Cornbread Muffins
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These tender cornbread muffins are the perfect side to any Southern or Southwestern dish. You can whip up the batter in no time!
These tender and sweet cornbread muffins are the perfect side to BBQ chicken, ribs or beef chili. My kids love them so much that I’m constantly swatting their hands away from the bread basket so they don’t fill up before the main course. I know that baking at dinnertime might seem a little ambitious but these muffins are super-easy to prepare. You can whip up the batter in ten minutes, and I usually serve them instead of a starch. Leftovers are delicious for breakfast, reheated and slathered with honey butter or jam.
Table of Contents
“Let me tell you, this recipe is perfect. My picky family loved them and my hubby almost ate the whole pan.”
What You’ll Need To Make Cornbread Muffins
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by whisking the eggs in a medium bowl.
Add the honey and milk and whisk to combine.
In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk to combine.
Add the egg mixture and the melted butter to the dry ingredients.
Whisk until just combined.
Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until the tops are set and golden. Note that they will not dome.
Cool the muffins for a few minutes in the pan, then serve warm with softened butter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to three months. Thaw for 3 for 4 hours on the countertop before serving.
The muffins are best served fresh from the oven, but leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To reheat, wrap them in aluminum foil and warm in a 350°F-oven until hot. Alternatively, you can heat muffins in the microwave at 50 percent power for 30 to 45 seconds, or until just hot; do not overheat or muffins will get tough.
Yes, see my simple cornbread recipe for instructions.
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Cornbread Muffins
These tender cornbread muffins are the perfect side to any Southern or Southwestern dish. You can whip up the batter in no time!
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ¾ cup yellow cornmeal
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¾ cup milk (preferably whole but low-fat works too)
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray. (I prefer to use non-stick cooking spray so the muffins get nice and crisp on the edges.)
- In a medium bowl, break up the eggs with a whisk. Whisk in the honey, and then the milk. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk mixture and the melted butter to the dry ingredients. Whisk until just blended. Do not overmix; it's okay if there are a few lumps. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about ¾ full. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are set and golden. (Note that the muffins will not dome.) Cool the muffins for a few minutes in the pan, then serve warm.
- Note: If you'd prefer to make this as cornbread rather than muffins, spray an 8-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Cornbread muffins taste best when served right out of the oven but can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 for 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap them in aluminum foil and warm in a 350°F oven until hot. Alternatively, heat muffins in the microwave at 50 percent power for 30 to 45 seconds, or until just hot; do not overheat or muffins will get tough.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 216
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Sugar: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 305 mg
- Cholesterol: 53 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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These are terrific! No idea why my Google search pulled up this recipe as I was searching for mini cornbread muffins, but I checked a couple other recipes and settled on 12 minutes which was perfect. So delicious!
Just made your recipe exactly and I got them to dome by baking them at 400 degrees for the first 5 mins. They turned out amazing, thank you
Is this self rising corn meal that your using?
No, it is regular cornmeal.
Delicious, followed the recipe exactly!
Thanks!
They rose beautifully. Made 4 dozen for a charity dinner. Could not have been happier with my donation
The secret to making these yummy muffins dome is to use Sally’s Baking Addiction’s trick:
First 5 minutes at 425 degrees then turn down to 350 degrees for the rest of the bake time.
I doubled the recipe, baked in a dark muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray and they came out beautifully! Just the buttery, sweet corn muffins I was looking for!
I made these muffins for our New Year’s Eve celebration. They were delicious! I am dairy allergic so sub’d plant butter and oat milk for the real deals. Yummy, and as there were none left no-one noticed or complained about the substitutions.
I love this recipe but I haven’t made it in a while. Do the eggs need to be at room temperature? Thanks 😎
No, it’s not necessary. Hope you enjoy them!
M. Chef, I liked something about your recipe and used it for reference. I wanted something less rich and sweet and the results were pretty good for a first try. Many thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving! I made this recipe this morning. My flour had expired so I had to substitute cake flour and my baking powder was questionable, but when I took these muffins out of the oven and tried one, I thought “Oh, my, this is good!” If this recipe could withstand my outdated pantry and my limited baking skills, then it is “tested and perfected.” I’m making this again!
Hi Jenn. Me again….
Can this recipe be doubled with the same yummy result? Thanks SO MUCH!
Yes, in fact I plan on making it tomorrow and doubling it myself 🙂
These look absolutely amazing! Could I leave the salt out completely? Thanks!
Hi Wendy, The salt adds flavor and balances the sweetness of the sugar and honey, but it’s fine to leave it out if you are avoiding salt.
Jenn’s recipes are the most delicious and reliable on the internet!
I made these but add 1 can of corn 12fl oz drained chopped jalapeños 1 and 1 sliced jalapeños to add on top with shredded cheddar cheese. So yummy and moist
So true! Had to dispose of a batch from another site’s recipe. Almost gave up
These are absolutely perfect!! This is the first time I made a muffin recipe without the liners and it truly paid off!!! The crisp outer part is so good! Truly does make all the difference! And they take 5mins to get into the oven! Made a savory batch with diced jalapeño, a little fresh corn, smoked paprika and pepper jack, just fantastic. They are certainly addictive as is too!! Another fantastic recipe Jenn!
I always refer to you as my guru and tell as many people as I can abt your website and cookbooks!
💕
The very best cornmeal muffins I have ever made…making them again this weekend for a family gathering!!! Thank you.!!!!!!!!
Hi, do you have any high altitude modification suggestions for these cornbread muffins? I’m in Denver, Colorado.
Hi Laura, Thanks for your note. I don’t have experience baking at high altitudes so, unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful though.
Hi – love your site- you always make me look like a better cook than I actually am! If I wanted to make this in a pan instead of as muffins, what pan size should I use for one batch?
Hi Chithra, So glad you like the recipes! I actually have a recipe for cornbread made in a pan. Here it is. Hope you enjoy!
These are by far the best cornbread muffins I have ever had! My family loved them too!
This bread is amazing! The honey and butter really made it delicious! I used corn flour instead of cornmeal and used a 8×8×2 glass pan! It took 35 minutes to bake and this was the softest, most delicious cornbread I’ve ever had!!
I’ve made these before, and they are great!
Can I double the recipe for 24 muffins?
Sure (and glad you like them)!
Made these for chili day with my coworkers. They disappeared faster than the chili! They were definitely a hit!
Mine collapsed 😭 it didn’t rise. And it was all flat in my muffin tin… I used the metric measurements to a T on a scale. I used KAF flour, not expired baking powder…what could’ve gone wrong?
I’m sorry you had a problem with these! That’s a bit of a head-scratcher as you checked your baking powder, weighed your ingredients, etc. I’m wondering if you inadvertently left something out or mismeasured an ingredient.
These muffins are delicious and so easy to make. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
These look delicious! Can I make these in a mini muffin pan??
Sure!
I’ve already made these corn muffins two days in a row!! They was my first corn muffins and turned out perfectly!! They are so easy to make, and I love the golden crispy edge from melted butter. My husband also loved them. Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe!! Greetings from Belgium.
These are our go-to corn muffins. We have made them at least 12 times in the last 6 months and they’re always a hit. out of eggs tonight so I tried swapping in 2 flax eggs and they turned out great! Wanted to share in case anyone with an egg allergy wants to enjoy these perfect corn muffins!
Delicious corn muffins! Followed recipe and it came out delicious!
Hi Jenn,
Can you use buttermilk in place of the whole milk in the cornbread muffins recipe?
I seem to always have left over buttermilk.
Hi Jacquie, I wouldn’t recommend buttermilk here — sorry!
Love them and will make them again. We had them with chili and they’re just soooo good.
Hi Jenn,
I want to try this recipe. All of yours are such a hit! From your photo of the muffin pan, I can’t tell if you are using a regular size muffin pan or mini muffin pan. Thanks so much for clarifying.
Hi Rose, It’s a regular muffin pan. Hope you enjoy them!
These are lovely but I would find them too sweet to have with a savoury dish. Next time I’ll remove the sugar.
This recipe is the best cornbread I have ever made. My family raved about how good it was and ate all of it at dinner. I made it in an 8-inch round pan and used pastry flour. This is a keeper and I will keep making cornbread using this recipe.
Thank you.
These are amazing. I didn’t think they were too sweet at all!
Easy recipe with great results! I was a little short of corn meal, so I used some blue corn flour in its place. I also added 1/4 cup of frozen sweet corn to the batter. After baking, muffins came out of paper baking cups very easily.
I make these all the time. Always get compliments. I add 1/4 cup jalapeños.
These were great as mini-muffins! I baked them for about 13 minutes, and served them with honey-ginger butter (just honey and fresh ginger grated into softened butter – such a great combo!). I did reduce the sugar a bit to a scant 1/4 cup and the sweetness was perfect. I could see it being equally good with a more equal cornmeal to flour ratio, but honestly I loved the fluffiness as is.
Just saw this tonight. Love corn muffins. Was wondering if you could use buttermilk in place of whole milk.
We’ve loved every recipe of yours that I made and am looking forward to making these corn muffins.
So glad you like the recipes! I wouldn’t recommend buttermilk here – sorry!
These really came out great! I use my Granny recipe most days, but I liked that this one was a bit different the flavor and texture were so Nice! I preheated my cast iron popover/muffin pan, and greased with oil and butter and the rest I did exactly like your recipe. My family loved it, thank you!
Also: everyone at the whole pan, and wish I woulda made more haha… and we never finish a whole pan- I’d say that’s a winner. They are the sweeter kind, but with a turkey chili – they went real well together! I always add a pinch of instant coffee and cocoa to my chili, and the flavors were so good together.
I noticed these use more sugar than other corn muffin recipes I’ve seen in the past, so I decided to lean in and add some chocolate chips, and have one for dessert! They came out so beautifully moist and tender and delicious, with a good balance of sweet and salty. I was hoping for a more corn-heavy flavor, so I might experiment a bit with the flour/cornmeal ratio next time, especially if I’m pairing with something savory (sans chocolate chips, obviously)! I will note mine domed quite a bit- which I prefer, but I was surprised since the recipe emphasized they wouldn’t.
I decreased the sugar to a little less than 1/4 C, because I grew up in the south with non-sweet cornbread; the taste came out perfect to me. And those crisp edges! OMG. I dropped off a batch along with a Middle Eastern lentil soup (flavored with cinnamon and baharat) to my son recovering from Covid. Got a delighted thank-you.
My milk had soured and decided to try it anyway. It was better than ever. I definitely will do that again.
These turned out very dry for me, and as someone else mentioned they were very flour heavy with not enough corn meal.
Light and fluffy, but way to sweet (like a dessert),and the corn taste was not prominent at all! Of course, I am from the south, and we don’t usually add sugar to our cornbread, and we use no flour. I guess I’ll stick to old fashioned southern cornbread lol!
I wanted something quick to go with your white chicken chili recipe (that I tried today) and the muffins sounded like a plan. They did not disappoint. Moist, tasty, sweet with a little crispy on the outside = a perfect corn muffin for me. Thanks Jenn
Vey moist and lovely, easy to make. Did not care for the flavor. Will not save this one like I have most of your wonderful recipes .
These were delish! One thing I would suggest: perhaps putting the step to add butter in the milk mixture on a separate line would be better! I overlooked this step and had to remake (I do admit this is entirely my fault haha).
Otherwise, a delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Simply stated – these are the best!
Corn muffin recipe I come back to again and again. I use it to make both muffins and a pan of cornbread. Sometimes I add green chiles, or creamed corn or cheddar cheese. Always good no matter what.
Hi Jenn
Help!! I made this cornbread recipe and the taste and moistness were great. I used the same type and brand of ground cornmeal as you have pictured. However I could taste hard crunchy grains of cornmeal in the muffins. I have read so much conflicting advice about soaking the cornmeal in milk. Could you advise on how to soak the cornmeal for this recipe and for how long? Or should I let the batter rest? Help!
Hi S, although they shouldn’t have hard crunchy grains in them, some graininess is normal as that’s just the nature of cornbread. I don’t know anything about soaking the cornmeal so don’t have any wisdom to share there but would not recommend letting the batter rest once you’ve combined everything. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Just wanted to comment to S about soaking beforehand: I didn’t need to at all for this recipe, and find with ones with more flour than meal you don’t need to. But if you wanna try: You soak the meal for almost an hour if you like it less crunchy.. soak it in the milk used for the recipe… I have it written down at home if needed I could repost later. I use Bobs Redmill corn meal med/course and these came out amazing! If I am not using flour I DEFINITELY soak the meal. It’s just too defined in the recipe otherwise most times and my kids don’t like it that way.
Perhaps being from NYC, I’m used to corn muffins tasting different. I’ve been having a lot of difficulty finding muffins like I’d find in the bakeries in the city with no luck. These did not taste right at all.
I’m no expert in cornbread, but from different recipes I’ve found for northern vs southern style cornbread, I think you may want to try a recipe with very little sugar, and quite a bit higher flour to cornmeal ratio (more flour). Good luck!
Made these to go with a beef chili with pumpkin, perfect pairing. Got eleven, not too large, muffins. Slathered with Brummel and Brown (a yogurt / butter spread) absolutely delicious!
Debated about add ins, but decided against it. Another winner that added to my dinner.
Love this one. My kids loved it. Thank you!
I made this in a mini muffin tin pan and reduced the bake time to 15 minutes and they came out perfectly! It was moist inside and crispy on the edges. I also love the texture and the perfect balance between the saltiness and sweetness that this recipe has.
Can I use muffin/cupcake, paper cups with these? I find that usually keeps this type of thing from drying out too quickly and guarantees nonsticking to the pan. Thoughts?
Definitely!