Homemade Breakfast Corn Muffins Recipe [Fresh Sweet Corn] - Celebration Generation (2024)

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This fluffy cornbread muffins recipe has been up on the blog for over a decade - time for an overhaul!

So here I am with new photos - and a bit more information - but the same great recipe.

These might just be the perfect corn muffins - originally developed as a breakfast, but ALSO appropriate as the perfect side dish.

In terms of it beting great recipe for breakfasts:

These moist cornbread muffins are less a "cupcake without icing" muffin, and more of an "entire breakfast in the palm of your hand" kind of muffin - especially with the sausage version.

They can be - depending on the variation you do - like a skillet cornbread, just in muffin form.

In that sense, you can use these cornmeal muffins as a substitute for dinner rolls!

Because corn is such a versatile ingredient, the possibilities for these sweet corn muffins are endless. (See below for a few suggestions to get you started!)

Not only are these great fresh out of the oven, but they’re also the perfect muffins to use as a great make-ahead breakfast for the rest of the week.

They’re also a great way to make use of the fresh sweet corn when it’s in season and popping up at farmers markets everywhere.

No worries, though - you can use frozen corn for the rest of the year.

Anyway, let’s get to it!

Ingredients

This breakfast cornbread muffins recipe uses really simple ingredients that you’ll be able to find in any grocery store. I only have a couple ingredient notes for you, on this one.

Corn Kernels

As this recipe was developed for my sweet corn cookbook*, it was made to use fresh corn kernels.

That’s what I tend to do - when corn is in season, anyway!

These homemade cornbread muffins are too tasty to relegate to just a month or so per year, though.

The rest of the time, you can use frozen corn in this corn muffin recipe.

Just measure first - 1 ½ cups - defrost, and drain well before adding them to the batter!

* Originally “Sweet Corn Spectacular”through a publisher, overhauled and re-released as “Maize Craze” after I got the rights back!

Milk

When I first created this cornbread muffin recipe, I was using regular milk - 2% dairy milk - to make them.

I used to demo these delicious muffins for the book promotion, and sometimes the venue host would provide whole milk - it worked great as well.

Sometime in the following years, I switched over to using unsweetened almond milk for everything, and it works well in this recipe.

Really, you can use whatever milk you like. Buttermilk would be especially great with the savoury variations, btw.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

All Purpose Flour
Yellow Cornmeal
Granulated Sugar
Unsalted Butter
Large Eggs
Honey
Baking Powder
Salt

... I just really don’t have anything to add, for these last few ingredients.

Breakfast Corn Muffin Variations

Corn is such a versatile ingredient, the possibilities for these easy cornbread muffins are endless! While I'm providing a few suggestions, feel free to run with it!

Blueberry

Add 1 cup of fresh blueberries along with the corn kernels.

Optionally, you can swap the honey out for maple syrup - it goes really well with the blueberries!

Peanut Butter and Banana

Decrease sugar to ½ cup.

Add ½ cup peanut butter when creaming the butter and sugar together, and 1 chopped banana with the corn kernels.

Jalapeno, Bacon, and Cheese

Decrease sugar to ¼ cup.

Add 1 finely chopped jalapeno, 6 slices of crispy bacon (crumbled), and 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese along with the corn kernels. These variation (pictured throughout this post) is great for breakfast, but is ALSO fantastic with a big bowl of chili!

Sausage

Decrease sugar to ¼ cup.

Add 1 cup of crumbled or sliced cooked breakfast sausage, ¼ cup finely chopped onion, and 1 cup of shredded cheese along with the corn kernels.

Sour Cream & Onion

Decrease sugar to ⅓ cup, decrease milk to ½ cup.

Add ½ cup sour cream with the milk and eggs. Add ½ cup finely sliced green onions with the corn kernels. (This is also great with bacon!).

How to Make Loaded Corn Muffins

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the visual walk through:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin pan with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and honey until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and milk, stirring carefully until well incorporated. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

Mix the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, stirring just until combined.

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut kernels off the ears of corn, if you’re using fresh corn.

For frozen, measure, then defrost, then strain well before adding to the batter.

Stir corn into batter - as well as any add-ins - mix just until distributed.

Spoon muffin batter into prepared muffin pan.

Note: I used to use a small measuring cup, but now I like to use a cookie scoop to divide batter among the muffin cups.

Bake in the preheated oven for 24-26 minutes, until golden brown and a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer a cooling rack to cool a bit more, if you like.

Leftover Muffins

Once cooled to room temperature, muffins can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge.

If you don't use meat in them, they'll last up to a week. Muffins with meat added should be eaten within 3 or 4 days.

More Sweet Corn Recipes

Fan of sweet corn? I’ve got more recipes for you!

Beer Battered Corn on the Cob
Corn-On-The-Cob-uccino

Homemade Creamed Corn
How to Cook Corn on the Cob
Marie's Low Country Boil
Quick Sweet Corn Soda
Roasted Corn Chowder

Roasted Corn Salsa for Canning
Roasted Corn Salsa Verde for Canning
Scalloped Corn
Southwest Hot Dish
Sweet Corn Bruschetta
Sweet Corn Ice Cream
Sweet Corn Panna Cotta
Sweet Corn Relish

This recipe is one of many spectacular sweet corn recipes featured in my cookbook, Maize Craze. It’s available through Amazon, or through any major bookseller.

Share the Love!

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below, and maybe even sharing this post on social media!

More Muffin Recipes!

Are you a fellow fan of muffins? I have some more marvelous muffin recipes for you!

All-Bran Muffins
Apple Blueberry Muffins
Banana Nut Muffins
Cardamom Pear Streusel Muffins
Carrot Cake Muffins
Cranberry Orange Pistachio Muffins
Gingerbread Muffins
Healthier Apple Oatmeal Muffins
Maple Pumpkin Spiced Muffins
Orange, Date, and Almond Muffins
Peach Cobbler Muffins
Pina Colada Muffins
Stuffed Banana Nutella Muffins
Sweet Potato Muffins

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