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One of my family’s favorite fall and winter dinners is chili, and in our house, that always means cornbread on the side. When it comes to quick and easy baking, these Sourdough Cornbread Muffins are hard to beat. They’re light, fluffy, tender, and have just the right touch of sweetness. This is my go-to cornbread recipe this time of year.
Made with sourdough discard, these muffins come together in minutes and bake into perfectly portioned, golden little bites. They’re adapted from my Sweet Sourdough Cornbread Recipe and make an easy side for dinner or a delicious snack for school lunches. My kids can never resist them, and I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to either!
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Why You’ll Love Sourdough Cornbread Muffins
- Texture – Just like my Sourdough Skillet Cornbread, these easy sourdough cornbread muffins are light, fluffy, and super soft.
- Sweet – You’ll love how sweet and delicious these muffins are, just like my Sweet Corn Sourdough Muffins that use real corn kernels in them. Try both and decide which you like more!
- Quick & Easy – These discard cornbread muffins together in minutes and are perfect served alongside your favorite stew or soup (have you tried my sourdough soup yet?!)
- Discard Recipe – Sweet sourdough cornbread incorporates sourdough discard for a yummy twist on traditional cornbread – or try my non-sourdough Mini Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins if you don’t have any discard on hand.
Sourdough Discard Tip: I keep a jar in my fridge that I continually add sourdough discard to. Discard is a by-product of your sourdough starter, and there is no reason to throw it away. Instead, use it in incredible sourdough discard recipes where it adds moisture and great flavor. Use older, more tangy discard in savory recipes like these Sourdough English Muffins and young/fresh discard in sweeter recipes like my fall favorite Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies.
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – I use 100% hydration sourdough discard. Fresh starter works too. For a stronger sourdough flavor, you can use refrigerated discard up to a week or two old.
- Cornmeal – Yellow, white, bolted, or unbolted cornmeal all work. Use what you have.
- All-purpose flour – Standard all-purpose flour with about 11.5 percent protein gives the best texture.
- Sugar – This recipe is on the sweeter side. For a less-sweet muffin, cut the sugar in half or try my sourdough skillet cornbread.
- Oil and Butter – Any neutral-flavored oil (coconut oil is delicious) and butter work in this recipe.
- Milk – Keeps the cornbread tender. I use 2% or whole milk when baking. You can also substitute a dairy-free milk or buttermilk if you prefer.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Sourdough Discard: Ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter can be substituted for discard in this recipe if desired.
- Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil works in this recipe, or substitute melted butter.
- Unsalted Butter: Substitute salted butter or any neutral-flavored oil.
- Sugar: This is a sweeter cornbread. You can reduce the sugar by half for a less sweet version if desired. Honey or maple syrup can replace part of the sugar if desired (reduce milk slightly if using a liquid sweetener).
- Flour: Substitute soft whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour in this recipe
- Mix-Ins: Add 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and some diced jalapeños for a delicious jalapeño cheddar version.
How to Make Sourdough Cornbread Muffins
Mix the Batter
Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine cornmeal, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2: In a separate minxing bowl, combine the sourdough discard and eggs. Add the melted butter and oil and whisk together. Then add the milk and whisk until smooth.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix gently until just combined, doing your best not to overmix.
Resting the Batter: Your batter will be fairly thin, but it will thicken as it rests. Cornmeal needs that extra rest step to hydrate so your muffins are light and fluffy. Be careful to mix until just combined. Over-mixing the batter can lead to less tender cornbread.
Scoop Batter into A Muffin Pan
Step 3: While the batter rests, preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a muffin tin by lining with muffin liners or spraying with cooking spray.
Step 4: Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the batter into your muffin tins, filling them almost to the top for 12 big muffins, or about three-quarters full if you’d like to make 14–16 smaller ones.
Mini Muffins: If you prefer a mini muffin size, scoop the batter into a mini muffin tin and bake for 10 to 12 minutes instead.
Bake Cornbread Muffins
Step 5: Bake the sourdough discard muffins for 14-16 minutes at 375°F. Muffins are done when the tops are golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 6: Let the muffins rest for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Top with honey or crumble into chili if desired!
How to Store Leftover Muffins
Store leftover cornbread muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. For the best freshness, freeze the muffins after they’ve cooled in a zip-top bag. To reheat, thaw and enjoy or microwave a frozen muffin for 20 to 30 seconds until warm.
Amy’s Recipe Tip
This recipe is slightly sweet, but still perfect with a drizzle of honey. For a more savory muffin, cut the sugar in half. The muffins will bake up just as tasty with a little more sourdough flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to spice it up a little, add in some diced jalapeños and a little shredded cheese. It would taste delicious!
Where I live in Kentucky, white cornmeal is traditional, while yellow cornmeal is common in other regions. Both work the same. If you see “bolted,” that means finely ground. For this recipe, use a finely ground cornmeal—white or yellow—so the muffins bake up tender.
You can use active starter. Just swap 200 grams of active starter for the 200 grams of discard. The flavor will be a little less sour.
Yes, you can long-ferment the batter for more sourdough fermentation benefits. Be sure you’re using double-acting baking powder, then mix the batter as written and refrigerate it overnight. The baking powder will still activate in the oven, and the overnight rest helps soften the cornmeal, pre-digest the gluten in the flour, and gives you an even more tender muffin with a little bit of tang.
Sourdough Sides for Dinner
If you tried these Sourdough Cornbread Muffins or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Sourdough Cornbread Muffins
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Ingredients
- 100 grams yellow or white cornmeal, about 2/3 cup
- 100 grams granulated sugar, about 1/2 cup
- 130 grams all-purpose flour, about 1 cup
- 14 grams baking powder, about 1 Tablespoon
- 7 grams salt, about 1 teaspoon
- 200 grams sourdough discard, heaping 3/4 cup
- 2 large eggs, about 100 grams
- 45 grams unsalted butter, melted, about 3 Tablespoons
- 75 grams oil, about 1/3 cup
- 200 grams milk, about 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF and prepare a muffin tin by lining with muffin liners or spraying a non-stick muffin-tin with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard and eggs until combined. Add the the melted butter and oil and whisk together. Then add the milk and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients and mix gently until just combined, doing your best not to overmix. This will result in a fairly thin batter that will thicken as it sits.
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, scoop the batter into the muffin tins, filling them most of the way full for 12 large muffins or about 3/4 of the way full for 14-16 smaller muffins.
- Bake for 14–16 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking time may vary depending on muffin size.
- Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm with butter, honey, or cumbled into some chili. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Family voted best corn muffins EVER! I have followed Amy since day 1 of my sourdough journey. Fantastic experience thanks to her and her recipes! What a blessing to have her share all of her knowledge and experience with everyone!
Thanks for the review! I’m glad your family loves these cornbread muffins.
The best cornmeal muffins ever!!!.
Oh dear I ate four with my chili 🤦♀️
Beware not good for your waistline, ha ha ha once you have one you want lots more!!!!
That’s a good problem to have! Thanks for the review.
Hi there! I’m making these this week but curious if olive oil would work in this recipe? Thank you! Love all the recipes I’ve made so far!
I think it probably would, although I haven’t tried it. Olive oil has a stronger taste, so it will probably come through more strongly.
I really liked these corn muffins and my husband dis as well. I tweaked the recipe slightly by reducing the amount of sugar in half.
Thanks for the review!
Grandson asked for Cornbread muffins and these are so easy and taste amazing! Thank you!
Thanks for the review! I’m glad you and your grandson love the recipe.
I baked sourdough today, had a bunch of discard sitting in the fridge, so I decided to make these for the first time. I prefer to make things I can have with dinner since my breakfast is a green smoothie, I don’t snack much, and I try to avoid dessert. I made these exactly according to the recipe. I filled 12 muffin cups all the way and still had a little left, so I used a custard cup lined with a muffin liner to make a baker’s dozen. I was thrilled because that gave me an extra to sample and still have 12 left! These are tender, moist, and sweet but not too sweet. This is a recipe I am going to print and make on repeat! Thank you.
I’m so glad you loved these!
Can I let these sit overnight night in the fridge? Or will it make them tough and chewy?
Before or after baking? After baking I would store them at room temperature. Before baking, you can try long-fermenting the batter in the fridge overnight. Happy baking!
Oh my gosh I was so excited when I saw this recipe. I have been on the hunt for the perfect sourdough corn bread recipe. Low and behold the day this came out it was super cold in MN and my husband asked for chili! It was meant to be. These are DELICIOUS and so easy to make!
I’m glad it turned out great! Thanks for the review.
So quick and easy! My kids love these.