When it comes to all-around baked good performance, it’s hard to beat Cornbread Muffins. Moist, fluffy, and made with healthy ingredients, these easy cornbread muffins are appropriate for any and all times of day.
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Mega-moist (far from your average crumbly cornbread muffin), and made with better-for-you ingredients, these Southern cornbread muffins are a twist on my mother’s classic cornbread batter.
The best part? You can enjoy them in both sweet and savory applications.
Dunk one with a bowl of Vegetarian Chili or enjoy it drizzled with honey beside a scoop of vanilla Greek yogurt.
(I bet they’d even double as an unconventional base for this Peach Shortcake recipe.)
No matter how you choose to gobble up these muffins, they’re sure to become an instant hit with your friends and family.
Plus, they’re so simple to make, you don’t need a box!
5 Star Review
“These are the best cornbread muffins! We ate them for breakfast and with dinner. Whole batch gone in a day.”
— Patricia —
How to Make Cornbread Muffins
This deceptively healthy and easy cornbread muffin recipe is a smart, tasty way to begin (or end) your day.
Like many of my favorite healthy muffin recipes, they use simple swaps to up the nutritional value, without compromising flavor or moisture texture.
These cornbread muffins are sweet but only subtly so.
You can smear one with Strawberry Chia Jam for breakfast, then enjoy another at lunch beside a bowl of Healthy Turkey Chili.
If you’d like 100% savory cornbread muffins, I suggest baking this Mexican Cornbread in a muffin pan.
The Ingredient
- Cornmeal. Lends these wholesome cornbread muffins their quintessential flavor and the special texture that makes them soft on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside.
- Flour. A 50/50 blend of all purpose and whole wheat pastry flour is the perfect combination of fluffy and nutritious.
- Sugar. Sweetens the muffins a touch and improves the tenderness of the crumb. (And yes, I like sugar or honey in my cornbread! Don’t object until you taste one.)
- Applesauce. Adds moisture to the muffins without extra fat (just like in these Applesauce Muffins).
- Baking Powder. Our leavening agent that gives these southern cornbread muffins their perfect rise.
- Eggs. Our star muffin binder.
- Butter. For moisture, softness, and classic butter taste baked right into every bite. We are using melted butter that has been cooled.
- Skim Milk. I decided to skip the buttermilk (and save it for these Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins) and sour cream and reached for skim milk to make these cornbread muffins healthy.
The Directions
- Combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Do not over mix.
- Let the batter rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each well to the top.
- Bake cornbread muffins at 350 degrees F for 23 to 25 minutes, until the tops are lightly crisp and golden brown. ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
This old-fashioned cornbread muffin recipe is the perfect base for corn muffin creativity. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Blueberry Cornbread Muffins. Add 3/4 fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter (if using frozen, no need to thaw first).
- Jalapeno-Cheddar Cornbread Muffins. Add 1/4 cup diced fresh jalapeno and 1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese to the finished batter (or bake this cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread or Mexican Cornbread in a muffin panin a muffin pan).
- Jam-Stuffed Cornbread Muffins. After baking, fill each muffin with your favorite raspberry, blueberry, or strawberry jam. To do so, spoon 3/4 cup of seedless jam into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Push the tip into the top of the muffin and squeeze 1-2 tablespoons of jam into the center, until you fear it may burst. YUM.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Leftover muffins will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- To Freeze. Place muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen muffins to an airtight, freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy as desired.
Storage Tips
For more muffin storage tips, check out this post: Healthy Muffins – Easy Recipes, Storage Tips, and More!
What to Serve with Cornbread Muffins
With breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack—anytime is a great time for a batch of healthy cornbread muffins.
- Breakfast. I love a good corn muffin in the morning with a smear of 3 Ingredient Strawberry Chia Jam, or served with Breakfast Tacos.
- Salads. Enjoy with a Taco Salad, Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Black Bean Salad, or BBQ Chicken Salad.
- Pulled Pork. Cornbread and Carnitas or Slow Cooker Pulled Pork are a dream team.
- Soups. Any soup, stew, or chili with some south-of-the-border flair is natural pairing for cornbread muffins. Try Green Chili, Chicken Tortilla Soup, or Chile Verde Pork.
- Main Dishes. Chow down on these muffins alongside Taco Pasta, Zucchini Enchiladas, or my favorite Crockpot Ribs.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Muffin Tin. This standard 12-cup muffin tin is my go-to for baking muffins and cupcakes every time.
- Mixing Bowls. I love this nested glass mixing bowl set because it saves precious cupboard space.
- Wooden Spoons. To prevent overmixing the batter, I typically prefer to mix by hand rather than using a mixer when making muffin recipes.
A muffin you can enjoy for breakfast, lunch, dinner AND dessert? Sign me up!
Frequently Asked Questions
Swap the all-purpose and whole wheat flours for a trusted 1-to-1 gluten-free flour that you have had success with in the past. Cornmeal is naturally gluten free (just check your labels to confirm the brand you buy is processed in a gluten-free certified facility if necessary).
Essentially. Many cornbread recipes made in a cast iron skillet can often be adapted into muffins and vice versa by playing around with the oven temperature and baking time.
Sure! While I have not used them myself to make Cornbread Stuffing, I imagine they would work. The stuffing may be more crumbly, since the muffins are a little more tender than classic cornbread. If you try these in a cornbread stuffing recipe, I would love to hear your results.
Cornbread Muffins
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Ingredients
For the Corn Muffins
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal (suggested: medium grind, but do not use coarse)
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 ½ cups skim milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, eggs, applesauce, and melted, cooled butter.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir with a wooden spoon, until they are just blended. Do not over mix. Allow the mixture to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease with cooking spray. Spoon the batter into the tin, filling each one just to the top.
- Bake the corn muffins for 23-25 minutes, until the tops are lightly crisp and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely…or enjoy them warm right away.
Notes
- RECIPE VARIATION: I originally shared this muffin recipe with a jam filling. After the muffins cool, spoon 3/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Push the tip into the top of the muffin and squeeze 1-2 tablespoons of jam into the center, until you fear it may burst. Repeat for each muffin.
- TO STORE: Leftover muffins will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- TO FREEZE: Place muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen muffins to an airtight freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy as desired.
Nutrition
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Making stealthy healthy muffins is a passion of mine. Here are more of my favorite healthy muffin recipes:
Hi. R u sure it is 1 tbsp of baking powder, not 1 tsp? Seems like a lot.
Hi! Great question. I know it sounds like a lot, but it really is 2 tablespoons.
Phew! Already in the oven.
These are the best cornbread muffins! We ate them for breakfast and with dinner. Whole batch gone in a day.
So happy you like them Patricia!
These look amazing! Can’t wait to try them. If I cut the amount of sugar, will that effect the consistency?
Hi Christy, it might. I’ve only tested the recipe as written so your final version won’t be like the one here on the site. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
I made these muffins last night for Halloween with a pot of chili and they were great! I’ve been making corn muffin since I was 12 years old, but this really is a great recipe. But as a Southerner, I did have to use buttermilk, but did not make any other substitutions. I will definitely be making these throughout the winter. Thanks, Erin!
I made these muffins twice now and they are the best! But as as a Southerner, I have to use buttermilk. ☺️
I’m sure that’s even better Lisa, thank you!
What is the rationale for letting the mixture sit for 20 minutes before cooking?
Bonnie, this allows the gluten in the flour to relax and the wet and dry ingredients to better absorb, giving you a more tender muffin. Baking science!
I’m going to make these in a couple of days. Do you think white monkfruit would work in place of the regular sugar, or would it be a total disaster? Or should I just try it and report back? 😊
Hi Cynde, I haven’t tested it myself so you’ll to experiment but keep in mind, depending on the brand of monkfruit that you use will depend on if it is a 1:1 substitute or you’ll have to reduce the amount some. Let me know how it goes!
This is the best recipe for corn muffins I’ve made and I’ve made many!
Thank you Amy!
Hands down this is the best recipe I’ve tried. Although I’ve only tried a couple because I used to make box mixes, but I have loved cornbread since I was a kid and this recipe does not disappoint. I like making my own from scratch so I can modify things as needed. I have tried this recipe as written and it’s fantastic. I also recently tried making it semi-gluten free using some of my sourdough starter and then adding in a Gluten-Free 1:1 flour and it still turned out with a satisfying texture. Plus I tried a couple “secret ingredients” from a different recipe, here’s what I did:
Instead of 3 cups gluten flour, I did roughly 3/4 active sourdough starter (but I’m precise, so I weighed out 180 grams once it had doubled after being fed). Then I whisked the starter into the milk before finishing mixing up all the wet ingredients. For the dry, I used 2 1/4 cups of a Gluten-Free flour.
For the “secret ingredients” I included 2 Tbs coconut oil (in addition to the called-for 1/4 cup butter), and 1 tsp vanilla extract. This idea came from a blog called “The Clever Carrot”, however I have to say, WellPlated is currently my favorite go-to for healthy muffin recipes. I have also tried your banana but muffins (my favorite!) and cranberry orange muffins, and chocolate banana muffins (another favorite)! Anyway, thanks for sharing your recipes!
So glad you enjoyed it, Marina! Looks great!