These easy Honey Cornbread Muffins make the best side dish! With just 10 ingredients, these make-ahead muffins are simple enough for kids and beginners to bake.
If you're looking for an easy side dish, there's nothing better than cornbread. It goes with almost any meal and is total comfort food.
In the cooler months, I love making my Cheesy Cornbread recipe. It's a little savory and pairs well with soups and chili. Then there's my Homemade Soft and Sweet Cornbread; it's always a hit at summer BBQs.
Jump to:
Why you'll love this recipe for Honey Cornbread Muffins
I'm always on the lookout for new ways to enjoy cornbread, and I think you're going to love these little muffins. They're just as satisfying as my other recipes, but portioned into personal-sized servings for a quick snack, breakfast, or potluck side dish.
- Easy to make: You won't need any fancy techniques to make the batter for this recipe. Mix the ingredients together, and you'll be set. It's easy enough for kids and beginning bakers to make, too!
- Sweet and savory: The bread has just a touch of honey sweetness that isn't overpowering. The muffins are flavorful enough to enjoy on their own and neutral enough to pair with savory main dishes.
- Great side dish: From Thanksgiving feasts to summer gatherings, these cornbread muffins make a great side dish that will disappear before you know it.
Ingredients
This recipe uses pantry staples. You'll likely have everything you need to whip these honey muffins up. See recipe card for quantities.
- Whole milk: The higher fat content helps the muffins stay moist.
- Yellow cornmeal
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Honey: In addition to sweetness, the honey adds moisture to the muffins.
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Large egg: Size is important! Make sure to use a large, room temperature egg (not medium or extra large).
- Butter: Melting the butter helps it to bind with the other ingredients. I used salted butter, but you can also use unsalted if preferred.
- Oil: I used avocado oil in my muffins. It gives the bread some added moisture. You can also use canola oil.
Step-by-step instructions
For reference, follow these process pictures to make the best cornbread muffins with honey.
- Prepare to bake: Heat your oven to 350ºF, and line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Soften cornmeal: Combine the cornmeal with milk in a large bowl. Let it soak for about 5 minutes to soften.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a clean mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Add wet ingredients to cornmeal: Whisk the butter, oil, honey, and egg into the softened cornmeal.
- Add dry mixture to the batter: Add dry ingredients to the cornmeal batter, stirring until just combined.
- Bake: Use a #16 (¼-cup) scoop to fill 12 muffin cups. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes until baked through and set. Cool before serving.
- Step 1: Soften the cornmeal in whole milk for 5 minutes.
- Step 2: Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Step 3: Add oil, melted butter, honey, and an egg to the softened cornmeal.
- Step 4: Stir to combine.
- Step 5: Mix in dry ingredients to form a moistened, lumpy batter.
- Step 6: Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cups. Bake till set.
Hint: Don't overmix the cornbread batter. After adding the dry ingredients, mix until just combined. The batter should be be fully moistened (no dry pockets) and look slightly lumpy.
Other flavors you can add
Change the flavor profile of the muffins with a few simple variations:
Add herbs: To make the muffins more savory, mix some herbs into the batter. A teaspoon of dried rosemary, basil, thyme, or sage would be delicious.
Mix-in ideas: Try adding a half cup of shredded cheddar, chopped bacon, or dried fruits to the batter.
Use seasoned butter: Serving the muffins with compound butter is a fabulous way to give these simple muffins a little glow up. You can make compound butter by adding other ingredients to your regular butter. For example, try cinnamon and honey for a sweet butter or garlic and herbs for a savory butter.
What to serve with honey cornbread muffins
Cornbread muffins can be served with classic dishes like Roasted Turkey and Gravy or Chili with Beef and Beans. Or, serve them with family favorites like my Crockpot Turkey Meatloaf or Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup With Queso Blanco.
Storage information
Freezing: Wrap cooled muffins tightly in plastic wrap and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and then bring to room temperature before enjoying.
Make-Ahead: Bake the muffins up to 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The muffins can be served warm or cold.
Top tip
Don't let your leftover muffins go to waste! They make a great base or addition to holiday stuffing.
FAQ
It's important to use the ingredients listed in the recipe card like whole milk, butter, and oil. Each of these ingredients add moisture to the bread. It's also important to store the muffins well-wrapped with plastic or in an airtight container.
Part of the charm of these muffins is the added sweetness of honey. If you want to make the recipe less sweet, you could try replacing the honey with a vegan honey substitute or agave. You could also try a more savory cornbread recipe like my Cheesy Cornbread.
For the best taste and texture, use a fine or medium ground yellow cornmeal. The smaller grains will soften more easily in milk.
More easy side dish recipes
Looking for other side dish recipes? Try these:
Rate this recipe! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Scroll to the bottom of the page to rate and comment on this recipe. Leaving comments, questions, and ratings helps other too!
📖 Recipe
Honey Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 4 tablespoons butter (melted)
- ¼ cup avocado or canola oil
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350ºF. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl combine milk and cornmeal and let mixture soak about 5 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. This will soften the cornmeal for the recipe.
- In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder and set aside.
- Add the butter, oil, honey, and egg to the cornmeal and milk mixture and whisk together.
- Add everything to the cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined. Mixture will be slightly lumpy without dry pockets.
- Divide batter among muffin cups using a #16 (¼-cup) scoop, or until almost full. Bake until just cooked through and set, 14 to 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Notes
Storage information
Freezing: Wrap cooled muffins tightly in plastic wrap and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and then bring to room temperature before enjoying. Make-Ahead: Bake the muffins up to 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The muffins can be served warm or cold.Nutrition
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Beth says
These sound so good! I love the sweetness of the honey with the flavor of the cornbread.
Emily says
I have had such a craving for cornbread these last few weeks, and I think this is a sign that I need to make some! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Michelle says
Oh my gosh, I LOVE cornbread! It's the perfect side for a meal, but also just to snack on during the day because it's so yummy.
OnlyPrints says
These honey cornbread muffins look so easy and delicious! Perfect for a cozy meal or even a simple snack ♥
LisaLisa says
We love honey cornbread here in our home especially when I make a hot pot of chili. I haven't made mine fresh, I use the new Honey Cornbread from Jiffy...lol lol Now I'm going to try your recipe next time
Melanie E says
Your honey cornbread muffins sound lovely. I haven't made muffins in such a long time. These would make a lovely treat for the kids to come home to after school.
Kat says
These honey cornbread muffins sound like the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Great for any meal or snack! ✿ 𝒦𝒶𝓉
Renata Feyen says
I have never tried anything with cornflower. I don't even know if I would be able to find it in the store.