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!
Let me tell you what I like about this recipe.
1. It’s the perfect size for a small household. A lot of cornbread recipes use 3 eggs, a lot more butter, etc… I don’t want to use all my ingredients to have a few pieces of cornbread.
2. It’s a good base. If you don’t like sweet cornbread, cut down the sugar. The flour to cornmeal to leavener & liquid ratio is still good. It has a nice texture, it’s moist. You can still add hot peppers or cayenne, or whatever you like if you prefer it savory. I made it with no sugar at all, just the honey, and doubled the salt, still turned out great.
It’s a good, versatile base recipe that can be tweaked to suit your taste. To me, that’s exactly what I want in a recipe!
This really is the best cornbread I’ve made! I’ve tried so many different recipes but this is definitely a keeper!
This is the easiest and tastiest cornbread I have ever made. Each time I use your recipe exactly as written and it’s perfect every time. Beautiful colour and crispy yummy edges. It is delicious with the pumpkin chili and as a little snack (with honey) after dinner.
I love cornbread and this was delicious and an easy recipe to follow and I had all the ingredients. Soft, moist and the crumb was perfect. I only used 1 tablespoon of honey and it was just enough sweetness for my tastes. I figured people could add honey if they wanted-and I tried a bite with honey on top and that was amazing too. I would make this again except I am afraid I would eat all of it! Another great recipe Sally! Thanks!
YUMMMMMM. My first time making cornbread from scratch, and this turned out great! I did use salted butter instead of unsalted (it’s all I had, plus I like things a bit more savory anyway). Mmmmmm.
Made this in the skillet to go with the Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili, pairs really well together. Very easy recipe, definitely recommend. Also just looks so good in a skillet, hah!
My love for brown sugar led me to try this recipe (not that I had to debate with myself that much as EVERYTHING I’ve tried from your blog is really exceptional). This cornbread is perfect! Nice and rich with the perfect crumb. Being that it is sweet, I like to add chilis (serrano, or hatch/anaheim), but even without, it went well with the big pot of chili we had for dinner this week.
I’ve made this a couple of times now and this recipe is a permanent part of my rotation. I make a lot of barbecue, smoked meats, etc. and this is a great accompaniment to that style of cooking. Paired this up with some Tex Mex meatballs I made last night and the family was thrilled.
This is a fantastic recipe and I am so happy I found your site. My mouth started watering as the delicious smell filled my apartment. I am very excited for Thanksgiving to arrive because I will be making your cornbread stuffing recipe!
The best ever! Everyone said it was the most delish cornbread and fighting over the last piece. Thanks for this recipe!!
It was a hit. My brother inlaw even complimented me.
Very good. Sweet. Don’t think I would add cheese and/or jalapeños cause it’s quite sweet.
I found it too buttery for my taste, and bland even though I added jalapeño. Next time I will cut the cut the butter in half and triple the salt.
So easy to make and utterly delish! My 14-month baby loves this. 🙂
Soooo good!
Only cooked it for 17.5 minutes and it was too brown and overcooked. Basically flat too. Good flavor (could stand to be sweeter, but this is described as a medium-sweet bread so can’t really complain) but the texture’s completely flat, it’s just a slab. It’s not overly dry but it could also stand to be moister. Maybe adding an egg and a little extra sugar and some creamed corn for moisture will save this recipe – it tastes *good*, but it’s nothing to write home about and definitely nothing to show off with a bread as thin as a chalkboard.
All my family love it, is now our new breakfast favorite.
Greetings and love from Colombia
Ok, I just had to come back and add my review of this cornbread recipe. I made this exactly how you made it, and I was hungry when it came out of the oven, but I did wait until it cooled a bit. I already had my honey butter mixed and ready. The texture was so moist and held together really well. I have never had brown sugar or honey in this before- but the flavor going on was wonderful. Almost like a warm piece of pie. This will be my new recipe for cornbread for sure. Thank you for making and especially for sharing it with us other home bakers.
Best cornbread ever! I’m thinking of getting a cornbreak stick pan. Lodge makes some with five cornsticks and some with seven. How many cornsticks does this recipe make and would I need to alter the time with cornsticks? Thanks!
We are so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Elizabeth! We haven’t tested this in a speciality shaped pan so I’m unsure how many cavities it would fill or the exact bake time needed. Let us know if you try it!
This is a heavenly cornbread. I made it exactly as the recipe stated with the suggested addition of a cup of mild cheddar. I cooked it 3 minutes longer than suggested. Definitely will try again with some spices along with the cheddar and also without the cheese. The bread held together enough. Was very moist. I’m new to your site. I tried the soda bread a few weeks ago. First time for this style. Two winners. Will definitely check out more recipes.
My first time making cornbread. I followed this recipe exactly, opting to bake it in a cast iron skillet, which I first greased with a bit of vegetable oil.
The only other change was….I added some corn kernels into the mix.
It came out great. Next, I think I’d add some finely chopped jalapenyo to give it some kick, and perhaps a smidgen more honey for added sweetness.
Thanks for this recipe!
Yummy Yummy Yummy
Tried this today so simple and delicious, thank you!
So moist and delicious
My husband took a bite, paused, looked at me, nodded his head and said reverently: “delicious”.
My quest has ended! Hands down best cornbread ever.
Thank you
Perfect! I love sweet cornbread and this recipe is great.
Thanks
made this for the first time. loved it moist and not too sweet. will be made again soon.
I love all of your recipes! However this one I followed to a T and the Taste and bake was good, but just too crumbly and did not hold together. I triple checked everything and was wondering if the recipe is crumbly by nature or if you have any ideas for fixing the consistency of the bake?
Excellent recipe. Tried for the 1stvtime and it came out really moist and fluffy.
Easy to make. Tastes really delicious. Used Semolina as it’s hard to find corn meal in the Uk. Having it with ribs tonight
Hi Sally! I’m wondering if you could easily make this a jalapeño cheddar cornbread?
Hi Brittany, absolutely! Add 1-2 chopped jalapeño peppers and up to a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Or try our jalapeño cornbread muffins and add up to a cup of shredded cheddar cheese.