Blueberry Cornbread Muffins
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Cornbread makes a perfect backdrop for blueberries, which burst as they bake, creating little pockets of juice that keep the muffins tender.
You can’t help but love these little blueberry cornbread muffins, a cross between classic blueberry muffins and cornbread. The slight crunch and savory flavor of cornmeal make a lovely backdrop for the blueberries, which burst as they bake, creating little pockets of juice that keep the muffins tender. The muffins are simple to make. With just a few bowls and a whisk, you can whip them up in 15 minutes, and enjoy them warm from the oven with your coffee 30 minutes later.
“Delicious and easy! Love the little crisp crunch of cornmeal and juicy blueberry together in a warm breakfast bite.”
What You’ll Need To Make Blueberry Cornbread Muffins
- Milk: Provides moisture and richness to the muffins batter.
- Lemon Juice: Adds acidity to react with baking powder, helping the muffins rise. You’ll use the lemon’s zest as well, so make sure to zest the lemon before juicing it.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the muffin batter, providing structure. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Yellow Cornmeal: Adds a slightly gritty texture and a subtle corn flavor, characteristic of cornbread.
- Sugar: Sweetens the muffins and helps to create a tender crumb.
- Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent helping the muffins rise.
- Blueberries: Break down during baking, creating pockets of juicy flavor and adding bursts of sweetness.
- Eggs: Act as a binding agent, holding the muffin batter together and providing structure.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor profile with its aromatic sweetness.
- Lemon Zest: Adds brightness and citrusy aroma, complementing the blueberries.
- Butter: Incorporates richness and flavor into the muffins.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by zesting the lemon (you’ll use the zest later) and combining the milk and lemon juice. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, and you’ll have homemade buttermilk. (You could just use buttermilk, but since the recipe calls for lemon zest, you might as well just use the juice and avoid buying buttermilk.)
Meanwhile, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt and in a large bowl. I like to place the ingredients in the bowl neatly, so I can see what I’ve already added — otherwise, I’m likely to forget.
Whisk until well combined.
To keep the berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins, toss them with 1 teaspoon of the flour mixture. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the milk and lemon mixture with the eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest.
Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, along with the melted butter. Stir until just blended.
Add the flour-dusted blueberries. Stir until just combined.
Spoon the batter into a muffin pan lined with paper liners. They will be very full.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until set and lightly golden.
Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack. Serve warm with butter. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Frozen blueberries work just fine in these muffins. Add them while frozen to avoid turning your batter purple. Also, be sure to toss the blueberries with the flour mixture to prevent them from sinking during baking.
The lemon juice helps the muffins rise and adds a subtle tanginess that enhances the flavor of the blueberries. Similarly, the zest brings a bright citrus aroma to the muffins.
Yep – the muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
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Blueberry Cornbread Muffins
Cornbread makes a perfect backdrop for blueberries, which burst as they bake, creating little pockets of juice that keep the muffins tender.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (see note)
- 1½ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries (see note)
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon (about 1½ teaspoons)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a muffin pan with paper liners (don't skip the liners or the blueberries will stick to the pan).
- Combine the milk and lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Place the blueberries in a small bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon of the flour mixture. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk/lemon mixture, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add to the dry ingredients, along with the melted butter. Stir until just blended; and then stir in the blueberries. Do not overmix.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup very full. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are set and golden around the edges. Cool the muffins for a few minutes in the pan, then serve warm with butter or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Note: Be sure to zest the lemon before juicing it.
- Note: Don't be tempted to increase the blueberries: one cup is just the right amount -- if you jam-pack the muffins with berries, they'll be too tart and wet.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a 350°F-oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 228
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Sugar: 15g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 275mg
- Cholesterol: 53mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jen…hands down THE best blueberry muffins! The corn meal gives them such a lovely texture….I find most blueberry muffins are too cakey, these are perfect. I’ve been making them with frozen huckleberries we picked last summer. This recipe doubles really well, I make 12 large muffins, and reduced the sugar by one cup for a double recipe.
Thanks so much for all your recipes, I love your website!!
Can I substitute buttermilk for milk? Should any other adjustments be made? Can’t wait to try, they wound wonderful!
Hi Alisa, It’s fine to use buttermilk; just omit the lemon juice as well.
These are excellent. They’re moist and tender and not too sweet. I doubled the lemon zest and didn’t find it overpowering. One cup of blueberries is ample as noted in the recipe. The muffins don’t rise much so filling the cups very full as instructed is important. I used fresh blueberries that had been washed and air dried and they didn’t bleed into the batter as frozen ones tend to do. My muffins were done in 26 minutes. I used cast iron muffin pans without paper liners and didn’t have a problem removing the muffins. They’re light and fragile until they cool but came out of the pan easily once cooled.
I want to make these gluten free. Can I just sub gluten free flour?
Hi Toni, I haven’t made these with gluten-free flour, but I think it should work. I’d love to know how they turn out if you prepare them!
A little disappointing for me. I was expecting a lot more taste. I followed the recipe exactly, but they were bland.
I spend an enormous amount of time in the kitchen baking and cooking and these weren’t anything special.
I served them still warm, but also had one after it completely cooled, sorry to say, very disappointed.
Delicious! I made these one morning and they didn’t last too many mornings after the first. I had some buttermilk I wanted to use up, so just used that instead of the milk/lemon juice mixture, and they were still wonderful.
Is this recipe in your book? It should be! It’s great, instructions, measurements, baking time all just right and it tastes wonderful. The lemon juice and zest is perfect. It’s not too sweet, too heavy, too hard to make or “too” anything. It’s just right! YUMMMMM.
Hi Pam, so glad you liked the muffins! This recipe won’t be in my book (but you can always find it here :).
Made these today. So nice and light. Not overly sweet. Just a lovely lemon taste with a few blueberries. Good suggestion not to overdo it with blueberries. Like the little crunch of the cornmeal.
Will be making these again and again! 🙂
Oh Jenn, these muffins are dangerous! Thank you for this amazing recipe. I baked them this afternoon … they’ve been out of the oven, for precisely 10 mins. & I’ve eaten 2!!! (Freezer, here we come!) 😉
These are delicious. I made a double batch just to try them out 2 days ago, and my family has gobbled them up!