This recipe was originally posted on January 2, 2013 and updated on January 14, 2021.
I’m about to get folks riled up. Like “we’re gonna revoke your Southern card” riled up. Like no “true Southerner would do that” riled up.
Y’all. Sometimes I like sugar in my cornbread. Cue the gasps. Clutch the pearls. It’s the truth. But hear me out… It depends on what’s on the menu.
If beans, greens, or other dishes that deserve sopping up with cornbread or being poured over cornbread are on the table – I want cornbread without the sugar.
But sometimes, when I just have cornbread as a complement to the meal, I like it a little sweet – like Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix sweet. And while I do love me some Jiffy, I don’t always remember to grab that little blue and white box at the grocery store. So I make them from scratch.
They’re pretty dang easy. And they’re crazy delicious!
A few things to note in this recipe:
Use plain corn meal, not cornmeal mix. Cornmeal mix or self-rising cornmeal already has the leavening and flour mixed in and since we add it in the recipe, it would be too much of each of those ingredients. I prefer yellow cornmeal for the color, but white cornmeal will work just as well. Again, just make sure it’s plain cornmeal.
Don’t overmix the batter. You want to stir it just enough to get everything moistened and get the big lumps out. A few remaining lumps will be fine.
Don’t want muffins? Cool! Just mix the batter and pour it into an 8-inch cast iron skillet or 8-inch pan and bake for roughly the same amount of time.
Sweet Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup plain yellow cornmeal - not cornmeal mix (white will work, too)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium size bowl. Add oil, egg, and milk. Stir just until lumps are gone.
- Pour into a greased muffin pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
marlene muzii says
I am sure the sweet cornbread muffins are great. How about real Southern cornbread muffins without the sugar.
Marie says
Why don’t you just find a different recipe that doesn’t cal for sugar instead of finding one that does when you know you don’t like it and then complaining about it.
iris says
I AGREE WITH YOU, MARIE! Thanks for posting what goes through my mind when I see comments that criticize a recipe without even attempting to make it. I like that this recipe yields 6 instead of 12. Baked in a small Lodge cast iron pan produces a crispy crusted corn bread that went so well with homemade soup. We prefer a not-too-sweet corn bread, so this was just perfect. The sweetness can be reduced by adding 1/8 cup or 2 TBS. But it’s perfect as is.
Stacey says
Thank you, Iris!
karina vee says
Good recipe! Really easy. I didn’t have vegetable oil, but I really wanted to try these. I only had coconut oil and butter, so I made 2 batches. One with coconut oil & one with butter. Both turned out tasty!
I WILL be making these again 🙂
Stacey says
That’s great to hear, Karina! So glad they turned out well for you!
Monika Boyd says
Can we use buttermilk?
Stacey says
Sure!
colleen says
had a late-night craving & made these on a whim; followed the recipe exactly & baked with convection for 12 minutes to golden, just-sweet-enough perfection. craving satisfied! and leftovers will be great with homemade split pea soup for tomorrow’s lunch. thank you!
Stacey says
Awesome, Colleen! SO glad you enjoyed them! (I’m also a big fan of anyone who would get up and make homemade cornbread muffins for a late-night snack – just so you know!) 🙂
Laurie says
I made these and they were so yummy!! I actually added frozen sweet corn Kernels (thawed first). After reading another’s post about the baking powder, I thought about it and it seemed a little much to me too. I’m not sure if the measurement was a mistake or not, but I used just a teaspoon and the muffins rose perfectlyand tasted great. So if anyone thinks a Tbsp is too much, then a tsp works fine. Thanks for the simple recipe!
Stacey says
So glad you enjoyed them!!
Mae says
Hello. Found your post on Pinterest. As of tonight, I’ve made this two nights in a row with homemade chili and tonight, a soup (it’s in the 20’s to 30’s here). It is a fast recipe and tasted great. My young children loved it! I did adapt the recipe by replacing the oil with unsweetened applesauce as I do with most every recipe . I always add a tad of oil in the baking dish before adding the mixture to get crisp edges. Thank you for posting this.
Stacey says
Wonderful! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe!!
Christy says
This is my go to cornbread muffin recipe now! Thank you! No longer do I buy Jiffy! I do add a little more milk than what your recipe calls for just because it seems a little dry to me…..I probably don’t need to but …. They have come out perfect each time and get gone quick!! Thanks again!
Stacey says
Fantastic! So glad you’ve enjoyed them!!
Kealey Schafer says
I make these all the time and get rave reviews, I follow the recipe exactly with no issues. Making them tonight to go with chili, yum!!! Thanks for this recipe Stacey!
Stacey says
You are so welcome! Thanks, Kealey!
Jen says
I get confused over whether to use plain cornmeal or self rising. I’m thinking I would use just regular cornmeal for this recipe? Yes, I should know this?.
Thanks!!
Stacey says
Yes, plain cornmeal or use self rising and omit the baking powder and salt.
Sandra L Taylor says
I use self rising flour,,, I am from Tennessee NO sugar in cronbread
Cobi says
I’ve made this a few times, adjusting as I went. I doubled the recipe, but not the baking powder (used a little less than a TBSP). Added an extra tablespoon of sugar and a cap of vanilla extract. Turned out the best so far. Made mini muffins 400 degrees for 14 mins.
Stacey says
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing your tweaks!
Maria E Hastings says
Just made these muffins and they are perfect
Stacey says
So glad they turned out great for you!
Lynette says
Is cornmeal and polenta the same, just found this recipe and would like to try it, I have polenta in my pantry.
I’m an Aussie so not sure about this.
Stacey says
This might help: https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-cornmeal-and-polenta-word-of-mouth-211404
Krista Quick says
Just made these for my family, they were great! I used butter, because I was out of oil, and used a little less baking powder! Thanks for the recipe!
Stacey says
So glad they turned out great and y’all enjoyed them!
Debbie says
Such a quick, easy recipe. Made these exactly as instructed and they came out great. Perfect with a hot bowl of homemade chili. I will be making these again! Thanks, Stacey!
Stacey says
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed these, Debbie!
Gerri says
I want to know what kind of mufgin pan you got in the picture above?
Stacey says
It’s a Lodge Cast Iron muffin pan.
Penny says
Use self rising corn meal don’t add salt baking powder turned out great
Stacey says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Patty says
I found this recipe a week ago and have made it twice already! I’ve made so many cornbread recipies but they often come out dry and crumble so easily that they aren’t enjoyable to eat. These are consistently moist and hold their shape. Yes there is sugar but they are not overly sweet and pleased the whole family including those from Texas to Tennessee.
Stacey says
Awesome! So glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know, Patty.
mygirlsh says
I came across your recipe after trying one from a well known site, and they were awful. I read the ingredients and said, ” I’ll give it a try, and I’m glad I did. These turned out AMAZING I will not buy another box of Jiffy mix EVER
again. They weren’t to sweet nor did they come out heavy and hard. I book marked this recipe for EASY access. I will be checking out more of your recipes.
Thanks so much
Stacey says
Awesome! Thanks so much! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed my version!
Vanessa A says
Yes!! We ONLY like sweet cornbread. Especially when we make our homemade chili. Great recipe. Thanks
Stacey says
Thanks, Vanessa!
Deanna McK says
Pinto beans and cornbread has always been one of my very favorite meals!! And, I definitely like sugar in my cornbread. Thanks for the recipe …. you have so many good ones!!
Stacey says
Thanks, Deanna! Enjoy!
Paula M Marshall says
CUE the gasps. Not queue. You’re not lining them up.
Stacey says
As passionate as folks are about putting sugar in cornbread, there might actually be enough gasps to put them in line, but thanks for playing the role of grammar police today. 🙂
Donna says
My favorite “go to” corn bread recipe.
Stacey says
Thank you, Donna!
Elena says
Delicious! Thank you very much! My kids and husband love it! My father in law was a Southern boy, my kids definitely got some southern taste in them. They love the muffins.
Many blessings!
Stacey says
So glad to hear they turned out great for you!
May Aguilar says
Hi I only find bob’s cornmeal meduim grind,, can this works also good and your recipe! My daughters love so much corn kernels can I also add , how much for this recipe .. Thank you looking forward
Stacey says
I can’t say for sure. I think a finely ground corn meal would be best.
john m says
I am partial to sweet cornbread ,unlike some in the area. Here it’s referred to as “Yankee Cornbread” ( and that’s not necessarily a compliment) . I like your recipes for their simple use of easily available ingredients. And great results
Stacey says
Thanks, John!
Diana B says
Tried this recipe tonight. Made a double batch to serve at friends ham & cabbage dinner. Everyone really enjoyed them. I think I would add a touch more sugar.
Thanks for sharing!
Stacey says
Glad to hear everyone enjoyed them! You could certainly add a little more sugar if you like.
Dianna says
Thank you for this great recipe. My husband said they had the perfect amount of sweetness.
Stacey says
Wonderful! Glad y’all enjoyed them!
Betsy says
These are incredible! Made these tonight to go with BBQ chicken & baked beans.. couldn’t find Jiffy at my store so I decided to make these and boy am I glad I did! So easy and so much better than Jiffy. I only had self-rising yellow cornmeal on hand so I omitted BP & salt but I wanted them sweet so added a bit more sugar to my doubled batch. Thank you Stacey, this is a keeper!!
Stacey says
Fantastic! So glad they turned out great for you!!
SpaceFroggy says
Used blue corn and added roasted pine nuts (2 tbsp per batch). Came out amazing! This is an excellent base cornbread recipe. Perfect amount of sugar!
Stacey says
Awesome! So glad to hear it turned out great for you!
Victoria says
These are perfect. They taste good and they are visually appealing. The tops dome up high with beautiful cracks and the edges get crispy but not crunchy. I used half and half instead of milk because it’s all I had but they were still very good (a little extra fat never hurt anyone right?).
Thank you for this recipe.
Stacey says
You’re right! A little extra fat never hurt anyone! 🙂 Glad to hear you enjoyed these!