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!
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What makes this recipe for gluten free corn muffins special?
This gluten free corn muffins 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!
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 on game day, or just for a snack or light breakfast. And with the dry mix in the recipe below, you'll have the batter ready before your oven has even finished preheating!
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.
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.
- 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.
- Add shortening to the dry ingredients and “cut” 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 it’s evenly distributed but still solid, not melted.
- You can stop here and store the mix in a cool, dry place and use it another time to make muffins—or anywhere else you might use a box of Jiffy.
To make muffins.
- 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.
- If you’d like to add kernels of corn, add them here and mix them until they’re evenly distributed throughout the muffin batter, like you would mix-ins like chocolate chips or nuts. Let the batter rest briefly.
- Fill the wells of a muffin tin with the corn muffin batter. If you’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.
- Bake at 350°F for lighter, less crispy muffins or 375°F for firmer muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- At 350°F, the muffins are done after about 20 minutes; at 375°F it takes about 18 minutes.
- 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.
Tips for making the best gluten free 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
No! The blue box of Jiffy's has wheat flour in it, so it's not gluten free.
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: ingredient and substitution suggestions
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
- Make mini muffins and serve them with a big bowl of gluten free chili
How to make gluten free corn muffins, step by step
Classic Gluten Free Corn Muffins
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
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’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 aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Susan Bombassei says
My husband loved them. I used coconut oil in place of the vegetable oil. Still delicious!
Nicole Hunn says
Happy to hear it, Susan!
Melissa says
Printed out the recipe, adding it to my ‘mixes’ stash. I really missed that little blue box of corn muffin mix! Silly I guess, but when you’re in a hurry…I missed the second book. Does it have a lot of the same recipes etc as GFOAS Bakes bread or the cookbook with the popover on the front? I have those. I have to justify another cookbook to my husband…
Sheri says
It sounds delicious!! Could I use coconut oil in place of the shortening?
Nicole Hunn says
It should work, Sheri, but I haven’t tried it so you’ll have to experiment!
Anneke says
We love Chapter 8 of the Quick & Easy book! Linnea has won the Best Cookies award on the Cross Country team with the brownies, and we use many of the mix recipes on a regular basis. I was just looking at a recipe the other day that called for the Jiffy cornbread, so thanks for adding this one to the list of mix options.
Nicole Hunn says
Wow, Anneke, you’ve gotten a whole lot of mileage out of that chapter!
carole says
Am digging out my cast iron corn shaped pans and am making these as soon as I go upstairs. Many thanks. How about applesauce raisin muffins ???
Heather Owens simelaro says
You do not know how happy you have made me! My raised-in-the-south husband keeps asking me for these (they are NOT cornbread according to him), and I have no idea what they’re supposed to taste like (my mom never made these, and now that we both have to be GF, I am clueless if it has wheat and I didn’t eat it as a kid). So, long story short, I avoided the whole corn muffin mess. Until today. Every recipe of yours that I’ve tried has been great, so I guess I’m gonna have to make these now. My GF husband will be so happy, and this will probably guarantee I can sweet talk him into the fourth book! Thank you!!
Michelle says
The lighter blueberry corn muffins she posted last week are also amazing, as are the cake flour corn muffins, if you want to try some other options. I made the lighter blueberry corn ones with the fresh cranberry/orange variation she mentioned and they are really, really good.
Heather Owens simelaro says
I may try them. I’m not usually big on corn flour, but cranberry orange is always tempting, and they do look yummy. :)
Nicole Hunn says
That sounds like a win all around, Heather! Don’t you just love a big serving of nostalgia? ;)
Minxiesmom says
I have been looking for a good corn bread recipe! This one looks great! I was wondering if you would start putting a Pinterest button on your posts. That is how I keep these recipes. Sorry if it is already there and I am just not seeing it…
Lauren says
You might already have looked into this option and decided against it {e.g. your workplace may not allow it}, but I thought I’d mention it anyway: You can download an extension that will put a Pinterest button right up in your browser bar so that you can easily pin things even if whatever site you’re at doesn’t have Pinterest buttons. It only doesn’t work on rare occasions like Craigslist. If you’re interested, just search “Pinterest button for ___” and fill in the blank with whatever browser {Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.} you use. It definitely feeds my Pinterest addiction! Good luck! :)
Nicole Hunn says
It’s there, Minxiesmom. Just click the “share” ribbon, and it opens up all the sharing options. I also use the Pinterest browser button, as Lauren so helpfully mentioned, but the sharing buttons are all there at the top and bottom of every post!
J'Marinde Shephard says
PS;
Gluten free, of course!
J'Marinde Shephard says
PS:
You know what I REALLY MISS, and have yet to find a sub for, is a recipe for a homemade mix for Dromedary Gingerbread mix – -the one where you only added water to, while it was in the baking pan, stirred and baked. YUMM!!!
Doable???
;->
Nicole Hunn says
I’ve never heard of that, actually, J’Marinde! I’ll have to do some research. :)
J'Marinde Shephard says
Thank yo for this MOST GENEROUS sharing. I would love to see this in a larger quantity, with directions for how many cups of it to use for a batch of muffins, etc. That would be a real time saver to have a bin of bulk muffin mix at the ready. Thank you again. I will try to figure out the proportions needed for my request, but it is so much easier having someone else and less math-challenged than I doing so. ;-> What can I say, I am feeling lazy.
Anita says
We don’t have shortening in Norway. What can i use insted?
Nicole Hunn says
You could try unsalted butter, Anita, but you’ll have to experiment!
Karen says
If I wanted to just bake a pan of cornbread, instead of muffins, what adjustments would need to be made in time or temperature? Size of pan?
Nicole Hunn says
You can bake it in a greased 8-inch square pan at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, Karen.
Sharon Cottrell Schulze says
Can’t wait to try this! Jiffy corn muffin mix was a staple in my house, before I went gf, & we’ve missed it.
Michelle says
What a great idea! I used to keep several boxes on hand, and used the mix to make pancakes, too, sometimes. Thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
You used the corn muffin mix to make pancakes, Michelle, or their “baking mix”? I’m intrigued!
whollyfool says
I used to make corn pancakes with jiffy corn muffin mix. There’s a recipe on the side of the box. I used to substitute buttermilk for the milk. Delicious camping food served with Karo syrup!
Michelle says
There was a pancake recipe on the side of the box along with a couple of othe options. So good! I loved the drop biscuit mix, too.
Nicole Hunn says
I’ll have to try something like that with this mix, Michelle. Sounds excellent!
Michelle says
That would be great! I also used to buy the drop biscuit mix that was in a small box like the cornbread. It was my favorite, because the biscuits were so fluffy. I’d love a DIY of that mix too, if that is something you’d like to do.
Mare Masterson says
Oh yes, you are batting 1,000 Nicole! A favorite breakfast – corn muffin – split it butter it and put it in the skillet to “grill.” I have been craving one lately!
Nicole Hunn says
That sounds awesome, Mare! Corn muffins just neeeeeed butter.
Mare Masterson says
It is awesome! I am making this mix as a definite pantry item! So which of your recipes in Bakes Bread would be best to use to get a “hard roll” (Kaiser roll)? I miss hard rolls with butter (another favorite breakfast) and Taylor Ham (Pork Roll), egg and cheese on a hard roll. I’ve been meaning to ask you this question for a while now.
Nicole Hunn says
Mare, I’d try the pretzel rolls, but don’t boil them beforehand in a baking soda bath. Just bake them right after the second rise and let them bake until they’re golden brown on top, then cover with a tea towel right out of the oven so the crust softens a bit. That’s about the amount of enrichment you want in a hard roll (that is, not much).
madaje says
2/3 cup and 2 TBLS of what kind of fluid ounces at room temp?
Dee Fedor says
I THINK it is MILK
Mare Masterson says
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons (6 1/3 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature
Nicole Hunn says
You just need to either refresh your browser or clear your computer’s cache, madaje. It’s milk. When I first hit “publish,” I had omitted the word “milk” by mistake but it’s corrected now. Sorry about that!