Cornbread Muffins

These fluffy and moist bakery-style cornbread muffins are a perfect side dish for chili, barbecue, or any other family meal. Best of all, you can stir together the batter for the sweet, tender muffins in just 10 minutes!

Buttermilk Corn Muffins

Most nights of the week, you’ll find a bread basket on our dinner table full of either buttermilk biscuits, skillet cornbread, pumpkin bread, garlic bread, no-knead bread, blueberry muffins, or these moist cornbread muffins. We rotate through our favorites, and one thing is certain: my Southern cornbread muffins always disappear fast! They’re one of those great sides that only requires about 10 minutes of effort, but everyone loves them. Served warm and slathered in honey butter, they are entirely irresistible! Skip the boxed mix of Jiffy corn muffins from here on out, because nothing compares to the classic, made-from-scratch variety.

What is the difference between cornbread and corn muffins?

A classic Southern skillet cornbread will always have my heart; however, sometimes the convenience of individual muffins wins out! Plus, the kids go crazy for these old fashioned cornbread muffins that taste like a treat from the bakery.

There isn’t much of a difference between cornbread and corn muffins, beyond the type of pan that they’re baked in. Muffins are obviously baked in individual portions in a muffin pan, while cornbread is typically baked in a square dish or a round cast iron skillet.

These particular corn muffins differ from my classic skillet cornbread in a few ways:

1. They’re lighter and fluffier. Instead of a more traditional 1:1 ratio of cornmeal to flour, this muffin recipe calls for slightly more all-purpose flour than cornmeal — giving them a softer, lighter texture.
2. The muffins use butter rather than oil (for rich flavor), and have more sugar for a sweeter, bakery-style muffin.
3. The soft muffins don’t have those crisp edges that you get from baking cornbread in a preheated cast iron skillet.

How to Make Corn Muffins Moist

Unlike some cornbread muffins that can be crumbly and dry, these muffins stay moist thanks to a couple of key ingredients.

1. The butter adds fat, flavor and moisture, while the buttermilk also keeps the muffins incredibly moist and tender.
2. Another trick for moist cornbread muffins? Don’t over-mix the batter. Fold together the ingredients just until everything is combined, and then stop stirring. Over-mixing will yield dry, tough baked goods.
3. Finally, cool the muffins on a wire rack (not in the pan). If they’re left in the pan, they can continue to cook and therefore become dry.

Ingredients for Old Fashioned Cornbread Muffins

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a batch of cornbread muffins. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step baking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Buttermilk: for its acidity, as well as its fat and liquid content. In conjunction with the leavening agents, the acidity helps the muffins rise. The buttermilk also gives the muffins a nice, subtle tanginess and a tender crumb. Use whole buttermilk for the best flavor and texture.
• Sugar: for just the right amount of sweetness.
• Butter: melted butter adds fat, flavor, and moisture to the batter.
• Egg: gives the muffins structure.
• All-purpose flour: the base of the muffins.
• Yellow cornmeal: use a finely-ground cornmeal for a soft texture.
• Baking powder: the leavening agent that helps the muffins rise.
• Salt: to enhance the other flavors in the muffins.

How to Make Cornbread Muffins

Stirring together this corn muffin batter only requires about 10 minutes! You don’t have to cream together butter and sugar or pull out an electric mixer. Just grab your wooden spoon and a couple of bowls!

1. Combine Wet Ingredients. Whisk together the buttermilk, sugar, melted butter and egg.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
3. Stir Batter. Use a fork or wooden spoon to gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, just until combined.
4. Bake. Divide the batter evenly among paper muffin liners or a muffin tin greased with cooking spray. Bake in a 375°F oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, then serve warm!

What to Serve with Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Enjoy the cornbread muffins for breakfast or as a side dish with just about any homemade family supper. They’re also a great addition to a Thanksgiving dinner table.

Spread the warm muffins with butter, drizzle with honey, homemade honey butter, or add a dollop of homemade blueberry jam or apple butter. They pair nicely with savory dishes like soups, stews, chili, and meat. Here are a few ideas to add to your table:

• Chili (like this Slow Cooker Chili, Classic Beef Chili, Texas Chili, Instant Pot Turkey Chili, White Bean Chicken Chili, Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili, or Pumpkin Chili)
• Soup (such as Beef Barley Soup, Grandmother’s Hamburger Soup, Chicken Vegetable Soup, Split Pea Soup, Hamburger Soup, or Creamy Cauliflower Soup)
• Stew (like this Brunswick Stew, Chicken Stew, or Dutch Oven Beef Stew)
• Beans (such as Appalachian Beans and Greens, Southern Lima Beans with Ham, Hoppin’ John, Black-Eyed Peas, Ranch Style Beans, or Cowboy Baked Beans)
• Barbecue (like these Crock Pot Ribs, Pulled BBQ Chicken, Dutch Oven BBQ Beef, Crock Pot Pork BBQ, or Pulled Pork)
• Roasts (like Dutch Oven Pot Roast, Pork Roast with Gravy, and this Mississippi Pot Roast)
• Seafood ( such as Shrimp and Grits, Crab Cakes, Grilled Salmon, New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp, and Shrimp Creole)
• Fried Favorites (such as Fried Chicken, Fried Catfish, Oven-Fried Fish, Fried Oysters, or Fried Shrimp)

Storage

Cornbread muffins are best when freshly baked and warm from the oven, but you can prepare them up to 8 hours in advance and leave them on your countertop until ready to serve. To extend the life of your corn muffins, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

How to Freeze

Wrapped tightly in an airtight container or large Ziploc freezer bag, you can freeze sweet cornbread muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw on your countertop or in the refrigerator before enjoying.

How to Reheat

Warm individual muffins in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, or until heated through. To reheat multiple muffins at once, wrap the muffins in foil and heat in a 350°F oven until warmed through (about 5-10 minutes).

Recipe Variations

• If using unsalted butter instead of salted butter, add a little bit more salt to the batter.
• Jumbo Cornbread Muffins: double the ingredients and bake the muffins in a Jumbo muffin tin at 375°F for at least 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cornbread Muffins with Corn: stir in 1-2 cups of fresh corn or canned corn kernels (drained). You’ll have more than 10 muffins with this addition.
• Jalapeño and Cheese Cornbread Muffins: add 1-2 chopped jalapeño peppers to the batter, along with 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese. Cut the sugar back to just 2 tablespoons. Some cooked, chopped bacon is also a nice addition.
• Green Chile Corn Muffins: stir 1 small can of diced green chilies into the batter. Add some cheese, too! To make the muffin more savory, cut the sugar to 2 tablespoons.
• Blueberry Corn Muffins: fold 1 ½ cups of fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter.
• Cranberry Corn Muffins: add 1 cup of dried sweetened cranberries or 1 ½ cups of fresh cranberries into the batter. For a hint of orange, try adding the zest from 1 orange, too!

Tips for the Best Cornbread Muffins Recipe

• Use a finely-ground yellow cornmeal. Coarse cornmeal will give the muffins a more grainy (rather than soft) texture.
• Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes before baking, if you have the time. This allows the baking powder to activate and incorporate more air.
• Don’t over-mix the batter or it will become too dense, and you’ll end up with dry muffins.
• To check if the muffins are done, insert a toothpick into the center and make sure it comes out clean. Don’t cook them for too long, or they can dry out.
• Use full-fat buttermilk rather than regular milk. It adds a subtle tangy flavor, it keeps the muffins moist, and it yields a tender crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk in your fridge, you can make your own at home by placing 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup and adding enough milk to measure 1 cup. Stir, then let stand for 5 minutes.

More Cornbread Recipes to Try

• Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn and Sour Cream
• Sweet Cornbread
• Honey Cornbread
• Sweet Cornbread Muffins with Brown Sugar
• Jiffy Corn Casserole (like corn pudding)
• Jalapeño Cheddar Mexican Cornbread
• Skillet Cornbread
• Secret Ingredient Jiffy Cornbread
• Orange Cranberry Corn Muffins
• Sweet Cornbread Muffins with Brown Sugar

This recipe was originally published in September, 2020. The photos were updated in October, 2022.