These gluten free honey cornbread muffins are perfectly moist and fluffy with just the right amount of delicious honey flavor. There is no need for a boxed cornbread mix when you make a fresh batch of cornbread muffins from scratch. All you need are a few simple ingredients and around thirty minutes to get perfect cornbread muffins every single time.
Fluffy and Delicious: Homemade Honey Cornbread Muffins
Cornbread has my heart, ok? It’s fluffy, delicious, and when you add a little honey it has just the perfect amount of sweetness that is absolutely delightful.
If you are still using pre-made mixes to make cornbread, I am here to tell you that there is no need to be doing that! Making cornbread from scratch is incredibly easy and always gives you better results than the boxed stuff.
Watch How to Make This Recipe
This gluten free cornbread recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients and will give you fluffy and delicious cornbread every single time.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
Full list of ingredients & measurements provided in the Recipe Card, below.
Gluten-free flour – be sure to use a gluten free measure-for-measure flour that has xanthan gum in the ingredients for the best results.
Corn meal – this gives your cornbread its corn flavor and classic yellow color. Be sure to check the ingredients before purchasing. Corn meal should be the only ingredient listed.
Baking powder – this gives the cornbread it’s light and fluffy texture.
Sea salt – gives the cornbread good flavor and balances the sweet of the honey.
Buttermilk – there is nothing like classic buttermilk cornbread which is why I chose to use buttermilk in this recipe. If you need to keep this recipe dairy-free, follow the instructions below for how to make a plant-based buttermilk alternative.
Eggs – to keep everything together
Honey – cornbread and honey are a match made in heaven. The subtle sweetness of the honey works perfectly with the cornmeal and creates the best flavor.
Butter – if you can, use the good stuff for this recipe like a richly yellow colored pasture-raised butter.
How to Make a Plant-Based Buttermilk
If you would like to use non-dairy milk, instead of buttermilk, in these muffins you can easily make your own homemade plant-based buttermilk. Here’s how:
Pour one cup of full-fat coconut milk into a measuring cup
Add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the milk
Let the milk sit for 5 minutes
That’s it! The acid in the vinegar or lemon juice will curdle the coconut milk and create a similar texture to traditional buttermilk. I highly recommend using full-fat canned coconut milk instead of another plant-based milk like almond or soy. Full fat coconut milk has a higher fat content than other plant-based milks and will give you results most similar to buttermilk.
How to Make Honey Cornbread Muffins
Full list of instructions provided in the Recipe Card, below.
Add the dry ingredients to a bowl. The first step in making these muffins is to whisk together the gluten-free flour, corn meal, baking powder, and sea salt together in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk together the wet ingredients. Next, in a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, honey, and eggs until well combined.
Pour the wet into the dry. Now it’s time to pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir just until everything is well combined. There’s no need to over mix the batter. You just want the wet and the dry ingredients to be well combined.
Transfer the batter to a muffin tin and bake. Now, it’s time to bake the muffins! Transfer the batter evenly to a muffin pan that has been greased or lined with muffin cups. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes at 400 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean and the muffin tops spring back when pressed.
Serve with honey and butter. You can let the muffins cool slightly before serving, but they are best served warm with a drizzle of honey and a smear of softened butter.
Flavor Variations
The great thing about this recipe is once you have the base down, you can easily try different flavor combinations depending on what you have in mind. Here a just a few ideas but feel free to get creative and make this recipe your own!
Fresh corn: Try adding half a cup of fresh corn kernels to the batter before baking.
Honey cinnamon: Add a teaspoon (or more!) of ground cinnamon to the batter to make honey cinnamon cornbread muffins.
Jalapeño cheddar: Want something a bit more savory? Reduce the amount of honey in the recipe to one-fourth a cup and then add half a cup of shredded cheddar and diced jalapeño pepper.
Tips and Tricks for the Best Muffins
For the best results and to prevent sticking, grease or line your muffin pan with parchment liners before adding the batter to the muffin pan.
Don’t overcook the muffins – you want them to be tender so be sure to keep an eye on them and take them out as soon as a toothpick comes out clean.
Want a little more buttery goodness? Spread a little butter on each muffin as soon as they come out the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this recipe dairy free? Yes! Follow the instructions above for how to make a plant-based buttermilk and use your favorite vegan butter or coconut oil in place of butter. If you use coconut oil, the muffins will have a bit of coconut flavor to them.
Can I use regular all-purpose flour? Yes! If you do not need to use gluten-free flour in this recipe, feel free to use all-purpose instead.
Can I use almond flour? No! You cannot replace the gluten-free flour with almond flour one-to-one in this recipe.
If you have leftover muffins you can easily freeze and reheat them later.
To freeze: Let the muffins come a complete cool and then transfer to an air-tight freezer safe storage bag. The muffins will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.
To reheat: When you are ready to reheat the muffins, remove them from the freezer and let them come to a complete thaw on the counter. Then, wrap each muffin in foil and reheat in a 350 degree oven until hot.
Serving These for Holiday Dinner?
Here are a few more delicious recipes to add to your menu:
I hope you give these Gluten Free Cornbread Muffins a try! They are so fluffy and delicious and the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving menu!
If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on Instagram. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.
These are just the best! make them so often, even have some in the freezer ready to go. Making them again this weekend to bring over to a friends house for some chili and pumpkin carving. thank you for a great recipe!
These were so good and so easy to make. I used dairy free yogurt in place of the buttermilk and they turned out amazing! Thank you for the recipe, Ashlea!
Well Holy Hello those are good!!I was dying for A GOOD CORN MUFFIN with MEYER LEMON so I used your recipe and soured the milk with I tbsp lemon juice and added the zest of the lemon to the dry ingredients. They were light and delicious!! Do you know how hard it is to find a tasty Gluten free, sugar free recipe?? Near impossible. Thank you for giving me a wonderful tasty treat on a cold, snowy day. Much Love <3
Had a last minute craving for cornbread but I didn’t have eggs or buttermilk and didn’t want to go to the store, so I used 6 tablespoons of the aquafaba from a can of chick peas in place of the eggs and a dollop of yogurt in place of the buttermilk. Also had to add some filtered water to get the consistency right. I baked this in my cast iron instead of a muffin tin and it turned out 10/10! So good!
These cornbread muffins are the perfect amount of sweet and salty, and great texture. I live adding a pat of kerry gold butter and a drizzle of honey!! Incredible recipe! This will definitely be on repeat!
I’ve been following your IG account for months and drooling over the gorgeous food pics and FINALLY got around to making one of your recipes and it did not disappoint. I was craving corn muffins and just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. Super easy and super yummy. Can’t wait to try more recipes!!
These are so delicious and easy to make. I made these for Thanksgiving, and my family liked them so much they requested them for Christmas, too. Love the jalapeño cheddar version as well!
These were DELICIOUS. I went gluten-free and dairy-free right before Thanksgiving 2019 and missed out on so much. Happy to report that I didn’t miss out this year thanks to ATHT!! My family couldn’t even tell the difference in this cornbread because it was so yummy. I used vegan butter and made my own buttermilk with almond milk and apple cider vinegar, and it turned out great! I cannot wait to make another variety of these soon!
Kelsey! This makes me so happy! I’m thrilled to hear you were able to enjoy one of your favorites this holiday season. So glad you loved the recipe and thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review!
Just the right amount of sweetness. Made this for thanksgiving, made half with corn kernels and half without. It was a little dry but I may have needed to add more butter.
These are SO good!!! I’ve never used GF flour before and I couldn’t tell the difference! I especially loved that they have the PERFECT amount of sweetness. Never buying the box mix again, thank you!!
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These are just the best! make them so often, even have some in the freezer ready to go. Making them again this weekend to bring over to a friends house for some chili and pumpkin carving. thank you for a great recipe!
These were so good and so easy to make. I used dairy free yogurt in place of the buttermilk and they turned out amazing! Thank you for the recipe, Ashlea!
Well Holy Hello those are good!!I was dying for A GOOD CORN MUFFIN with MEYER LEMON so I used your recipe and soured the milk with I tbsp lemon juice and added the zest of the lemon to the dry ingredients. They were light and delicious!! Do you know how hard it is to find a tasty Gluten free, sugar free recipe?? Near impossible. Thank you for giving me a wonderful tasty treat on a cold, snowy day. Much Love <3
★★★★★
Had a last minute craving for cornbread but I didn’t have eggs or buttermilk and didn’t want to go to the store, so I used 6 tablespoons of the aquafaba from a can of chick peas in place of the eggs and a dollop of yogurt in place of the buttermilk. Also had to add some filtered water to get the consistency right. I baked this in my cast iron instead of a muffin tin and it turned out 10/10! So good!
★★★★★
Oh my goodness, this is the BEST cornbread I have ever had. You are the Queen of cornbread, Ashley. Thank you for gracing us with this recipe!
★★★★★
These cornbread muffins are the perfect amount of sweet and salty, and great texture. I live adding a pat of kerry gold butter and a drizzle of honey!! Incredible recipe! This will definitely be on repeat!
★★★★★
Love those additions, Kimberly! Thank you so much for sharing!
So delicious, and easy to make!
★★★★★
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them, Jenna!
I’ve been following your IG account for months and drooling over the gorgeous food pics and FINALLY got around to making one of your recipes and it did not disappoint. I was craving corn muffins and just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. Super easy and super yummy. Can’t wait to try more recipes!!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Melissa!
These are so delicious and easy to make. I made these for Thanksgiving, and my family liked them so much they requested them for Christmas, too. Love the jalapeño cheddar version as well!
★★★★★
So happy everyone loved them, Alyssa! Thank you for leaving a review!
Do these freeze well?
Hi, Kristina! I haven’t tried freezing them but I think they should!
These cornbread muffins are SO moist! I love heating them up with butter and jam or alongside soup.
★★★★★
I’m so happy you loved them, Casey!!
I made these totally in love they are great
★★★★★
Yay! So glad you loved them, Andrea!
These were DELICIOUS. I went gluten-free and dairy-free right before Thanksgiving 2019 and missed out on so much. Happy to report that I didn’t miss out this year thanks to ATHT!! My family couldn’t even tell the difference in this cornbread because it was so yummy. I used vegan butter and made my own buttermilk with almond milk and apple cider vinegar, and it turned out great! I cannot wait to make another variety of these soon!
★★★★★
Kelsey! This makes me so happy! I’m thrilled to hear you were able to enjoy one of your favorites this holiday season. So glad you loved the recipe and thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review!
Just the right amount of sweetness. Made this for thanksgiving, made half with corn kernels and half without. It was a little dry but I may have needed to add more butter.
Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi, Jen! happy you enjoyed the recipe!
These are SO good!!! I’ve never used GF flour before and I couldn’t tell the difference! I especially loved that they have the PERFECT amount of sweetness. Never buying the box mix again, thank you!!
★★★★★
yay! so happy you loved them, Natalie! thanks for taking the time to leave review!