Much like my favorite cornbread recipe, these cornbread muffins make for a delicious accompaniment to so many meals. Tender and buttery, with just the right amount of sweetness, you can have warm, homemade cornbread muffins on the table in less than an hour. No mixer required!
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a video tutorial.
My favorite cornbread recipe has become a favorite of hundreds of readers, too. It’s tender, buttery, and—the best part of all—it’s NOT dry. It’s also supremely versatile. Bake the cornbread in a skillet or a regular baking pan, or bake it directly on top of chili like I do in my cornbread chili casserole. It’s a quick, easy, and satisfying side dish. And today I’m sharing how to make a muffin version.
One reader, Sandra, commented: “Best cornbread muffins I have ever made! Not too sweet. Beautiful light texture and perfectly moist… I added 2 large seeded chopped jalapeño peppers. The batter produced 12 lovely muffins. I will be making these frequently! Winner! ★★★★★“
One reader, Parks, commented: “Easy recipe to follow, quick to make, and turned out fabulously! Moist in the middle, crunchy on top, and delicious. I made them to accompany chili. Will add this recipe to my regulars. ★★★★★“
These Cornbread Muffins Are:
- Buttery and slightly sweet.
- Moist & tender, not dry in the least.
- Easy to make—no mixer needed!
- A delicious side dish for so many meals. Or just a tasty snack!
Important Ingredients (& Why You’re Using Them)
- Butter: Butter is one of the main flavors in this cornbread muffin recipe. Cornbread without butter can taste like it’s missing something.
- Oil: Unlike in my regular cornbread, I add a little oil to the muffin batter. The oil lightens up the crumb and helps prevent the cornbread muffins from being too crumbly.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk makes cakes, muffins, and breads extra moist. If you’re interested, I have plenty more on this topic in my Baking with Buttermilk post (including a DIY buttermilk substitute recipe).
- Cornmeal: Equal parts cornmeal and flour makes for the BEST cornbread muffins. With 1 cup of cornmeal, you get lots of flavor, plus crisp-crunchy edges.
- Brown Sugar & Honey: Just enough to sweeten and add flavor, without making these taste like dessert.
You’ll also need flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and an egg.
Cornbread Muffins Batter: Fill It High!
The batter for these cornbread muffins comes together quickly with just a couple bowls and a whisk. It’s very thick, so you can fill the muffin liners all the way to the top without risking over-spreading (…into mushroom-looking muffins).
Don’t over-mix; you want to stir until just combined.
Success Tip: Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the temperature to 350°F for the remaining bake time. This initial high oven temperature lifts the muffin top up quickly and creates a tall, crusty cornbread crown. The best! I use this trick for my base muffin recipe and pretty much all muffin recipes I develop and publish.
Optional Add-ins
These buttery-moist cornbread muffins are delicious all on their own, but add-ins are welcome here, too! Try jazzing them up with:
- Shredded cheese: 3/4 cup of cheddar, monterey jack, or pepper jack cheese all taste great in these corn muffins.
- Corn: 1 cup of cooked or canned (and drained) corn kernels amp up the sweet corn flavor and introduce another texture to the muffins. I always include corn in this skillet cornbread recipe.
- Scallions: 1/4 cup of chopped spring green onions are a wonderful addition here, as well.
- Bacon: Crumble or chop 6 strips of cooked bacon and add to the batter for a cornbread muffin that would taste incredible alongside eggs, quiche, or frittata for brunch.
- Jalapeño peppers: Spice things up a bit with 1–2 chopped jalapeños. I LOVE these.
And of course, homemade honey butter is always fantastic with cornbread muffins.
Serve Cornbread Muffins With…
- Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Light Chicken Corn Chowder
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Maryland Crab Soup
Cornbread Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You can make these cornbread muffins plain, or add chopped jalapeños or any of the other optional add-ins listed in the Notes below. Paired with the subtle sweetness of honey and brown sugar, these easy cornbread muffins are a wonderful snack and side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) cornmeal (fine or medium ground)
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (43g) honey
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- optional add-ins: 1–2 chopped jalapeño peppers (or see Note below)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with liners or spray with nonstick spray. Set pan aside.
- Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter, oil, brown sugar, and honey together until completely smooth and thick. Then, whisk in the egg until combined. Finally, whisk in the buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Fold in the peppers. Avoid over-mixing.
- Spoon batter into muffin liners, filling all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F (177°C) and continue baking for another 16–17 minutes. The total time these muffins should be in the oven is about 21–23 minutes. Use a toothpick to test. If it comes out clean, the muffins are done.
- Remove muffins from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before enjoying. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze baked cornbread muffins for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Silicone Spatula
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. If you don’t have any, you can make a DIY buttermilk substitute by adding 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to make 1 cup total. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes before using. Whole milk is strongly recommended for moistest, richest texture, but you can use lower fat or nondairy milk in a pinch.
- Jalapeño: The heat cooks down in the oven. For mildly spicy muffins, use 1 jalapeño. For medium, use 2. Jalapeño seeds have the most heat, so add them to the batter for extra heat. I leave out the seeds in the batter.
- Other Add-Ins: Fold any of the following into the batter after you combine the wet and dry ingredients. Shredded cheese: 3/4 cup of cheddar, monterey jack, or pepper jack cheese. Corn: 1 cup of cooked or canned (and drained) corn kernels. Scallions: 1/4 cup of chopped spring green onions. Bacon: Crumble or chop up 6 strips of cooked bacon.
- Skillet Cornbread: Baking cornbread in a skillet gives it an even heartier, crunchy crust. Bake this cornbread in a 9-inch or 10-inch oven safe greased skillet at the same temperature for the same amount of time.
- Why the initial high temperature? Like I instruct for most of my muffin recipes, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a very hot temperature. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, switch to a lower temperature for the remaining bake time. This initial high temperature will quickly lift the muffin tops, then the centers will bake during the lower temperature bake time.
- Mini Cornbread Muffins: This recipe yields around 30 mini cornbread muffins. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for around 10–12 minutes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Best cornbread muffins I have ever made! Not too sweet. Beautiful light texture and perfectly moist (all of those other recipes produced dry and dense/heavy cornbread muffins). I added 2 large seeded chopped jalapeño peppers. The batter produced 12 lovely muffins. I will be making these frequently! Winner!
I’ve had corn bread only one time in a bed and breakfast in Cape Cod and it was the most delish thing I have ever had!! Last night I made this and it reminded me of that lovely trip and that house. Very easy to execute and came together super fast. I want to make this again and again!
Can I used salted butter and cut out the salt
Hi Elaine, yes, you can use salted butter and omit the added salt.
I definitely prefer your “My Favorite Cornbread Recipe” to this one. These were denser and not as buttery or sweet as the cornbread. Also the recipe says it will make up to 14 muffins and I barely managed 9.
I purchased Whole Grain Cornmeal by accident. I’d have to say. It did have a heavier taste. All & all it was still delicious!! I made a plain corn muffins and a jalapeño batch of corn muffins! Yum Thank you!
These are delicious! A great recipe that I will make again!
Another great recipe Sally, thank you! I had never tasted cornbread (we don’t really have it in my country) but my family loved these alongside a chilli. I halved the sugar and honey, as a lot of the comments indicated, no other changes to the recipe. My batter made 12 muffins. Someone commented that as the buttermilk reacts the batter puffs up and it’s hard to get into the cases; I used a cookie scoop, worked really well.
As a Brit, cornbread isn’t really a thing that we grow up with, but I found this recipe a couple of years ago and now my wife won’t allow me to serve a chili without a cornbread muffin.
The recipe allows me to get 10 large muffins and I find that another 12 minutes after the initial 5 is usually sufficient.
I don’t like sweet corn bread so 1T of sugar is just right for my family.
This is the first Sally recipe that I have changed. My favorites are chocolate chip cookies and the sugar cookie cutouts I make them every week for someone! I am asks all the time for those recipes and I just always say Sallys Baking Addiction
Can Gluten free flour be used to replace all
Purpose? If so what brand would be good to use?
Hi Diane, we don’t have much experience baking gluten free, but a cup-for-cup GF flour should work well.
This recipe sounds great! I agree with the amount of sugar for muffins, but would add less for corn bread. It wasn’t until quite recently that so much sugar was added to corn bread, if you look at older cookbooks. However, as a Canadian I would NEVER add jalapenos. We just don’t get the American fascination with jalapenos!
I’m a Canadian and love jalapeños. As do many of us northerners…
No offence intended, but as a Southerner I have to say it: You NEVER put sugar (or any other sweetener) in cornbread (or biscuits)! You’re making cornbread, not cake!
Thank you, Tom. This is a sweet-type of cornbread muffin.
I am Southern and add a little sugar to my cornbread.
I wasn’t in the best mood when my partner asked me to make cornbread for his chili on a weekday, but these were quick, simple, and absolutely worth the (minimal) effort!
So happy with this recipe! Will be making these muffins again soon.
I’ve made these many times. Delicious plain or with jalapenos to go with chilli or with cooked brekkie
Easy recipe to follow, quick and turned out fabulously! Moist in the middle, crunchy on tops & delicious. I made them to accompany chili. Will add this recipe to my regulars
Can I add in cheese, like a sharp cheddar?
Hi Katie! You can add up to a cup of shredded cheese.
I used half the amount of brown sugar & no jalapeno. I baked 5 min at 425F, then checked with toothpick after 10 min at 350F. Perfectly done! Great taste & texture. I may try adding sweet corn next time. Should I cut back on liquid to compensate? How much corn would you suggest? Thanks for a yummy recipe!
I’ve made and loved the “bread” version of this recipe but chose the muffins since I am distributing them to several families. My local grocery store had 1 carton of buttermilk that was expired by 2 days so I substituted 3/4 half and half to 1/4 water with vinegar to make up for the whole milk. I used cupcake liners and when the muffins were done the (outside) bottoms were soaked in oil. I had to remove the papers and they seem fine. What could be the cause for this so I can make changes for the next time? Thank you! p.s. I truly love all of Sally’s recipes
Hi Vicki, sometimes certain brands of cupcake liners can become more greasy than others. If it seemed to be fine without the liners, they may be the culprit here!
Has anyone tried to substitute maple syrup for the honey? Can you use all butter instead of oil and butter? The cornbread in a pan recipe uses just butter.
Hi Stephanie, We haven’t tested this cornbread recipe with maple syrup but it should be ok. The little bit of oil in this muffin recipe lightens up the crumb and helps prevent the cornbread muffins from crumbling all over the muffin wrapper. You could use more butter in a pinch, but we recommend sticking with the oil if you can!
Do you think these will work with whole wheat flour?
Hi Paula, they’ll taste a little heavier, but whole wheat flour should work.
I added half whole wheat flour. It did seem to impact the texture quite a bit. I wouldn’t do it again
I made these as mini-muffins, using 2 very finely chopped jalapenos. I also followed the suggested reduction of sweeteners, slightly more than 1/2 of the brown sugar and 1/2 the honey as I did not want a big sweet taste. They came out great, husband and guests loved them!
Can blueberries or raspberries be swapped for the jalapeño?
Hi Bridget! We haven’t tested it, but other bakers have reported adding berries with success.
This recipe was a hit! The texture was perfect; however, they were slightly too sweet for my taste. What is the best way to reduce the sweetness without affecting the texture too much?
Hi Melissa, you can reduce either the brown sugar or honey. I’ve made these without the honey, and the texture is pretty much the same. Or try halving the brown sugar.
These are moist and delicious. The brown sugar, salty butter, and jalapenos play well together.
Amazing! Will definitely be making this one again! I didn’t have fresh jalapeños. Canned whole jalapeños (chopped) worked well. Other than that followed recipe exactly and they came out perfect.
Made them exactly as written and they were perfect! Not too sweet with a nice kick (I added a lot of jalapeño seeds).
This recipe is a keeper. As mentioned by many others, this yielded about 10 muffins
Hi Sally, I’m craving blueberry muffins…..have you tried this recipe with blueberries instead of jalapeños? I have a lot of cornmeal!!
Sounds delicious! Let us know if you give it a try 🙂
I’m wondering if the muffins will fall apart from too much moisture??
Fresh would be a better bet than frozen!
Well it was bound to happen eventually. This was the first recipe of Sally’s that I’ve tried that wasn’t absolutely stellar. Several of her recipes are my default go-to so I was surprised at how bad these turned out. When I got 10 muffins instead of 14 I double checked the recipe. When I took them out of the oven at 16 minutes and they were already burnt, I triple checked the recipe and checked the thermometer in my oven. When I tasted them and they were dry and crumbly, I checked the recipe again. I followed the recipe exactly and made no substitutions.
I had a similar experience to Stacey.
Can I use maple syrup instead of honey?
Hi Kristin, We haven’t tested this cornbread recipe with maple syrup but it should be ok. Let us know if you try it!
I make this recipe with maple syrup all the time. It’s perfectly fine to sub 1:1 and I love the flavor from the syrup. It’s all good, honey or maple syrup.