Vegan Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins

The perfect fluffy vegan jalapeno cornbread muffins to serve up at parties or alongside a cozy soup! This recipe is foolproof, dairy-free, takes just 10 minutes to make, and freezes beautifully.
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Two vegan cornbread muffins with jalapeno stacked on a white plate.
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If you’re a fan of cornbread, you’re going to love these vegan cornbread muffins! They’re insanely easy to make—we’re talkin’ just a few minutes of active work—and are very budget friendly. They store beautifully in the freezer so they’re also great for weekend batch cooking and meal prep. And did we mention they’re absolutely delicious? They’ve been tested in many kitchens with 5-star reviews across the board.

Whether you’re getting into the fall or winter baking spirit, serving these up on Thanksgiving or at holiday parties, pairing with a chunky warming soup, or enjoying them during football season for game-day gatherings, these are perfect literally any time.

These are a spicy spin on the vegan cornbread recipe from The Friendly Vegan Cookbook. My husband always calls dibs on the corner pieces of cornbread, so I thought I’d try spooning the cornbread batter into muffin tins so every one could be like a corner piece.

And guess what? The vegan cornbread batter transitioned from bread to muffins perfectly. It even makes a perfect dozen muffins. And they got even better with an added kick of spice from diced jalapeño.

These vegan jalapeño cornbread muffins check every box, so gather up the ingredients and let’s start baking!

Vegan cornbread muffin up close with jalapenos and corn kernels scattered around it.

Star Vegan Cornbread Ingredients

Ground Flaxseeds (Flaxmeal)

Instead of eggs, we’re using our go-to alternative: ground flaxseeds mixed with water. You can find ground flaxseed meal at the grocery store and it’s one of those staple ingredients I always have in my kitchen (store them in the fridge). This recipe calls for two tablespoons of ground flaxseeds mixed with water, and when you let that sit for several minutes, it will thicken and gel up slightly and will act just like eggs in the recipe.

Cornmeal

This is cornbread after all, so of course we’ll need cornmeal! Cornmeal is essentially ground up dried corn. It’s a more course grain than flower, but combines beautifully with all-purpose flour in this recipe (1:1 ratio) to create the perfect vegan cornbread muffins.

Ingredients for jalapeno cornbread muffins with labels.

Jalapeños

Jalapeños kick up this cornbread with a nice dose of spice! Definitely remove the seeds before dicing up your jalapeños though unless you want really spicy bread. The majority of the spice of these peppers reside in the seeds—but even with the seeds removed there’s a good amount of spice the muffins!

Corn Kernels 

These are optional but they do add a nice textural element to the muffins, so I prefer adding them in. You can use frozen corn kernels or canned corn. If using canned corn, strain them fully before adding (you can even pat them dry so they don’t add extra liquid to the recipe).

Simple Ingredient Swaps

Not A Fan of Spice?

If you’re not a jalapeño lover, simply leave them out. I’ve made this recipe without jalapeño many times and it’s absolutely delicious! The recipe (minus the jalapeño) stays the same.

Make It Cheesy!

Have a hankering for some cheesy goodness? If you can get your paws on a some vegan cheddar cheese, feel free to shred it up and mix it in with the jalapeño and corn kernels in Step 4.

Add A Little Extra Veggies

If you have any leftover zucchini, consider adding it to the muffin batter for an extra healthy base and added moisture. Check out this vegan zucchini muffin recipe for inspiration!

Share Your Creations

Did you make this recipe? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a star rating and comment below or tag us on social media (@vegan on Instagram and @worldofvegan on Twitter) sharing your creations. Cheers!

Sliced open inside of a vegan jalapeno cornbread muffin.

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Fresh baked dairy-free cornbread muffins scattered on a table with jalapeno peppers.
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Vegan Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins

Author: Michelle Cehn
5 from 8 votes
These vegan cornbread muffins are so easy to make. You can get them prepped and in the oven in 10 minutes if you work fast! They’re delicious any time of year, but we particularly love making these jalapeño cornbread muffins in the fall—and especially on Thanksgiving! This recipe is a spinoff of our beloved vegan cornbread recipe from The Friendly Vegan Cookbook, where you can find lots of other delicious plant-powered dishes.  
Two vegan cornbread muffins with jalapeno stacked on a white plate.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
  • ¼ cup water, plus 1 tablespoon
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder, plus 1 teaspoon
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 cup soymilk, unsweetened, plain (other plant milks will work too)
  • 2 jalapeños, seeds discarded and diced
  • ¼ cup corn kernels, frozen or canned, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and lightly grease a muffin pan (or line with one dozen cupcake liners). 
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed meal and water. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
  • Pour the canola oil, soy milk, flaxseed meal mixture, diced jalapeño, and corn kernels into the large bowl, and mix by hand until combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges of the top become golden brown and a toothpick pierced into the center of a muffin comes out clean. 
  • Remove from the  oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

These cornbread muffins freeze beautifully, so if you have extras (or make them in advance), simply store them in the freezer in a sealed container and thaw and allow to return to room temperature before enjoying. 

Nutrition

Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 318mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 104IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 1mg
Course — Baked Good, Bread, Breakfast or Snack, Sides
Cuisine — American
Love this Recipe? Leave a Rating!And follow @Vegan on Instagram for more.

These vegan cornbread muffins are adapted from the vegan cornbread recipe in The Friendly Vegan Cookbook by Toni Okamoto and Michelle Cehn. Photos by Kaylie Grace. Recipe and photos copyright of World of Vegan. 

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15 comments
  1. Do you think olive oil would work in place of canola oil?

  2. Linda M Ross says:

    What can I use to replace the oil?

    • Hi Linda! This recipe has not been tested with a substitute so unfortunately we cannot guarantee results. However, here are some suggestions that could work, although they will change the texture and flavor: vegetable shortening or vegan butter will be your best bet. You could also potentially use pureed avocado for an oil-free option but you’ll want to make sure it’s completely ripe and add 1-2 tablespoons of extra soy milk as needed if the batter is too dry. If you try any of these suggestions, please let us know how it turns out!

  3. 5 stars
    These were so good! I followed the recipe just as it’s posted and the muffins turned out great.

  4. Excited to try! Might do them in mini-muffin tins to get more bite sized pieces. Anyone know if I should change the cook time at all?

    • Hi Pam!! Just saw this 🙂 Yep, mini muffins won’t take quite as long to bake. Just keep an eye on them and do the toothpick test to make sure it comes out clean! Hope you love them 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    my family loved these vegan cornbread muffins!!

  6. Cornbread is a staple at holiday dinners for my family so I’m going to give these a go next time

  7. Beatriz Buono-Core says:

    5 stars
    Oh my! These little Jalapeño cornbread muffins are insanely good! The absolute best companion to my favorite vegan chili recipe 🙂

  8. 5 stars
    My family loved them! We can’t wait to make them again!

  9. 5 stars
    I was so excited to see this recipe! Cornbread is my favorite holiday treat. I love spicy food, especially jalapenos, so I’m thrilled to get both cornbread and spiciness in one recipe. I love the texture of this particular cornbread and the hot pepper just makes it perfect. Excellent!

  10. 5 stars
    I know for a fact that these are going to be a hit for the fam this Christmas! Thanks for this recipe!!!

  11. 5 stars
    I’m not sure there’s ever been an easier way to make cornbread! I can already smell it and I’m already drooling!

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