Best Cornbread Muffin Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (2024)

By Jill Baird · Published June 17, 2023 · Updated March 6, 2024 · 3 Comments

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This Cornbread Muffin recipe makes the best lightly sweetened, soft and tender corn muffins that are quick, easy and so delicious. Serve with everything from butter and honey to winter chilis and soups, or even your summer BBQ favorites.

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  • Best Recipe for Cornbread Muffins
  • Cornbread Muffins Video Tutorial
  • Corn Muffin Recipe Ingredients
  • How to Make Cornbread Muffins
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Variations to these Sweet Cornbread Muffins
  • Best Cornbread Muffin Recipe
  • More Easy Muffin Recipes

Best Recipe for Cornbread Muffins

This recipe for Cornbread Muffins makes it so easy to ditch the box mix forever. Nothing beats homemade, and you won’t believe just how simple these are to make! The end result is so much more light and fluffy and delicious than anything you could ever get from a box.

There are no crazy ingredients in this recipe - just stone ground cornmeal, sour cream, melted butter, milk, and a few basic pantry items. We like slightly sweet Cornbread Muffin, but if you prefer yours to be more savory you can reduce the sugar or try leaving it out completely.

Cornbread Muffins Video Tutorial

What to Eat With Cornbread Muffins

My family loves spreading a little Honey Butter over these little beauties and eating them as a snack. They taste amazing like this, especially fresh out of the oven.

I also recommend pairing Cornbread Muffins as a side dish to any of the following:

  • Easy Chili Recipe
  • Turkey and Rice Soup
  • Crockpot Turkey Breast with 3 Citrus Marinade
  • Easy Baked Ziti
  • Baked BBQ Chicken Breast
Best Cornbread Muffin Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (1)

Corn Muffin Recipe Ingredients

  • Cornmeal - we prefer to use stone ground yellow cornmeal for this recipe. It has a little texture, but still stays nice and soft.
  • Flour - we use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
  • Sugar - we usually use regular granulated sugar, but you could also substitute honey and/or maple syrup.
  • Baking Powder and Baking Soda - you’ll need to use both of these ingredients in order to get the little rise in the oven.
  • Salt - sea salt works best.
  • Egg - any type of large egg will work.
  • Butter - you can use salted butter, but you may want to reduce the added salt just slightly. Otherwise, you can just use unsalted butter.
  • Milk - we prefer to use whole or 2% milk for this recipe.
  • Sour Cream - either full fat or lite will work.
Best Cornbread Muffin Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (2)

How to Make Cornbread Muffins

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter, milk and sour cream until combined.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Don't overmix - the batter should be just a little lumpy. Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes and then mix again lightly.
  5. Pour batter into 12 greased muffin tins or paper liners. They should be about ¾ full.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on edges and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and serve warm with your favorite butter or spread. Enjoy!
Best Cornbread Muffin Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (3)

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I store Cornbread Muffins?

Let your muffins cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
You can also store them in the fridge for up to a week, but we highly recommend rewarming just slightly, or at least pulling out to room temperature for 30 minutes before eating.

Can I Freeze Cornbread Muffins?

Yes! Just wrap well, or transfer to an airtight container, and store frozen for up to 3 months.Once you are ready to eat them, remove from the freezer and let thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours, or even overnight. You can rewarm slightly in the microwave or a low oven if you’d like.

Variations to these Sweet Cornbread Muffins

These muffins make a great base to add mix-ins to! Try and of the following, or even combine a couple if you’d like:

  • Drained and chopped canned green chilis
  • Cayenne powder (just a pinch or two)
  • Shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese
  • Maple syrup and/or honey
  • Fresh corn, creamed corn or (drained) canned corn
  • Fresh chopped rosemary or thyme

Best Cornbread Muffin Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (4)

Print

Best Cornbread Muffin Recipe

These lightly sweetened, soft and tender Cornbread Muffins are quick, easy and so delicious. Serve with everything from a simple slab of butter and honey to winter chilis and soups, or all of your summer BBQ favorites.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Cooling time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 12 people

Calories 204kcal

Author The Carefree Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup Yellow Cornmeal
  • ¾ cup All-Purpose Flour
  • ¼ cup Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 large Egg
  • ½ cup Butter melted
  • 1 cup Milk
  • ¼ cup Sour Cream

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour,sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined.

  • In another bowl, add the egg, melted butter, milk and sour cream and whisk together until combined.

  • Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Don't overmix - the batter should be just a little lumpy.Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes and then mix again lightly.

  • Pour batter into 12 greased muffin tins or paper lined tins. They should be about ¾ full.

  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on edges and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and serve warm with your favorite butter or spread. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 372mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 322IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

More Easy Muffin Recipes

  • Einkorn Pumpkin Muffins
  • Triple Berry Muffins
  • Ham and Cheese Cornbread Muffins
  • Greek Yogurt Banana Muffins
  • Pumpkin Muffins with Cake Mix
  • Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Gingerbread Muffins
  • Applesauce Muffins
  • Pumpkin Muffins
  • Lemon Blueberry Muffins
  • More Quick Bread Recipes
  • More Simple Side Dishes

If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you. It helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!

Best Cornbread Muffin Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (5)

These Cornbread Muffins are light and tender, quick and easy and so delicious. Nothing beats homemade, and you won’t believe just how simple these are to make!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alan Rosenberg

    The muffins came out great . I did make them with chocolate chips and they were delicious

    Reply

  2. Natalie

    Oh yum! These cornbread muffins look delicious. The texture is amazing. SO soft and buttery. I have to make them.

    Reply

  3. Gina

    These are SO good! I think it's the sour cream which creates the best texture. Will be making a batch for the upcoming holiday.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Best Cornbread Muffin Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

How long can cornbread batter sit before baking? ›

Note: We recommend allowing cornbread batter to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before baking, so if you prefer, you can delay heating the oven until you make the batter. 2Melt the butter, and then set aside to cool slightly.

Why do my cornbread muffins stick to the pan? ›

Be sure to grease the pan well with butter or cooking spray to prevent the muffins from sticking. If you skip this step they will stick even if you are using a nonstick pan. Don't over-mix the batter. You need to gently fold the cornmeal into the batter at the end.

Why are my corn muffins dense? ›

We use both cornmeal and corn kernels to double up on corn flavor, but there comes a point at which jamming more corn into the recipe has an adverse effect on the texture, producing a dense and heavy muffin.

What is the difference between southern and northern cornbread? ›

She notes that Northern cornbread is sweeter, lighter, and more cake-like than Southern cornbread. Not surprisingly, it includes sugar (or molasses, in the earlier centuries), unlike traditional Southern cornbread.

How do you keep corn muffins from crumbling? ›

I want to keep the cornbread taste, just less crumbly! I recommend extra egg yolk, adding corn, and using cast iron to bake. Also, try a little lower temperature.

Is it better to use butter or oil in cornbread? ›

My Conclusion: Butter is truly better! The texture of the cornbread as well as the flavor were much preferred in the version with melted butter. It was a little more cake-like and less crumbly than the coarser, less flavorful oil version.

Is cornbread batter supposed to be thick or runny? ›

The batter should be thick, but still pourable. Add more milk or buttermilk if necessary. Remove the skillet from the oven and tilt the pan so the butter coats the bottom and sides of pan.

What kind of cornmeal is best for cornbread? ›

As for the best cornmeal for cornbread, either fine- or medium-grind cornmeal is a great choice. Medium-grind cornmeal will bring slightly more texture and grittiness to the batter, which you may or may not want (it's up to you!). You can use fine or medium cornmeal in these extra corny muffins.

Why not fill the muffin liners to the very top with batter? ›

If you fill them to the top, then the cupcake itself is going to overflow and cause a mess. We recommend filling our baking cups 2/3 full to allow room for your cupcakes to rise. Since our liners are a little taller than standard size, that comes to about 3 or 4 tablespoons of batter.

What are the black specks in Jiffy cornbread mix? ›

The black specks are simply naturally dark pieces of the pericarp (skin) of the corn, where the tip of the kernel attaches to the cob. The color of the specks will vary by crop and year. They are the same as those commonly seen in hard taco shells, corn or tortilla chips, cornmeal, and natural whole corn products.

Why is Jiffy cornbread so good? ›

The Old Standby: Jiffy

Along with the included sugar, Shilpa says the lard is used to help keep this cornbread soft and tender. Lard is a traditional fat component of Southern cornbread, and it has less trans fats than shortening and less saturated fat than butter.

Why does my cornbread rise in the middle and not? ›

Cornbread, or any baked good, will fall in the middle if it is not completely baked, or if you add too much leavening, which causes it to rise more than the structure of the batter can sustain. Always use a tester inserted in the center of your cornbread to make sure it's done.

Why do my corn muffins sink in the middle? ›

Muffin was underbaked and cell structure wasn't set. When the cell structure doesn't set, the air spaces created by the leavening in the recipe collapses, causing the muffin to sink. Oven temperatures vary over time. To insure the correct temperature each time you bake, always use an oven thermometer.

Why is my homemade cornbread so dry? ›

You may also have a problem in the baking process, where you need more "wet" ingredients. If your dough/batter is the right texture/wetness before it goes in the oven, and assuming you didn't under-/overbake - try subsitituting 50% butter for a vegetable/fruit oil. Oil will help create a moist mouthfeel.

What is corn muffin mix made of? ›

WHEAT FLOUR, DEGERMED YELLOW CORN MEAL, SUGAR, LARD (HYDROGENATED LARD, BHT AND CITRIC ACID PRESERVATIVES), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: BAKING SODA, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID, WHEAT STARCH.

Can you make corn muffins with water instead of milk? ›

Can I substitute water for milk in cornbread mix? Yes, you can, but it may result in a less rich flavor. If you're out of milk, try using cream or half-and-half, evaporated or powdered milk, or even plain yogurt. If you have dietary restrictions, try soy milk or oat milk.

Why do my Jiffy corn muffins fall apart? ›

Why Is Jiffy Mix So Crumbly? The recipe on the box doesn't give the batter as much moisture as I like in my cornbread, which is why it can sometimes turn out crumbly. Adding in the sour cream and vegetable oil makes a huge difference and makes the best moist cornbread.

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