These tender, buttery Corn Muffins with Gruyère are a welcome addition to any fall meal. Striking the perfect balance between sweet and savory, they’re delicious any time of day, whether you enjoy them for breakfast, alongside soup or chili, or paired with your favorite Southern meal.
Are they really better than the Jiffy corn muffin mix you can grab at the store? Oh yeah, it’s not even close! It doesn’t hurt that these are loaded with rich, nutty Gruyère cheese and lots of fresh sage. They’re essentially cornbread muffins (and who doesn’t love cornbread?!) that have been amped way up. We love to serve them at Thanksgiving dinner.
If you love this recipe, be sure to give our Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread, Cornbread Dressing Recipe or Cornbread Stuffing Waffles a try next! We also have a super thick and creamy Parmesan Polenta if you’re looking for more ways to use up ground cornmeal.
What’s In This Corn Muffin Recipe?
- Finely ground or medium ground yellow cornmeal: This, along with flour, creates the base and structure of the muffins. You can use either fine or medium grain cornmeal for this recipe. Fine grain creates a smoother texture, while medium grain cornmeal will give them a bit more crunch.
- All-purpose flour seasoned with Kosher salt and black pepper.
- Baking powder and baking soda: To help the cornbread batter rise.
- Wet ingredients: whole milk, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), melted unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and eggs.
- To flavor the corn muffins: shredded Gruyere cheese, fresh sage, and thinly sliced chives.
This recipe makes 12 very large muffins or 15 less tall muffins — you can choose whether you like that extra muffin top or not! Be sure to have two large bowls for mixing and a standard muffin pan.
How To Make Easy Corn Muffins
This is the easiest corn muffin recipe! It breaks down into 4 simple steps:
- Mix the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and Kosher salt.
- Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl: whole milk, sour cream, melted butter, sugar, and eggs.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then stir along with chopped fresh sage, thinly sliced chives, and ⅔ of the Gruyère cheese. Fold until just combined.
- Divide between the prepared muffin cups, sprinkle with extra cheese, then add freshly cracked black pepper. Bake until the tops have puffed up and the muffins are golden brown.
Expert Tips!
- For added flavor, add diced jalapeños to the batter.
- Line the muffin pan with paper liners for easier cleanup.
- Don’t overmix the batter to avoid tough muffins. Mix until the ingredients are just combined.
- Adjust the sugar to your preference. If you like sweeter muffins, you can increase the sugar slightly.
- To make gluten-free: You can substitute all-purpose flour with one-for-one gluten-free flour. We recommend Bob’s Red Mill.
Make-Ahead, Leftovers, & Storage
- Make-ahead: Corn muffins can be made ahead of time and stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: To freeze corn muffins, simply wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place them in a freezer bag. Corn muffins will freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat corn muffins:
- If you are reheating corn muffins from the refrigerator, simply place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
- If you are reheating corn muffins from the freezer, simply thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat them according to the instructions above.
If you happen to have leftover muffins, you can cube them and use them just as you would a traditional cornbread recipe for making Thanksgiving stuffing or dressing. It just isn’t Turkey Day without without Cornbread Dressing!
How To Serve
Corn muffins are delicious on their own, but they can also be served with a variety of toppings, such as butter, honey, maple syrup, or jam. Even hot honey would work if you like sweet and heat together!
These are also a perfect side dish when served with a big bowl of chili, soup, or stew. Try them alongside Grammy’s Ground Turkey Chili — my husband’s grandmother has made this for decades, and it’s one of our family’s most coveted winter recipes!
Serve as a side dish for breakfast alongside scrambled eggs and bacon.
Substitutions and Variations
- Cheese: You can substitute Gruyère with shredded white Cheddar or yellow Cheddar cheese. Other cheese to try: Asiago, Fontina, or Pepper Jack.
- Herbs: If you don’t have sage, these would be delicious with fresh thyme or rosemary. We prefer fresh herbs to dried herbs, for a brighter overall taste.
- In place of milk and sour cream (or yogurt), you an use buttermilk instead.
Rich and buttery, these are so delicious — especially warm out of the oven! Yum!
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Buttery Corn Muffins with Gruyère (For Chili & Soup)
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup (280g) finely ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1¼ cup (306g) whole milk
- 1 cup (240g) sour cream or Greek yogurt, full fat
- 8 Tbsp (1 stick; 113g) unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
- 3 Tbsp (38g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (100g) Gruyere cheese shredded, divided
- 2 Tbsp fresh sage finely chopped (thyme or rosemary are fine)
- 1 Tbsp chives thinly sliced
- For serving: butter, honey, and flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the pan. Place a rack in the top third of an oven, then preheat to 425°F/220°C. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, then coat with nonstick spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1¾ cup (280g) cornmeal, 1 cup (120g) flour, ½ tsp black pepper, 1½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp Kosher salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together 1¼ cup whole milk (306g), 1 cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt; 240g), 8 Tbsp (113g) melted butter, 3 Tbsp sugar, and 2 large eggs until well combined.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients, along with 2 Tbsp chopped sage, 1 Tbsp chives, and ⅔ of the grated Gruyere (reserve the rest). Use a spatula to fold the mixture until the dry ingredients are well incorporated.
- Bake the corn muffins. Using a large cookie scoop, divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins. Sprinkle the remaining Gruyere on top of each corn muffin, then add a little cracked black pepper, if desired. Transfer to a preheated oven and bake for 14-17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cook time, until the tops have puffed up and are a light golden brown. Allow the corn muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve warm with butter or honey and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
Notes
- Make ahead & storage: Store corn muffins airtight at room temp for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze wrapped muffins up to 3 months.
- Variations: Swap Gruyère for white Cheddar, Asiago, or Fontina; add diced jalapeño for heat.
Nutrition
Photography by: Alana of Your Home Made Healthy.
I made these last night! They are delicious!!!! My husband wanted two, but I had to say tomorrow is another day! They were easy to make, and are so pretty! Thank you for your tips!
Thanks for the review, Linda! Your husband sounds like my husband… hah! Enjoy! xo, Ari
As always, an easy to follow recipe with great results! We made these for Thanksgiving this year and they worked marvelously with the other dishes. Thanks for the fresh take on a family favorite!
So thrilled you enjoyed these corn muffins, Taylor! They are so good with gravy on top! xo, Ari