These homemade gluten-free cornbread muffins are full of delicious flavor. They taste so good, nobody will know they are gluten-free. It all starts with my grandmother’s simple, old-fashioned recipe that I have adapted to be gluten-free. She used an easy technique to make her muffins super fluffy. I finally perfected my gluten-free version, and I include a dairy-free option.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
Eating these little gluten-free cornbread muffins with melted butter is my favorite way to eat them! These cornbread muffins are great for Thanksgiving or with any family meal. This recipe was my grandmother’s famous recipe…I made tweaks to make them gluten-free.
If you love muffins as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my delicious gluten free muffin recipes! You will also want to try these Gluten-Free Cornmeal Biscuits or this Gluten-Free Sourdough Cornbread.
You will find that this homemade gluten-free cornbread recipe takes an unusual step. Can you see what that is? Please drop me a comment and let me know.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Corn Flour – I prefer corn flour to cornmeal as it makes fluffier muffins.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I have tested this recipe with both King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. I advise avoiding any gluten-free flour that has bean flour because it will make this cornbread bitter.
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free. I did add some baking powder to my grandma’s recipe to add more rise.
- Eggs – Use large eggs.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter. Salted butter is okay, but you will want to lessen any additional salt. You can substitute plant-based butter if you are dairy-free.
How to Make Gluten-Free Cornbread Muffins (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add your dry ingredients to a large
Step 2: After you mix your dry ingredients, whip the egg whites with an electric hand mixer until they form stiff peaks. This can take a few minutes, so have patience, and the stiff peaks should form in a few minutes. Beat the yolks separately and add them to the egg whites. Mix gently so you don’t remove the air.
Step 3: Gently fold the whipped egg mixture into your cornbread dough. I know this has extra steps, but trust me, it makes your cornbread nice and fluffy!
🔑 Sandi says: Mix the batter and egg whites very gently. This helps keep these cornbread muffins light and fluffy!
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Step 4: Once your batter is mixed, add the batter to a lightly greased muffin tin. You can also use parchment paper muffin liners. Bake at 350ºF for
I made this gluten free cornbread as muffins, but you can also make it in an 8×8 pan and cut it into slices. I prefer gluten free cornbread muffins because they are portioned out evenly and look pretty on a table.
Delicious Flavor Options
If you love homemade cornbread from scratch, you can modify the recipe easily or drizzle honey on top! Gluten free corn muffin lovers can add:
- Add shredded cheddar cheese to your cornbread dough.
- If you like spice, adding green chiles is a great way to add spice and flavor to this recipe!
- Add bacon and cheese for a filling gluten free cornbread muffin!
- Drizzle honey on top!
- Try cornmeal in a scone with this easy Gluten-Free Cornmeal Scones recipe.
My tips for bakery-quality muffins:
1. Always check the expiration date on the baking powder and soda, depending on which the recipe calls for.
2. I recommend baking your muffins with a conventional oven setting. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. This will ensure your muffins bake evenly. I don’t use the convection setting for baking muffins because it can dry them out.
3. For a dome muffin top: Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Bake the muffins at this high temperature for 5 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350ºF.
Serve these fluffy cornbread muffins with:
You can enjoy this easy Instant Pot Chicken Stew or even these BBQ Pork Ribs with these muffins! I love to serve these at Thanksgiving.
You may also love this Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Cornbread recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Cornmeal is technically gluten-free, but much of it is processed on shared equipment, so the potential for cross-contamination is high. It is best to purchase a gluten free cornmeal like Bob’s Red Mill (they make both gluten free and regular, so make sure to look for the gluten free label!)
Cornmeal and corn flour are very different in texture. Cornmeal is a much thicker cut of the grain, adding graininess to your baking and polenta. Corn flour is very finely ground and has a much smoother texture when baking.
More Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes to Try:
I have a lot of great, sweet and savory gluten-free muffin recipes on the blog. Here are some of my favorite muffin recipes:
- Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins
- Savory Gluten Free Cheddar Herb Muffins
- Gluten Free Fontina Scones
- Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Muffins
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups cornmeal Ensure it is gluten free
- ¼ cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 large eggs
- optional cheddar cheese or green chiles
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend.
- In another bowl, separate the eggs and add the egg whites only to the bowl. Whip with an electric mixer until you see stiff peaks form. Then add the egg yolks and mix gently.
- Add the butter and boiling water to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Fold in the egg white mixture gently.
- Grease the muffin tins and add batter to fill each section 3/4 full.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the muffins are done. Baking time will be longer if you bake in an 8×8 pan.
Video
Notes
- Make sure your corn flour is labeled gluten free. Although corn is gluten free, there is a high risk of cross-contamination, so make sure to look for the gluten free label on the package you purchase.
- To test to see if the cornbread is done baking, insert a toothpick into a muffin. If the toothpick comes back clean, the cornbread is done baking. You will need to bake it longer if you see crumbs or batter on the toothpick.
- Add shredded cheddar cheese to your cornbread dough.
- If you like spice, adding green chiles is a great way to add spice and flavor to this recipe!
- Add bacon and cheese for a filling gluten free cornbread muffin!
- Drizzle honey on top!
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an older February 2017 post with more details.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Tasted very good, but minimal rise.
If you have celiac and truly cannot eat gluten, you will enjoy these, as the taste and texture is very much like corn muffins with gluten. I added one half cup of sugar, as I don’t like corn muffins if they aren’t sweet.
Hi Bruce, Two thoughts. First, did you check the expiration date of the baking powder? That can affect rise. Also, if you added more sugar, did you adjust the liquid ingredients to add a bit more? That can also help with the rise so the batter isn’t too thick. I hope this helps.
I am a little confused on the recipe ingredients. 1 3/4 cups cornMEAL – Did you mean corn FLOUR instead, as was suggested in your earlier instructions. And if I use corn FLOUR, do I also use 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend? Thanks
Hi Eri, yes, I apologize. It is corn flour and you do need some gluten free flour blend as well. It helps hold the muffins together better.
Yum! We are sweet cornbread people so I added a little honey into the batter too. Really great and I was surprised gluten free cornbread would taste this good.
I love the idea of honey in the batter. Yum!