Easy Cornbread Muffins with Coconut Milk – So Soft!

Ingredients you’ll need and why I use them

Below is a labeled photo of all the ingredients you’ll need to make this coconut milk cornbread muffins recipe. I’ll also leave you some notes on key ingredients, why I use them, and substitution tips. You can always jump to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with quantities.

• Cornmeal – comes in coarse, medium and fine grind. Coarse grind will give you the best corn flavor but finer grind will provide a more uniform crumb texture and softer muffins. I used a fine grind in this recipe for supremely soft cornbread muffins. If you want a little bit more texture, I recommend medium grind for the best balance. 

• All-purpose flour – since cornmeal does not contain any gluten, we need to use AP flour to give the cornbread its structure via gluten development. So this is not a gluten free recipe.

• Brown sugar – light or dark brown sugar both work. In a pinch, you can use granulated sugar too but I do like brown sugar for the deeper richer flavor it imparts. Even coconut sugar should work in this recipe. We are not using a lot of sugar here so the sweetness is very subtle since this is not meant to be a dessert.

• Eggs – again, because cornmeal doesn’t contain gluten, I used an additional egg here to help bind all the ingredients together.

• Coconut milk – Any brand coconut milk will work, make sure it is canned coconut milk for a richer flavor since it is higher in fat content than carton coconut milk. I’ve also made this recipe using buttermilk before but the batter is a bit wetter since buttermilk is not as thick as canned coconut milk so if you make the substitution, you may need to bake for longer. Same with whole milk. Or you can also use yogurt and sour cream.

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Cornbread muffins batter: simple and quick!

This cornbread muffins batter is incredibly easy to whip up. You can skip to the recipe card for detailed instructions with step-by-step photos.

There is no need for a stand mixer or even a hand mixer, I prefer to make this batter by hand with a couple of mixing bowls and a whisk. One bowl for the dry ingredients, one bowl for the wet ingredients, then whisk them together. The important thing is you want to whisk lightly and quickly until just combined – a little bit lumpy is fine.

I chose not to use muffin liners in this recipe since these cornbread muffins come out pretty easily. But if you don’t like washing each of the little cup thoroughly to get all the crumbs out – it is a bit of a pain – go ahead and line the pan.

You can use this recipe to make a skillet coconut cornbread using a 10” cast iron skillet like my Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread or simply bake it in a 9” square baking pan instead of a muffin pan.

Note: If you’re not baking these as cornbread muffins, I recommend increasing the oven temperature to 425°F and increasing the baking time to about 25 – 30 minutes.

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Mix it up

• Fold in shredded coconut for more coconut flavor.
• Mix in shredded cheese for a savory cheesy version similar to these Cheesy Biscuits.
• Add jalapeños to your cornbread for a spicy kick.
• Add corn kernels to make it even cornier.
• Or transform the texture with Mochiko and make these Mochi Cornbread instead.

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Storing and reheating instructions

Wrapped well in plastic, foil, or stored in an airtight container, these cornbread muffins should last 2 days at room temperature, up to a week in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.

There are a few different ways to reheat these, since they are best served warm with a pat of butter and some honey! Oh, they would be so good with my super easy homemade apple honey butter.

My favorite way of reheating is using our toaster oven/air-fryer combo on convection mode at 300°F, this will take 6 – 7 minutes from room temp. This gets the exterior nice and crispy, delicious!

If you’re using a conventional oven, I would preheat it to 325°F instead. It should take about the same amount of time 6 – 7 minutes. Just keep an eye on them so you don’t burn them.

Or if you need to heat them up super quickly cuz your toddlers are screaming at you to get them a snack, you can place them on a microwaveable dish, drape a damp paper towel over them and microwave for about 10 – 20 seconds per muffin depending on whether they’re at room temp or cold.

More recipes using coconut milk

• This Coconut French Toast Bake also uses canned coconut milk as well as coconut flake to impart delicious coconut flavor to wake you up.
• Speaking of breakfast, this Coconut Sauce will change your breakfast game forever. It’s basically thickened coconut milk that you can use like a syrup on everything.
• And then if you thicken the coconut milk a little more, you get this Haupia Coconut Pudding – a favorite Hawaiian dessert.
• Use the above coconut sauce to make the ultimate coconut dinner rolls (Pani Popo), they are baked in the sauce.

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