Homemade Cornbread Muffins (Made in One Bowl and Gluten-Free)

Everyone loves a classic cornbread muffin, because they’re the perfect pairing for soups, stews, and backyard barbecue meals. These gluten-free Homemade Cornbread Muffins are tender and delicious and they definitely won’t disappoint!

The best Recipe for Gluten-Free Cornbread Muffins

Gluten-free corn bread muffins may sound too good to be true but we’re here to tell you that this cornbread is the real deal. Tender and delicious with subtle sweetness thanks to touch of honey and they just beg to be topped with a generous schmear of Homemade Honey Butter, they’re the perfect side dish for any soup, stew, chili, and pretty much anything involving barbecue (like our Smoked Spatchcock Chicken, Smoked Pork Butt, Slow Cooker BBQ Beef, or Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs).

Ingredients for gluten-free Cornbread muffins

• Yellow Cornmeal – Often confused with polenta (coarser) and corn flour (finer), be sure to read the label and choose corn meal for best results. Choose a certified gluten-free brand such as Bob’s Red Mill, if needed.
• All-purpose gluten-free flour blend – Our go-to’s are Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Flour and King Arthur Measure for Measure. Both produced fantastic results during recipe testing. Regular all-purpose flour may also be used if you don’t need your muffins to be gluten-free
• Fine salt
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Milk of choice – For a dairy-free option, use your favorite unsweetened plain dairy-free milk alternative.
• Oil – A light or neutral tasting oil like avocado oil works best in these homemade cornbread muffins but olive oil or melted butter will also work (note: substituting butter for oil will increase the cholesterol and saturated fat content)
• Eggs – We always test our recipes using large eggs
• Honey – Adds a bit of sweetness while also giving these muffins a tender crumb

Making Homemade cornbread muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners or spray generously with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all of the cornbread muffin ingredients (dry ingredients and wet ingredients) and whisk or stir until well combined.
3. Divide the batter evenly among each of the prepared muffin cups filling each about ¾ full with batter. Be sure to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula so you don’t leave any of that goodness behind.
4. Bake the muffins for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing and serving.
6. Store any leftover cornbread muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Muffins may be stored in the freezer for longer storage.

How to serve this cornbread

Our homemade cornbread recipe produces some mighty fine corn muffins if we do say so ourselves. Just one taste and we think you’ll agree. Some of our favorite ways to serve these cornbread muffins are:

• Drizzled with a bit of honey or pure maple syrup
• Smeared with some homemade honey butter
• Spread with unsalted butter and a pinch of flaky sea salt
• Crumbled over a bowl of hearty beef and bean chili or with a nice pork roast

Homemade Cornbread Muffins: FAQs

How do I make this cornbread muffins recipe savory?

While these aren’t necessarily sweet cornbread muffins (they have just a tough of sweetness) you can add one or more of the following to give them a savory twist:

• Bacon – a few slices of crisp-cooked and crumbled or chopped is never a bad idea
• Cheese – ½ cup of shredded sharp cheddar or Monterey jack are outstanding options
• Diced green chilis minced jalapeños – just a few tablespoons adds loads of flavor

can i freeze these cornbread muffins?

Absolutely! Freezing is a great way to ensure you have a stash of gluten-free cornbread muffins ready at all times.

What is the best way to reheat gluten-free cornbread?

Start by thawing the desired number of muffins in the refrigerator or on the counter at room temperature overnight. Then reheat in the microwave at 50-70% power for 20-30 seconds or until hot.

What is the difference between cornbread and cornbread muffins?

The only difference is how they’re prepared. Muffins are baked in a muffin pan to create individual servings while cornbread is baked in a cast iron skillet or baking pan (we recommend a 9-inch pie plate, an 8×8-inch baking pan or 10-inch cast iron skillet for this homemade cornbread muffin recipe). Baking time for cornbread will be roughly twice that of muffins (20-24 minutes).

Can I make Mini-muffins?

You sure can! The baking time will be shorter for mini muffins (7-9 minutes) and your yield will depend on how big the wells of your mini muffin pan are.

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For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.