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.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
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 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 (similar to this savory quick bread)
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. If you’re interested, I have plenty more on this topic in my Baking with Buttermilk post (including a DIY buttermilk substitute recipe).
- 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
- Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs
- Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad
- Skillet Apple Cider Chicken
- Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
PS: Don’t forget the honey butter for on top!
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.
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 (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
- 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 buttermilk substitute 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!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally, can I make this in a 9×13 pan?
Hi Naomi, 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.
Hope I’m not sounding snippy, but you do NOT put sugar in cornbread–ever! You’re making cornbread, not cake.
Hi, this is my go to cornbread recipe. I love it, I’m wondering if I can make this GF by using GF flour?
Hi D, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but let us know if you do!
Hi Sally!
I was curious if I can add some frozen corn to your delicious cornbread recipe and how much would you suggest?
I have made so many of your recipes that it would take up an entire page! Most recently, I made your Dark Chocolate, Cranberry Blondies… utterly amazing!!!
Wishing You and Your Family a Wonderful Holiday Season!
Absolutely. We recommend 1 cup of corn kernels. (Fresh, frozen, or canned.) No need to change anything else in the recipe. So glad you love it!
I love cornbread but have not been happy with my recipe for a long time. It’s just okay. So I googled cornbread recipes and decided on this one. I have baked it twice, and my husband and I agree it is the best cornbread ever! I usually put lots of butter and honey on cornbread but this recipe is so moist and sweet it is is amazingly delicious plain! Thank you!
Can you be use regular sugar instead of brown?
Hi Michele, white sugar will be fine, but brown really ads some extra flavor – we recommend using brown if possible!
Yes, this is also my favorite corn bread recipe! Thank you. Do you foresee any problems substituting Measure for Measure flour to make this gluten free?
Hi Julie, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but let us know if you do!
I made this today to go along with chili. Great meal for football Saturday! I looked at several recipes before I found this one which ended my search. If it’s a “ Sally recipe”, rest assured it will be great! Lots of compliments too! Just sweet enough and great taste!
I love this recipe. I’ve been baking the cornbread in a cast iron round stove top pan instead of a square baking pan and it always comes out perfectly. I also use powdered buttermilk, which gets added with the dry ingredients, and then the 1 cup of water mixed with the wet ingredients.
Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Can I put 3 tablespoons of honey instead of 2 to make it a little more sweeter?
Hi Ivette, instead of adding more honey to the batter (which could change the texture), how about drizzling on top of the baked pieces?
100% best cornbread recipe. Made it again for tonight’s chili dinner. Thanks Sally!
I have made this corn bread over a over it always comes out perfect, my husband and I finish it in two days. I did add less brown sugar and added some white sugar because the hubby likes it sweet now he is always asking me to make it everytime he walks by the kitchen he grabs a piece. Thank you
My husband wanted corn bread and he told me to by a box. That is against my religion I looked up this recipe and my husband and kids devoured it. I didn’t eat any because I am vegan but they all said it was the best corn bread they ever had! Thanks Sally, you never disappoint.
I only have self rising flour. Could you let me know how much soda, salt, and or powder I should or shouldn’t use? Thanks
Hi Donna, We don’t recommend using self rising flour in this recipe. It would take additional recipe testing to ensure accurate results.
Wow, this was so delicious; I added blueberries. My granddaughter said it’s addictive and the 2 of us ate the whole pan in 2 days. Just writing about it makes me want more, but I’ll wait till I have more people to eat it. ❤️
Can the honey be substituted in this recipe? I’d love to have my daughter try it but she can’t have honey!
Hi Elissa! You can simply leave the honey out if desired.
I made this today with homemade acorn flour as the substitute for the cornmeal. It was very good. Just wanted to let people know it works for acorn bread as well.
Very good recipe! I used soy milk with lemon juice (DIY buttermilk) and I cooked my cornbread in a 9 inch loaf pan at 350F for 50 minutes. Came out perfect!
Honestly the best cornbread ever. The top got so golden and crispy. Family raved about it. It is pretty sweet so if that’s not your thing, be warned. If delicious is your thing, also consider yourself warned.
I made this recipe in an 8-inch cake pan and had similar issues to other commenters with the cornbread not being cooked through. After 20 minutes at 400F, a toothpick was clean but looked moist and the cake wasn’t firm when jiggled. Back in the oven for 7 minutes and now the edges were crisped and pulling away from the pan, the cake not jiggly and the toothpick came out clean and dry. But to my disappointment , when I cut into it the top of the center of the cake was still mostly raw. We threw this part away – embarrassing. Perhaps there needs to be a distinction here between using an 8-inch and a 9-inch pan. For an 8-inch pan, at least, the 20 minute bake time is not enough. Maybe I’ll make it again and bake it at 375 for longer. Also, I’ve made this recipe before as muffins and they felt greasy to me, so I used 7 tbspn of butter instead of 8 and I thought the texture of the cooked part was great.
Do you know if you used fine, medium, or coarse grind cornmeal?
I use medium all the time with this recipe, I love it
Can I use 2% milk Instead of buttermilk?
Hi Brittney, If you don’t have any buttermilk, you can make a DIY soured milk. For every 1 cup of buttermilk, add 1 or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Fill with enough regular milk to yield 1 cup. Whisk together, then let sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe. Whole milk is best, but you can use any fat or nondairy milk. The lower the fat, the less “rich” the baked good will taste.
In the old South, Robert E. Lee’s time and earlier – no sugar in the cornbread. Too many Southerners addicted now to sugar in everything and have forgotten that cornbread is well….BREAD for soaking up gravy, etc. Not supposed to taste like a dessert/cake. Yucky, with sopping up the gravy!
But as a dessert/cake this is good.
Hi, I have made this wonderful recipe many times. Thank you! Just realized I’m out of eggs. Unbelievable. Is it possible to substitute? Thanks!
Hi Erika! We haven’t tested any egg substitutes in this cornbread recipe so can’t offer much advice – perhaps a “flax egg” substitute may work? I would do a quick google search to determine the correct way to use that if you happen to have flax on hand.
Good recipe. I doubled everything except the honey and brown sugar (I kept those the same as the single recipe). I plan to freeze one. I baked them in 2 8 in. square pans for about 25 minutes. They were very good and plenty sweet.
Can the batter be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator?
Hi Amanda! We don’t recommend making this batter ahead of time. The raising agents will activate too soon and the cornbread won’t rise properly when baked.
It was so good, probably the best corn bread I’ve made!
I used fine ground corn I think. I also didn’t have buttermilk so I did .5c of yogurt and .5 c of whole milk and it came out amazing!! So light and fluffy.
Your cornbread recipe is a staple in my house. In fact, I’m making it tonight!
I use Sally’s recipes all of the time. They are 100%
Can you substitute dried polenta for dried cornmeal?
Hi Jen, we haven’t tried polenta in this recipe, so we’re unsure of the results.
I tried it with polenta and it still turned out great! It has a slightly grainier and nuttier texture/flavor but I was a fan of that as well.
Super good small recipe thank you