Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins
Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins are easy cornbread muffins with sweet butternut squash flavor. They’re a great way to change up traditional cornbread!
I’ve been bombarding you with Christmas sweets and I feel kind of bad…so here are some healthier but extra delicious cornbread muffins!
Because we can’t live on Christmas cookies alone. 🙂
Cornbread can be on the dry side, but these cornbread muffins are special. The butternut squash makes them nice and moist, and who can resist that beautiful color?
One bite will fool you into thinking that these aren’t healthy, and I love that. We wouldn’t want to sacrifice cornbread with a tender crumb for cardboard would we?
Trust me, there’s no worrying about that here. 🙂
I incorporated sweet potato puree in in my Sweet Potato Biscuits with rave reviews, so it was about time I did something like that with butternut squash.
I can’t believe I’ve never baked with butternut squash puree before, because I use it like crazy! Normally I roast the butternut squash and puree it myself, but I spied cans of butternut squash puree at Whole Foods and scooped some up.
Store bought puree meant delicious cornbread muffins were on the table in a fraction of the time. 🙂
I adapted this cornbread muffin recipe from my Skillet Cornbread Recipe, which is incredible. HOWEVER….I wanted to make these a bit lighter, and I felt that by using oil instead of butter, the butternut squash flavor could shine through that much more. The flavor is very subtle, and if you didn’t know that butternut squash puree was in these muffins, you couldn’t really tell that much. Nobody in my family pinpointed it, which means it’s a wonderful way to get picky eaters more nutrition.
You may not be able to pick up the butternut squash flavor much, but the moistness the puree lends to the cornbread is unmatchable. These muffins have the most tender crumb ever, and you won’t miss the butter!
A squeeze of honey on these is perfect, and if you’re craving butter, by all means enjoy one with a little pat. I served these up with roast chicken and veggies, but I can’t wait to enjoy them with soup or chili. After all, I still have a half a can of puree left.
That means more muffins soon, and that’s very exciting stuff. 🙂
Serve these cornbread muffins with the following dishes:
More cornbread recipes you’ll love:
Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 cup low fat buttermilk
- ⅓ cup oil
- ¾ cup butternut squash puree*
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners, or spray the muffin cavities with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Add the maple syrup, buttermilk, canola oil, and puree, and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until just incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes or until lightly golden on top and the muffins spring back when gently pressed.
- Cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely, or enjoy warm! Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- If using paper liners, the liners will stick to the muffins if they're not warm. If you microwave them for a few seconds, the paper will come right off.
- Honey or granulated sugar may be subbed for the maple syrup.
- No buttermilk? Simply place regular milk in a measuring cup with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Instant buttermilk!
- I used store bought butternut squash puree for this recipe, which I found at Whole Foods. Alternatively you can cut a butternut squash in half, remove the seeds, and rub with olive oil. Roast cut side down on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until tender, scoop out the flesh, and puree.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
49 Comments on “Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins”
I’m a big fan of cornbread, but I’ve never had it with butternut squash before (which I also love). These sound delicious…
I’m the same way — I love both cornbread and butternut squash, so I can’t believe it took me so long to combine them! I’m so glad I finally got around to it. 🙂
These muffins look like little pillows of deliciousness! I love the butternut squash a cornbread flavor, Marcie! Such a great bread for this time of year. These would go perfectly with a hot bowl of soup or chili!
Thanks, Gayle, and I can’t wait to try these with soup or chili next time! Gotta use up the other half a can of puree soon. 🙂
I would never judge you for posting less-than-healthy Christmas baking recipes…. but it is nice to see a little variety! These are perfect for dipping!
Thank you for not judging, Ashley! lol Variety is the spice of life, so here’s a little dash of healthy! 🙂
You definitely know I’m a fan of sneaking veggies in wherever I can get them — these sound like something Josh would LOVE.
You’re the queen of hiding veggies, Kelly, and I love that about you! haha These were very well received, and will be in the regular cornbread rotation. 🙂
I’ve added squash before and I loved the richness that it added, these look wonderful Marcie!
Thank you, Cheri! The butternut squash just worked magic in these muffins. 🙂
These cornbread muffins look amazing, Marcie! Love the butternut squash, one of my most favourite Autumn/Fall veggies! Definitely would love to try the recipe, delicious.
Thank you, Jess! I think I could add butternut squash to just about anything and love it. haha
Loving the butternut squash in these muffins!!
Thank you, Matt! Butternut squash can pretty much do no wrong in my book! 🙂
LOVE this spin on traditional cornbread!!! I’m a cornbread girl all the way and love this in muffin form!! delicious!
Thank you, Alice! This cornbread was so moist it was off the charts — gotta love butternut squash! 🙂
I love that you used butternut squash in these cornbread muffins! I’ll have to look for that butternut squash puree – so much easier than making it myself!
Opening a can was SO much easier! Gotta love a good short cut when you find one. haha I bought sweet potato puree, too, so I really hit the jackpot. 🙂
What a wonderful way to use butternut squash Marcie! These muffins look amazing and I love a little sweetness in my cornbread!
Thank you, Christin! I love sweetness in my cornbread too — sometimes mild like this, and sometimes I like when it’s as sweet as cake! 🙂
This is a great spin on Cornbread muffins Marcie! And they look so moist and flavorful. I would definitely interupt my sweet fix to indulge in a couple of these!! 🙂
We can’t live on cookies alone can we? Well, maybe we could, but we shouldn’t. haha 🙂
Yum, these look creamy and perfect! Love it 🙂
Thank you! They were the moistest cornbread muffins EVER. 🙂
Marcie I love that you added butternut squash to this cornbread. It’s a wonderful combo. Bookmarking to make this week. Yummy.
Thank you, Kathy! I’ve been wanting to do this for a while and it was so worth the wait. 🙂
Thanks, Meghan! I’ve heard butternut squash is great in baked goods, and I’m glad I finally got around to doing it!
What a great idea! The butternut squash would give these muffins great flavor, and keep them extra moist too. Great way to sneak in some more veggies into your diet. And great color too!
Thanks, Natalie! I loved what the squash did with these muffins, and they didn’t taste “squashy” either. haha Gotta get extra veggies in for the kids, and this was a really great way to do it. 🙂
My husband is a huge fan of cornbread, but I hardly ever make it because it almost always comes out so dry and disappointing. So I’m loving this idea! Butternut and cornbread sound so great together and I’m sure it gives such a great texture. Thanks for sharing, Marcie!
There’s honestly nothing worse than dry cornbread — I’m with you on that! I was almost expecting complaints from the kids thinking they would detect something but they loved them. Win-win! 🙂
These look great Marcie! I’ve never seen butternut squash puree – so I need to look for it the next time I go to the store. What a great idea! Pinned!
The colour of these muffins are just incredible Marcie! Wish I had one to devour right now, I can never turn down a delicious home baked savoury muffin.
Thank you, Thalia! I love the color the squash lends in these muffins as well!
Your muffins look wonderful! A perfect festive treat.
Thank you, Beth!
I am a sucker for cornbread and butternut squash and loved that you added them to these muffins! They look so tender and flavorful! I could go for a few of these right now! Yum!
I’m glad I finally did this, and I need to try your slow cooker version, too. That would be even easier!
I was just remarking to my husband that I’ve been eating pretty badly over the last few days. And oh dear, it isn’t even that close to Christmas yet! Oops! Definitely the right moment to read about some healthier recipes like this one!
Love that you’ve got ‘hidden veggies’ in there.
As bloggers we get started eating badly so much earlier, don’t you think? Christmas starts in November for us! Haha. I need a lot more healthy to offset my sweet!
haha oh man, I’ve gotten soooo lazy lately and have been buying those cans of butternut squash puree at whole foods! Makes it so simple!!
I LOVE the sound of these cornbread muffins! Especially with the butternut squash – my favorite this time of the year!
I feel lazy lately too — what’s the deal? I bought the canned sweet potato purée too — jackpot! Haha. I bet that finds its way into muffins…or more biscuits next.
Okay, you’ve convinced me to try baking with butternut squash. I don’t really know WHAT was holding me back , but I don’t care—these gorgeous muffins have got to happen! Gorgeous photos too, Marcie!
I don’t know what was holding me back either! I guess finding canned butternut squash puree just made it too easy to resist! haha Thanks, Sarah! 🙂
These sound really yummy! I’ve had pumpkin cornbread before, but I love that you switched it up with the butternut! I bet it makes them super moist!! 🙂
These were some of the moistest muffins ever, and I need to try pumpkin cornbread next!
In the recipe instructions, it calls for brown sugar, but there’s no mention of it in the ingredients, did you mean maple syrup ?
Thanks
Yes, I meant maple syrup. Sorry about that, and I will modify the recipe to reflect that right now. Thanks for the heads up!