Paleo Sweet “Cornbread” Muffins

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These Paleo Cornbread Muffins taste amazingly like traditional cornbread and are sweet and almost cake-like! They’re great as a side or served as a dessert with coconut oil or butter and maple syrup.

Sweet Paleo Cornbread Muffins - Main Picture

Last week my sister-in-law Amanda made our family what I would consider the best cornbread I had ever eaten! She said it was her moms sweet cornbread recipe and she made it gluten free by replacing the cup of all purpose flour with almond flour and it turned out fantastic! It tasted like cornbread, but it was sweet and almost cake-like, I think that’s why we loved it so much 🙂

And while her recipe could in no way be improved to taste better, I did adjust it so it would be Paleo friendly while keeping the cornbread taste. To do this I replaced the cup of cornmeal with 1/4 C of coconut flour because coconut flour can taste surprisingly like cornmeal. Then, I added an egg, reduced the non-dairy milk by half, and replaced the 1/2 C of sugar with honey. …other than that I didn’t change anything, ~ha-ha~ 🙂

Pin paleo cornbread for later:

Sweet Paleo Cornbread Muffins Collage

Helpful Hints For Using Coconut Flour:

-When using coconut flour a basic rule of thumb is to replace 1 C of flour with 1/4 C of coconut flour, add an egg, and slightly increase the wet ingredients. Then, I refine the recipe from there. 

Looking for more Paleo Breads? Check out my Grain Free Tortillas, Paleo Hamburger Buns, or my new Keto Breads Cookbook!

Or if Keto is more your thing, you might be interested in my Keto Cornbread & Stuffing Recipe!!

4.78 from 27 votes
Print Recipe

Paleo Cornbread Muffins

These "cornbread" muffins are sweet and almost cake-like. They are great as a side or served as dessert with coconut oil and maple syrup 🙂 *For grain free baking powder combine 1 part baking soda with 2 parts cream of tartar and 2 parts starch (potato, arrowroot, or tapioca)
Course bread, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword gluten free cornbread, gluten free cornbread recipe, grain free cornbread, grain free cornbread recipe, paleo cornbread, paleo cornbread recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 19 minutes
Total Time 34 minutes
Servings 9 muffins
Calories 169 kcal
Author Cassidy

Ingredients

  • 1 C Blanched Almond Flour very finely ground
  • 1/3 C Coconut Flour
  • 4 Tsp. Grain Free Baking Powder* Note- many people say they prefer 2 tsp.
  • 1 Tsp. Sea Salt
  • 1/4 C Honey
  • 3 Eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 Cup Dairy Free Milk
  • 2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with 9 baking cups.
  2. Whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add the eggs, honey, and milk to another bowl and mix well.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well, then stir in the coconut oil (so it doesn't solidify)
  5. Evenly divide the batter between the baking cups.
  6. Bake 17 -19 minutes or until lightly browned.
  7. Cool completely to properly set up.
Nutrition Facts
Paleo Cornbread Muffins
Amount Per Serving
Calories 169 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 54mg 18%
Sodium 242mg 10%
Potassium 25mg 1%
Total Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 8g
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin A 1.6%
Calcium 3.4%
Iron 4.9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

this post is part of Fat Tuesday, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays, Whole Food Fridays, Savoring Saturdays, Free From Farmhouse, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Thursdays, and Gluten Free Recipe Fix

Any of the links on my site may be affiliate links. If you purchase anything through them I may make a small commission. Thank you for your support to keep this free resource available!

Sweet Paleo Cornbread Muffins - 2nd picture

 

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Posted February 14, 2014 by Cassidy in Breads, Breakfast & Muffins, Desserts, Paleo / 123 Comments

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123 responses to “Paleo Sweet “Cornbread” Muffins”

  1. Charlotte Moore

    These would be a sweet muffin to me.I would like these for a snack or breakfast. I only use cornmeal to make my cornbread. I know some people use more flour than meal but I like the full taste of the corn meal to eat with a meal.

    Reply
          • Leslie

            I cannot have coconut, either. If I use brown rice flour instead of coconut flour and ghee instead of coconut oil and I can use real dairy milk, I wonder how these would turn out. Have to make my own baking powder as well – cannot have any corn or tapioca, etc.

          • Cassidy

            Hi Leslie! Rice flour is a lot different that coconut flour so I don’t think it would work as a 1:1 replacement. If you use rice flour, I’d imagine you would need a lot more maybe closer to cup and maybe even slightly reduce the liquid in the recipe. Since I have not tried it though, I cannot tell you the exact measurements or how they would turn out, sorry!

            -Cassidy

  3. Lisa

    Made these tonight, big hit. They tasted alot like some gf coconut muffins my 5 YR old had at a restaurant recently and has been wanting me to make at home.

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Thank you for taking the time to comment Lisa! I’m happy and your 5 yr old liked them, kids are the true test 🙂

      Reply
  8. Melanie

    Thank you for great recipes! Would love it if you would consider adding the “zip list” option to your recipe format to make them easy to save!

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Thanks Tessa! Your Paleo & Egg free muffins look DELISH – I can’t wait to try yours either 🙂

      -Cassidy

      Reply
  13. Christa Shauger

    Hi can you use almond meal instead of blanched? I have a very big family and the almond meal is cheaper..:-)

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi Christa!

      A few people have tried this with Bob’s Red Meal almond meal brand and they didn’t turn out, you really need to use the finely ground, blanched almond flour. If you do decide to go ahead and use almond meal I would recommend adding more than 1 C as the finely ground, blanched almond flour weighs more than almond meal – you need approximately 6 oz, I don’t know how many cups that would be using almond meal.

      Oh, and if you buy your almond flour in bulk online from nuts.com or honeyville.com, it’s cheaper per pound than buying it retail 🙂

      Hope this helps!!!
      -Cassidy

      Reply
  14. Vanessa

    WOW !! So, we live here in Texas, and cornbread is one of the few things we did not want to give up or MODIFY !!! However, we did, sigh……

    I found your recipe and since my kiddos were craving “corndogs”, I decided to give it ago and make a “corndog” muffin !!! I used 1/4 cup of honey but followed your recipe exact on the rest. I put a little batter in each cup then 1/3 of a chicken hot dog in each muffin cup and covered it with the rest of the batter. THEY ARE AWESOME !!!!!! Fell apart a little but, I did not let them cool all the way. Covered with mustard and eaten with a fork, ( Until, I figure how to keep them from falling a part, or really caring that much to work on it more) a definite hit in our paleo home !!
    I will however cut the hot dogs in smaller pieces next time and layer them.

    Thank you for your awesome recipe !!! Cornbread and chili coming this fall !!!!!
    Vanessa

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi Vanessa!

      I’m glad you liked them, that’s such a great idea!!! I’m sorry they fell apart a little, I didn’t have that problem? You could try adding a Tbsp. of arrowroot or even 1/4 tsp. of guar or xanthan gum (but I’m not sure they are paleo?) to the batter and it would probably help.

      Thanks again!
      Cassidy

      Reply
  15. Becky

    I’ve used this recipe twice (exactly as written. Once with coconut milk and once with almond milk) as a sort of dumpling over 2 different dishes (chicken and dumplings and a Morrocan style beef dish). It works amazingly well. I know I didn’t use it for its intended purpose, but I thought I would share its versatility 🙂 thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Thanks Becky, I’m glad it worked for you in those recipes!!! I’m going to try it as corn dog muffins (as another reader commented) and as traditional corn dogs, we’ll see how it goes!

      Thanks for your nice feedback and taking the time to comment!
      -Cassidy

      Reply
  16. Savoring Saturdays #5

    […] Paleo Sweet “Cornbread” Muffins  from Cassidy’s Craveable Creations. I LOVE sweet cornbread and since I’m a Trim Healthy Mama, corn is off the table if I want to lose weight.  I would try substituting stevia for the honey in this recipe. I can’t wait to try it! […]

    Reply
  17. Kat

    These are delicious!!!! I used ghee instead of coconut oil, and reduced the honey to 1/4 cup. I didn’t have grain-free baking powder, so used the regular kind. Hope the Paleo Police don’t get me 😉 The only thing I would change is to reduce the salt to 1/2 or 3/4 tsp. I LOVE the idea of doing sausage layered inside the muffin. Yum!

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Thanks Kat, I’m glad you liked them! I use regular baking powder sometimes too, so far the Paleo Police haven’t come to my my house 🙂 Thanks for the tip on the salt!

      -Cassidy

      Reply
      • Elizabeth

        We enjoyed this recipe! The muffins were light and fluffy, and quite delicious.
        My only question is about the amount of baking powder. It seemed a lot, and if fact, although I measured the amount carefully, the muffins did taste making-powdery.
        Have you tried the recipe using less, or does the recipe need that much?
        Thanks for any advice. (I hate to waste almond and coconut flour for a trial, and then get an error!)

        Reply
        • Cassidy

          Hi Elizabeth!

          I’ve always used this amount of baking powder because that’s what the original recipe called for and I have not tried it with a different amount. I’d imagine you could replace a portion of the baking powder with baking soda (but not equal portions, maybe 1 part soda to 2 or 3 parts powder?) and it would work. But again, I haven’t tried it so can’t say for sure! If you give it a shot, let us know how it turns out!!!

          XO,
          Cassidy

          Reply
        • Liz

          Yes – I took a double take when seeing the amount of baking powder, and reduced to nearly half. And still they were a taste flop. All we can taste was the powder. Sad to waste my pastured eggs, raw honey, and spendy almond flour 🙁

          I’d made again and maybe use the standard 1t per dozen muffins.

          Reply
  19. Best Paleo Breakfast Muffins Breads | Paleo Recipes

    […] Paleo Sweet “Cornbread” Muffins – Cassidy’s Craveable … – … Breads, Breakfast & Muffins, Desserts Tagged With … Paleo Sweet “Cornbread” Muffins from Cassidy’s … agave nectar almond flour best bread breakfast cake casein free cashews chicken chocolate coconut flour cookies cupcakes dairy free dessert diet dinner dinners. easy egg free fruit … […]

    Reply
  21. Karissa

    Any ideas on a sub for almond flour/meal? We are GF but also can’t tolerate almonds (or corn). These sound amazing and would love to try them almond free! 🙂

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi Karissa!

      I would normally say that the only substitute that might work would be sunflower seed flour, HOWEVER – in the original recipe that I adapted this from, I just replaced the 1 C of all-purpose flour with almond flour, which hardly ever works! So I would suggest replacing the almond flour with a gluten free all purpose flour that you like. If you are not grain free, Shirley from Gluten Free Easily just posted an easy all purpose flour recipe that you could try. I can’t say for sure that a 1:1 replacement with all purpose flour will work because I changed the entire recipe so much, but it might be a good starting point 🙂 Here’s the link to Shirley’s recipe: http://glutenfreeeasily.com/two-ingredient-best-gluten-free-all-purpose-flour-mix/

      If you try it let me know how it turns out!
      -Cassidy

      Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi again!

      I also just want to mention that I reduced the non-dairy milk by half from the original recipe, and I imagine that if you use GF all-purpose flour, you will probably need to add some additional non-dairy milk back to the recipe to keep it from being too thick 🙂

      Hope this helps!
      -Cassidy

      Reply
  22. Bonnie

    I made these last night to go with my hearty chicken soup. They turned out great! Had 2 left over today for game day chili and they were just as good the second day! I used coconut milk and Kroger’s fine ground almond flour.

    Thank you for the recipe. I think I will add them to my thanksgiving menu.

    Reply
  23. Jeanie

    I just made these at the last minute, while I was in a big hurry to get dinner on the table. I kind of did everything wrong, but they were still amazing! I used Rob’s Red Mill Finely Ground Almond Flour (because that’s what I had), maple syrup instead of honey (again, because that’s what I had), my eggs were straight out of the fridge cold (it was the last minute!), and I didn’t even use two bowls (gasp!) I just mixed dry stuff together and then plopped the wet stuff right on top. Anyway, despite my best efforts, these muffins turned out perfectly and passed the ultimate test–my toddler and hubby both loved them! Will definitely make again. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      YAY!!! I love that these worked for you!!! It’s good to know that Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour works and you can just mix it all together in one bowl – thanks for taking the time to comment!

      -Cassidy

      Reply
  27. Ginger

    Great recipe! Wanted cornbread to have with hearty vegetable soup, so I left out the honey and used cashew milk. Not knowing how it would turn out using cracklings, I only put them in half of it and cooked it in two pones. Yes, y’all, I am southern! It was delicious! My 18 month old grandson (picky eater) ate almost as much as the adults! Thanks for a really good cornbread substitute! Can’t wait to have it with peas and butterbeans this summer!
    Also going to try using molasses for the sweetener when I do want a sweet bread. My grandmother made corn sweet bread and it had molasses, so think it may come close to being as good as hers. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Thanks Ginger – glad to know your substitutions worked and you liked them!!! …I’d imagine molasses would be really good in these 🙂

      -Cassidy

      Reply
  28. Hicunni Chandler

    These were so yummy! I thank God that I have found this website. I feel there is hope for my cooking skills now! We have tried lots of recipes where everything tasted like eggs and sugar. It is amazing how much these taste like “real” cornbread 🙂 Thank you! Oh, also, we made your apple pie recipe earlier today…it was gone in about 30 minutes!

    Reply
  29. 23 Mouthwatering Paleo Muffins - Crave Paleo

    […] Cassidy’s Craveable Creations adjusts a traditional cornbread recipe for a Paleo-friendly one made with almond flour. The cornmeal flavor is replaced with surprisingly similar tasting coconut flour, and the usual sugar is replaced with honey.  Serve up these sweet muffins as a side or as a dessert with coconut oil and maple syrup. […]

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi Mildred! Sorry, I’m not very experienced in egg free baking so I’m not sure 🙁 If you try this recipe without eggs let me know how it goes!!!

      -Cassidy

      Reply
  35. Yoli

    Hello, I made these yesterday and they really don’t last like corn bread but taste yummy. They don’t look like your picture. It looks like light brown. Any ideas why?

    Thanks so much

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi Yoli, I don’t know why they look different? All ovens cook differently so maybe it’s just the variations in ovens, but again, I’m not really sure – sorry!

      Reply
  38. MommyB

    I just made these to go with our chili and followed the recipe to a “T” except…I used Bob’s Red Mill Blanched Almond Meal. They came out perfect! I’m not sure why other folks are having trouble with using the BRM except that he has two different types of Almond meal, one coarser and one finer (the blanched version). Anyway, thank you as these were just the right taste for us and help use up the ginormous (50lb) bag of coconut flour I bought!

    Reply
  39. Homeschool Momma

    I will be making this recipe for sure but would also like a recipe that is not Paleo but is Corn Free that i can make gluten free. So could you send me the original recipe or post it?

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi Homeschool Momma! I couldn’t find the original recipe, but as far as I can remember, here is the original recie:

      1 C all purpose flour
      1 C cornmeal
      2 eggs
      1 C milk
      1/2 C sugar
      4 tsp baking soda
      1/4 C canola oil

      Whisk together the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir the wet into the dry. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

      Hope this helps!!!!!

      Reply
  51. Erica

    Made these tonight using the BRM finely ground almond flour. They sank a bit, but the texture was fine. However, they were very salty, so I would reduce the salt by at least 1/2 if I try the recipe again.

    Reply
  52. Colleen

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. They turned out excellent despite using Bob’s Almond Flour, coconut/almond milk and cold eggs. Boyfriend loved them. Will def make again

    Reply
  55. Kiera

    I don’t normally write reviews, but these are so phenomenal I had to. They are delicious with the perfect consistency. So good you don’t miss all the sugar of the original. I did add one packet of Truvia the second time I made them just for a tad bit more sweetness and just because sometimes when using coconut flour I taste it too much. Just a personal preference. But these are a winner. Thank you!

    Reply
  56. Stew {Crock Pot, Gluten Free}

    […] This is a no-frills meat and potatoes kind of meal. It’s easy and perfect for those cold winter days and full of veggies. My mom made this all the time when I was growing up and now I’m feeding it to my family… thanks for the recipe mom! *Here’s the link to the homemade dry onion soup mix I use. *Goes great with with my Paleo Sweet “Cornbread” Muffins […]

    Reply
  57. Ms z baby

    I think this might be the only paleo recipe I have ever tried that came out like the ones in the pic. I have an electric oven so had to cook them 22 mins and I added a teaspoon of lemon flavor and honestly they taste like Jiffy Mix which my family loves

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Thank you so much Ms z baby!! I tried to develop them to taste sweet like Jiffy so I’m excited that you liked them and thought that that’s what they tasted like 🙂

      XO,
      Cassidy

      Reply
  59. Glynna

    Hello Cassidy,

    I happened across your recipe and decided to try it. I am also allergic to eggs, so I substituted one well mashed banana and 2 T. of ground flax seed meal for the eggs. The muffins took a bit longer to cook and were a little bit crumbly. I decided to leave them in the muffin pan to cool which helped. They tasted great and now I can have “cornbread” again. Thank you for a great recipe.

    Reply
  60. Stephanie

    This recipe is one of my husband and my favorites! I found Blue Diamond brand blanched/fine ground almond flour at costco, and it does work with that flour too.
    For fellow bakers: once I forgot to put in the coconut oil. Still turned out perfect. Hardly could tell the difference.

    PRO TIP: for a delightful breakfast muffin, or a perfect “cornbread” substitute at thanksgiving, add the zest from 2 oranges. Oh my, it is heaven with a little cranberry sauce!

    Thanks for the wonderful recipes Cassidy!

    Reply
  63. DoryB

    Hi Cassidy, Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. They look wonderful! I am thinking of trying these as a bread, maybe in an 11×7 pan to leave out overnight and use in a paleo dressing for Thanksgiving…any advice on anything you might do differently for making it that way?

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi DoryB! I’ve never tried it that way so I’m so I’m not sure, but you might want to double the recipe unless you only want a very small amount of dressing 🙂 And of coarse the baking time will be different if you bake it in a pan instead of a muffin tin but I’m not sure how long it will take. Let me know how it goes!!!!

      -Cassidy

      Reply
  64. Cristi Perkins

    I made these last night and they were great. We are grain free in my house, but had a guest for dinner so I wanted to try to make something like a cornbread. Everyone like this. I did find that I will need to cook a little longer next time.

    Thank for sharing!
    Cristi

    Reply
  65. Samantha

    These muffins sound and look amazing! I’d love to give the recipe a try, and I know this isn’t how it’s written but I’m wondering if it would work in a cast iron skillet instead of a muffin pan? Any thoughts? That’s the kind of cornbread I’m craving!

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi Samantha! I’ve never tried this recipe in a cast iron skillet so I can’t say how they would turn out. I would think they would turn out but I can’t say for sure because gluten free baking can be tricky and simple changes i’m sure will work sometimes don’t, sorry! If you give it a try come back and let me know how it turned out!!!

      -Cassidy

      Reply
      • Samantha

        Ok, so I tried it in a cast iron skillet and it came out really tasty! I wish I’d have used a smaller one though, it makes kind of thin slices in a 12 inch, still delicious! I’d probably use a 10 inch skillet next time. Just melt a tablespoon or so of coconut oil/butter in the skillet, swirl it around, and then pour in the batter. Even it out and put it in the preheated oven. Baking time was still about the same. One thing I had to change, though, was adding probably close to an additional 1/2 cup of coconut milk, the batter as is was too thick to pour. That’s probably fine for muffins but for the skillet it just didn’t seem right, and after sampling the bread, I’m glad I added the additional coconut milk. It’s delicious, not dry, and slightly sweet. After letting it cool, it held together very well. I think using a 10 inch skillet would make this bread perfect! Thanks for the recipe, it’s great!

        Reply
        • Cassidy

          OH YAY!!! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out!!! I think I will try them in a cast-iron skillet next time with your recommendations 🙂

          Thanks again and I’m so happy you liked it and it worked for you!!!

          XO,
          Cassidy

          Reply
          • Samantha

            I’m so sorry, I forgot to come back and see if you replied again, it’s been a crazy week! I keep thinking about this recipe and how good it’s going to be in the fall with chili and other comfort foods! Also, I’m thinking of adding some diced peppers and maybe some diced mango or something with it. Lol… Anyway, thanks again!

  66. Erin

    Used Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour and divided amongst 8 cups instead of 9. Cooked an extra 5 minutes and these turned out beautifully! Moist, sweet and perfect compliment to the Paleo Taco Soup I made for dinner tonight!

    Reply
  67. Brielle

    I’m doing whole30 and I love these! They taste so amazing and I’m wildly impressed!

    Wondering about how many calories these are each?

    Reply
  68. Andrea

    What a great recipe! These turned out very tasty and moist! I did add a couple of tablespoons of mild, shredded cheddar and jalapeno pieces (so not quite so Paleo) and turned out great! This will definitely be my go-to muffin recipe. I can see a lot of variety to this recipe too – – more savory or sweeter. YUM! Thanks!

    Reply
  69. Melissa

    I never comment on these sites but after having these “cornbread” muffins I had to post that they are the best I’ve ever had!! My family loved them and though I was lying about them being Paleo. I’ve tried to make cornbread quite a bit and have found the ones I’ve made before we’re dry and tasteless, this recipe however is NOT and it’s a definite keeper. Thanks so much!!

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi Sue, I don’t have the nutritional content at this time but many people have been requesting that I post it so after I finish my cookbook I’m planning on adding that feature to my site 🙂 Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!!

      -Cassidy

      Reply
  72. Sarah

    Hi. These sound really tasty however I am following a keto diet. Can I use erythritol or another granualted swetener in place of the honey??

    Reply
    • Cassidy

      Hi Sarah! Unfortunately, I’ve tried replacing the honey with erythritol and it didn’t turn out – sorry. I do have a keto cornbread recipe based on this one in my new Keto Breads Cookbook though if you want to check it out! Here’s the link: Keto Breads Cookbook

      Thanks so much!
      -Cassidy

      Reply

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