These sweet corn muffins are a muffin-sized version of my easy cornbread skillet recipe. They've got a whole can of sweet creamed corn in the batter and are topped with lots of brown sugar, which adds such a nice texture and crackly sweetness.
This recipe makes 12 standard-sized cornbread muffins, perfect for passing around the dinner table!
My cornbread muffin recipe is an oil-based muffin batter that gets all the moisture and creaminess it needs from a whole can of cream-style sweet corn and olive oil in the batter. There's no dairy in this recipe, which means no messing with melted butter, no fussing with brown butter, and no need to go buy buttermilk just for one recipe!
That said, if you don't have any reason to avoid dairy, I recommend serving these with a pat of my easy homemade butter recipe. There are few things better than a warm corn muffin with homemade butter, imo.
Like I said, this recipe is a riff on my skillet cornbread. I've added a bit of baking soda to it, as well as a 20-minute resting period before baking, two changes that help the muffins rise tall and domed in the oven.
You don't need a mixer to make these corn muffins. It's super quick to mix up the batter, there's that a 20-minute resting period, and then the muffins take just 20 minutes to bake. The whole recipe takes just under an hour start-to-finish.
These sweet corn muffins are best served warm so while I do recommend letting them cool slightly before serving, you can get them on the table fast! They also reheat well in the oven (notes on this below) in case you want to make them ahead of time.
Pictured here are all the ingredients that you'll need to make these sweet cornbread muffins! Below I've included notes for specific ingredients so you can be sure to pick up the right ones at the grocery store.
My sweet corn muffins recipe uses a whole can (14.5 oz) of sweet creamed corn, which is sometimes also called "cream style sweet corn" or "sweet corn cream style". I've tested this recipe with several brands of sweet creamed corn and all of them have worked fine.
I've tested my corn muffins with both stone-ground and fine-ground yellow corn meal. I prefer the fine-ground corn meal, but both work in this recipe. Because of the resting period for the batter, if you use stone-ground corn meal, you won't get any of that slightly gritty texture you sometimes get because it will have had time to absorb more of the liquid in the batter.
Using both baking powder and baking soda gives my corn muffins an extra boost of rising power in the oven so they bake up with tall domed tops.
This is a Super Simple Muffin Recipe
It follows what bakers call "the muffin method" and it could not be any easier.
First I mix the dry ingredients together. Then, in a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, I whisk together the wet ingredients.
Then, I pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix them just until combined. I stop mixing as soon as there are no streaks of flour left in the bowl. That's it! Easy! If you want more details or step-by-step visuals for how to mix the batter, check out my cornbread skillet recipe post.
It's super important that you don't over mix the batter or else your corn muffins will end up dense, dry, and tough. No one wants that!
I use non-stick spray to grease my muffin pan, but you can also use olive oil or melted butter on a paper towel or pastry brush. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins. I use a cookie scoop to portion the batter evenly, but there's usually a bit of batter left over that I just eyeball to divide between the muffins.
I use a standard-sized 12-well muffin tin for my easy cornbread muffin recipe. The one I use is non-stick, so I spray it with non-stick spray and don't bother with muffin papers. If your muffin pan is prone to sticking, use muffin papers!
I always let the muffins rest in the pan for 20-30 minutes before baking to give the baking powder and baking soda time to activate and the cornmeal time to hydrate.
While the corn muffins will turn out okay if you bake them immediately, giving them time to rest first is the best way to make sure they are moist, tender, and most importantly—develop nice round domes on top!
Immediately before baking, I top each muffin generously with brown sugar.
💭 Have More Baking Questions?
I've rounded up answers to common baking questions and how-to guides, including:
- Ingredient swaps and FAQs
- Why my recipes are written in grams and not cups
- How to quickly bring eggs and butter to room temperature
- Ingredients I use (salt, flour, yeast, etc.)
- Step-by-step guides for bread and baking techniques
See my baking techniques & troubleshooting guide and ingredient swaps and FAQs for more!
📖 Recipe
Sweet Corn Muffins with Brown Sugar Topping
Recipe Notes
- Corn muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days! The sugar starts to get a bit sticky after the first day or so, but who doesn't like sticky sugar? Yum! Reheat these muffins in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes if you'd like to enjoy them warm.
- For a more savory twist on these corn muffins, stir shredded cheddar cheese or crumbled feta (measure with your heart) into the batter and replace the brown sugar on top with more of whichever cheese you used.
- I use a non-stick standard-sized muffin tin so I don't bother with muffin papers. I just spray it with non-stick spray. If your muffin pan is prone to sticking, use muffin papers!
Ingredients
Corn Muffins
- 220 grams all-purpose flour
- 160 grams yellow corn meal
- 8 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
- 6 grams baking powder
- 2 grams baking soda
- 418 grams sweet creamed corn (one 15 oz can)
- 140 grams brown sugar (light or dark)
- 72 grams olive oil
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
Topping
- 12 grams brown sugar (1 tablespoon, tightly packed)
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 12-well standard muffin tin and set aside.
- Mix. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, corn meal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together creamed corn, oil, brown sugar, and egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the center of the dry ingredients. Use a dough whisk or a spatula to fold the wets into the dries just until combined. This is a lumpy batter, DO NOT OVER MIX. Stop mixing as soon as you can't see any streaks of flour in the bowl.
- Divide and rest. Use a #20 (3 tablespoon) scoop to evenly divide the cornbread batter into the muffin tin. Let the muffins rest for 20 minutes, then sprinkle the tops of each muffin with brown sugar.
- Bake. Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350°F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You're looking for an internal temperature of at least 195°F.
- Cool. Let cool at least 5-10 minutes in the pan, then let them cool at least 15-20 minutes (almost completely) on the rack before serving.
Barbara says
Sounds fabulous. Could you include measurements for cups not just grams?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Great question! It's surprisingly challenging to provide accurate cups measurements — I explain why I generally don't do this in my FAQ if you'd like to read more.
lasagnahog says
Okay, first of all my house smells delicious! Secondly, the muffins were so good at riding the line between sweet and salty. AND THEN this is the first time I ever made a baking recipe with weight measurements. It wasn't as scary as I expected! Thanks for the recipe and all the hard work! These turned out great.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I’m so glad to hear that!! Welcome to #TeamKitchenScale, truly the best way to bake. Enjoy the muffins!
Pat says
Baking soda is not listed in measurements or instructions. Also equipment should list muffin tin.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Thanks, Pat! I was rushing to get this posted before Thanksgiving, that's my mistake. I've updated the post so that information is there now!
Heather says
Made this for Thanksgiving, used a flax egg because of the vegan & only 45 grams of brown sugar because of the sugar pest.
Everyone at the table Loved it.
Zero left overs, 10/10 will make again and again, thank you!
nicole says
oh these are SO good, i can easily see these becoming one of our go tos. im glad there's 12 because between the two of us we already had 3 and the only reason it wasnt more is because we filled up on our other sides haha. but im very excited to breakfast leftovers tomorrow!
i used to make a cornbread with creamed corn when i was a kid, and it was good, but it was a very wet custardy style bake. these are *not* that type of bread pudding style dense bread, they are a lovely proper cornbread texture with pops of corn throughout. the brown sugar topping really is the perfect extra, and it doesnt make them overly sweet. we had these as a side with pork chops, smothered cabbage, and green bean casserole. they went well as a side, and i think theyll be fab split and buttered or honeyed if we want them to lean sweeter.
difficulty wise these are very easy, they mix up quick and came out exactly right at 20 minutes. im going to play with adding jalepenos to either the batter or the topping next time, and maybe cheese!
Lorraine Kollock says
I want to make these but I only have white corn meal. Can I use it instead of the yellow? And I would also like American
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Yes you can use white corn meal!
Lorraine Kollock says
Thank you!
Lorraine Kollock says
Can you give American measurements too?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Nope, sorry! I explain why in my website FAQ. A kitchen scale is very cheap and the number one tool that will immediately make you a better, more consistent, and successful baker.