Traditional cornbread gets a gluten free twist in these oat flour corn bread muffins. A great side dish to chilis, soups, stews, salads and more, this version was a crowd pleaser among taste testers who couldn't tell that there was no wheat flour in this easy recipe.
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Allow me to introduce you to my favorite homemade cornbread recipe and quite possibly the best cornbread muffins you'll ever taste!
In my quest to create the best recipes using oat flour in place of regular (like cookies and muffins), I decided to play around with this swap in my go-to easy cornbread recipe and I was SO pleased with the results!
And I suspect you'll love them too (and how easy they are to whip up!).
Made from simple ingredients you probably even have on hand right now, this slightly sweet cornbread is the perfect side dish for just about anything. (As is a slice of oat flour bread).
While it is obviously a great option served with chili and hearty stews, it is also excellent alongside a Santa Fe salad or even with a frittata for breakfast.
The Ingredients
- Yellow Cornmeal- Another type of cornmeal can be used but don't use corn flour. Wondering about the difference between cornmeal vs corn flour? Check out this article.
- Oat Flour- If you need to ensure that the recipe is GF, use certified gluten-free oats/gluten-free oat flour.
- To Measure Oat Flour: If you have a kitchen scale, that is best for most accurate measurements of oat flour. But if you are measuring by hand, I have found that I can consistently achieve 120 g per cup of oat flour by scooping the oat flour into a measuring cup, lightly packing it down and then levelling off the top. See this oat flour muffin tips post for more details.
- Baking Powder
- Sea Salt- Table or kosher salt can be substituted.
- Apple Cider Vinegar- Lemon juice will also work.
- Water- Or your choice of dairy or dairy-free milk.
- Butter- Both salted and unsalted work well. For dairy free, you can use melted coconut oil or olive oil but if you can, I encourage using butter for best results and flavor!
- Honey- I strongly recommend using honey but maple syrup will also work. If you need to use a granulated sweetener you could experiment with substituting brown sugar, white sugar or coconut sugar and then also increasing the butter to 6 tablespoons- I haven't tested this though.
- Eggs
The Method
1. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, oat flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Mix wet ingredients. Melt the butter in a small bowl and set aside for 3-5 minutes to allow it to cool slightly. In a medium bowl mix the butter with water, vinegar, honey and eggs.
3. Combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Mix until just combined.
4. Divide into muffins. Line a 12 count muffin pan with paper or silicone liners. Divide the batter evenly among them, filling each about ¾ full.
5. Bake. Bake at 425 F for 14-18 minutes until the centers of these gluten free cornbread muffins bounce back slightly when pressed and a toothpick poked in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs.
6. Serve.
Leftovers and Storage
To Store: Cool completely and store leftover oat flour cornbread muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: Rewarm in the microwave for 20-30 seconds if desired.
Make it Your Own
Make it a quick bread: If you would rather bake it as a tray than as individual muffins, line a 9x9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and pour the batter into an even layer. Increase the baking time to 18-23 minutes.
Add more flavors: Jazz up your savory cornbread by stirring some of the following into the dry ingredients (up to 1 cup of):
- Bacon bits
- Shredded cheese such as cheddar
- Chopped Herbs such as chives, rosemary or thyme
- Diced jalapeño
Serving Ideas
This healthy cornbread recipe is the perfect accompaniment to:
- Chili
- Santa Fe Salad
- Chorizo, Rice and Beans Skillet
- Potato Soup
- Pumpkin Chicken Soup with Rice
- Greek Yogurt Frittata
And if you end up with leftover cornbread, try making it into croutons.
For most consistent results, I recommend using store-bought oat flour in this recipe.
And if you liked this recipe...
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Recipe Card
Oat Flour Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup butter melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 °F.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl and set aside for 3-5 minutes to allow it to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, oat flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium bowl mix the butter with water, vinegar, honey and eggs.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Mix until just combined.
- Line a 12 count muffin pan with paper or silicone liners. Divide the batter evenly among them, filling each about ¾ full.
- Bake for 14-18 minutes until the centers bounce back slightly when pressed and a toothpick poked in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Serve warm with extra butter and honey.
Notes
Nutrition
Want to learn more about oat flour? Check out these resources!
Marie says
This cornbread is so good! We made it to have with chili on the weekend and it was the perfect side.
Janessa says
I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe, Sam! Thank you for your kind review.
Raquel says
Wow i’m shocked with the texture!! Truly like cornbread! I think next time I will add zero calorie sugar to make mine sweeter because I tend to love my cornbread on the sweeter side 😉 thanks, can’t wait to try your other oat flour recipes!
Janessa says
I'm so glad that you liked this recipe, Raquel! Thank you for your kind review.
Mary Bungert says
Can you do this recipe in a 8x8 pan?
Janessa says
Yes, that should work!
Christy says
These cornbread muffins were very good. Usually don’t care for sweet cornbread, but these were just slightly sweet and my family liked them.
Janessa says
I'm so glad that you liked this recipe! Thank you for your kind review, Christy.
Banana says
Really good and even better with chili! Our family loved it soooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am only 9 and your cornbread was easy and yummy!!!!!!
Janessa says
I'm so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you for your review!!
Fran says
The cornbread would not stick together so I ended up with corn-crumbs which were very tasty. I followed the recipe and used water. Can you suggest any ways to remedy
Janessa says
Hi Fran, oh no! I'm sorry to hear the recipe didn't turn out quite as expected. Did you use measuring cups or weigh the ingredients? Oat flour can be a bit finicky so I find that the best way to get results is to weigh the ingredients. Alternatively, next time you make them, you can replace 1/4 cup of water with an additional egg to help with binding. Hope they turn out better next time!
Becky says
This is my new favorite way to make cornbread! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Janessa says
I'm so glad you liked it, Becky!