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.
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 13yo 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.
- 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
- Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad
- Skillet Apple Cider Chicken
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.
Cornbread Favorites
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 (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 sour milk 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!
I absolutely love this recipe! I make a double batch once a week for my family, because my son is not a big breakfast eater, except when it comes to cornbread. I also shared some with my extended family and they raved about it, saying how moist and not too sweet it is.
First, the double batch in a 9×13 pan works brilliantly. I just bake it for 25 minutes.
Second, sometimes I’m out of buttermilk. I have tried both your recommended substitute of whole milk with white vinegar, which works great. I’ve also tried buttermilk powder mixed with water. This was not good (my son ate it anyway); it tasted like it was made with water. Just wanted to mention that in case other readers of this recipe were considering trying this.
This is the best cornbread recipe I’ve found, which is not a surprise — Sally’s has become my exclusive home for baking recipes!
I’ve made it twice now! And both times it turned out wonderful! The first time i made it just as the recipe states; and it turned out perfect! The second time i added 1/2 cup of blueberries and some orange zest. With the blueberries it took a bit longer to cook, but was really yumms.
I had some cornmeal in my pantry and literally no idea what to do with it. It is very rare in Polish cuisine so I couldn’t come up with anything. I googled cornbread recipe out of curiosity and oh my this recipe is excellent! It was so easy and it’s cheap and delicious. It’s 2 am and I’m having my 3rd piece of the cornbread with some butter. Thank you!
Hi everyone, this turned out amazing! I was wondering if there’s any substitute for egg in this recipe? I wanted to make this for someone who cannot have eggs. It’s wonderful as it is though!
We haven’t tested this recipe with egg substitutes, but let us know if you do!
Going to try this recipe tonight to go along with chili for a large group. Can I assemble ahead of time, put in fridge and then bake later today? Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Nancy, once the batter is mixed, the leaveners are activated so it’s best to bake the batter right away. Hope it’s a hit with your group!
This recipe was tasty but a bit dry.
What proportions would you recommend if I made this recipe with oil? I’m dairy free and I’m willing to forgo a little flavour!
You may want to try using a dairy free buttery stick instead, but if you want to test it with oil you can use the same amount as the melted butter. It will of course taste different. Let us know what you try!
Loved this recipe so much, it has become a family favourite. I baked it in my cast iron skillet. Delicious!
I love your recipes and have tried many with perfect results. Thanks for all the tips and thorough instructions.
The cornbread turned out really well! We had coarse ground cornmeal on hand, so we used that. I personally like the coarse texture. it turned out very crumbly, but we just used a spoon to get it out of the pan. Overall, a really good recipe!
I plan on making this to feed 30 people on an upcoming camping trip (pairing with Jambalaya). Can the recipe be doubled and baked in a 9×13 or am I better off with making multiple batches?
Hi Donna, Yes, 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.
I have made this recipe at least twice, once being today. I did four things different from the recipe. I only had corn grits (#1) so I made a buttermilk substitute with lemon juice and milk (#2) and soaked the cornmeal for about 10 minutes (#3) then added the rest of the dry then the wet ingredients. Also, I baked them in 6-XL muffin tin (#4), in a toaster over, for 20 minutes. Texture is a little grittier than fine cornmeal would be but works for me and the taste is fantastic. Ingredients are things I always have on hand. Just needs a bowl or two to mix so it’s easy to prepare. It’s a sweeter cornbread than some. Delicious. Having with BBQ spareribs and oil and vinegar coleslaw.
I made this exactly as written, weighed my flour as usual. Added a can of roasted, chopped green chilis. It came out perfectly and delicious, moist and not crumbly at all, slightly dense, very yummy! Love this recipe
I have my own small business milling fresh flours, cornmeal, spices, etc. i used this recipe with fresh-milled organic hard red winter wheat and freshly ground organic cornmeal. I added a tad more homemade buttermilk, a little extra molasses, and 2 TBS sour cream. It is amazing!!! The only thing that could make it better is cast iron cookware! Thanks, lady, for leading the way!
Smells delicious! I subbed half the butter for applesauce and cut down on the sugar – excited to try this
Hi! I’m a big fan and love every recipe of yours I have tried so far! Any chance you have tested this recipe with white whole wheat flour? I want to make this for my son who is a student athlete. He loves cornbread but is very dedicated to healthier eating as well. I was going to substitute the sugar for honey like in your skillet recipe. (He really likes your low calorie Greek yogurt bars with lime).
Hi Rebecca, we recommend trying the recipe with half white whole wheat flour and half all purpose to see how that goes. Hope your son loves it!
Came out perfect!! I’m from Trinidad but I just wanted to try it, no regrets!
Superb recipe! Moist, fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness. I added a cup of frozen blueberries and 1 tsp vanilla extract to mine. I’ve devoured the whole thing!
I make this recipe without sugar and it is just as delicious
Made this to go with beans for supper. Had good taste but a biscuit like texture. DEFINITELY NOT what we are use to. I think next time I’ll half the flour.
Love, love, love the flavour and tenderness of this recipe. My one question, how do I stop it from crumbling? Did I cook a tad too long maybe?
But OMG best recipe I’ve found thus far! Thank you!!
Hi Christine, 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 spoon and level your flour to avoid over-measuring (which would also result in dry cornbread). Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Great thank you! Definitely did the spoon and level of the flour. It wasn’t dry.. why I was a tad confused. Haha. Will definitely make again and bake less!! Thank you!!
Wow, this cornbread is so good. Incredible flavor and texture. You can’t go wrong when a recipe calls for brown sugar, buttermilk, butter, and honey – yum!
Why did my cornbread fall apart when eating?
Hi Dianne! Did you wait for it to cool before cutting? Was the texture dry and crumbly? How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Can this be made wheat free?
Hi Laura, we haven’t tested a wheat-free version of this recipe. Let us know if you give anything a try.
Excellent cornbread (and I’m a southern grandmother so I’ve had lots of cornbread)! I was out of cornmeal so used polenta—gave the inside crumb extra little bits of crunch. So good. Thank you!
Love this recipe but take out the butter the 1/2 cup that u had written down then cross off. I was doing 4 things at one time so didn’t notice it. It’s my fault. So hope it will taste good. I added corn to mine. Next I’ll add chilis and cheddar cheese. Thank you for all your hard work.
Hi Cheryl! Our recipes are set up online to be like checklists that you can check off (cross out) as you bake. Is it possible you tapped the butter? Let us know how it goes!
The review on Eat This Not That says the recipe has no flour. “This cornbread features cornmeal, water, and salt—no flour, baking powder, or sugar required.” Being gluten-free, I was really excited. Better let the ETNT folks know.
Hi Patti, We have no affiliation with that website but are sorry they sent you in the wrong direction. If you’d like to search our site directly, here are all of our gluten free recipes.
This recipe is really good, not that sweet. I used to love a blueberry cornbread from
Whole Foods when I visited FL. This recipe comes close. I added about 1 cup of blueberries to the recipe at the end.
I’m English and I’ve never eaten or baked cornbread before so this was a voyage of discovery!
I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out beautifully. I used fine white corn meal (U.K. readers do not use cornflour it is not the same thing as US cornflour, our cornflour is American ‘cornstarch’).
The resulting cornbread was delicious, soft, moist and with crisp edges.
However, on a cultural note as a British person I would not eat this with savoury food. It tastes as sweet as cake (my 5 year old was thrilled about that!) and I will be keeping this as a recipe for a sweet treat. I’m curious to know what it would be like without sugar, a savoury cake
I have some corn meal left so that might be my next experiment!
Thanks for the recipe!
I made this with just 1/2 cup of sugar and no honey to have with savory food. With full sugar I’d prefer it only as a sweet food as well. When I was a kid we made a sweet corn cake called Johnny Cake and ate it with butter and syrup for breakfast, that is what the original recipe reminds me of.
Thank you for this. I was getting ready to buy ingredients and I would’ve definitely bought corn flour from my local Sainsburys! Great save!
Cornbread without sugar and honey etc is fantastic. I’ve had it both ways and much prefer the savory route.
I agree. But I know a lot of people who love sweet cornbread. I prefer no sweetness. Especially with a pot of beans and fried cabbage. Also same with fried chicken dinner. I do love a glass of cornbread and milk also my fave. Enjoy.
Hi. I agree with you. I’m from the South….Mississippi, and we always have a skillet of cornbread. But NEVER sweet! Horrors! Lol. I believe that’s a North US thing. I’d leave out the two sweet ingredients and it should be fantastic. Sally is an awesome cook. This recipe is straight southern. Ok well except the butter. We use bacon grease. Yum. But I will make hers with butter. It’ll be great no doubt. Please follow Sally’s Baking Addiction. She’s awesome!
I made my first cornbread from scratch using this recipe as a base and it was moist and delicious!!!… I added a half teaspoon of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of whole kernel sweet corn!!!!…. When the bread is just about finished and warm, rub butter all over the top and let it seep through… amazing flavour!!
This recipe is great. It turned out moist and delicious. This is now my preferred recipe!
Sugar, flour and honey? Sacrilege
it came out delicious! i hope you tried it before commenting this!
Why? I use this recipe all the time and it’s great. So I’m genuinely curious why this combo of ingredients is sacrilegious and what constructive suggestion you have as an alternative?