I’ve made a lot of different types of cornbread in my days, but these cornbread muffins are the recipe I come back to again and again. They’re subtly sweet and the unique combination of ingredients creates a soft, tender crumb while retaining a bit of toothiness that gives the muffins integrity. I make a batch to serve as a side dish with dinner, especially chili nights, and I enjoy them for breakfast the next day topped with butter or jam. A longtime family favorite, I’m excited to share this recipe, and I provide gluten and dairy-free options below.
Recipe Highlights
Meal prep-friendly: Leftovers store, freeze, and reheat well. I like to make a quick batch for a side dish or breakfasts on busy weeks. I also like to prep a batch ahead of time for holidays to help keep my oven free to finish my whole turkey or orange glazed ham.
Minimal prep time: This is a very easy recipe to make and requires just 10 minutes of prep time to combine everything in a bowl. The muffins are warm and ready to eat in less than 30 minutes.
Versatile: I provide gluten-free and dairy-free options to suit various dietary needs. However, I also like to experiment with different mix-ins to dress the muffins up, adding even more flavor and texture. So, I’m sharing a few of my go-to additions below, too.
Key Ingredients To Have On Hand
Believe it or not, making cornbread muffins from scratch doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. My recipe is free from buttermilk or sour cream, meaning ten simple items are all I use. Here’s what to gather:
- Cornmeal: I use Bob’s Red Mill stone ground cornmeal to give the muffins a slightly toothy texture, but any type of yellow cornmeal will work.
- Milk: I prefer to use whole milk for a richer flavor and more tender crumb, but any dairy or non-dairy milk can be substituted.
- Honey: This contributes to the sweetness, adding an extra layer of flavor and taking the place of brown sugar in many recipes.
- Granulated sugar: The addition of granulated sugar helps tenderize the crumb and provide a bit of sweetness.
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How To Make Cornbread Muffins
I prefer to make muffins instead of a baking dish of cornbread for easy, single-serving portions. Luckily, it doesn’t require any extra dishes. Here’s an overview of how my homemade cornbread muffins come together:
- Combine the ingredients: I whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl or large bowl and the wet ingredients in a liquid measuring cup. Then, I melt the butter, add the milk mixture to the butter, whisking to combine. I pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl of dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. I’m careful not to overmix so the muffins stay tender.
- Portion: I divide the sweet cornbread batter evenly among the cups of a muffin pan that is well-greased or lined with paper liners, filling each muffin cup 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake: Then, I transfer the muffin tin to my preheated oven. I bake them just until they’re tall, lightly golden brown around the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: I let the muffins cool in the pan slightly. Then, I transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. This prevents the muffins from being too wet or crumbly.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving. We
Make These Gluten-Free
To make these cornbread muffins gluten-free, I use certified gluten-free cornmeal and a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour. Then, I follow the instructions as usual.
Make These Dairy-Free
For dairy-free cornbread muffins, I use dairy-free milk and unsalted, plant-based butter.
Fancy These Up And With Mix Ins
I enjoy the simplicity of classic cornbread muffins. However, for a fancier option, I like to add ½ cup of thawed frozen corn kernels (not creamed corn, which will add too much moisture), some sliced scallions, a handful of shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, some diced green chiles, finely chopped cooked bacon, or even diced jalapeños. It’s an easy way to elevate the taste and texture, and is particularly fun for holiday meals.
Top With Butter And Serve
My favorite way to enjoy these easy cornbread muffins is to top one with homemade honey butter. I sometimes enjoy them on their own as a quick snack. And they’re also the perfect side dish at potlucks and BBQs. I serve them with my Instant Pot brisket, smoked pork butt, baked beans, and a plate of kale salad. And I always serve them when I make a pot of my favorite slow cooker chili.
I also enjoy these muffins for breakfast, topping them with homemade butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. Or, I take a page out of my Dad’s book and enjoy one with this breakfast sausage and fresh fruit. This is how he always enjoyed cornbread when I was growing up. But back then his cornbread was made from a box of Jiffy mix.
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“My first EVER attempt to make cornbread from scratch was a huge success with this recipe! Easy to make and tastes so gourmet. Very tender and delicious. I’m not a good baker but this recipe made me feel like a great baker!” ~ Michele N.
Ways To Store Leftovers
Once cool, I transfer leftover muffins to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, I transfer them to the freezer for up to 1 month.To serve, I thaw frozen muffins in the refrigerator or on the counter overnight. Then, I reheat them in the microwave at 50-70% power for 20-30 seconds or until hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cornbread muffins usually turn out dry if the batter is overmixed or the muffins are baked too long. I always stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are incorporated and pull the muffins from the oven as soon as a toothpick comes out clean. Measuring the flour and cornmeal by weight also makes a big difference, since too much of either can dry out the crumb.
I like to think of cornbread muffins as a balanced side rather than a health food. They provide carbohydrates for energy, a little calcium from the dairy, and can fit into a well-rounded meal, especially when paired with protein and vegetables. This recipe is lightly sweetened and can be adapted to fit into dairy-free or gluten-free diets, if needed.
The only difference between cornbread muffins and corn muffins is how they’re prepared. Muffins bake in a muffin pan for individual servings, while cornbread bakes in a cast-iron skillet or baking pan and then gets cut into squares or wedges.
This homemade cornbread muffin recipe can be easily baked in a baking dish or skillet (I recommend using a 9-inch pie plate, an 8×8-inch baking pan, or a 10-inch cast-iron skillet). The baking time for cornbread will be a little less than twice that of the muffins. I recommend doing the first toothpick test at about 20-22 minutes.
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Cornbread Muffins Recipe
A few simple ingredients combine to create soft, tender, subtly sweet cornbread muffins from scratch. It takes less than 30 minutes total to have a sweet side dish, appetizer, or snack to pair with breakfasts, chili, and dinners all year round. Gluten and dairy-free options included.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup yellow cornmeal (115 g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (65 g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter*, melted
Get Recipe IngredientsInstructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or softened butter; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, combine the milk, eggs, and honey. Whisk well to combine.
- Melt the butter in a small microwave safe bowl at 10 second intervals or in a saucepan over low heat until melted.
- Add the milk mixture and the melted butter to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until all of the ingredients are combined, but do not over mix.
- Divide the batter among the 12 muffin pan wells, filling each about ⅔ full.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean and the edges are lightly browned, 13-16 minutes.
- Remove muffin pan from the oven and allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool further.
- Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
- Store leftover muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
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Notes
For miniature cornbread muffins, bake for 9 minutes using a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
*If using salted butter, reduce the salt to ¼ teaspoon.
For gluten-free cornbread muffins, use certified gluten-free cornmeal, and sub the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
For dairy-free muffins, use unsweetened dairy-free milk and plant-based butter.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 165
- Fat: 6 g
- (Sat Fat: 3 g)
- Sodium: 243 mg
- Carbohydrate: 26 g
- (Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 8 g)
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
Dietary
Recipe Changelog
- December 2025: We previously published a version of cornbread muffins that had different ratios of cornmeal to all-purpose flour. We replaced the oil with melted butter for improved flavor. And the milk increased from ½ cup to 1 cup to support the higher flour content. Download the previous version here.
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
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Made these with chili on new years eve and my family loved them. I was so glad to see a recipe without buttermilk and I had everything at home. easy and delicious for sure!
We appreciate the 5-star review, Lauren!
I made these muffins last night and they were so easy and tasty! They have a light corn taste and are super moist and delicious. I’ll be making again.
Awesome, Gina!