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):Â 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 was looking for a cornbread recipe that was moist and delicious and slightly sweet – DID THIS DELIVER! I love cornbread but hate when it is way too crumbly and falls apart, and also when it’s too sweet (like I’m eating candy). My daughter (4y/o) and I made this recipe for her ‘Thanksgiving Feast’ at school and made a second batch to have for dinner so we could taste – YUM! Both of my kids (4 and 1) loved it, as did I! It was moist, not too crumbly (only slightly) and just the perfect amount of sweet. This will now be my ‘go to’ cornbread recipe and am so thankful I found it! Thank you!!!!!
Perfect! I would not change a thing! Not too sweet and the right crunch around the edges and talk about easy!
Can this be made the day before. Will it stay fresh?
Hi Tracy! Yes- wrap it tightly and store at room temperature for up to a week.
This is a delicious recipe! I made it to go with my ham and beans soup. Personally it was a bit to sweet and delicate for my soup but it was fantastic on its own. I will use this recipe again for sure … hands down its amazing!
Hi Sally I was wondering if I can add pieces of corn to the recipe? If yes should I change anything or just add them? Thanks.
Absolutely. I recommend 1 cup of corn kernels. (Fresh, frozen, or canned.) No need to change anything else in the recipe.
Everyone loved this cornbread (including me)! Moist, flavorful and didn’t fall apart. I’ll definitely make this recipe again.
Best corn bread I’ve made, and I’ve made a lot! I used a 1 to 1 gluten free flour and it turned out great
I love cornbread. Can’t get enough of it. This is the best recipe I’ve used thus far! So good, I had to comment. Perfectly crisp and buttery. I use a mini loaf pan, this recipe yields 6 loaves. Delicious!
Your recipe sounds like the perfect accompaniment to the ribs and chicken we are having for dinner tomorrow.
Question: What type of corn meal do you use? I have a large bag of what I would call fine ground. Do you think I can use that or does the recipe call for medium ground?
Fine ground would be great for this cornbread. Hope you enjoy it!
Hands down BEST cornbread I’ve ever made! Even baking at high altitude here in Kenya (almost 7,000 ft) and ut came out perfectly! Went really well with tonights beef stew. I had a tried a true recipe I used for years but wanted to try one with honey init. Won’t be using that old recipe again! Well done Sally!!!
I had friends over to watch the election and we made chilli – and made this cornbread. People couldn’t stop commenting on how good it was. None left at the end of the night. I used a muffin tin and cooked for 15 minutes.
Can this recipe be made in a loaf pan? Can it be frozen? Im helping my twin brother move into a new apartment and I want to get him started with only the bare minimum of kitchen equipment, since he would most likely be using the bread pan for pound cakes and quick breads ect. let me know! thanks so much! I love your recipes Sally!
Yes, this should work in a loaf pan! I’m unsure of the exact bake time. See recipe notes for freezing instructions.
Best cornbread I’ve had in some time. The sweetness was subtle enough to pair beautifully with the butter and cornmeal for creamy goodness. I went back for more. Reminds me of the memories of grandma’s cornbread from my childhood. Satisfying and real.
Delicious! I doubled this recipe in a 9×13 pan and baked for 23 minutes, but probably should have left it in for 25. A huge hit with chili! Then, made it again as written in 8×8 dish for another dinner party with beef stew. Perfectly crumbly and tasty without being dry. Why do people use box mixes when this is so simple and way better?! Thank you, Sally!
Loved it. It is best done in a conventional oven rather than convection.
My first time doing any recipe from online and this was as great as mine!
I use 1/4 c french vanilla coffee creamer +1/4 coffee creamer powder vs buttermilk and raw honey w/brown sugar…..it’s to crave for! Thanks for a sharing!
Once I added milk (milk and vinegar mixture, was cool to the touch) to the wet ingredients it became clumpy – is that normal? All was at room temperature except milk mix was a little cool to the touch.
Make sure the batter is nice and smooth before adding the milk and it should come together nicely with a few extra stirs! Next time it should be smoother if your milk is at room temperature.
Great cornbread! I tend to make a different recipe every time I make cornbread, but I think I’ll be coming back to this one. I like it sweet so I added a little extra sugar and increased the salt by 1/4 teaspoon. I baked it in a mini loaf pan from William Sonoma and it made 6 small loaves. They were done in 14 minutes. I like the loaves for portion control, but I went ahead and ate 2 of them anyway lol.
Best cornbread my husband and I have ever had! Puts every other cornbread recipe to shame. Thank you Sally!
Yes, thanks Sally! I baked in 9×12 for about 25min. (doubled recipe)
I used cassava (yucca root) flour for a gluten free cornbread and turned out fine. I used less sugar and used (natural birch) xylitol sugar which is the same equivalent in amounts as sugar. Like the added honey as well.
Yummy!
My first attempt at cornbread. Day before payday so I went through the freezer till i found something that looked like chili. Now, what to have with it? The only thing I didn’t have was honey, made a fake buttermilk. Excellent !!! So good I gave some to the neighbour. Definitely will be making again
Followed recipe exactly. Best cornbread!!! Also made mini muffins which I cooked for 13 minutes and they were perfect too.
Can this be made without the sugar and honey?
I don’t recommend it. The sugar is not just for taste, it is also responsible for the correct texture in baked goods.
I just made this for company from abroad. Everybody had seconds and thirds and the kids loved it too. This is hands down the best conrbread recipe. Thanks
Best cornbread ever! It took 27 minutes to bake thoroughly. I kept checking the interior of the cornbread with a tooth pick until it went from wet at the 20 min mark to firm at the 27th minute mark at 400 degrees. This is my favourite cornbread recipe thus far! Thank you so much Sally for sharing!
I doubles the recipe and baked in 9×13 for 23 minutes, smells so buttery. I made it before in a 8×8 square but taking it to a party this time because I loved it so much the first time around.
So easy, so delicious!!!! Perfect with the crabcakes!
Hey Sally, looking to make this for a cookout this weekend. If I wanted to make a double batch in 9×13 baking dish would I just want to double the ingredients and how long should I expect the bake time to be extended by? Thanks!
Hi Michaela! Yes, you can double this recipe for a 9×13 inch pan. The bake time will be a little longer, though I’m unsure of the exact time. Keep your eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
We made your cornbread recipe and baked in a cast iron skillet. OMG. So good. You can taste the butter and the texture was perfect. I’ll make another batch tomorrow since we have left over buttermilk. PS I was never much of a cornbread fan before using your recipe because it was usually too sweet and/or too dry.
I made a batch of another “best cornbread ever” recipe earlier today. I I didn’t want a too-sweet cakey type of cornbread I thought I’d give it a try, it was supposed to be a mix between a northern style and a southern style. It was dry and bland.
My craving for cornbread remained, and fortunately I found your recipe next. It was super easy to make, and very moist and flavourful. In spite of the sugar and very minimal salt, it was not too sweet. I’m bookmarking the recipe, definitely a keeper, and took the time to write this review because it was that good.