Of all of the breads that I bake, cornbread muffins often seems to be at the top of my list—and this recipe is always in regular rotation during the fall and winter. They are soft, easy to mix up, and store well in the fridge or freezer. Oh, and the kids love them!
Cornbread Muffins
We love corn muffins alongside soup, stews, and chili—or warmed with eggs in the morning and even on their own as a toddler snack. I particularly love this recipe because, in addition to being delicious, each muffin is filled with nutrition, too.
I love this muffin recipe since it’s a nice option for kids with egg or dairy allergies or intolerances … or for when you’ve simply run out of eggs.
You can make these full size or mini, depending on your preference.
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Ingredients You Need
These healthy muffins have just a few basic ingredients. To make them you’ll need:
- Cornmeal: Cornmeal is the base for this recipe and lends the classic cornbread flavor and texture.
- All-purpose flour: This helps the muffins stay light and fluffy.
- Maple syrup: A little maple syrup adds the hint of sweetness you expect in corn muffins.
- Canola oil (or melted unsalted butter): A little fat from oil or melted butter ensures the muffins are moist and tender.
- Baking powder: This ensures the muffins rise and bake through properly.
- Milk: You can use dairy or nondairy milk in this recipe.
TIP: These are easy to make allergy-friendly, so use nondairy and gluten-free ingredients as you like.
Ingredient Substitutions
- You can use 1:1 gluten-free baking mix in place of the all-purpose and whole wheat flour.
- Use nondairy milk as needed.
- Use honey in place of the maple syrup or 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons additional milk.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the simple process of making these easy cornbread muffins. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full information.
- Stir together the dry ingredients.
- Stir in the wet ingredients.
- Add about 1 ½ tablespoons batter to each mini muffin cup.
- Bake until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
TIP: These are super simple to stir together, so let the kids help with the stirring if they want to get in on the cooking action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Muffins can become dry if they are over-baked or if there’s not enough fat or moisture in the batter. Check for doneness on the lower end of the baking range by inserting a cake tester or toothpick into the center of a muffin. It should come out cleanly. Remove from the oven and transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool fully.
Muffins are baked in a muffin pan and cornbread is typically baked in a baking pan that’s either square or rectangular.
What to Serve with Cornbread Muffins
We like to have these muffins with Veggie Chili or Black Bean Soup, alongside scrambled eggs for breakfast, or as a snack with some cheese and fruit. So many possibilities!
How to Store
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Warm slightly to serve.
Best Tips for Success
- Use whole wheat flour or a 1:1-style gluten-free flour blend.
- Stir the ingredients together gently.
- Make them mini or full size, depending on your preference.
- Serve with soups, stews, chili, eggs, or as a component at snack time.
- Top with butter, honey, or apple butter if desired. Dice into smaller pieces for younger toddlers.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear what your family thought of this recipe so please chime in below to share!
Easy Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup milk (plain unsweetened, if using nondairy)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup canola oil (or melted and slightly cooled butter)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin. (I use Classic Pam.)
- Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Portion a heaping 1 tablespoon batter into each prepared cup and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Store fully cooled muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and heat for 15 seconds in the microwave before serving.
- To make full-size muffins, bake for 16-18 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend.
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk.
- Stir the ingredients together gently.
- Make them mini or full size, depending on your preference.
- Serve with soups, stews, chili, eggs, or as a component at snack time.
- Top with butter, honey, or apple butter if desired. Dice into smaller pieces for younger toddlers.
Nutrition
This post was first published October 2018.
Can I omit the maple syrup and salt if I want to serve to my baby?
I would replace the maple syrup with milk to ensure they aren’t too dry. That’s fine on the salt.
Hi I want to make this for my toddler but I still prefer no to add any sweetener to his meals.
Can I omit the maple syrup without any substitutions?
Can I substitute the AP flour for whole wheat?
Hi, sure if you can leave it out if you prefer and yes all purpose flour will work fine. Enjoy
Turned out perfect – myself, toddler, and 4 yr old have already eaten 4 full sized out of the oven!
This is the cornbread recipe I’ve been missing all my life! My usual recipe contains a whole cup of sugar — I don’t miss it at all here. I followed another reviewer and added an egg. All of yummy toddler food recipes I’ve made are perfect without any substitutions, though!
Hi there! First time getting into baking, bc I want to start giving my toddler some yummy snacks. I noticed when I mixed everything together, the batter wasn’t thick. What should the consistency be for the batter? Thick, semi-thick or slightly thin? Can’t wait to try them. Thank you!
It’s a thick batter, yes!
Fantastic recipe! I doubled the batch. Added 2 eggs, used honey instead of maple syrup and used 1/3 c Greek yogurt and 1/3 c canola oil. My husband wouldn’t stop raving about them I had to tell him to stop. 😂
Do you think these freeze well?
Yes, they freeze really well. Put them into a freezer bag, remove as much air as you can, and freeze. Thaw in the fridge or at room temp and warm a little to serve
did you still add milk? Or did the 1/3 cup yogurt replace the milk? I’m going to add an egg as well.
These look great for toddlers! I’m interested in making them for my 7-month-old as part of BLW, so am wondering about omitting the maple syrup. Would substituting unsweetened applesauce (or something else) work? Thanks!
Sure that would likely be a fine option.
Can I use 1 use 1 cup all purpose flour instead of 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1/2 cup all purpose flour?
I only have all
Purpose flour in the pantry at the moment.
That will work well. (I just did that myself recently.)
Absolutely delicious! Perfect to go with chilli tonight in this -25 degree Canadian weather we’re having!
So glad to hear it and stay warm!
These were delicious– thanks for the great recipe.
Thank you for an egg free cornbread recipe my toddler can enjoy! I plan on making mini corn dogs by putting a slice of hot dog in the middle. My toddler asks for these muffins at any meal at least once a week. Another slam dunk per usual!
Can corn oil or melted coconut oil substitute for canola oil/melted butter in this recipe?
Thanks
Hello! Thanks for all the awesome recipes! 🙂 Your page is definitely one of my favorites! Question – what are your thoughts on using buttermilk for the milk in this recipe? I have some in the fridge and wondering if I can use it in this recipe. Thanks!!!
Hi- I haven’t tried it but I think it should work fine!
Would corn flour or oat flour substitute well for the whole wheat in this recipe?
I haven’t tried either of those so I can’t say for sure, but it’s possible corn flour would work similarly.
My daughter loooves these and I love having a quick side with leftover rotisserie chicken and veggies for lunch!
Do you think I could add 1 egg to make the muffins less crumbly? The Muffins completely fell apart!
You could certainly try that!
Can a heavier flour like rye be used? Or would they be too dense? PS if I were to add bacon bits, would 1/2 cup throw off the recipe? Thanks
I’m not sure that rye would work in this recipe but I think adding bacon would be fine!
I wanted to love this recipe, but found the muffins to be really dry and not taste like maple at all. Going to try again making some adjustments (add yogurt, more maple syrup).
You could also try baking them for a minute or two less than you did the first time.
Can corn kernels be added to this? I have a big bag of frozen corn.
You could add 1/2 cup I bet, though I haven’t tried it!
Made these today on (yet another) snow day. They were very forgiving considering we had to ground up almonds for the flour (could have been finer, in retrospect) and used two little Greek yogurts for lack of a regular tub this week. Yum! We’ll definitely be enjoying these healthy, tasty muffins with honey and butter in the mornings.
Yummy and so easy!