Cornbread Muffins

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Forget the box! This homemade cornbread muffin recipe is quick, easy, and delivers the most tender, perfectly sweet cornbread you’ve ever tasted.

Cornbread muffins on a wire rack.

My kids love these cornbread muffins so much that I’m constantly swatting their hands away from the bread basket so they don’t fill up before the main course. Baking at dinnertime might seem ambitious, but these are super-easy to prepare. You can whip up the batter in ten minutes, and I usually serve them instead of a starch.

Pair them with seafood, BBQ chicken, ribs, beef chili or chicken tortilla soup. And try to save a few—leftovers are delicious for breakfast, reheated and slathered with honey butter or jam.

“Let me tell you, this recipe is perfect. My picky family loved them and my hubby almost ate the whole pan.”

Melissa

What You’ll Need To Make Cornbread Muffins

ingredients to make simple cornbread recipe.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients. Begin by whisking the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the honey and milk and whisk to combine.

adding honey and milk to the eggs

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

whisking the dry ingredients

Step 3: Combine wet and dry. Add the egg mixture and the melted butter to the dry ingredients.

adding liquid ingredients and melted butter to dry ingredients

Step 4: Finish the batter. Whisk until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.

mixed cornbread muffin batter

Step 5: Prepare to bake. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full. I think it’s easiest to use a muffin scoop.

cornbread muffins ready to bake

Step 6: Bake and cool. Bake for 17 to 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. The muffins are best served fresh, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.

Cornbread muffins on a wire rack.

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Cornbread Muffins

Cornbread muffins on a wire rack.
These tender cornbread muffins are the perfect side to any Southern or Southwestern dish. You can whip up the batter in no time!
Servings: 12 muffins
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 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)
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 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.

Notes

  • If you'd prefer to make this as cornbread rather than muffins, spray an 8-in (20-cm) square pan with non-stick cooking spray and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Freezing 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 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap them in aluminum foil and warm in a 350°F (175°C) 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

Per serving (12 servings)Calories: 216kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 4gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 305mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12g

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.

4.83 from 587 votes

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1,109 Comments

  • 5 stars
    These turned out fantastic! Not too dry but still has that crumbly cornbread texture. I have yet to try one of Jenn’s recipes and have it not turn out spectacularly

  • 5 stars
    These are perfect.

  • 5 stars
    About a year ago my boyfriend and I went to a restaurant where they served cornbread muffins. We loved them so much we were desperate to find a recipe that would produce the same at home. Came across this recipe, made them the next day and since then have made them several times with great results. They taste the same- or even better- than the ones we had! Followed the steps and all the ingredients as stated, never failed to make great muffins! We absolutely love them and needless to say they don’t last very long in our home 🙂 Thank you for sharing!

  • Hi, I’m about to make these for Thanksgiving and I noticed that some people used buttermilk and it was fine, but you told one reviewer not to… do you not recommend buttermilk?

    • Hi Bonnie, Milk and buttermilk are not interchangeable in baking so I wouldn’t want to recommend it w/o trying it first. That said, many readers have used it with good results.

      • Thank you… I will use whole milk; cannot wait to try the recipe as so many reviews love it!!!

  • 5 stars
    Hi Jen, I love your recipes and have tried a few. This is my first time baking corn muffins and they came out perfect.
    Can wait for my lads to come home and have a taste. Happy thanks giving later in the week from Ireland. Thelma

  • 5 stars
    This recipe was wonderful! Thank you so much. I substituted gluten free flour and made them mini-muffins (400 degrees for 10-12 minutes). I’ve tried several corn bread recipes over the years, but this one is perfection. Will be my go-to recipe from now on.

  • Hi Jenn! Quick question on these delicious looking muffins….can the batter be prepared and put in a buttered muffin pan a few hours before cooking? I’m planning on making these for Thanksgiving but need to try and make life easier for myself by doing do! And this recipe can be easily doubled, right? Thanks as always!

    • Hi Janis, these can definitely be doubled, but I wouldn’t recommend making the batter in advance because the muffins won’t rise well when you bake them. If this helps, you can mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and then combine them and proceed with the recipe when you’re ready to bake them.

  • 5 stars
    I just made these the other day and they were so good! Instead of making them in a regular size muffin pan, I made them in a 24 mini muffin pan and baked them for 10 min. (Next time, I will bake them probably for 8-9 min.)
    I wanted to know if I am able to make/prepare the batter in advance the day of Thanksgiving? If so, can it sit out in room temperature? Put it in the fridge until I’m ready to assemble the muffins? Although the recipe is super easy, I’d rather have one less thing to mix the day of — especially, since I agree that these taste better right out of the oven. Any suggestions? Thank you!

    • Glad you liked these, Laura! Unfortunately, it won’t work to refrigerate the batter as the muffins won’t rise well when you go to bake them. If you’d like, you can mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and then combine them and proceed with the recipe when you’re ready to bake it.

    • 5 stars
      I just made the muffins – and they got my picky-eater son’s full seal of approval. He even kept stealing the dough before baking until I took the pans away. Absolutely delicious!

  • 5 stars
    Made a batch night before last to bring to work and share. Mine did dome up, but were moist and very flavorful, enjoyed by all who got one. Great recipe!

    The recipe states it makes a dozen, can you triple the amounts, for 3 dozen, and mix all ingredients once, but only bake 1 dozen in the oven at a time? Will the batter quality and
    consistency change while waiting for the previous batch(es) to bake?

    • Hi Joe, glad you enjoyed them! Yes, you could make one batch at a time but because the leavening will get activated when you mix the batter together, the third batch that you make may not rise quite as much. Hope that helps!

  • 5 stars
    Yum. So good! Love your recipes. Thank you!