Honey Cornbread Muffins
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Oct. 22, 2026
These Honey Cornbread Muffins are tender, soft, and contain no refined sugar, as they’re sweetened only with pure honey and sweet corn kernels. I love serving these sweet cornbread muffins with a big bowl of hearty chili or enjoying them as a make-ahead breakfast. Make them for the holidays, game days, or anytime you want super moist cornbread muffins.
In This Article
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Amy’s Notes
My entire family adores these moist cornbread muffins. Whenever a big pot of chili or soup is on the stove, these honey cornbread muffins often show up. They’re sweetened only with honey, stay moist for days, and go from mixing bowl to table in about 30 minutes. Here’s why I make them on repeat:
- Moist, Not Dry: Butter, sour cream, and whole milk keep every muffin soft and tender, never gritty or crumbly.
- No Refined Sugar: Pure honey is the only sweetener, so you get real sweetness without any white sugar.
- Extra Sweet Corn: Whole corn kernels folded into the batter add little bursts of natural sweetness in every bite.
- Freezer Friendly: Bake a batch on Sunday and grab them for breakfast, snacks, or dinner anytime you want cornbread muffins.
Serve them with any of our easy soup and stew recipes for a simple, filling dinner.
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Cornmeal – For best results with this recipe, use fine ground, whole grain yellow cornmeal.
- Honey – Pure honey sweetens these cornbread muffins perfectly, adding that bright, floral flavor that pairs wonderfully with the corn.
- Butter – Butter helps keep these muffins super moist and adds loads of flavor.
- Sour Cream – Whole sour cream makes these cornbread muffins extremely tender and balances the sweeter flavors perfectly.
- Whole Milk – We highly recommend whole milk for this recipe, as the fat content helps keep the muffins from getting dry and grainy.
- Corn Kernels – Frozen corn kernels are mixed into the batter for even more flavor and natural sweetness.
Substitutions And Variations
One of the things we love about cornbread is how versatile it is. Check out some of our favorite flavor spins with this recipe:
- Flour: If you want to make these Honey Cornbread Muffins even healthier, try swapping the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour. You can also easily make these gluten-free by substituting 1:1 gluten-free baking flour.
- Mix-Ins: Try mixing in blueberries or raspberries for an added burst of sweetness and antioxidants. You could also go the savory route by reducing the honey and mixing in jalapeños and cheddar cheese.
- Fall Flavors: Craving those spiced fall flavors? Try our Sweet Potato Cornbread or a batch of pumpkin cornbread.
- Toppings: We love spreading tons of honey butter on these. Just stir softened butter with a drizzle of honey and a pinch of salt. Even a little extra honey over warm muffins is so good.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl to combine well.
- Whisk eggs in another bowl until well combined. Then, add honey and whisk until incorporated. Add melted butter, whisking to combine well. Add sour cream and milk, whisking to fully incorporate.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in frozen corn kernels. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
- Bake about 17-19 minutes, rotating tin halfway through baking time. Muffins will be golden and toothpick should come out mostly clean. Serve warm.
→ For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
One of the many reasons we love muffin recipes is that they’re so easy to make in advance and enjoy throughout the week. Take a look at these prep-ahead tips for Honey Cornbread Muffins:
- Dry Ingredients: Feel free to mix the dry ingredients ahead of time. Just store them in an airtight container on the counter until you’re ready to bake.
- Freeze: Wait for these muffins to completely cool, before storing them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply reheat them for a snack, breakfast, or a super easy side dish.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 4 days. Warm them in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
Honey Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, unbleached
- 1 cup whole grain yellow cornmeal, fine ground
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup pure honey
- 8 tablespoons regular butter, melted
- ¾ cup whole sour cream
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups corn kernels, frozen
- Optional: Soft honey butter for topping
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Heat oven to 375F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl to combine well. Set aside.
- Whisk eggs in second bowl until well combined and pale light yellow, about 20 seconds. Add honey and whisk until homogenous, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter, whisking to combine well. Add sour cream and milk, whisking to fully incorporate.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients together, mixing gently with rubber spatula until batter is just combined and evenly moistened; do not over mix. Gently fold in frozen corn kernels.
- Using ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping to form mounds. Do not level or flatten tops of mounds.
- Bake until muffins are light golden and toothpick comes out almost clean (a few tender crumbs are perfect.) Bake 17-19 minutes, rotating tin halfway through baking time. Actual baking time varies with each oven, but watch closely not to over bake.
- Cool muffins in tin for a bit. If desired, spread some honey butter on top of hot muffins, so it melts into the muffin. Serve warm.
Notes
- Substitutions: Swap in whole wheat flour, or use 1:1 gluten-free baking flour to make these gluten-free.
- Prep Ahead: Whisk the dry ingredients together a few days ahead and keep them in an airtight container on the counter.
- Storage: Keep muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Warm in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
- Leftovers keep well in airtight container and can be reheated in microwave or oven.
- Top muffins with honey butter or an extra drizzle of honey and serve warm.
- For a full meal, try serving Honey Cornbread Muffins with this Butternut Squash Chili. For a classic skillet version, check out our Sweet Honey Cornbread.
- This recipe is part of our Quick Bread Recipes collection.
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Nutrition (per serving)
What To Serve With Honey Cornbread Muffins
Soups
- These muffins were made for chili night. We especially love them with this Butternut Squash Chili, or any hearty soup or stew.
Protein
- Serve them next to this tender Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Gravy, roast turkey, or meatloaf for a classic comfort dinner.
Veggies
- Round out the plate with these 15-Minute Honey Glazed Carrots or a crunchy green salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
We like using paper muffin tin liners to keep our cornbread muffins from sticking, but you could also just spray your muffins tin with non-stick spray. To really ensure they don’t stick, you could both use the liners and spray them.
Pretty much! Really the only difference between cornbread and cornbread muffins is how they’re cooked. Otherwise, the two taste exactly the same.
There are a few key strategies to ensure super moist and tender cornbread muffins. First, make sure not to over-mix the batter. Just barely combine the wet and dry ingredients. Second, don’t overbake them. We like using a toothpick to test these muffins. When it comes out mostly clean (still with a few crumbs), they’re perfect. Lastly, we use ingredients like sour cream and whole milk to keep our batter moist and soft.
Fill each muffin tin to about 2/3 full. This recipe makes the perfect amount of batter for 12 muffins. So, we just divide it evenly among the tins.
This cornbread muffin recipe is NOT gluten-free. Cornmeal by itself is, but we also use all purpose flour. However, they can easily be made gluten free by just substituting 1:1 GF Baking Flour for the all purpose flour.
Store these muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes. Stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey into one box of Jiffy mix along with the egg and milk, then bake as the box directs. For the most moist, flavorful muffins, though, this from-scratch recipe is worth the extra 5 minutes.
Fat and a gentle hand. Sour cream, whole milk, and melted butter keep these muffins tender. Mix only until the batter is just combined, and pull them from the oven when a toothpick still has a few moist crumbs.
The big three are overmixing the batter, overbaking, and using coarse cornmeal. Each one leads to dry, dense, or gritty muffins. Use fine ground cornmeal and start checking them at 17 minutes.
Yes. In this recipe, honey replaces the sugar and goes right into the batter, so the sweetness bakes into every bite. You can also brush a little warm honey or honey butter over the tops right out of the oven.
More to Cook and Eat
- Sweet Potato Cornbread – This recipe is the perfect fall spin on your classic cornbread recipe. It’s soft, tender, and packed with nutritious ingredients!
- Sweet Honey Cornbread – This cornbread is baked in a cast iron skillet, meaning it has an extremely moist and tender center, with a slightly crisp exterior. We love serving this with chili.
- Best Blueberry Muffins – These blueberry muffins will remind you of the perfectly moist, sweet, and fresh treats you get at a bakery. They also boast a buttery streusel topping!
- Snickerdoodle Muffins – If you love snickerdoodle cookies, these muffins are for you! They’re the perfect cinnamon-sugar treat for breakfast or dessert.