Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins

Rich cheddar and crispy bacon bits are the perfect cornbread pairing in these soft and fluffy bacon cheddar cornbread muffins.

Cornbread is getting a serious upgrade today! In the direction of mini form and yep, bacon and cheddar are invited to the party.

We’re talking soft as heck cornbread base stuffed with gooey cheddar and crispy bacon bits, folks. Life can’t get better than this.

Your chili game needs this goodness, case closed.

The batter for these muffins couldn’t be simpler to whip up and no fancy ingredients required! Cornbread should be simple and that’s exactly how we’re rolling today.

These Cornbread Muffins feature…

• Crispy bacon bits and rich cheddar cheese
• A soft and moist texture
• A quick batter that comes together in minutes

Making the Cornbread Muffins

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

• Honey
• Eggs
• Vegetable oil
• Greek yogurt
• Buttermilk
• All-purpose flour
• Cornmeal
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Kosher salt
• Bacon
• Cheddar cheese

Quick Bread Instructions

These muffins can easily be converted to a quick bread version. Assemble the batter and scrape into a greased or parchment paper-lined 9×5 loaf pan. Bake bread at 375F 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow bread to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before removing from pan and slicing.

Tips for Perfect Cornbread Muffins

1. Measure flour correctly – I use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
2. Gently fold batter – use a light hand when mixing batter and gently fold so as not to overmix.
3. Fill muffin cups to brim with batter – this will make for tall muffins.
4. Bake muffins at 400F 5 minutes then reduce heat to 375F – this short blast of heat at the beginning helps the muffins rise nice and tall.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on these muffins.

• Skip the bacon – for a vegetarian-friendly muffin, omit the bacon.
• Use a different cheese – try a sharp cheddar cheese, gouda, mozzarella, Parmesan, or asiago.
• Add fresh herbs – try folding in a handful of minced chives or dill.

Storing and Freezing Muffins

Allow muffins to cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.

To freeze muffins, allow to cool completely, then wrap well and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw muffins completely at room temperature and store up to 4 days.

The bacon + cheddar combo really do take these cornbread muffins to new heights! So soft, moist, and bursting with goodness.

Your bowl of chili’s new BFF right here.

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

Try these other muffin favorites next!

• Coffee Cake Muffins
• Lemon Lavender Blueberry Muffins
• Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 2/13/25.