Cooking and Serving: 30 minutes | 9 muffins
Ingredients
Slice a muffin in half, toast lightly, and serve with a dollop of jam or | 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
Description
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 9 muffins
Ingredients
Slice a muffin in half, toast lightly, and serve with a dollop of jam or
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
1 ⅓ cups (187 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend
½ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
1 ¼ cups (165 g) 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
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)
Notes
* How to make gluten free corn muffins
* Ingredient substitutions
* Serving suggestions
* Gluten Free Corn Muffins Recipe
* Storage instructions
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
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 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.
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 “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.
3. 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.
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 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. At 350°F, the muffins are done after about 20 minutes; at 375°F it takes
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
An overhead view of corn muffins on white surface
overhead view of corn muffins on white surface
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 375°F, and they not only bake faster, but they come out
crustier, more like a skillet gluten free cornbread
them at 350°F for a more tender, less crusty muffin.
Corn muffin mix in a jar on white surface
muffin mix in a jar on white surface
Raw corn muffin batter in muffin wells
corn muffin batter in muffin wells
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
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.
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.
Corn, a gluten-free grain, is made into cornmeal 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!
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
To use butter, keep it 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,
Closeup of corn muffins baked in muffin tin
of corn muffins baked in muffin tin
* Slice a muffin in half, toast lightly, and serve with a dollop of jam or
* 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
close up of corn muffins on white surface
Go Ad-Free
GLUTEN FREE CORN MUFFINS RECIPE
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Resting time: 5 minutes mins
Total Time: 35 minutes mins
These tender, buttery gluten free corn muffins with a nubinside have tons of corn flavor and they’re hearty, too!
* 1 ⅓ cups (187 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend
* ½ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
* 1 ¼ cups (165 g) 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)
* 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)
* 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.
* 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
* 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
* 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
* Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before
transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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.
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.
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 “mock”
recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends
Nutritional information.
The estimated information is per muffin based on the mix plus wet ingredients,
without adding corn kernels or coarse sugar on top.
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
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
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.
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
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 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!