Full of Southwestern flair and flavor, these healthy Jalapeño Corn Muffins are so unbelievably delicious, you won’t want to stop eating them. Perfectly fluffy, packed with exceptional yumminess, and topped with a pickled jalapeño sends these savory muffins over the top to flavor town! An awesome accompaniment to any dish, making them the ultimate Whole Food Plant Based corn muffin! Vegan, no oil, no refined sugar, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.
Hi! Robin here.
I simply adore cornbread and corn muffins. In my previous life, I made a very mean cornbread that was a family favorite. Of course, it was filled with sugar, butter, eggs, buttermilk, and lard. Egad!
I am almost ashamed to elaborate more; however, since going WFPB Vegan, I feel obliged to share with you my past transgressions so I can also share with you that I have seen the light and have come over to the light side of wholesome plant-based eating!
Corn Muffins
Who doesn’t love a tasty corn muffin, right? I mean, they are just so gosh-darn good. They taste like bites of golden rays of sun-shiny corn heaven!
I had been working on these babies for a couple of weeks trying to get them just right. I won’t go into all the boring details of trying to bake these babies into perfection, but let’s just say, they were a tad bit challenging as I needed a good replacement for the lard.
Small Batch vs Large Batch
I divided the recipe into two options, the small batch vs the large batch simply because they should be consumed within a few days after baking to maintain their perfect texture.
After a couple of days of sitting on the counter (the tiny few that remain), they tend to get slightly gummy (due to lack of preservatives and added veggies); however, if you eat them right away (within 2 days) they are pure perfection even if I do say so myself! LOL
Chris, Katie, and Charlotte
My son, Chris, his wife, Katie, and their daughter, Charlotte, came to visit it us this past week. I was in seventh heaven. I love when they come to visit us (or when we visit them). I miss them all so much.
They live on the other side of the continent (slight exaggeration, but that is how it feels – LOL ), so we don’t get to see them as often as we would like. I was eager to test many new recipes on them while they visited.
They all loved these Jalapeño Corn Muffins. We weren’t sure if Charlotte would like them or not, but she scarfed them down too! They don’t pack a lot of heat, but they definitely give you that perfect jalapeno flavor that we all love so much.
Charlotte has already developed an exceptional love for veggies, spice, heat, and noodles of all kinds. My granddaughter loves spicy foods just like her parents. She will typically try anything you give to her, which is awesome!
We all enjoyed this golden corn muffin deliciousness along with our Tex-Mex Chili Mac. Such a great combo, you must try it!
This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.
Ameera here!
I love these Jalapeño Corn Muffins. They are super tasty! The pickled jalapeño topper is the real kicker.
Some of the pickling juice from the jalapeño kinda bakes right into the top of the corn muffin leaving behind this super tasty flavor that really brings the whole muffin together. While you can certainly leave out the pickled jalapeño topper, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Also, just as a note, using a fresh jalapeño slice on the top will work as well, but the pickled jalapeño is the bomb. And, if you are concerned about what you will do with the rest of the pickled jalapeños, then try making our Pickled Jalapeño Hummus, oh-my-goodness – sooooo gosh darn tasty.
We also have another delicious recipe coming out soon that uses pickled jalapeños, so no worries at all about using them up. We got you covered! 😉
We hope you give these lovelies a try, you will be singing an ode to their tastiness!
Serving:
Makes 7 – 8 corn muffins (or 15 to 16 muffins) depending on which recipe version you use.
Products Used:
- Muffin baking pan
- Paper muffin liners
For small batches:
Print
Jalapeno Corn Muffins
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 34 minutes
- Yield: 8 Muffins 1x
- Category: Side
Description
Full of Southwestern flair and flavor, these healthy Jalapeño Corn Muffins are so unbelievably delicious, you won’t want to stop eating them. Perfectly fluffy, packed with exceptional yumminess, and topped with a pickled jalapeño sends these savory muffins over the top to flavor town! An awesome accompaniment to any dish, making them the ultimate Whole Food Plant Based corn muffin! Vegan, no oil, no refined sugar, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients for 8 corn muffins:
- ¾ cup cornmeal *
- ¼ cup almond flour *
- ¼ cup brown rice flour
- 1 Tablespoon organic cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon sea salt *
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients for 8 corn muffins:
- 1/8 cup unsweetened almond butter
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons organic maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon tahini
- 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened plain plant milk
Other Ingredients for 8 corn muffins:
- 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
- 2 large green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ yellow (or red or orange) bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ cup frozen corn, thawed
- 8 pickled mild jalapeno slices (optional) *
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the oven racks towards the middle, avoiding the lower oven rack placement.
- Line a muffin baking pan with 8 muffin paper liners. Set aside.
- Place all the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Place all the wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Stir well until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Then add the diced jalapeno peppers, sliced scallions, diced bell pepper, and thawed corn, mix until well combined, but do not overmix the batter.
- Fill the muffin baking pan (with paper liners) to nearly the top up the muffin liner sides. The batter will rise slightly so do not overfill. Then place one mild pickled jalapeno pepper slice on top of each muffin, push down slightly to secure into the batter.
- Place the muffin baking pan into a preheated 375 F oven and bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. It is OK if there are a few crumbs on the toothpick, but it should not be gooey.
- Once out of the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins from the muffin baking pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Allowing the muffins to rest for 10 minutes allows them to firm up in texture.
- Serve warm.
Notes
*Pickled Jalapeno Peppers: We used Mezzetta Deli-Sliced Tamed Jalapeno Peppers for the optional toppers.
*Cornmeal: We used Bob’s Red Mill Medium Grind Cornmeal)
*Almond Flour: This recipe was specifically designed to use almond flour. We have not tested nor can offer any substitutions.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Serving: Makes 7 – 8 corn muffins
*Storage: Use within 2 days.
For large batches:
Print Jalapeno Corn Muffin
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 34 minutes
- Yield: 15 Muffins 1x
- Category: Sides
Description
Full of Southwestern flair and flavor, these healthy Jalapeño Corn Muffins are so unbelievably delicious, you won’t want to stop eating them. Perfectly fluffy, packed with exceptional yumminess, and topped with a pickled jalapeño sends these savory muffins over the top to flavor town! An awesome accompaniment to any dish, making them the ultimate Whole Food Plant Based corn muffin! Vegan, no oil, no refined sugar, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients for 15 corn muffins:
- 1 ½ cups cornmeal (we used Bob’s Red Mill Medium Grind Cornmeal)
- ½ cup almond flour, lightly packed
- ½ cup brown rice flour
- 2 Tablespoons organic corn starch
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients for 15 corn muffins:
- ¼ cup organic, unsweetened almond butter
- ½ cup organic, unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup pure organic maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons tahini
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup + 1/8 cup unsweetened plain plant milk (we used almond milk)
Other Ingredients for 15 corn muffins:
- 2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
- 5 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow (or red or orange) bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- Optional: 15 (to 16) pickled mild jalapeno slices (Mezzetta Deli-Sliced Tamed Jalapeno Peppers)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the oven racks towards the middle, avoiding the lower oven rack placement.
- Line 2 muffin baking sheets with 15 (to 16) muffin paper liners. Set aside.
- Place all the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Place all the wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Stir well until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Then add the diced jalapeno peppers, sliced scallions, diced bell pepper, and thawed corn, mix until well combined, but do not overmix the batter.
- Fill the muffin baking sheets (with paper liners) to nearly the top up the muffin liner sides. The batter will rise slightly so do not overfill. Then place one mild pickled jalapeno pepper slice on top of each muffin, push down slightly to secure into the batter.
- Place the muffin baking sheets into a preheated 375 F oven and bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. It is OK if there are a few crumbs on the toothpick, but it should not be gooey. Note, if both muffin sheets do not fit onto one center oven rack, then rotate the muffin sheets from bottom to top racks and vice-versa half-way through.
- Once out of the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins from the muffin baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Allowing the muffins to rest for 10 minutes allows them to firm up in texture.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Please see additional notes on the smaller batch of corn muffins
*Almond Flour: This recipe was specifically designed to use almond flour. We have not tested nor can offer any substitutions.
*Serving: Makes 15 to 16 corn muffins
*Storage: Use within 2 days.
Storage: Use within 2 days.
This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.
These were fantastic! Made them to go with the black bean potato stew. I’m not typically a corn bread lover even though I love corn. Corn bread to me is often dry and doesn’t have enough flavor. But these are the real deal! Moist and so flavorful. Loved all the veggies in them. I have no idea how you knew to add almond meal and rice flour to the corn meal, but it definitely worked. A few of mine crumbled a bit when removing them from the (silicone) muffin liners, but no big deal. Made mine exactly as you wrote… Read more »
Hi there Ellen 🙂
Awesome!!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed these muffins! We love adding them to Southwestern dishes like the Black Bean Potato Stew – YUM! Almond meal and rice flour are definitely our go to WFPB flours. They were really well and pair well with the cornmeal. We appreciate all your wonderful feedback and how this recipe turned out for you! Thank you so much for taking the time to write; we truly appreciate it!
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Could I substitute jarred jalapenos for the fresh? How much chopped jalapenos would I use?
Hi there Gabrielle 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us! Using the jarred jalapenos might work, the muffins just might have a slightly gummy texture as the jarred jalapenos have soaked up a lot of brine. You’d want to make sure that you wring all the liquid out. If you try it, we’d love to hear how they turn out!
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Do you think we could sub cashew butter for the tahini?
Hi there L Demarco 🙂
We have not tried this substitute, but we think that it would work. If you give it a try, we’d love to hear how they turn out. Thank you so much!
– Ameera and Robin 🙂
Hello..I’m on a sugar free diet right now.. can I just skip the maple syrup..? I’ll add more milk instead..will that work ?
Hi there Mindful Mom 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us! We aren’t quite sure how the recipe will turn out without the maple syrup. It’s a delicate balance when baking without gluten and oil. If you give it a try, we would love to hear how it turns out. Thank you so much.
– Ameera and Robin 🙂
First, I want to thank you for your website and delicious recipes! My wife and I have been WFPB since July 1 and are loving it. Not nearly as difficult as we thought. Being from the south, cornbread is a staple, especially in the cooler months when soups and chili are a regular on the menu. I have to admit going from my mother’s recipe with about 6 ingredients to this was a little overwhelming at first. Plus, some of the ingredients were just puzzling….like almond butter(which I love!) but could not fathom in cornbread. I was tempted to make… Read more »
Hi there Margaret 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words about our website and recipes! We are so glad that you gave this recipe a try, and beyond thrilled that you and your guests enjoyed it! We can totally see going from a regular cornbread to a WFPB gluten free cornbread can definitely be a little of a shock. We use a lot of different ingredients like almond butter to compensate for the lack of eggs/dairy/fat that is typically found in a traditional cornbread. Thank you so much for sharing with us how you made this recipe your… Read more »
Hi! Do you think this would work baked in a pan like traditional cornbread instead of muffins? If so, any adjustments you’d recommend?
Hi there Wes 🙂
We recommend this recipe in a muffin tray as it could possibly get too gummy in a larger pan/dish. We have not tested this recipe in one large pan, so we do not have any adjustments/recommendations for you. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it went.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
These look so good! I’m planing on making them to go with my WFPB Red Beans and Rice dish. The recipe sounds wonderful as is, but since there are no issues with gluten in my family, how do you think this would work with regular all purpose flour? Since I don’t bake often, I’d rather not overstock my pantry with flours I very rarely use, unless using regular flour will ruin the recipe. Thanks in advance.
Hi there Analia 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words about this recipe. We completely understand not wanting to purchase gluten free flours when you don’t use them; however, this recipe was specifically designed with those gluten free flours in mind. Changing any of the ingredients will have a large impact on texture and taste. We do not have any recommendations for substitutions.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
These were so good, they did not last long. I subbed cashew butter for almond butter. Loved all the veggies in them, delicious!
Hi there Etha 🙂
Yaaaay!!! We are so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. We appreciate you sharing your adjustments, awesome feedback, and for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
These are my go to cornbread muffins. I freeze them and pop out a couple to have with soup and chili. I’ve used jarred jalapeños as well as fresh, it doesn’t matter, still delis!
Hi there Patti,
YAYYYY!!! We are so happy that this recipe is your “Go To” for cornbread muffins. Thank you so much for taking time to leave an awesome review. We sincerely appreciate it.
-Ameera and Robin