Cheddar Bacon Cornbread Muffins

5 from 2 votes

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Soft and crumbly, Cheddar Bacon Cornbread Muffins are filled with a delicious blend of flavors. You won’t believe how easy these muffins are to make! Whether you serve them on their own or with your favorite cook-out dishes they are sure to be a hit.

baked cheddar bacon cornbread muffins on the counter.

Cornbread muffins are a tasty snack that practically melt in your mouth with each crumbly bite. By adding bacon, cheese, and green onions, you are creating the cornbread muffin of your dreams! This recipe might seem complicated, but it is extremely easy to follow. All you’ll do is combine the wet and dry ingredients separately until combined, then mix the two together, add cheese, and the muffins are ready for the oven! 

The savory bacon pairs great with the sharp cheddar cheese and tangy sour cream. The flavors are so rich that these muffins can be served on their own, or as an easy side dish to soup or chili. However you serve them, you will not be able to get enough of these cheddar bacon cornbread muffins!

baked cheddar bacon cornbread muffins stacked on a round white plate.

17 Best Cornbread Recipes Ever!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • These muffins are great on their own or served as a side dish.
  • The bacon, green onion, and cheese fill each bite with tons of flavor.
  • Using a muffin tin turns this cornbread into perfectly portioned sizes.

Recipe Ingredients

portion bowls each with labeled raw ingredients to make cheddar bacon cornbread muffins.
  • Flour—All-purpose.
  • Yellow Cornmeal—Helps give your muffins that classic cornbread flavor and texture.
  • Eggs—To bind all of the ingredients together.
  • Bacon—You can also use turkey bacon. Make sure it is finely chopped.
  • Sour Cream—Adds moisture and a little bit of tang. If you don’t have sour cream you can use plain Greek yogurt.
  • Whole Milk—To hold in the moisture of the muffins. 
  • Sugar—Enhances the flavor of the cornmeal.
  • Butter—Melted.
  • Green Onions—A mild, fresh flavor to balance the rich cornbread.
  • Sharp Cheddar Cheese—Shredded.
  • Baking Powder and Soda—To help the muffins rise as they bake. 
  • Salt—Just a pinch to bring all of the flavors together.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Cheddar Bacon Cornbread Muffins

clear mixing bowl in the process of making cheddar bacon cornbread muffins.
clear mixing bowl in the process of making cheddar bacon cornbread muffins.

Step #1. Preheat the oven and grease your muffin tin. In a bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until combined. 

Step #2. In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, sugar, melted butter, and eggs. Whisk again until well combined. 

clear mixing bowl in the process of making cheddar bacon cornbread muffins.
cheesy savory bacon cornbread muffins in the tin.

Step #3. Add the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture and gently fold them together with a rubber spatula. Add the bacon, green onions, and 1 ½ cups of the cheddar. Mix until just combined. 

Step #4. Portion the batter to fill the muffin tins. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese over the top of each muffin. Bake until golden brown. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to further cool. 

Recipe FAQs

Is there a difference between white and yellow cornmeal?

The main difference between white and yellow cornmeal is their color! White cornmeal comes from white corn and yellow cornmeal from yellow corn. The two are often used interchangeably so if you don’t have yellow then feel free to use white cornmeal in this recipe, either will work. Some people notice that yellow cornmeal has a slightly stronger corn flavor whereas white cornmeal has a delicate and more subtle flavor, but it is hardly noticeable in a recipe such as these tasty muffins! 

How can I prevent my muffins from being dense?

If you want your muffins to be light and fluffy, be careful not to overmix your batter when you combine the wet and dry ingredients. Because of the flour, the longer you mix the more dense the muffins will be when they are done cooking. Also keep an eye on the muffins when they are in the oven and do not overbake them. Once you see they are golden brown, take them out and allow them to cool. These steps will guarantee you get fluffy and airy cornbread muffins every time!  

baked cheddar bacon cornbread muffins on a wooden board.

How to Serve and Store Cheddar Bacon Cornbread Muffins 

Cheddar bacon cornbread muffins are bursting with flavor, and taste wonderful on their own. But, you can also serve these muffins with butter to spread on top as a snack or appetizer. They also go great as a side to meatloaf, chili, or easy baked chicken legs

Since these muffins have bacon in them, you should store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can refresh the muffins in the oven at 300°F for 10 minutes, or heat them up in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time until warm. 

Expert Tips

  • To add a little bit of spice to your muffins, you can use pepper jack cheese and throw in some chopped jalapenos! 
  • We will use a 12 cup muffin tin for this recipe, but you can really use any size! Just be sure to portion the batter properly into your tin. If you are making mini muffins, you will need to lower the cooking time by 3 or 4 minutes. 
  • You can check that your muffins are done by inserting a toothpick to the middle of one or two. If the toothpick comes out clean then they are fully cooked. 
  • If you want to take your muffins to the next level, shred the cheddar cheese yourself! Pre-shredded cheese is quick and handy, but can tend to not melt as well as if you were to shred it from a block. 
pumpkin cornbread muffins baked into the tin.

More Cornbread Recipes To Consider

baked cheddar bacon cornbread muffins on the counter.
5 from 2 votes

Cheddar Bacon Corn Muffins

These Cheddar Bacon Cornbread Muffins are tender savory muffins that combine three of my favorite things: cheese, bacon, and cornbread. This corn muffin recipe is perfect as a side for dinner or even a quick breakfast!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
  • 3-4 green onions thinly sliced, about 1/4 cup
  • 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups) I used Cabot Farmhouse Reserve and highly recommend finding it!
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a 12-cup muffin tin well.
  • In a large bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to combine.
  • In a medium bowl combine the sour cream, milk, sugar, melted butter and eggs together. Whisk until well combined.
  • Add the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture and gently fold them together using a rubber spatula. Do not over mix. Add the bacon, green onions, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar. Mix until just combined.
  • Portion out the batter to fill the 12 cups of the muffin tin and then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top of each muffin. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean,15 to 20 minutes.
  • Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove them to a write rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Because these have bacon in them, store any extras in an airtight container in the fridge. Refresh muffins in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 12 muffins, Calories: 361kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 481mg, Potassium: 145mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 607IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 203mg, Iron: 2mg
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5 from 2 votes

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11 Comments

  1. Lori says:

    Hi,
    Do you think this recipe could made into a bread instead of muffins?
    Thanks!

    1. Melissa says:

      Ohh great idea, I do think it would work great!

  2. Tammy Bull says:

    5 stars
    Wow! These are amazing!!
    I made some vegetable soup earlier in the week and decided it needed something warm and savoury to go with it. So I searched for bacon cheddar scruffins and found these gems. I am so glad I had everything I needed to make them right away! Great recipe and a great site. I only wish I could figure out how to share a picture.

  3. Jessica says:

    5 stars
    My daughter and I entered a cornbread baking contest with this recipe at corn festival and got 1st place !!! Thank you

    1. Melissa says:

      Way to go!!! That’s SO exciting! And I love that you came back to leave a comment and share the excitement with me. Happy Corn Festival Cornbread Baking Contest win to YOU!

  4. Pam Lutz says:

    I hopped on Pinterest looking for a corn muffin to complement my ham and bean soup. I found these. I halved the recipe since they were just for Hubby and myself. These are amazing! I used light sour cream and 2% milk and they still came out perfectly. I’ll definitely be making these again. Thanks for this recipe!

  5. ajf54 says:

    I’ve made these several times, we love them. Very versatile – I double the recipe and freeze the extras to have with soup later. This summer when the garden was over-full of zucchini, I grated a couple, squeezed the water out and added it to the batter. They were great that way too. Thanks for the recipe!

  6. heathersfp says:

    wishing I had one {or two} to go with my soup this afternoon}

  7. realfoodbydad says:

    These look incredible, my boys would love these too!

  8. Janet says:

    Pinned ๐Ÿ™‚ These look delicious!! Thanks for the recipe.

  9. Candace @ Cabot says:

    Oh my…these look so perfect for a fall meal. Breakfast, lunch or dinner! I love the little cheesy bits escaping from the side.