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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 Jiffy box, but gluten free!

Corn muffin cut in half and buttered on small white plate
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My take

Nicole's Recipe Notes

This recipe 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!

This mix is so versatile, and can be used in so many different ways. My personal favorite is the kind you see just below: baked in muffin liners, with frozen corn kernels mixed in and baked at 350ยฐF 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.

How to make gluten free corn muffins

Like most muffins, the dry ingredients are whisked together first, and then the wet ingredients are mixed in to create a smooth muffin batter. You can stop after the addition of the shortening, though, and create a dry mix like Jiffy corn muffin mix that you can use right away or store for later.

To make the dry mix.

  1. In a large mixing bowl, place one of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends, with xanthan gum, plus coarsely ground yellow cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine fully.
  2. Add shortening to the dry ingredients and โ€œcutโ€ it into the dry ingredients with either the tines of a fork or a pastry cutter which has long metal strips about 1/4-inch apart from one another. This is designed to break up the shortening into very small pieces and mix them throughout the flour and cornmeal mixture, so itโ€™s evenly distributed but still solid, not melted.
  3. You can stop here and store the mix in a cool, dry place and use it another time to make muffinsโ€”or anywhere else you might use a box of Jiffy.

To make muffins.

  1. You can whisk together the milk and eggs, and pour them into the dry ingredients, or you can create a well with your mixing spoon in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk and beaten eggs separately. Mix the batter together. It should be thick but soft, not stiff.
  2. If youโ€™d like to add kernels of corn, add them here and mix them until theyโ€™re evenly distributed throughout the muffin batter, like you would mix-ins like chocolate chips or nuts. Let the batter rest briefly.
  3. Fill the wells of a muffin tin with the corn muffin batter. If youโ€™re making 9 muffins and have 3 wells of a 12-cup muffin tin empty, fill the empty wells with water so the muffins bake evenly.
  4. Bake at 350ยฐF for lighter, less crispy muffins or 375ยฐF for firmer muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
  5. At 350ยฐF, the muffins are done after about 20 minutes; at 375ยฐF it takes about 18 minutes.
  6. Allow the muffins to cool for about 10 minutes in the muffin tin before carefully removing them from the tin and placing them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
An overhead view of corn muffins on white surface

Expert tips

Don't overwork the 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 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

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.

Change the oven temp to change the texture

Bake muffins at 375ยฐF, and they not only bake faster, but they come out crustier, more like a skillet gluten free cornbread. Bake them at 350ยฐF for a more tender, less crusty muffin.

Corn muffin mix in a jar on white surface
Raw corn muffin batter in muffin wells

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

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.

Egg free

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.

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!

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, try virgin coconut oil in its place (the kind that's solid at room temperature).

To use butter, keep it cold and cut it in with the tines of the forkโ€”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.

Closeup of corn muffins baked in muffin tin

Serving 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
  • Make mini muffins and serve them with a big bowl of gluten free chili
A close up of corn muffins on white surface

Gluten Free Corn Muffins Recipe

5 from 10 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Resting time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 9 muffins
These tender, buttery gluten free corn muffins with a nubby top and tender crumb inside have tons of corn flavor and they're hearty, too!
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Ingredients 

For the muffin mix

  • 1 โ…“ cups (187 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
  • ยฝ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
  • 1 ยผ cups (165 g) coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
  • 6 tablespoons (75 g) granulated sugar
  • 4 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ยผ cup (48 g) nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, (I use Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening)

To Make Muffins (See Recipe Notes)

  • 12 โ…” tablespoons (6 โ…“ 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 350ยฐF (for lighter, more delicate muffins) or 375ยฐF (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 350ยฐF oven; about 18 minutes in a 375ยฐF oven).
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

For the traditional 8 1/2-ounce size Jiffy-style corn muffin mix, simply halve all of the dry mix ingredients, and then the wet ingredients.
Flour blends.
ย 
My favorite gluten free flour blends are Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour and Nicole's Best multipurpose blend. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour should also work, but you'll need to add an additional 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to your dry ingredients or the muffins will look good, but will be crumbly.ย 
ย 
Cup4Cup changed its formula and doesn't seem to work as well as it has in the past, so I don't recommend it. To make your own blend using one of my โ€œmockโ€ recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page.
ย 
Nutritional information.
ย 
The estimated information is per muffin based on the mix plus wet ingredients, without adding corn kernels or coarse sugar on top.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 380mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 87IU | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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make ahead/leftovers

Storage instructions

The dry mix for these muffins, when made with shortening or coconut oil, can be stored in a sealed jar in a cool, dry pantry for at least a couple weeks.

The muffins themselves will stay fresh, covered well, at room temperature for about 2 days.

For longer storage, freeze completely cool baked muffins 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.

FAQs

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.

Why are my 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.

Why are my muffins crumbly?

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.

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 the dry ingredient 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!

About Nicole Hunn

Hi, Iโ€™m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that arenโ€™t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, โ€œgood, for gluten freeโ€ just isnโ€™t good enough!

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67 Comments

  1. Ann says:

    5 stars
    I added more milk as the mixture was too dry. I also added frozen roasted Anaheim chilis.

  2. Julie says:

    5 stars
    These were very good and quick to make. The addition of frozen corn kernels from our summer garden really enhanced the flavor and moist crumb.