As easy as a box mix but a lot tastier, this homemade Cornbread Recipe is the perfect side dish. Serve it up with chili, beans, or with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey.
Want to make cornbread muffins instead? Try this Corn Muffin recipe!
Easy Cornbread Recipe
To me, nothing says comfort food like a big bowl of chili and some cornbread.
And for the longest time, I would just grab a box mix to make cornbread. Until I realized that making it from scratch is almost just as easy! Plus, you know exactly what goes into it, and that always makes me feel better.
This is the perfect, basic cornbread recipe. A little bit sweet with a great texture, this goes with so many different meals. Or just eat it with some butter and honey, or some honey butter. That’s always my favorite!
Ingredients
- Flour: I have only tested this recipe using all-purpose flour. If you want to experiment with whole wheat, I would do half whole wheat and half all-purpose.
- Cornmeal: I found that for me, the perfect ratio of cornmeal to flour was 1:1. You still get the texture from the cornmeal, but it’s a little softer instead of a bread that just crumbles apart.
- Sugar: Sweet or not sweet – it is the eternal cornbread debate. I actually really like a sweet cornbread, and while this recipe does have a bit of sweetness, it’s not overpowering. (If you like a really sweet cornbread, try this Boston Market Cornbread recipe.)
- Baking Powder: This is what gives the cornbread some rise and helps with the texture.
- Salt: Salt is always important for balance.
- Buttermilk: I have made this with both regular milk and buttermilk. Both work great, but when you use buttermilk, it makes it a bit more moist.
- Butter: For this recipe, you want to melt the butter but then let it cool slightly. If you try to add it when it is too hot, the butter will clump up.
- Egg: The egg helps to bind everything together.
How to Make Cornbread
- Whisk your dry ingredients together.
- In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, and egg.
- Combine the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients and stir just until everything is combined.
- Pour into a prepared baking dish and bake until golden brown.
Tips and Tricks
You can use a round, 9-inch baking pan or a square baking pan. But my favorite it a cast iron skillet. You can cook it normally in a cast iron skillet, but to get really crispy edges, preheat the skillet in the oven and add the batter to a hot pan. Let the cornbread sit for about 10 minutes before trying to remove it from the skillet.
This recipe is perfect for serving with a savory dinner or for eating with butter and honey. If you do want to make it more savory, try adding in some cooked, chopped bacon, or diced jalapenos. Or stir some shredded cheddar cheese into the batter.
Want to make it more sweet? Use up to 1/2 cup of sugar.
Cornbread is somewhat crumbly, but if yours is too crumbly, you may be baking it too long. Or you may just need to let it cool a little longer.
Homemade Cornbread Recipe FAQs
You can! I like the flavor and texture that the butter gives, but oil will work, as well.
I like to use yellow, fine ground cornmeal. This is the most common kind of cornmeal that you see at the grocery store. You could also use a white cornmeal, but it doesn’t have that great color. If you want to use a medium grind cornbread, that will work – the texture will just be a little different.
Technically, yes you can. But I do prefer the texture of fresh cornbread, so I always like to make it fresh. If I’m eating leftovers, I like to toast it a bit in the oven before eating.
Yes – cornbread freezes well. Let it cool completely before freezing. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Recipes to Serve Cornbread With
Crock Pot Chili
Homemade Beef Stew
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Taco Soup
Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup melted butter slightly cooled
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or 9-inch cast iron skillet with butter.*
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, and egg.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish or skillet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean or with just a few moist crumbs, abbot 20-25 minutes.
- Let cool slightly before serving.
Amy says
I’m excited to try this! my son loves cornbread!
Deborah says
I’m craving some now! I hope your son loves it.
Melanie says
This cornbread looks delish and I just reseasoned my cast iron skillet so it is good to go. Can’t wait to try it! By the way, your blog is great – the recipes look gourmet yet practical and I know I’ll be trying many of them. And your pictures are fabulous, also.
Katia says
Wow…this looks awesome. I will surely try this soon, I am a huge fan of cornbread.
maybahay says
sounds delicious. i think this will make an appearance at the brunch table on the weekend.
Ellie @ Kitchen Wench says
Cornbread, yet another of those things I’ve not yet tried. I kept meaning to make some during winter when I made chili, but the chili kept disappearing too quickly to make it worthwhile 🙁 This does look good though, I’ll have to store it for next winter…perhaps I’ll make it BEFORE the chili in hopes that it stands a chance 😀
Ellie @ Kitchen Wench
Dhanggit says
i think i need to give a corn bread a try..your photos look so yummy
SteamyKitchen says
that’s the best looking cornbread I’ve seen online!
Judy says
It’s funny, the minute I looked at your post I thought “gee a lot of people have been making cornbread lately”, and then I began to read – lol! Must be the season.
Amy says
I am adding this to our family’s Christmas Eve dinner. It looks absolutely amazing!!!
Mary says
I’m not a huge cornbread fan, but that looks delicious and I may have to give it a try!
eatme_delicious says
Yum I love cornbread. I’ve only it once before and it was just okay so I look forward to trying this one out!
Augustina says
this cornbread looks so decadent and delicious! I have a lot of buttermilk to use up so I’m thinking of making this soon. I wonder if these would be a good bread for Christmas gifts? or maybe it’s best to be eaten right away. Thanks for sharing this recipe.