins

You can bake muffins in any single-serve oven-safe dish. Ramekins or oven-safe teacups are great options to bake in. There are also reusable muffin cups that would work without a muffin pan.

When choosing a smaller dish for baking, always double-check that it is oven safe! Check your products for any oven-safe labeling and be aware of what temperatures they can withstand. If you're using reusable baking cups, make sure that it is made out of food-grade silicone.

Check out these OXO brand reusable baking cups on Amazon!

Sheet Pan Muffins

Another way to make muffins without a muffin pan is to make sheet muffins. You won't need any additional materials. To make this type of muffin, you'll take your batter and pour it onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Then, you bake it. Sheet muffins are thin and typically cut into squares or rectangles, but you can cut them in any shape.

How full should muffin cups be filled?

The typical advice for filling your baking cups is to fill them between two-thirds and three-fourths full. Unfortunately, this advice can be challenging to follow, especially if you've made your own liners.

If you want to make sure you get a uniform amount of batter in each cup, use a kitchen scooper or disher. These utensils resemble an ice cream scoop. They come in a variety of sizes and are perfect for creating even portions.

While exact capacities will differ, you can assume a standard baking cup can hold 3.5 US fluid ounces. So, it would be best if you got a kitchen scoop that can hold between two and three ounces of food.

How do you keep muffins from sticking to paper liners?

Muffins sticking to paper liners is a fairly common occurrence. This can be because the liner is poorly made or because of the ingredients in the muffin. A batter with a lot of sugar may caramelize and cause it to stick. Fortunately, there are some tricks to preventing your muffins from sticking!

Grease Your Baking Cup

You can lightly grease your paper line to avoid sticking! Use a small brush to lightly spread melted butter on the inside of the baking cup. You can also spray your liners with a nonstick cooking spray.

Have silicone molds? Take a look at "Should you Grease Silicone Molds and Cake Pans" for more advice!

Let Them Completely Cool

Sticking is more common if you're not waiting for your muffin to cool completely before enjoying it. You should let your food cool for a few minutes on the pan before transferring them to a place to cool.

Switch Baking Cups

If you're having severe problems with your muffins sticking, then you should consider switching to a higher-quality baking cup. Foil, parchment, or silicone liners are less likely to have an issue with sticking.

To Summarize

There's no need to worry if you want to bake muffins, but you don't have a muffin pan! You can still easily make these treats with a regular pan and baking cups, homemade muffin liners, or reusable silicone cups! Don't forget that liners that aren't sturdy may need two or three layers to hold your batter properly!

Missing other kitchen tools? You may enjoy:

Can You Bake A Cake In A Loaf Pan?

What To Do If You Don't Have A Cookie Sheet