These classic gluten free corn muffins make a perfect side for soup or chili, and toast up just right for breakfast with some jam and butter.
Even better, you can make this dry gf corn muffin mix ahead of time, and add eggs and milk in minutes. Just like the little blue box, but gluten free!
What makes this the best recipe for gluten free corn muffins and corn muffin mix
Jiffy may not make a gluten free corn muffin mix, but these days plenty of other companies do. If you have a natural foods section of your local grocery store, chances are you'll find at least 2 or 3 brands of corn muffin mixes.
I'll be honest—I haven't tried any of them. But with the expense of all gluten free mixes, and their general poor quality, I'm willing to bet you'll welcome a D.I.Y. version!
I love having this mix on hand. It's perfect for serving alongside a hot bowl of chili at your Super Bowl Party this weekend, or just for a snack or light breakfast. And with this mix, you'll have the batter ready before your oven has even finished preheating!
This gluten free corn muffin mix is just as versatile and forgiving as the little blue box you remember. I've made muffins from this mix with and without cupcake liners (muffins and cupcakes always bake more evenly with muffin tin liners), with and without added corn kernels, and at different temperatures, too. It all works out perfectly!
My personal favorite is the kind you see just below: baked in muffin liners, with frozen corn kernels mixed in and baked at 350°F for 15 minutes.
Keep in mind that this recipe makes 17 ounces of the dry mix, double the traditional 8.5-ounce Jiffy box. You can of course always cut the mix in half straight down the middle of every ingredient.
Tips for making a homemade gluten free corn muffins mix, and the best gf corn muffins
Whether you make the homemade gf corn muffin mix ahead of time, or jump right into the corn muffins themselves, you're in for a real treat. Here are some tips to ensure recipe success:
Don't overwork your gf corn muffin batter (and let it rest)
Corn has its own protein, like wheat flour has gluten, and it can be overworked similar to wheat flour gluten protein. Mix the gluten free corn muffin batter only as much as necessary to moisten all the dry ingredients, no more.
Whisk together the wet ingredients separately
Make sure your wet ingredients, which here are just eggs and milk, are both at room temperature, and are whisked together really vigorously first. That way, when you add them to the dry ingredients, you won't be tempted to overmix just to get a proper corn muffin batter.
Don't defrost frozen corn kernels
If you're adding the 1 cup of optional corn kernels to your corn muffins, and your kernels are frozen, don't defrost them before mixing them in the batter! They'll be weepy and soft if you defrost them.
Bake at 350°F for lighter gf muffins, or 375°F for crispy tops
This versatile gf corn muffin recipe is very forgiving, and very versatile. Bake them at 375°F, and they not only bake faster, but they come out crustier, more like a skillet cornbread. Bake these muffins at 350°F for a more tender, less crusty muffin.
FAQs
Here are the questions that get asked most often about making gluten free corn muffins, with answers!
Can I make gf corn muffins with all cornmeal?
This recipe calls for a mix of all purpose gluten free flour and coarsely ground yellow cornmeal. If you'd like to make naturally gluten free corn muffins with all cornmeal, follow the tips in our recipe for old fashioned gluten free cornbread.
Can gf corn muffins be frozen?
Yes! These muffins freeze really well. Just freeze them on a flat surface, in a single layer, then pile into a freezer-safe container. Defrost at room temperature, in the microwave, or in the toaster oven.
Why are my corn muffins dry?
You may have overmeasured your gluten free flour blend or cornmeal, or undermeasured your milk. If you didn't break up the shortening properly with a fork first, you might have ended up with some muffins with too much fat, and some with too little.
How do you make gluten free corn muffins not fall apart?
Make sure you're using a gluten free flour blend and cornmeal, and measuring both by weight. And make sure your ingredients are at the proper temperature, so they combine fully.
How do I get all the lumps out of my corn muffin batter?
You don't have to! Corn muffins are satisfying in part because their crumb is hearty.
Muffin batter can have some lumps! Plus, this is a pretty lumpy batter since it has coarsely ground cornmeal, and clumps of shortening in the Jiffy-style corn muffin dry mix.
Are corn muffins gluten free?
No! Unless you're using a gluten free recipe like this one, corn muffins will contain wheat flour, which is a major source of gluten. Avoid them on a gluten free diet!
Is Jiffy corn muffin mix gluten free?
No! The blue box of Jiffy's has wheat flour in it, so it's not gluten free.
Can I double or triple this gf corn muffin mix to save for later?
Yes! The dry mix for this recipe is designed for making ahead and having in your pantry, like you would Jiffy mix. One full recipe of the dry mix, which makes 9 muffins as described in the recipe card below, weighs 495 grams. If you'd like to multiply the recipe and store it together as scaled up, to make 9 muffins, just weigh out 495 grams of dry mix and proceed with the recipe as written!
Gluten free corn muffins: ingredients and substitutions
Here's some additional information on the ingredients you need to make moist, tender, and easy gluten free corn muffins, including suggestions on how to avoid other potential allergens, if that's a concern.
Gluten free dairy free corn muffins
As written, this recipe is nearly dairy-free. If you use a plant-based milk in place of cow's milk, it's dairy-free. My favorite is unsweetened almond milk.
Gluten free egg free corn muffins
I think this recipe would work well with 2 “chia eggs.” That would call for 2 tablespoons ground white chia seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, then allowed to gel before adding it to the milk and mixing it into the dry mix.
Vegan gluten free corn muffins
If you use nondairy milk and replace the eggs as discussed above, and you're mindful that you're using a vegan granulated sugar, you'll have vegan gluten free corn muffins!
The best gluten free flour blend for these corn muffins
This versatile recipe really does work just as well with any of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends. Better Batter, or my mock mix, works really well, but I think I like my “Better ThanCup4Cup mix” even better. Your choice!
Coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
Corn, a gluten-free grain, is made into cornmeal by simply grinding yellow corn into a coarse or fine grind. Be sure your cornmeal is safe from cross-contamination in processing.
This recipe works best with coarsely-ground yellow cornmeal, which gives these muffins some bite and texture. I believe that, in the U.K., cornmeal is usually sold as “polenta.” Please correct me if I'm wrong, but be sure not to use “corn flour,” which in the U.K. is just the starch that we call cornstarch in the U.S.
If you can't have corn, you might try replacing it with millet, but it's hard to make gf corn muffins without corn. You can always experiment!
Nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening
This recipe, like the actual Jiffy corn muffin mix, contains the fat the muffin recipe will need right there in the “dry mix.” The easiest shelf-stable fat that we can use that's solid at room temperature is vegetable shortening.
I use Spectrum brand nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening (not the same as Crisco, but you could use Crisco). If you can't have shortening or don't want to use it, you can try virgin coconut oil in its place (the kind that's solid at room temperature).
If you'd like to use butter in place of shortening, keep the butter cold and cut it in with the tines of the fork—but only right before using the mix. You can always make the mix without the fat ahead of time, and then add the butter right before you add the other wet ingredients, and bake your gluten free corn muffins.
Serving suggestions for gluten free corn muffins
These lightly sweet gluten free corn muffins hold together well enough that they can be served in a million and one ways. Here are a few suggestions:
- Slice a muffin in half, toast lightly, and serve with a dollop of jam or softened butter
- Serve corn muffins with a bowl of chili or cream of mushroom soup
- Drizzle a corn muffin with honey when it's still warm from the oven
How to make gluten free corn muffins, step by step
Classic Gluten Free Corn Muffins | Make-Ahead Mix Recipe
Ingredients
For the Jiffy-style gf corn muffin mix
- 1 ⅓ cups (187 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I have used my Better Than Cup4Cup and Better Batter with great results; please click thru for full info)
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 1 ¼ cups (165 g) gluten free coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
- 6 tablespoons (75 g) granulated sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (48 g) nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening)
To Make Muffins (See Recipe Notes)
- 12 ⅔ tablespoons (6 ⅓ fluid ounces) milk at room temperature
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup (140 g) frozen (or fresh) whole kernel corn (optional)
- Coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
Make the dry mix.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine well.
- Add the shortening and, with the tines of a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand. There will be some clumps.
- To make 9 muffins, this dry mix weighs 495 grams total.
- Store the dry mix in a sealed container in a cool, dry place until ready to use. For longer storage, place in the refrigerator or freezer and allow to come to room temperature before using.
To make muffins.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (for lighter, more delicate muffins) or 375°F (for darker, firmer muffins). Grease or line 9 cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin, and set the tin aside.
- Place the dry mix (495 grams for 9 muffins) in a large bowl. Loosen the mixture with a whisk and break up any large clumps.
- Place the milk and eggs in a 2 cup measuring cup or small bowl. Whisk until very well-combined.
- Pour the milk and egg mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. The mixture should be thick but soft.
- Add the (optional) corn and mix just until the corn is evenly distributed throughout. Allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes.
- Using a large spring-loaded ice cream scoop, fill the 9 prepared wells of the muffin tin full of batter, leaving the rounded tops from the scoop, if possible. Sprinkle each muffin top lightly with a few of the optional coarse sugar crystals.
Bake the muffins.
- Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven, and pour the empty wells of the tin about 2/3 of the way full with tap water. Allow the muffins to bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (about 20 minutes in a 350°F oven; about 18 minutes in a 375°F oven).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Classic Gluten Free Corn Muffins | Make-Ahead Mix Recipe
Ingredients
For the Jiffy-style gf corn muffin mix
- 1 ⅓ cups (187 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I have used my Better Than Cup4Cup and Better Batter with great results; please click thru for full info)
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 1 ¼ cups (165 g) gluten free coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
- 6 tablespoons (75 g) granulated sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (48 g) nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening)
To Make Muffins (See Recipe Notes)
- 12 ⅔ tablespoons (6 ⅓ fluid ounces) milk at room temperature
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup (140 g) frozen (or fresh) whole kernel corn (optional)
- Coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
Make the dry mix.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine well.
- Add the shortening and, with the tines of a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand. There will be some clumps.
- To make 9 muffins, this dry mix weighs 495 grams total.
- Store the dry mix in a sealed container in a cool, dry place until ready to use. For longer storage, place in the refrigerator or freezer and allow to come to room temperature before using.
To make muffins.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (for lighter, more delicate muffins) or 375°F (for darker, firmer muffins). Grease or line 9 cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin, and set the tin aside.
- Place the dry mix (495 grams for 9 muffins) in a large bowl. Loosen the mixture with a whisk and break up any large clumps.
- Place the milk and eggs in a 2 cup measuring cup or small bowl. Whisk until very well-combined.
- Pour the milk and egg mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. The mixture should be thick but soft.
- Add the (optional) corn and mix just until the corn is evenly distributed throughout. Allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes.
- Using a large spring-loaded ice cream scoop, fill the 9 prepared wells of the muffin tin full of batter, leaving the rounded tops from the scoop, if possible. Sprinkle each muffin top lightly with a few of the optional coarse sugar crystals.
Bake the muffins.
- Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven, and pour the empty wells of the tin about 2/3 of the way full with tap water. Allow the muffins to bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (about 20 minutes in a 350°F oven; about 18 minutes in a 375°F oven).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Mary B says
How many muffins does the original recipe make? That way I can make the 8 1/2 oz Jiffy box mix, by halving the original recipe.
Thanks Nicole
Nicole Hunn says
If you’re asking about the boxed mix, Mary, you’d have to google that!
Bonnie says
Say I want to double or triple the dry ingredients with the shortening to store. How much would I have to measure out to make 12 muffins? Or should I just do separate bags and store it that way?
Thank you
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Bonnie, I just added the weight of the 9 muffin dry mix, as the recipe is originally written, which is 495 grams, plus instructions in the post for how to measure that much out from a dry mix if you’ve doubled it. Thank you for that question, since I had meant to include that important info!
To make 12 muffins specifically, you can just use the slider in the recipe card to scale up the recipe from 9 to 12 muffins. Or you can just multiply all the ingredients by 1.33. If you scale up the dry mix to store for later, make sure you note on the mix somewhere that you’ve scaled up, so you can use the slider again when you go to make the muffins.
Hope that helps!
Christine says
II made you gluten-free cornmeal muffins and I think they are just wonderful. Thank you for the recipe. And I will be making them again soon. Thank you
Nicole Hunn says
You’re so welcome, Christine! And thank you for letting me know. :)