Mini Cornbread Muffins

Moist and flavorful, these savory Mini Cornbread Muffins with cheese, corn kernels and jalapeño make a great side dish and are also delicious as an appetizer, snack or even for breakfast. 

These made from scratch Mini Cornbread Muffins combine just the right mix of ingredients for super moist, tender and cheesy cornbread muffins.

Cornbread definitely fits into the comfort food category and is great served alongside a hot bowl of chili, soup, bbq chicken or a hot dog. They are especially scrumptious served warm from the oven with a little dab of butter.

Cornbread Muffins with Corn and Jalapeño

I added corn kernels to this recipe to accentuate the corn flavour and add more texture into the cornbread muffins. You can use canned corn (as I did), fresh or frozen corn to make these muffins.

A bit of finely chopped jalapeño gives these muffins extra flavour with a bit of heat without being too spicy (make sure to keep the seeds out). I add some grated jalapeño cheddar cheese as well, but for less spicy muffins you can use regular or sharp (old) cheddar cheese.

If you have some around, fresh cilantro adds great flavor and makes these muffins extra savory.

How to Make Cornbread Muffins from Scratch

This is an easy made from scratch recipe for savory cornbread that doesn't require the use of a mixer. This recipe makes approximately 44 mini cornbread muffins and each mini muffin has 58 calories.

Here's an overview of the ingredients and directions for making this great recipe. For the ingredient amounts and full directions, please see the recipe card at the end of the post.

Ingredients Overview:

• Yellow cornmeal
• Unbleached all-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder, baking soda and sea salt
• Buttermilk - store bought or see tip below for a homemade substitute.
• Vegetable oil - or other light tasting oil.
• Egg
• Corn kernels - fresh, canned or frozen. If using frozen corn, measure the amount needed then thaw and drain well before proceeding with the recipe.
• Grated jalapeño cheddar cheese or a sharp (old) cheddar cheese
• Jalapeño, optional
• Cilantro, optional

Tip: Make a homemade substitute for buttermilk by combining milk with white vinegar or lemon juice. For one cup of buttermilk, add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to your liquid measuring cup and add milk until you reach the one cup measurement line. Since for this particular recipe we need 1 and ¼ cups of buttermilk, you will need to add one tablespoon plus just a little under one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice and then top the measuring glass with milk until you reach one and a quarter cup of milk. 👉🏼Make sure to use a measuring cup that can hold more than 1 cup of liquid to make this buttermilk mixture.

Steps Overview:

• Position a rack in the centre of the oven and pre-heat the oven.
• Grease mini muffin tin with butter and dust with flour or line the mini muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.
• Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry cornmeal mixture. Using a rubber spatula, stir until combined.
• To the cornbread batter, add the corn, cheese, jalapeño and if using, chopped cilantro and combine.
• Using a small cookie scoop, spoon the batter into the paper-lined muffin tins. These bite-sized mini cornbread muffins bake up quickly and should be ready in about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, let cool a couple minutes in the mini muffin pan and then transfer the corn muffins to wire racks to cool.

Serving Suggestions

These Mini Cornbread Muffins are great all year long. During the colder months, I like to serve them still warm with butter to spread on them. And during summertime, they can be served at room temperature and make a perfect addition to any picnic spread and a great side dish for barbecues.

What to Eat with Cornbread

Cornbread is makes a perfect side dish and is delicious eaten with hot foods such as chilis, beans, Roast Chicken, Roast Turkey, and Black Bean Soup. During warmer months, cornbread can be served with salads. I especially like it with this Southwestern Grilled Shrimp Salad or this Southwestern Quinoa Salad.

Storage Instructions

These cornbread muffins will stay fresh for about a week in the refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze them in an airtight container or plastic food storage bag for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and warm in a low temperature oven or microwave.

Enjoy!

More Delicious Sides

• Baked Sweet Potatoes with Feta Cheese
• Sweet Potato, Parmesan and Rosemary Biscuits
• Mediterranean Pasta Salad
• Roasted Grape Tomatoes
• Easy Spanakopita

This recipe for Mini Cornbread Muffins was originally published in January 2014. I’ve updated the post as well as the recipe and included new photos.