
Cornbread muffins made with polenta. Gluten-free, vegan, and lightly sweetened with coconut sugar. The perfect side dish at any meal!
Polenta Cornbread Muffins
No doubt Thanksgiving looked a lot different for families this year, but there is still so much to be grateful for! In trying to keep a semblance of tradition and normality even though I didn’t get to see my family, I made a few Thanksgiving dishes, and these polenta cornbread muffins were my favorite!
Polenta (aka corn grits) is a grainy, gluten-free texture used in the polenta dish. It is used interchangeably with corn meal, but the difference is that polenta is actually a dish in itself. Regardless, I used polenta to make these “cornbread” muffins! If you’re a texture person like me, you’ll love these!
It doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving or a holiday when you make these – they go with any meal and a lot of different dishes (albeit traditionally American or Southwest cuisine). But they also make a perfect grab-n-go breakfast or snack! I like drizzling a little big of honey or date syrup on the muffins for some added sweetness.
Other GF/VG Desserts you May Like: Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies, Cherry Pie Crumble Bars, Pumpkin Creamcheese Muffins
Baking Tips
A few tips for making these polenta cornbread muffins:
First, the mix is really easy to combine thoroughly. Don’t worry if the polenta absorbs some of the liquid when you add it to the dry ingredients – that’s supposed to happen!
Second, when you are filling the muffin tins with the mixture, pack them down a bit so that the mix holds together after baking. Letting them cool completely once they come out of the oven (as tempting as it may be to dive right in) helps with this too.

Polenta Cornbread Muffins (GF + VG)
Ingredients
- 1 c. Polenta
- 1/3 c. Coconut Flour
- 1/4 c. Olive Oil
- 3/4 c. Water
- 1 tbsp. Coconut Sugar
- 3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp. Himalayan Salt
Instructions
Recipe:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Once combined, add in wet ingredients.
- Place mixture in a muffin tin lined with liners. You have to pack these in tightly so they hold together after baking!
- Bake for about 22 minutes or until slightly browned on edges. Use a toothpick to test if needed!
- Let cool and serve with honey or date syrup on top!
Notes
You can check out some of my other favorite fall recipes here: Medjool Date Caramel Apples, Cinnamon Sugar Delicata Squash.
Questions? Comments? I’d love to know what you think! If you liked this pumpkin blondies recipe, please be sure to give it a 5 star rating in the comments below:)
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Xx, Natalie