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 or Maryland Crab Soup
- 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’ve made this 100 times. It always works. You can mix that up however you want and it still works!!!
I was just wondering if one could add some creamed corn to this wonderful recipe?
Hi Joanne, absolutely! You can add up to 1 cup of creamed corn kernels.
This is a great recipe! I like lightly sweetened corn bread, and this is it. I have made many different cornbread recipes, and I hesitated to make this one (even though I make quite a few of your other recipes) because I am one of the few who do not like honey butter and cornbread, and I was worried about the honey. So, my question is: what does the honey do besides sweeten?
One thing I did do that I have done for years is heat up the pan while it is warming up. I just put a tad bit of butter in it. Then when I put in the batter, it sizzles, and it makes a nice crust. Will keep using the recipe otherwise as is – just curious about the honey.
Hi Janet, we’re so glad you enjoyed this cornbread recipe! The honey just lightly sweetens the bread, but you can omit it if desired for future batches. Thanks for giving this one a try!
Oh my goodness my new FAV cornbread recipe! I use it every time I make cornbread. LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!
Sooo, when you say “Cornbread”, you mean “cake”.
Sigh…..
how is this corn bread the next day?…I want to make ahead of my dinner party
Be sure to wrap tightly and it will be great!
My 3 1/2 year old just ate a quarter of this recipe in one sitting, so I think it’s a winner!
Seriously, this is so delicious.
Can you use flour substitute and use milk with tbsp of vinegar for buttermilk like I do for other recipes?
Hi Brenda, We haven’t tested this recipe with any flour substitutes, but let us know if you give it a try! If you don’t have any buttermilk, you can make a DIY soured milk.
This recipe really is perfect and works great! Don’t overmix and you will be thrilled at how this sweet, savory cornbread turns out. Make it in muffin tins and bake for less time! So good !
How much oil should I use if I want this to be nondairy and do any other ingredients need to be adjusted if I use the oil instead of butter? Tyvm:).
Hi Elka, 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!
If I have a medium grind cornmeal can I just put it in the food processor to make it finer?
Hi Yvonne, medium grind should work fine here, though you can try pulsing it a few times before using.
Excellent recipe!!!
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. Hit!!
This was so easy and came out so well. I added jalapeños and cheddar, and topped the warm bread fresh out of the over with some homemade cheddar+pepperjack macaroni and cheese my bf made while the cornbread was baking. ♡ such a tasty combination! The bread was nice and soft on the inside with a slightly crunchy crust.
Love it! Moist but it crumbles. Made it into muffins (used the muffing baking times from your recipe). Why could it be crumbling?
Hi Lurdes, if it’s a bit too crumbly, try decreasing the bake time by just a minute or two. It sounds like it could be over baked just a bit.
My husband said it was the best cornbread he has ever had … and I even forgot to add the egg.
Would the banking time and temperature change much if I was to bake this in a 9 x 5 loaf pan?
My mom used to make a cornbread loaf called Johnny Cake, but I can not find the recipe.
Hi Claire, a loaf pan should work well for this recipe. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Hello! Would corn flour work as an adequate sub for fine cornmeal? It’s hard to find where I live.
Hi Rebekah, that substitution should likely work but we haven’t tested it to be certain. Let us know if you give it a try.
Hi! Could you use sec rising corn meal mix for this recipe? Walmart delivery gave me the wrong thing
Hi MeKenzie, you’ll really want plain cornmeal for this recipe. The corn meal mix may come with a recipe on the box that would be formulated for that mix!
I assumed. Thanks so much for responding!! This is why we love Sally’s! My friend and I have aprons we had made that say “Sally Never Fails”
This cornbread is very moist and yet crunchy. The best one that I’ve made. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I’d like to make a 13×9. Do I double all ingredients ? FYI. You are my “ go to “ site for good recipes
Hi Denise, thank you so much for making our recipes! 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 doubled this recipe and used a 9×13 dark metal pan, baked for about 30 minutes. i thought it may have browned around the edges too much, but it was perfect. It was a big hit!
This recipe is amazing. I tried it and we all love it. Thank you so much for sharing!
Made this tonight ! Added cheddar chopped jalapenos and cooked bacon and it turned out amazing !! All your recipes are spot on. Thank you again !
Wow! Absolutely the best! I had to make a substitution for the buttermilk and decided to do some research on alternatives to buttermilk. One source suggested yogurt! I had some vanilla yogurt in my frig that needed to be used, so I gave it a go. It is scrumptious! My husband only likes sweet cornbread, so he has insisted this be our go-to recipe. No objections from me! Thanks, Sally.
This recepie reminds me of my grandmother
Hi Sal, I’ve been loving this cornbread to death but find mine is coming out a bit too crumbly. Would an extra egg hold this together a bit better? Thanks!
Hi Larissa, if it’s a bit too crumbly, try decreasing the bake time by just a minute or two. It sounds like it could be over baked just a bit. Glad this has been a favorite for you!
Why does the egg and buttermilk need to be at room temperature?
Hi David, room temperature ingredients help batters and doughs to come together smoothly. Especially in recipes like this, where we’re using melted butter, we don’t want the eggs and buttermilk cold as it could cause the butter to solidify. Here is more about the importance of room temperature ingredients, if you’re interested.
This is a great, consistent recipe. Made it multiple times. Delicious.
This is the best corn bread I’ve ever made. And 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.
This is the best cornbread recipe I have made. Thank you Sally!