Best Vegan Cornbread Muffins - Easy, Fluffy & Moist

Name: Vegan Cornbread Muffins - Moist & Fluffy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 ¼ cup unsweetened Good Karma Flaxmilk + Protein (300g); 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (15g); 1 cup yellow cornmeal (140g); 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour; ⅓ cup granulated cane sugar (65g); 2 tsp baking powder (7g); ¼ tsp baking soda (2g); ½ tsp table salt (3g); ½ cup salted vegan butter (115g, melted); ½ cup salted vegan butter (softened); 2 tbsp homemade vegan honey (or agave nectar)

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These vegan cornbread muffins are based on my eggless cornbread (a longtime reader favorite) but adapted and retested to bake up extra fluffy, moist, and perfectly sweet in muffin form.

They’re easy to make and sturdy enough to hold their shape without crumbling. You won’t miss the eggs or dairy…especially once you add the whipped dairy-free vegan ‘honey‘ butter on top. It’s sweet, salty, and honestly makes these muffins feel like more than just a side. No one will guess they’re vegan!

a stack of cornbread muffins with a drizzle of vegan honey and a smear of dairy-free butter. — the best vegan cornbread muffins…with homemade ‘honey butter’!

Note: While this blog post isn’t sponsored, the original recipe was created as part of a paid Instagram partnership with Good Karma. As always, all thoughts are my own.

Why You’ll Love These Cornbread Muffins

These muffins are definitely a classic summer side. They’re perfect for cookouts, BBQs, and big bowls of chili in late summer or early fall. If you’re a sucker for Southern-style sweet cornbread, this muffin version brings that same nostalgic flavor in a perfectly portable form.

Here are a few more reasons why this recipe is one of our favorites!

Emily’s Recipe Notes:

Tender Texture: Sturdy crumb that holds together…no eggs needed.
Sweet Corn Flavor: Uses an almost 1:1 ratio of flour to cornmeal for a bold corn flavor.
Better Rise: An easy vegan buttermilk helps create lift, moisture, and softness.
Gluten-Free Option: Use a 1:1 GF flour for an allergen friendly variation.

🌽 Ingredients

Ingredient Highlights & Why They Matter

All-Purpose Flour

I used King Arthur’s Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. Measure with a scale or use the spoon-and-level method to avoid dry muffins.

GF Version: To make gluten-free vegan cornbread muffins, you can also swap in King Arthur’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend for a version that still bakes up fluffy.

Cornmeal

I used Quaker yellow cornmeal. It’s a medium grind, which gives the texture you’d expect from traditional cornbread without making the muffins crumbly.

Coarse cornmeal can throw off the structure, so I recommend sticking with medium or fine here.

Dairy-Free Milk

I used Good Karma Flaxmilk + Protein to make a quick vegan buttermilk. It adds moisture and richness while helping the muffins rise.

I’ve also tested the recipe with soy milk and unsweetened almond milk, both work well.

Vinegar

Mixed with non-dairy milk, vinegar creates a tangy vegan buttermilk that helps activate the baking soda for a better rise.

In this recipe, it also plays a role in replacing eggs, working with the extra flour and vegan butter to help bind and tenderize the crumb. No flax egg needed! You can also use lemon juice.

Sugar

I used organic cane sugar. These muffins are lightly sweet, but you can increase it to ½ cup if you like your cornbread on the sweeter side.

Baking Soda & Baking Powder

This combo gives the muffins just the right lift. The rise is fluffy but not over-domed, with a tender crumb. Scroll down to the Troubleshooting section for a visual breakdown of how leavening affects texture!

⏲️ How To Make Vegan Cornbread Muffins

Full ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below.

vinegar being poured into a glass measuring cup filled with Flaxmilk.

Mix the dairy-free milk and vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Set aside.

a hand whisking the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center.

vegan buttermilk being poured into the well in the dry ingredients for the eggless cornbread muffins.

Pour in the vegan buttermilk and the melted vegan butter.

a hand whisking the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes.

a metal cooking scoop releasing vegan cornbread batter into the muffin tin cup.

Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into greased muffin pans.

a filled metal muffin pan with the vegan cornbread batter.

Bake the muffins! (See the chart below for baking time based on muffin size).

Mini vs. Jumbo vs. Standard Muffin Baking Times

Muffin Size	Scoop size	Bake temp	Time
Mini Muffins	1-2 Tbsp	400 °F / 200 °C	10–12 min
Standard Muffins	~ 1/4 cup	400 °F / 200 °C	15–18 min
Jumbo Muffins	~ 1/3 cup	400 °F / 200 °C	20–22 min

jumbo vegan cornbread muffins. — vegan cornbread muffins (jumbo size!) with lots of vegan honey on top

🍯 Serving & Storage

These muffins are a great side dish for a bowl of chili, vegetable soup, BBQ tofu, or anything off the grill (like my sticky vegan ribs!). I like serving them with whipped dairy-free ‘honey’ butter made using my homemade vegan honey… but you could also just add a drizzle of maple syrup or agave nectar.

This vegan cornbread recipe is an amazing base that you can customize too. Make savory cornbread or a sweet muffin by trying one of these variations:

Maple-Pecan: Fold in ¼ cup chopped toasted pecans and increase sugar to ½ cup. Brown sugar also works here instead of white sugar for deeper, more caramel-like flavor.
Jalapeño-‘Cheddar’: Stir in ½ cup diced fresh jalapeños and ½ cup shredded Violife cheddar (my favorite vegan cheese).
Berry Version: Toss ½-¾ cup fresh blueberries (or blackberries) in 1 tsp flour and gently fold into the batter for a breakfast-style muffin.

vegan honey in a jar with a wooden wand.

Vegan Sauces

Homemade Vegan Honey

Soups & Stews

Panera Copycat Hearty 10 Vegetable Soup

Storage Tips

Let the muffins cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days.

They’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for longer storage (up to 2–3 months).

a stack of cornbread muffins without eggs, one of which has a bite taken out exposing the crumb. — soft, moist and fluffy vegan cornbread muffins (standard size)

💡 Troubleshooting Tips

A Bit of Batter Science

Letting the batter rest for about 5-10 minutes before baking helps hydrate the cornmeal and gives the baking powder a head start. This quick pause improves texture… creating a taller, fluffier crumb.

But just as important? Using the right amount of leavening.
Too much baking soda can cause the muffins to rise quickly, then collapse. This leads to a flat top and coarse, uneven crumb. Be sure to accurately measure for the best results!

⤵️ See the side-by-side test below for how leavening levels affect rise and texture.

an infographic with a side by side comparison of a cornbread muffin with a flat top next to one that is properly risen. — if your muffins didn’t rise…it may be because there was too much leavening!

FAQ

Why did my vegan cornbread muffins crumble apart?

This vegan cornbread recipe is pretty sturdy, thanks to a refined ratio of flour to cornmeal to moisture. Often, too much moisture or too little structure can cause a crumbly cornbread. Double-check that the flour and cornmeal were measured by weight or the spoon-and-level!

Can I make the cornbread batter ahead of time?

Unfortunately, not for this recipe. Baking soda reacts right away, so the rise will fade if the batter sits longer than ~20-30 minutes. Bake, cool, then store for the best texture.

How can I make cornbread muffins sweeter?

Increase organic cane sugar to ½ cup. You can also add a smear of homemade vegan honey butter after baking.

How can cornbread muffins be made without eggs?

This recipe uses a combination of baking soda and vinegar, a slightly higher ratio of flour, and vegan butter to replicate the role of eggs. The baking soda and vinegar help the muffins rise, the extra flour adds structure, and the butter provides moisture and richness.