This is my very favorite cornbread recipe, because it’s the perfect balance of everything there is to love about this easy quick bread. Follow this recipe and you’ll be rewarded with soft, moist, buttery sweet cornbread with crisp-crumbly edges.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
One reader, Lia, commented: “This is the best cornbread I’ve ever made. I go back to it over and over again. It has the approval of my husband and my hard to please 13-year-old son. It’s delicious. ★★★★★”
Have you ever had the experience of biting into a piece of cornbread, only to be disappointed by how it crumbles apart and tastes bland, sandy, and dry? I know I have.
Which is why I spent years testing and tweaking recipes in order to hit on the right ratio of ingredients to achieve perfection. Think: thick squares of buttery moist cornbread with a touch of sweetness, and just the right amount of crumbliness. It’s become such a popular recipe around here, that I use a variation of it to make my beloved cornbread stuffing.
Why You’ll Love This Cornbread
- Quick and easy to make
- No mixer required
- Slightly sweet, extra buttery flavor
- Crunchy-crisp edges
- Moist and tender, not too crumbly
One reader, EL, commented: “I am Southern. I have tried SO MANY cornbread recipes and none have tasted like home like this one. It’s now my go-to recipe and is always a hit!! ★★★★★”
What I Learned From Recipe Testing
Cornbread is like coconut macaroons. Random comparison I know, but hear me out. Both are very easy to make, but their success depends on the ratio of ingredients. When done wrong, cornbread (and macaroons!) can be dry, crumbly, and flavorless. But when done right, this quintessentially American quick bread is moist, tender, and flavorful.
While testing batch after batch, I played around with butter vs. oil, regular milk vs. buttermilk, the ratio of flour to cornmeal, and different sweeteners.
Here are the key ingredients you need:
- Butter: Butter is one of the main flavors here. While oil can make cakes and quick breads luxuriously tender, I find the cornbread lacks flavor if butter isn’t present. Because butter doesn’t make the bread as moist as oil does, I pair it with buttermilk.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk makes cakes, muffins, and breads extra moist. It also adds flavor, and you’ll notice that flavor in my no-yeast bread and biscuits recipes, too. If you’re interested, I have plenty more on this topic in my Baking with Buttermilk post (including a DIY buttermilk substitute recipe).
- Cornmeal & Flour: Equal parts fine cornmeal and all-purpose flour makes for the BEST cornbread. With 1 cup of cornmeal, you get lots of that delicious corn flavor, and those crisp-crunchy edges.
- Brown Sugar & Honey: There are two opposing camps when it comes to how cornbread should taste: sweet vs. not sweet. This particular recipe falls more towards the sweet end of the spectrum. While it’s not as sweet as cake, it does have some sugar and a hint of honey to balance out the savory buttermilk flavor, and enhance the natural sweetness of the cornmeal. Regular white sugar is fine to use here, but I especially love this made with flavorful, moist molasses-spiked brown sugar.
And the rest:
Baking cornbread is as easy as mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately, and then combining them into 1 thick batter.
Spread into a greased or lined square 9-inch baking pan. And try it in a cast iron skillet! My skillet cornbread is a forever favorite recipe, too.
What Is Cornmeal?
A lot of readers ask about cornmeal. What is cornmeal? Is cornmeal the same as cornstarch/cornflour? What about polenta and grits? It can certainly be confusing. Cornmeal is dried and ground corn. It’s typically found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. If you’re curious, here’s an article I found about the differences between many dried corn products, including cornmeal, polenta, and cornstarch.
More Cornbread FAQs
I usually use fine cornmeal to make cornbread, but if medium-ground or coarse is all you can find, you can use that, too. Yellow cornmeal is the most common, but if you have white cornmeal, that’s also fine to use.
Baking cornbread in a skillet gives it an even heartier, crunchier crust. Bake this in a 9- or 10-inch oven-safe greased skillet at the same temperature for the same amount of time.
Feel free to stir in a little something extra if you wish! Try adding in 1 cup of corn or a can of creamed corn, 1 or 2 chopped jalapeño peppers, 1 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup each dried cranberries and walnuts, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, or 1/2 cup crumbled bacon.
Here is the same recipe baked as cornbread muffins!
What to Serve With Cornbread:
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Homemade Minestrone Soup
- Honey Chipotle Salmon
- Crab Cakes or Maryland Crab Soup
- Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad
- Skillet Apple Cider Chicken
- Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
PS: Don’t forget the honey butter for on top!
And here’s my cornbread muffin recipe—I love adding jalapeño for a little kick. You can also bake it directly on top of chili when you make cornbread chili casserole.
My Favorite Cornbread Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9 servings
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
I was never a fan of cornbread until this recipe! After lots of recipe testing, I found the perfect ratio of ingredients for soft, moist, and buttery cornbread with crisp-crunchy edges. I guarantee this is the best cornbread recipe you’ll try!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) fine cornmeal
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) honey
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch square baking pan. Set aside.
- Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and honey together until completely smooth and thick. Then, whisk in the egg until combined. Finally, whisk in the buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Avoid over-mixing.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and the center is cooked through. Use a toothpick to test. Edges should be crispy at this point. Allow to slightly cool before slicing and serving. Serve cornbread with butter, honey, jam, or whatever you like.
- Wrap leftovers up tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze baked cornbread for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm the cornbread in the microwave or in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. If you don’t have any, you can make a DIY buttermilk substitute by adding 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to make 1 cup total. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes before using. Whole milk is strongly recommended for moistest, richest texture, but you can use lower-fat or nondairy milk in a pinch.
- Optional Add-ins: 1 or 2 chopped jalapeño peppers; 1 cup blueberries; 1/2 cup each dried cranberries and walnuts; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; or 1/2 cup crumbled bacon
- Skillet Cornbread: Baking cornbread in a skillet gives it an even heartier, crunchier crust. Bake this cornbread in a 9-inch or 10-inch oven-safe greased skillet at the same temperature for the same amount of time.
- Cornbread Muffins: Here is the same recipe as cornbread muffins!
Tasty as a dessert, but the sweetness level and honey flavor was too strong for me for it to work as a dinner accompaniment.
Best recipe ever!!
I used half and half instead of buttermilk and it came out perfect
Added sweet corn and japs..great mixture!!
This was a FAB recipe! I made into muffins for a British crowd who normally don’t care for cornbread. They all raved and asked “what is this sorcery?!” Gone in 60 seconds! Need to make 2 batches next gathering.
So glad to hear this, Deb!
This sounds very good. If you add the creamed corn that you said could be added, do yu have to reduce or change anything else in the recipe? I used to have a reciepe for cornbread many years ago and with moving I can not find it. It was a family favorite and it was always moist
Hi Mary, you can use creamed corn with no other changes. Hope you enjoy it!
Is it possible to pass polenta powder through a blender and turn it into corn meal?
Hi Teresa, that *should* work, just be careful not to over-blend which could turn the consistency into mush.
This is my new go to cornbread recipe! Perfect balance
I always make Polenta with coarse cornmeal because my husband likes the grittiness. Can I use the coarse cornmeal to make your cornbread recipe
Hi Flavia, you can, but you may find that your cornbread is a little crunchy using coarse cornmeal.
Made twice this week both in a 9×13 and as muffins. Family favorite. Thrown all other recipes out!
Born and raised in the South, this is easily one of my favorite cornbread recipes I’ve had. It does lean sweeter as she says, but the flavor is amazing!
came out bland, dry, and crumbling
I see that this recipe, unlike your cornbread muffins, does not include olive oil. Was this intentional, or is the olive oil necessary for the muffins but not for the bread? I haven’t yet tried the recipe either as muffins or bread but am looking forward to it! Also, would it be ok to substitute plain nonfat Greek yogurt for the buttermilk?
Hi Sabrina, we add a little bit of oil to the muffins to lighten up the crumb and help prevent the cornbread muffins from being too crumbly.
Made this twice now – my husband loves it and I do too. I also made the muffins
Hello, I am from South Africa and would love to try your recipe but we don’t have cornmeal or I cannot find it, I have tried to use maize meal before but it is a coarse meal we “pap” (porridge) hoe dot they make cornmeal and is there a substitute here?
Hi Gawie, we wish we could help, but cornmeal is key to this recipe and were unaware of any other substitutes. It may be best to search for a recipe specifically developed with ingredients available in your country. Hope this helps!
wow, just wow! my very long search for the perfect cornbread recipe is finally over. Made this last night and it’s almost gone already.
I have never made this before or even tasted cornmeal bread. My daughter in law asked me to make her one. I will certainly be making it again it was delicious. thank you
Hi Heather, we’re so glad you enjoyed this!
Hello I have made this again today but this one was really dry. What have I done wrong?
Hi Heather, dry and crumbly cornbread could simply be from over-baking. Keep an eye on it in the oven and start checking for doneness a little earlier next time. Also make sure to either weigh or spoon and level your flour to avoid over-measuring (which would also result in dry cornbread). Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Can I double this recipe for a 9×13?
Hi Jesse, you can double this recipe for a 9×13 inch pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but use a toothpick to check for doneness.
Just the best cornbread ever! And I’ve tried a lot. I substituted plain yogurt for the buttermilk with just a few added drops of milk and it turned out superbly. Love it.
Wonderful recipe! The best corn bread I’ve made!
Can you please let me know which is the better sugar to use.
Thank you I am going to make this on Friday
Hi Heather, you can use light or dark brown sugar here. Dark brown sugar will have a slightly deeper molasses flavor.
Do you have any tips for baking this as MINI muffins, rather than in a square baking pan? I saw your linked recipe to regular sized muffins, but I wonder what would be need to change in regards to moisture or time or temperature to make miniature muffins….?
Hi Sarah, you can use our cornbread muffins for mini muffins. The recipe yields around 30 mini cornbread muffins. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for around 10–12 minutes.
This is a great recipe! Thanks for sharing. I had to substitute 1/4 cup of your cream mixed into the milk rather than buttermilk, but it worked really well. It turned out really moist anyway.
Forgot to rate with my comments, oops!