Tender, moist Sourdough Corn Muffins served with optional homemade whipped honey butter. I’ve been making versions of this easy recipe for nearly 20 years, and it never lets me down.
Cornbread is one of my favorite savory bakes of all time, and these Sourdough Corn Muffins are a fun, easy adaptation. They’re soft, tender, and full of corn flavor, with optional corn kernels and sharp cheddar cheese for extra savoriness.
Sourdough discard adds a subtle tang while keeping the crumb incredibly moist and tender. This recipe is based on my tried-and-true sourdough discard cornbread recipe — a sourdough version of a family favorite I’ve been making for nearly 20 years. It’s stood the test of time for good reason!
Recipe highlights
- Super tender & moist thanks to sour cream, melted butter, & sourdough discard
- Using honey instead of sugar adds a subtle floral sweetness
- Irresistible tangy flavor from sourdough discard
- A versatile side dish for soups, chili, or breakfast
- Super easy & quick to mix by hand (ready in under 30 minutes!)
- Served with optional whipped honey butter for even more deliciousness
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: 10 mins • Bake: 15-18 mins • Total: <30 mins
🍴 Yield: 12 muffins
💪 Skill level: Beginner
😋 Flavor notes: Butter, honey, corn, sourdough tang. Pairs well with: Chili, chowders, soups, honey butter, Southwestern-inspired meals, eggs, bacon, jam, breakfast.
👉 If you enjoy this recipe, you might also like my Sourdough Discard Cornbread, Blueberry Sweet Corn Muffins, and Raspberry Lemon Sourdough Muffins.
How to make sourdough corn muffins
Find the full ingredients list and detailed recipe instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview of how to make this recipe:
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Whisk together wet ingredients: Melt your butter and remove from heat. Mix sour cream and water together thoroughly, then whisk in melted butter, honey, sourdough discard, and egg.
- Fold everything together gently: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then fold it all together gently with a spatula until a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add optional add-ins: Fold in corn & cheese, if using, mixing just until almost combined. You don’t want to over-mix!
- Bake: Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan, filling tins all the way to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and spring back when touched.
- Make honey butter: While muffins are cooling, whip soft butter, honey, and salt together until creamy and smooth. Serve warm muffins with honey butter and enjoy!
Pro baker tips for perfect corn muffins
Mix gently! To achieve super tender and light sourdough corn muffins, don’t over-mix your batter. Fold the dry and wet ingredients together gently with a spatula, and stop mixing when it’s almost combined. A slightly lumpy batter with a few flour steaks is just fine here.
Use an unfed sourdough starter. The sourdough starter in this recipe is used for flavor and its ability to make baked goods super tender. We’re not using it to make the bread rise in this case (that’s what the baking powder & soda are for). Personally, I love to use an older sourdough discard that hasn’t been fed for quite a while, because I love that super tangy flavor!
Use full-fat dairy products. Whether you’re using sour cream, plain yogurt, or buttermilk for this recipe, don’t go with low fat products! Fat is very important for lending moisture to the corn muffins. It will make your muffins super tender and soft.
Take them out of the oven as soon as they’re ready. When the tops are golden and spring back lightly when touched, they’re ready! Remember that muffins will continue to bake a little bit after you remove them from the oven. Over-baked muffins = dry muffins. If in doubt, use a digital thermometer. The internal temperature of corn muffins should be right around 200° F.
Variations
Make it cornbread: See my recipe for Sourdough Cornbread if you’d like to make this in an 8-inch pan instead of making muffins.
Switch up the add-ins: Other additions that would be delicious in these corn muffins:
- Chopped pickled jalapeños
- Green chilis
- Roasted poblano peppers
- Minced chives or green onions
- A different cheese (try pepperjack, smoked gouda, parmesan, or mozzarella)
- Chopped cooked bacon
Serving & storing
Keep your sourdough discard corn muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days (after they’re completely cool).
These little savory muffins are super versatile. Serve them alongside comfort food or simply spread them with soft honey butter (and maybe a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, YUM!).
Any meal that has Southwestern, Tex-Mex, or Southern flavors complement these muffins perfectly.
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve them:
- With chili (perfection!), corn chowder, potato soup, beef stew, or chicken tortilla soup
- As a side for comfort food, like roast chicken or smoked ribs
- With other classic Southern dishes like baked beans, collard greens, mac & cheese
- Warm with salted butter & honey
- Drizzled with maple syrup
- Spread with fruit jam or soft cheese
- Topped with whipped honey butter
- Sliced in half and toasted, served with eggs, bacon, and avocado
🍞 What to bake next: You might want to try Sourdough Bacon Cheddar Scones, or cruise through my collection of sourdough discard recipes for more inspiration!
If you make these Sourdough Corn Muffins, please leave a comment & star rating.
It means so much to me! Thank you 🙂
Sourdough Corn Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin tin and paper liners
Ingredients
Sourdough Corn Muffins
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream*
- ¼ cup milk or water
- 2 ounces (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup corn kernels (fresh, canned, or frozen), optional
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, optional
Whipped Honey Butter (optional)
- 2 ounces (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, soft, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, ¾ cup cornmeal, 1 Tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt.
- Whisk together wet ingredients: Melt 2 oz butter in a small saucepan; remove from heat. In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together ½ cup sour cream with ¼ cup water thoroughly. Whisk in the melted butter, ¼ cup honey, ½ cup sourdough discard, and egg until well combined.
- Fold everything together gently: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then fold it all together gently with a spatula until a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add optional add-ins: Fold in ¾ cup corn kernels & 1 cup grated cheese, if using, mixing just until almost combined. You don’t want to over-mix! The batter should be a little bit lumpy.
- Bake: Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan, filling tins all the way to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and spring back when touched.
- Make honey butter: While muffins are cooling, whip 2 oz soft butter, 2 Tbsp honey, and ⅛ tsp salt together until creamy and completely smooth. Serve warm muffins with honey butter and enjoy!
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
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