Sweet Corn Muffins

By Amy Dong
Updated Oct. 25, 2023

Compared to a classic cornbread muffin, these are fluffy, moist corn muffins with a delightful sweetness. This corn muffin recipe is completely homemade and hands-down better than store-bought mixes.

2 stacked sweet corn muffins with real corn kernels — Serve this muffin recipe for Thanksgiving and any other holiday dinner. They’re also perfect for backyard cookouts.

Why This Recipe Stands Out

Balanced Sweetness: These corn muffins are the perfect balance of sweet and savory. They go well with any meal; we even love them for breakfast.
Moist: They are perfectly moist and tender, and never dry or crumbly.
Keeps Well: These cornmeal muffins will stay fresh for a few weeks, and they are easy to freeze if you want them to make a few extra.
Texture: Not only are they soft and moist, but there are real corn kernels in them, giving them a complex texture that is extremely toothsome.
Feeds a Crowd: This recipe makes 12 regular sized muffins. Double the recipe when you have a large party. People will thank you.

dry ingredients needed for fresh corn muffins — The base of these corn muffins uses a blend of all-purpose flour and whole grain cornmeal.

How to Make The Best Corn Muffins

Whisk or use a sifter to sift the dry ingredients together. This prevents them from clumping and evenly distributes all of the ingredients together.
Use an ice cream scoop. This will help you ensure that you are placing the same amount of batter in each cupcake liner. It also prevents a mess.
Rotate the cupcake tin halfway through baking. Watch your oven, but turning them halfway through baking will prevent them from burning.
Serve with real butter. Lots of people love to cut the muffins in half and add a pat of butter in the middle.

corn muffin batter — Add a few cups of frozen corn kernels to add a textured bite to these sweet cornmeal muffins.

Key ingredients

Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. They are so easy to find that you probably already have them in your pantry.

Unbleached All-Purpose Flour: To make it gluten-free, just use 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour.
Yellow Cornmeal: Use whole grain cornmeal in this muffin recipe.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Use both of these leavening agents to get the fluffiest sweet corn muffins that aren’t at all dense or heavy.
Eggs: They are emulsifiers and hold all the ingredients together.
White Sugar: Use more or less to taste; we use a bit more for a sweeter corn muffin.
Regular Butter: Either salted or unsalted butter will work
Whole Sour Cream: Full-fat sour cream provides a rich, tender texture to these corn muffins.
Whole Milk: Milk adds extra moisture to the muffins. Use full-fat milk, as it creates a more tender, moist muffin.
Frozen Corn Kernels: Frozen or fresh corn kernels will work perfectly. It helps add a bit of texture to the muffin.

Sweet corn muffins on a white napkin — These sweet corn muffins are perfectly moist and tender, with just the right touch of sweetness.

Commonly Asked Questions

What is the difference between cornbread and corn muffins?

There really isn’t a difference between them. Cornbread and corn muffins have the same ingredients, they are just baked in different shapes.

What do you serve with corn muffins?

These pair with any lunch or dinner that you make! Serve them with vegetarian chili, turkey and gravy, or fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

Why are my corn muffins dry?

Be careful when you measure the ingredients. In particular, use the scoop and level method of measuring dry ingredients. If you accidentally use too much cornmeal or flour, it could throw off the balance and make the muffins a tad too dry.

What is the purpose of using both baking powder and baking soda in these corn muffins?

Using both types of leavening agents allows for maximum lift of the corn muffins, without tasting acidic.

Also Try Our Popular Sweet Potato Cornbread

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