There are few things better than cornbread in the morning with breakfast or as a side for dinner, but sometimes you don’t have time to hit the store.
This Copycat Jiffy Cornbread Mix is perfect in a pinch. Use this recipe for any of the jiffy cornbread recipes (or muffins!)
What's In This Article
Why Make You Own?
I love cornbread! I like it all sorts of ways; with bacon, whole corn, tomatoes, cheese, chiles… just about anything. I don’t discriminate between a cast iron skillet, casseroles or muffin pans as long as it gets from the pan to my mouth.
The basis for my cornbread is typically a box of Jiffy Cornbread Mix. Did you know that Jiffy has been making these convenient mixes since 1930? They have certainly stood the test of time and cornbread is one of the stars.
I’ll be honest, there is no real incentive to making your own. The actual mix consists of real ingredients and is accessible on any budget. This recipe is more of a backup when I realize I am out and have no time to go to the store.
Make this mix and doctor it up as you see fit or leave it plain and garnish it with a pat of butter for a snack. Either way, you will be happy you have this recipe for Copycat Jiffy Cornbread Mix in your back pocket.
Ingredients
These basic ingredients are used to make the mix only. You will also need the wet ingredients to make
- Flour – We need something to hold these muffins together, and all purpose flour will do just that. I would steer clear of wheat flour.
- Yellow corn meal – You can’t have a homemade cornbread mix without cornmeal! It gives it that delicious, grainy texture. The brand of cornmeal can make this mix different hues of yellow. White corn meal can also be used!
- Sugar – Perfect for the sweet cornbread lover, this mix needs an element of sweet besides the corn.
- Baking powder – This will act as our leavening agent and help to make this homemade version of a box of jiffy mix to achieve it’s delicious grainy consistency.
- Salt – To help balance out the flavors, we need just a touch of salt. I like to use fine sea salt.
To make this mix into actual cornbread or cornbread muffins, you’ll need oil or butter and milk. Whole milk will give the richest and moistest results. Use a natural oil or a good quality butter. Bright yellow European butters will yield more golden muffins or bread (as pictured).
How to Make Jiffy Corn Muffins
Remember, this homemade mix only consists of the dry ingredients. You will need to follow the steps below to make the actual corn bread.
- Make batter. To dry mixture, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter, 1/3 cup milk and 1 egg. Mix well. For lumpier muffins, reduce milk to 1/4 cup.
- Add to liners. Spoon into 6 lined muffin tins and bake. If tops start to brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Or loaf pans. To make two mini loaves: Split batter between two ceramic loaf pans sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Bake. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.
How to Make Jiffy Cornbread
The Jiffy cornbread recipe is just as simple, but only makes a small pan. Those boxes are tiny!
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish or 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- Make Batter. Combine 1/3 vegetable oil or melted butter, 1/3 cup milk and 2 eggs with DOUBLE this recipe (or two boxes of Jiffy cornbread muffin mix). Mix until no dry spots remain- mixture will be a little lumpy, do not overmix.
- Bake. Bake for 18 – 23 minutes or until golden brown.
- Rest. Cool 10 minutes.
Variations
When making this delicious cornbread, try mixing things up to make it your own. The variations are endless and you can literally eat it daily and never have the same recipe twice. Below is a list of mix ins and extra ingredients to add to this easy recipe to spruce it up a little. Let us know what you added and how it was!
- Cheese– Add 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese or other favorite cheese to the batter. If doubling for bread, add 1 cup. You can also sprinkle cheese directly on top of the muffins or bread.
- Corn- Add 1/2 cup of sweet corn kernels to the batter for sweeter cornbread with little pops of freshness. Canned corn, frozen corn (thawed) or fresh corn works, just make sure it is drained and blotted dry to not add more moisture to the batter. Try roasted or grilled corn for even more depth of flavor.
- Tang– Swap out the milk for buttermilk or half and half for richer bread with a tang.
- Spicy– Try adding 1-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh jalapenos or jarred jalapenos. Other types of peppers that rank lower on the scoville scale work too. Think poblano, habanero or ghost peppers if you really want to sweat. Swap out 2 tablespoons of milk for the juice in a jar of jalapenos.
- Bacon– Nothings pairs better than chewy, salty little bits of bacon. Use 1/2 cup in the batter to jazz it up.
- Plain Greek yogurt – This can be whipped into the actual batter for a creamier bread or dolloped on top just like sour cream. Add 1-2 tablespoons to the batter.
- Sour cream – A southern staple and classic, add a dollop on top of your slice.
- Syrup– Looking for a sweet cornbread? Try adding 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, honey or agave nectar to the batter. You can also drizzle or baste this on top after it comes out of the oven. Kind of like a simple syrup basting onto butter cake. For sweet and spicy, try hot honey.
- Fruit- Yep- no one ever thinks of adding fruit, but it tastes fantastic! Apples and peaches are my favorites, add 1/4-1/2 cup of finely chopped fruit to the batter. For peaches, try to drain out as much of the liquid as possible.
- Scallions– Add fresh oniony flavor will 2 tablespoons of chopped scallions right in the mix.
- Fresh herbs– Chop up a few from the garden and add them in! Sage, thyme, rosemary, dill, cilantro and parsley all work.
- Green chiles – A little Tex-Mex style cornbread is fantastic too. Add 2-3 tablespoons of chopped green chiles. If using from a can, drain well.
- Bell Pepper– Fresh bell pepper or roasted red pepper are options.
- Olives – Chop up 1 tablespoon of olives for a briny bread.
- Chile powder- Add 1 teaspoon of ancho chile powder or any other type, or a blend like chili powder to the batter. Dust on top for fun presentation.
- Pickles– For those pickle lovers out there, add 1-2 tablespoons of chopped pickles and swap 2 tablespoons of milk for pickle juice.
- Ranch Style– Add one packet of dry ranch seasoning.
- Baste– While the muffins are still hot, baste with maple butter, molasses butter or honey butter.
- Flavored Butters– Swap out the basic butter for compound butter for a wide array of savory options. These can also be served on the side.
- Make it a Meal- Top a slice with a scoop of marinara sauce.
- Salsa– Add 1/4 cup of chunky salsa to the batter or spoon on top before serving.
What to Serve with Cornbread
A lot of people serve this easy peasy recipe as a great side dish alongside a bowl of chili. However, it tastes great with breakfast or all on its own too. Here are my favorite serving suggestions.
Soups and stews are an obvious choice. Cabbage soup, broccoli cheddar soup and chicken noodle soup are among my favorites. As is white chicken chili.
But it can also pair nicely with nearly any meal like our famous Marry Me Chicken, Mississippi Pot Roast or Baked Chicken Thighs.
Sometimes I make the cornbread the entree and serve it with several other sides. Creamed onions, broccolini and creamed spinach are favorites. Of course, alongside a salad.
Storage and Freezing
Storage: This mix will be shelf stable for up to a year. Store in an airtight container at room temperature until you are ready to make the cornbread. Cooked into bread or muffins, store in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. Wrap in a damp paper towel and reheat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds at 50% power.
Freezing: You can also store this mix in the freezer. This helps to preserve the flavor longer. Place into a plastic freezer bag, squeezing as much air out as possible and then freeze for up to a year.
More Cornbread Recipes
Copycat Jiffy Cornbread Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Sift or whisk together together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Store in a plastic airtight container, make into muffins or into bread. See notes/post for cooking instructions.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Variations: Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese, corn, green chiles, jalapenos bacon or tomatoes. Spoon into 6 lined muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. If tops start to brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil. To make two mini loaves: Split batter between two 5×3” ceramic loaf pans sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Tested and image submitted by one of our readers, Penny. Thank you!
I am excited to try this recipe! I LOVE Jiffy Cornbread but have been living out of the country for a long time. A lot of the tastes we take for granted aren’t available. I am going to make it tomorrow! First time in 5 years or so for real chili and cornbread. I am already drooling in anticipation.
Yay! Let us know how it goes. I think the thing that throws most folks off is that while everything else in this world seems to have gotten larger… Jiffy cornbread boxes stayed the same tiny size. So pay attention to the servings and adjust accordingly. 🙂
At the top of the recipe, by “SERVINGS”, it says 12, but in the notes/instructions for making these into muffins, it says to “spoon into 6 lined muffin tins”. Does this mean that a serving is 1/2 of a muffin, or that the SERVINGS should say 6?
Servings should be 6- thanks for pointing that out, we will make the changes.
I just wanted to say that the last time I looked at the ingredient list on the Jiffy cornbread box, it listed LARD. That is not vegetarian friendly, or kosher. Thank you for a recipe that I can make for my vegetarian family! You don’t know how happy this recipe makes me! Thank you!!
I’m so glad we could accommodate! I wasn’t even aware of this, but glad we can meet your needs. <3
Hi, i would like to make this into a big batch but am curious if you know how much mix for 1 recipe? So if i have 10 cups of mix, how much for 1 mi. 1 cup? 1 1/2 cups?
Hi Terry- this makes as much as 1 box, which is generally 1 1/2 cups of dry mix.
OMG, thank you! I’ve been looking for a small batch corn muffin recipe and this is perfect. I added dark chocolate chips and these are amazing!
For years now, I have made my own take on Jiffy boxed Cornbread/muffins. I just use 1 box of Jiffy yellow cake mix to 2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread. This produces a 9X13 pan of easy, sweet No-crumble Cornbread. Just follow the directions for each boxed mix & bake until dender & a cake tester comes out dry in center. Delicious!
Yay! Thank you for letting us know!
Thank you for sharing this! I’m trying a recipe that calls for a Jiffy cornbread crust and I can’t find the mix in any of my local grocery stores. (I live in Canada so maybe it’s no longer available here)
I guess it is the same? I’ve never heard of a specific cornbread crust either?
Jiffy has a recipe for a jiffy corn pie crust on their website, is that what you are looking for? https://site.jiffymix.com/recipe/jiffy-corn-pie-crust/
Dear Jessica
Sincere thanks for this recipe.
Back in the US, I used the Jiffy cornbread often to make a cake out of it. I had found this cake recipe online and found that the Jiffy mix makes the easiest and best cake that you can actually mix with fruit in or at he bottom of the cake.
Unfortunately, I moved to Quebec, Canada and the Jiffy mix is nowhere to be found. Your copy cat recipe just saved me and I will go on making my cakes. You should try it one of these days. It is wonderful!
Yay!!!! This type of review makes my heart happy, Monique. Happy baking!
I swapped the all purpose flour for almond flour, sugar for monk fruit sweetener but kept everything else the same. They turned out great.
Fabulous! Thanks for letting us know!
Has anyone tried making these in the little loaf pans (5 x 3?). For 6 muffins, I’m thinking 2 of those mini loaf pans?
I have not, hoping someone else will answer?
Thank you for responding. I may as well give it a shot. It I do, I’ll report back. Happy Easter!
Happy Easter!
So, as promised….I made a batch and split between 2 of the mini ceramic loaf pans. Baked at 400 for 20 minutes and they came out perfect! I wish I could upload a picture.
Yay!!!! If you email it to me, I’ll add it to the post with credit to you! savoryexperiments@gmail.com
Just made this in a square pan versus muffins. I doubled the recipe and Extended the cook time to 25 min. It browned on top, but when I took it out, cooled slightly and cut it, it was still wet on the inside. I put it back in at a lower temperature. Not sure what happened.
Lisa, the recipe is meant for muffins and one batch, the cooking time is going to vary greatly if you put it in a larger pan and double the recipe. ALso, whether you used a light or dark pan or nonstick will make a difference in cook time.
Does this recipe make the same amount as one box of Jiffy?
Yes
Hi! Can I use equal amounts of corn meal to flour or a third? Thank you.
Hi! I am sure you can, but the texture might be a little more bready and less corny… if you get what I am saying 🙂
Thank you for this. You comment that jiffy is made from real ingredients, but part of the ingredients include unhealthy preservatives and such. Everyone shud want to use this, or another copy cat recipe, to avoid consuming what very well may be detrimental. I will not eat the box stuff although I agree it’s yummy in taste. What lies beneath that most are blind or choose ignorance to, is frightening. Thanks for your recipe, please amend your write up to include a phase that sez that by using this recipe one will avoid any chemicals or preservitieves that are included in the original box. Thnks!
Loving those in this world enough to speak truth! Lanie
I made this mix and am making it in a regular pan not muffin pan.
Hoping it comes out well.
It doesn’t seem like very much batter for a little square pan.
Added shredded cheese.
How many muffins is this supposed to make?
Only 6?
So I need to double this recipe for making it in a pan.
Hi Randi! Yep, it only makes 6, which is the same as one of the small boxes of Jiffy mix. It can easily be doubled if needed.
What type flour?
Regular all-purpose flour.
Is it all purpose or self rising flour?
Always regular unless otherwise noted.
I quadrupled this recipe before measuring the exact amount to use per recipe. How many cups would I need to make a regular batch of the muffins?
Hi Helen, about 1 1/2 cups! Enjoy!
What temperature do you bake these at?
400 degrees 🙂
My family doesn’t like the box jiffy anymore now that I have the cheat recipe.It saves money not having to buy any, when you have the ingredients at home.
Thank you or the recipe, I just sub gluten free flour and can then it’s ok for my GF daughter!
There you go! Happy Thanksgiving!