Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Rich, buttery, slightly sweet, and oh-so-corny 😉
Texture: Moist, fluffy, yet perfectly crumbly.
Ease: Extremely easy. It’s almost impossible to mess this up.
Pros: Super simple and great as a side dish for any BBQs or potluck. And perfect for Thanksgiving recipes like stuffing or dressing too!
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? I make this all summer long + every Thanksgiving!
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This is truly the best easy cornbread recipe I’ve EVER tried.
The texture of this cornbread recipe is ultra moist, tender, and buttery. The taste is perfectly sweet, thanks to the honey.
I’ve even included a recipe for jalapeño honey butter. You just can’t enjoy cornbread without honey and butter, in my opinion!
You may never buy pre-made cornbread or a box mix again after you see how simple and quick it is to make cornbread from scratch.
This recipe is also a perfect base for Thanksgiving stuffing and dressing.
The rest of the year, this cornbread is perfect on the side of soups, stews, or hearty, warming chili!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make the Best Cornbread Recipe
What is Cornbread?
Cornbread is a fairly simple combination of basic kitchen ingredients, plus cornmeal – but it’s always an impressive, delicious side to bring to any gathering, family dinner, or potluck. This moist, flavorful cornbread contains buttermilk and sour cream for so much moistness and flavor. It also uses real corn for an extra pop of flavor, extra sweetness (without too much sugar), as well as extra moisture. Serve with a side of butter (or flavored butter – recipe below!) or a drizzle of honey, and people will be asking you to bring it to every gathering for years to come.
What’s the Difference Between Northern-Style Cornbread and Southern-Style Cornbread?
This recipe is for a Northern-Style cornbread. It’s sweetened with both honey and sugar and contains lots of rich ingredients like eggs, buttermilk, milk, and sour cream. This makes it ultra-rich and more cakey, and less crumbly. It stands out all on its own… but with a dollop of flavored butter and/or a spoonful of honey, it’s simply amazing.
Many Southerners would say sugar has no place in cornbread. That’s likely because the first versions of cornbread were made with just cornmeal, salt, and water as a part of many daily diets. Southern-style cornbread tends to be more crumbly.
What Type of Cornmeal Should I Use?
- I prefer stone-ground cornmeal for cornbread, as it’s generally a slightly coarser product, and typically boasts a corn-forward flavor – which is exactly what we’re looking for in a cornbread recipe.
- If you don’t have stone-ground cornmeal, or can’t find it at the supermarket, any yellow cornmeal will work just fine.
- Cornmeal should be found in the baking aisle of your local supermarket.
- Just be sure not to accidentally use cornstarch or corn flour, as these are not the same thing and cannot be used interchangeably!
What Type of Pan Should I Use for This Cornbread Recipe?
My favorite pan for baking cornbread is my 9×13-inch USA Pan. I don’t recommend baking this recipe in a glass pan or a ceramic pan, as those types of pans don’t conduct heat well, so the edges may dry out before the center bakes through. Check out my full post on Glass vs. Metal Pans for more info.
How Do I Make My Cornbread Moist? How Do I Prevent Cornbread from Being Dry?
Buttermilk and sour cream are my secret weapons here!
- Buttermilk is used primarily for its pleasant tangy flavor, but it also helps to tenderize and leaven baked goods. I always recommend using real buttermilk for this reason.
- You can read more about buttermilk, and why I don’t prefer buttermilk substitutes, in my Buttermilk 101 article.
- Sour cream lends extra fat content, and combined with its creamy consistency, it brings another level of moistness to this cornbread.
- I recommend using a full-fat sour cream for the full textural and flavor benefits.
- Measure dry ingredients correctly: Be sure to measure your dry ingredients (especially flour) correctly, so you don’t end up with chewy, dense, dry cornbread. Learn how to measure dry ingredients here.
Is Cornbread Gluten-Free?
Most cornbreads, including Jiffy Cornbread Mix, contain at least some flour (often whole wheat flour). My cornbread recipe contains all-purpose flour for added structure, so this recipe is not gluten-free. If you experiment with gluten-free substitutions, let me know how it goes in the comments below!
Can I Use this Recipe to Make Cornbread Muffins?
Sure! Pour the batter until three-quarters full into about 24 muffin tin cavities and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.
How Long Will This Cornbread Recipe Stay Fresh? How to Store Cornbread:
Wrap leftover cornbread in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature.
Can I Freeze Cornbread?
Yes! Full slabs of cornbread, or sliced portions of cornbread, can be wrapped well in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What to Do With Leftovers of Homemade Cornbread Recipe?
- Make my delicious Southwest Cornbread Stuffing
- Cornbread Dressing – Crumble or dice the cornbread to make dressing/stuffing.
- Cornbread Croutons – To make croutons, brush cubed cornbread with butter, and season with a little salt and pepper. Bake in a low oven until crispy.
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Ingredients
For the cornbread:
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (237 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 cup (237 ml) milk, at room temperature
- ½ cup (114 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (42 grams) honey
- 1 1/2 cups (274 grams) yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
- 1 1/2 cups (191 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 8 ounces (227 grams) fresh or canned sweet corn, drained and rinsed
For the whipped jalapeño honey butter (optional):
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
- 2 fresh jalapeños, diced (remove ribs and seeds for less spice)
- 2 tablespoons (42 grams) honey
Instructions
Make the cornbread:
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, milk, sour cream, and honey. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Push the dry ingredients up the sides of the bowl to make a well, then pour in the wet ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Gradually stir in the melted butter. Fold in the sweet corn, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the greased baking dish. Bake until the top is golden brown and the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan, 30-40 minutes.
- Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and sit for 30 minutes-1 hour, until just warm. The cornbread is best served warm. Place leftovers in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Make the whipped jalapeno honey butter:
- While the cornbread is baking, in a small sauté pan on medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon (14 grams) of the butter. Add the diced jalapeños and sauté for 1 minute. Set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, whip together the remaining room temperature butter with the honey until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Fold in the cooled, sautéed jalapeños. Serve with cornbread. If making ahead of time, remove to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
This post was originally published in 2011 and has been updated with new photos and recipe improvements. Photos by Joanie Simon.
Made this tonight… it’s so good. I sautéed the jalapeños for the honey butter but opted to leave them out (knowing my family’s tastebuds and they would love the honey butter without the extra spice). Will definitely save this recipe and make it again. It came together easily and tastes great.
So excited you and your family loved this cornbread so much, Cindy!!
I am not a fan of corn in cornbread. How will it affect the structure if I leave out the corn?
Hi Karen! We have not tried omitting the corn in this recipe, so I can’t tell you for sure! We like the corn for an extra pop of flavor, extra sweetness, and extra moisture – and it does provide more stability for a thicker structure. If you don’t prefer the corn, feel free to experiment with omitting it and let us know how it goes!! 🙂
Can I make this recipe into muffins?
Hi Marguerite! We haven’t tried that, but it should work fine! You’ll need to decrease the baking time to about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Let us know how it goes!
I made this recipe into muffins. I sprayed the pans with olive oil spray and they released beautifully. I got 22 muffins and baked them for 15 minutes. The corn flavor is very good and the texture is outsatnding. I would have preferred a bit more sweetness to my corn muffin. I will make these again!
Pjcamp, girlfriend you cracked me up! I hadn’t made cornbread in a long time and just wanted to make sure I wasn’t forgetting baking powder or soda amounts. My mother never put sugar in her recipe. I never hadn’t either till the hubby came into my life. I’m a Texan, and he’s a Nebraska cornhusker. So he’s not really a Yankee except some of his food preferences. I just make him Jiffy mix, rather than desecrate my Mother’s Cornbread recipe. I’m going to use the leftovers in dressing so I dont want sugar in that either! I’ll have to rate this later, but the recipe looks perfect yummy.
Love this recipe thank you! My husband likes it sweeter so I added 1/4c sugar and he says it’s not sweet enough. Do you think if I add a 1/2c or 1c it would mess with the baking texture? I also added frozen corn and it was so good! Super easy!
[…] Basic Cornbread […]
cute pic
aah looks perfect..
I just cant believe we are in Nov already!!
Can I throw some jalapenos into this recipe or is the cornbread too sweet to make that combo work?
That would work perfect! Yum!
Thanks!
This basic cornbread recipe is so useful!! Loved this.
Wow. That looks great. You have a nice blog. Glad I stopped by.
This looks delicious Tessa! All I need is a big bowl of chili to go with!