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This is my absolute favorite cornbread recipe because it strikes the perfect balance of everything wonderful 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 13-year-old son. It’s delicious. ★★★★★”
Have you ever bitten into a piece of cornbread, only to be disappointed by its bland, sandy, and dry texture? I certainly have. That's why I spent years testing and tweaking recipes to find the perfect ratio of ingredients. Imagine thick squares of buttery, moist cornbread with a touch of sweetness and just the right amount of crumbliness. This recipe has become so popular that I use a variation of it for 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. Both are easy to make, but their success depends on the ingredient ratios. When done wrong, cornbread can be dry, crumbly, and flavorless. But when done right, it 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, cornbread lacks flavor without butter. Because butter doesn’t make the bread as moist as oil, I pair it with buttermilk.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk makes cakes, muffins, and breads extra moist. It also adds flavor, which you'll notice in my no-yeast bread and biscuits recipes.
- Cornmeal & Flour: Equal parts fine cornmeal and all-purpose flour make for the best cornbread. With 1 cup of cornmeal, you get lots of delicious corn flavor and those crisp-crunchy edges.
- Brown Sugar & Honey: This recipe falls more toward the sweet end of the spectrum. While it's not as sweet as cake, it has some sugar and a hint of honey to balance the savory buttermilk flavor and enhance the natural sweetness of the cornmeal. Regular white sugar works, but I especially love using 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.
How to Make Cornbread:
Baking cornbread is as easy as mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately and then combining them into one thick batter. Spread the batter into a greased or lined 9-inch square baking pan. Try baking it in a cast iron skillet for a heartier, crunchier crust.
What Is Cornmeal?
A lot of readers ask about cornmeal. Cornmeal is dried and ground corn, typically found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. If you're curious, here's an article about the differences between various dried corn products, including cornmeal, polenta, and cornstarch.
| More Cornbread FAQs:
What Kind of Cornmeal Is Best for Cornbread? I usually use fine cornmeal, but medium-ground or coarse works too. Yellow cornmeal is most common, but white cornmeal is also fine. Can I Bake This in a Skillet? Yes, baking cornbread in a skillet gives it a 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. What Can I Add? Feel free to stir in extras like 1 cup of corn or a can of creamed corn, 1 or 2 chopped jalapeño peppers, 1 cup of blueberries, 1/2 cup each dried cranberries and walnuts, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, or 1/2 cup of crumbled bacon. How Do I Make Cornbread Muffins? Here's the same recipe baked as cornbread muffins! |
Enjoy making this irresistible cornbread recipe, and let me know how it turns out for you!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
The above recipe draws inspiration from the renowned culinary experts, Sally and Lindsay.
Ingredients
😎 Total Time: 1 hour
- 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 (8 Tbsp; 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
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- 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!
