This twist on traditional cornbread is the perfect complement to a cup of soup or scrambled eggs.

The combination of pumpkin, corn and honey keeps the muffins moist with a touch of sweetness. These healthy homemade muffins are great with breakfast, as a simple addition to a school lunch or a great side for dinner. They’re freezer-friendly, making it easy to pull one out the night before.

Real ingredients

The holidays wouldn’t be complete without cornbread muffins. They’re wonderfully light, slightly crumbly, and just a tad sweet—and are the perfect complement to any meal. The problem is, most versions don’t use real food ingredients. Instead, they use ingredients like store-bought Jiffy cornbread mix, white flour, refined sugar and vegetable oils.

That’s the beauty of this recipe. It uses all FfL-friendly, real food ingredients. It takes the guesswork out of knowing if your muffins are a healthy addition to your holiday meal or nothing more than a real-food imposter.

Why fine grind cornmeal?

We’ve tried this recipe with both medium and fine grind cornmeal. What we’ve found is the finer the grind of the cornmeal, the lighter and fluffier the muffin. We try to only buy organic cornmeal. Our favorite brand has consistently been Arrowhead Mills Organic Cornmeal. It can be purchased on Amazon, is organic and fine grind, Win, win, win!

How can I make a vegan option?

For a vegan option: (Keep in mind that it will change the texture and flavor slightly.)

• use coconut oil in place of butter
• in a measuring cup, combine 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk with 3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, stir and set aside. This can be used in place of milk.
• substitute the egg with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of ground flax and 3 tablespoons of water

Can I add a little orange zest?

Sure! If you’re in the mood for a little zing of zesty flavor, stir 1 tablespoon of orange zest into the batter.

Some other delicious flavors to add:

• 1 cup of shredded cheese, such as gruyere or cheddar
• 4 strips of crumbled bacon
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 finely chopped jalapeño + 3/4 cup cheese
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

If you (or someone in your family) prefers a dessert-like cornbread.

If you prefer your muffins to be on the sweeter side of things (or more dessert-like), drizzle a small amount of honey on top of your warm muffins immediately before serving.

The turkey may be the main event, but offering an array of amazing side dishes will keep your guests FULL and happy this Thanksgiving.

These muffins are the perfect way to put a spin on traditional cornbread and are sure to complement your Thanksgiving dinner. We hope your family enjoys them as much as ours does.