Cornbread Muffins

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These are the best cornbread muffins you’ll ever eat! They’re sweet and moist with a beautiful crumb, with bursts of fresh corn in every bite. Plus, these corn muffins are easy to make in 30 minutes – no mixer required. Best served slathered with this cinnamon honey butter!

two Cornbread Muffins on a plate, one cut in half with butter spread on one half


I love cornbread and make it often in the fall to compliment soups and chilis. When we are entertaining I prefer to make these cornbread muffins because they are easier to serve and taste just as delicious.

I’m picky when it comes to cornbread, and I can honestly say these are the best cornbread muffins I’ve ever had.

They’re sweet and moist with a beautiful crumb, with bursts of fresh corn in every bite. Plus, they are easy to make in 30 minutes – no mixer required. Best served slathered with this cinnamon honey butter, of course.

overhead view of 8 Cornbread Muffins in serving bowl lined with a towel

Cornbread Muffins: Ingredients & Substitutions

front view of the labeled ingredients in this Cornbread Muffins recipe
  • Yellow Cornmeal. White cornmeal can be used in place of yellow, the final result will just have a different color.
  • All-Purpose Flour. To make this cornbread recipe gluten-free, you can substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour. Bread flour and cake flour also work well. 
  • Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
  • Whole Milk. Fat content is important for the this homemade cornbread. You could use 2% milk, or half and half, but I don’t recommend other substitutions. 
  • Sour Cream. Again, full-fat is best. Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream. 
  • Granulated sugar and honey. I don’t recommend making substituions for the granulated sugar or honey. If you don’t love sweet cornbread you can reduce the amount of sugar but that is all I would recommend.
  • Corn. Feel free to use fresh corn (cooked) from the Cobb or frozen and thawed corn. 
overhead photo of 11 Cornbread Muffins on a wood cutting board

How to Make Cornbread Muffins

Let’s walk through how to make this recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Begin by combining the wet ingredients (except for the sugar) in a large bowl, then set the mixture aside to use later.

two overhead photos showing How to Make Cornbread Muffins - mixing the dry ingredients

Next, whisk the melted butter, sugar and honey together in a large bowl, then add the milk, sour cream and eggs and whisk until smooth.

two overhead photos showing How to Make Cornbread Muffins - mixing the wet ingredients and sugar

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir/whisk until the mixture is smooth. It should not be runny, but should be slightly thick and easy to stir.

two overhead photos showing How to Make Cornbread Muffins - adding dry ingredients to wet mixture

Next, fold in the corn kernels. You can either use fresh corn cut off the cob (cooked) or thawed frozen corn. Don’t mix frozen corn kernels into the batter because it will effect the baking time.

two overhead photos showing How to Make Cornbread Muffins - folding in corn

Next, put a heaping ¼ cup batter into each well of a greased muffin tin.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are set, lightly golden-brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cornbread muffins comes out clean.

two overhead photos showing How to Make Cornbread Muffins - in the muffin pan before and after baking

Let the corn muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool slightly.

Cornbread Muffins cooling on a wire cooling rack

Serve

Serve these cornbread muffins warm with a generous slather of this cinnamon honey butter

Here are some of our favorite recipes to enjoy with this homemade cornbread. 

overhead view of two Cornbread Muffins on a plate, one is cut in half with butter spread on one half

Store

Store any leftover cornbread muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. You can also use them to make the best cornbread croutons.

Freeze

Let the muffins cool completely then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you plan on freezing it for a while, I recommend also tightly wrapping each muffin in plastic wrap before putting it in an airtight container. 

front view of Cornbread Muffins stacked on a wooden cutting board

Cornbread Muffins Recipe FAQs

Why are my cornbread muffins dry?

This recipe makes very moist muffins, if they turn out dry it’s likely that they were over-baked. Next time, shorten the baking time and be sure to use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is heating to the proper temperature.

What kind of cornmeal should I use?

This corn muffins recipe calls for yellow cornmeal, but white can be used as well it will just have a different color.

stack of three Cornbread Muffins

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Best Cornbread Muffins Recipe

Laura
These are the best cornbread muffins you’ll ever eat! They’re sweet and moist with a beautiful crumb, with bursts of fresh corn in every bite. Plus, these corn muffins are easy to make in 30 minutes – no mixer required.
5 from 2 votes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Muffins
Calories 201
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees f. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
  • In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter sugar and honey.
  • Add, milk, sour cream and eggs and whisk until smooth.
  • Add dry ingredients and stir/whisk until mixture is smooth.
  • Fold in corn kernels.
  • Put ¼ cup batter into each well of the prepared muffin tin.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the top is set, lightly golden-brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.
  • Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool slightly.
  • Serve warm with butter, cinnamon butter.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions
  • Yellow Cornmeal. White cornmeal can be used in place of yellow, the final result will just have a different color.
  • All-Purpose Flour. To make this cornbread recipe gluten-free, you can substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour. Bread flour and cake flour also work well. 
  • Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
  • Whole Milk. Fat content is important for the this homemade cornbread. You could use 2% milk, or half and half, but I don’t recommend other substitutions. 
  • Sour Cream. Again, full-fat is best. Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream. 
  • Granulated sugar and honey. I don’t recommend making substituions for the granulated sugar or honey. If you don’t love sweet cornbread you can reduce the amount of sugar but that is all I would recommend.
  • Corn. Feel free to use fresh corn (cooked) from the Cobb or frozen and thawed corn. 
Store
Store any leftover cornbread muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. You can also use them to make the best cornbread croutons.
Freeze
Let the muffins cool completely then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you plan on freezing it for a while, I recommend also tightly wrapping each muffin in plastic wrap before putting it in an airtight container. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 305mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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