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!
So far all of your recipes have been fantastic! Am making the cornbread now and wanted to know if I can substitute molasses for the honey.
Paula
Hi Paula, thank you! Molasses would add a very strong flavor. You can simply leave out the honey.
I have made this recipe a few times. My family loves it!
Sorry, I followed this recipe exactly with fresh ingredients and had high expectations. It was dry and tasteless. I’ll look for another recipe where you add a quantity of canned or frozen corn to add moisture, next time.
Delicious cornbread. But, the weirdest thing—I cooked it for the specified time and tested it TWICE. But, when it was coming, it sunk in the middle. And, when I cut it, it was RAW in the middle (actually, everywhere but the outer edge). How could it test done, twice, and still be raw?
Made you cornbread today. It turned out perfect and delicious. My wife and I finished the whole batch for lunch.
Love! Bookmarking this cornbread recipe. I’ve also made some of the other Sally’s recipes and they’ve all turned out great so it’s a resource I trust.
Perfect cornbread! I’m not a huge cornbread person but this recipe has my heart. Love the extra heat from the jalapeño. My husband is obsessed with cornbread. This is now his favorite. Thank you, Sally!
Loved this recipe! Light and fluffy with a hint of sweetness. Added 5 minutes to baking time, as it was still uncooked in the middle at 20 min. Will definitely make again!
This was delicious cornbread. It will be my go to recipe. It’s printed and in my cookbook. It was just a little too sweet. But the family absolutely loved it. Double batch next time.
I followed the recipe exactly except I did cook it an extra 5 min. It turned out perfectly. I didn’t have buttermilk so I used the vinegar and milk method. Crispy edges, top and bottom. Good balance on the sweetness. Very nice crumb and texture. It is now my go to recipe and I have tried many!
I followed the recipe exactly except I did cook it an extra 5 min. It turned out perfectly. Crispy edges, top and bottom. Good balance on the sweetness. Very nice crumb and texture. It is now my go to recipe and I have tried many!
I have been a long follower of you, Sally. As long as I have followed your directions EVERY recipe has turned out. But I’ve tried this cornbread twice now and both times after 20 minutes the middle is completely liquid. We have to burn it to get it cooked through. Any suggestions? I’d love to try again!
Hi Rachel, is it possible your oven runs a bit hot? That would cause the edges to cook more quickly than the center. We always suggest using an in-oven thermometer for best results. If the top is browning too much you an always tent foil over it to keep it from burning as well.
This cornbread is delicious.
Excellent cornbread, nice and crispy on the edges. Definitely reduce the amount of sugar, though, which happily I had the forethought to do.
The BEST cornbread recipe ever. I did not have buttermilk or milk, so I used 1/2 of half-n-half and 1/2 of low-fat evaporated milk. Substitution worked perfectly. Great as a side for dinner or to have with tea or coffee.
I like a sweeter corn bread, so thought I would try this one. I did NOT like it, sorry. It was too sweet and I thought the brown sugar hid the taste of the actual cornmeal, which I love. Very disappointed.
Excellent!!
Thank you, Sally, for another great recipe.
Can I sub Maple Syrup for honey?
Hi Sara, We haven’t tested it, but that should be fine!
I followed the recipe – the result was an excellent cornbread. I will make it again.
Best cornbread ever! Thank you for easy instructions and thanks for the recipe. I never liked cornbread until I made yours. Delicious!!
The cornbread tasted alright, not too sweet and just moist enough, but boy, did it look ugly on top. I tried to smooth out the top with a wooden rice paddle, but it was so grainy and bumpy-looking.
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was my first time making homemade cornbread. I was nervous but it turned out great! The only change I made was reducing the brown sugar by 10-15%. Other than that I followed the recipe as is and used a 9×9 baking pan. The cornbread had a slightly crispy crust with the soft and fluffy interior. It was just the right balance between sweet and savory. My family approved and I will definitely be making this again!
I made this cornbread recipe in my 10 inch cast iron skillet. Baked for the 20 minutes as per, and it turned out crispy on the outside (totally agree with the brown sugar- I used Demerara) and almost cake like interior, (Room temp egg & buttermilk!!). So many recipes I’ve tried before were too heavy & dry. Best corn bread or ‘Johnny cake’ recipe I’ve ever made. Served it with my homemade Pea Soup. ❤️
I made this today for Thanksgiving. So many comments about it being sweet but I didn’t think it was at all. It’s a beautiful color & consistency but it is a bit bland. If you add butter to it, it’s perfect! This would be great with BBQ.
I tried the recipe and it turned out great! Thank you for the recipe !
My family loved it. I used regular milk and it was excellent!! I’ll have to try it with buttermilk to compare.
Wow, this was so delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. I spread a little honey on the finished product which put it over the top. Fantastic recipe, Sally!
Hi Sally!
Maybe this has been addressed somewhere, but I wondered if you could double this recipe and use a 13×9 pan. Having a party this weekend and would like to have more than one batch. Thank you! Have tried so many of your recipes and I always love them! And PS my daughter’s name is Sally. 🙂
Hi Shannon! Yes, you can double this recipe for a 9×13 inch pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time, but use a toothpick to check for doneness.
Delicious. I didn’t have enough butter so I used vegetable oil, worked out great. Made with whole wheat flour, also fine substitution. I loved that it was moist and not dry like others I’ve made. Nice crust. Yes a little sweet; might change the sugar/salt ratio next time but the base recipe is just great. Unfortunately the bread was so good my 2year old wasn’t interested in trying the chili.
Love this cornbread recipe! It’s so moist, buttery, delicious! This time I added a teaspoon of vanilla and a half teaspoon of cinnamon, just for fun. It is baking now and the kitchen smells heavenly! Hubby loves it too. We eat it plain or I have eaten it with just a smear of peach or apple butter.
I like all kinds of cornbread for the most part, but this was a cut above all of them. Sweet w/o being too sweet, and wonderful flavor. Many thanks for sharing this!