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    Home » Best Cornbread Recipe

    Best Cornbread Recipe

    Published: Oct 7, 2020 · Modified: Nov 15, 2022 by Laura · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    The best cornbread recipe you'll ever eat! It's sweet and moist with a beautiful crumb, and has bursts of fresh corn in every bite. Plus this Homemade Cornbread is easy to make in 30 minutes - no mixer required.

    front view of slices of cornbread with melting butter on top

    Cornbread is the perfect companion to so many fall meals, chili (beef chili, chicken chili, turkey chili, etc), soups, etc. and it's also a delicious holiday side dish. 

    This is the best cornbread recipe you'll ever eat! It's sweet and moist with a beautiful crumb, and has bursts of fresh corn in every bite. Plus this Homemade Cornbread is easy to make in 30 minutes - no mixer required.

    overhead view of the best homemade cornbread cut into squares with butter

    Homemade Cornbread Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions

    As always, I recommend making this cornbread recipe exactly as it's written for the best results, but we'll chat about the ingredients and possible substitutions.

    • Yellow Cornmeal. White cornmeal can be used in place of yellow, the final result will just have a different color.
    • All-Purpose Flour. To make this cornbread recipe gluten-free, you can substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour. Bread flour and cake flour also work well. 
    • Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
    • Whole Milk. Fat content is important for the this homemade cornbread. You could use 2% milk, or half and half, but I don't recommend other substitutions. 
    • Sour Cream. Again, full-fat is best. Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream. 
    • Granulated sugar and honey. I don't recommend making substituions for the granulated sugar or honey. If you don't love sweet cornbread you can reduce the amount of sugar but that is all I would recommend.
    • Corn. Feel free to use fresh corn (cooked) from the Cobb or frozen and thawed corn. 
    overhead view of the ingredients in this cornbread recipe

    How to make Cornbread

    People often wonder "How do you make cornbread from scratch?" Well you're in luck because we're going to walk through how to make cornbread step-by-step to ensure your success! And don't forget to watch the video!

    Combine the dry ingredients

    In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (but not the sugar) and sea salt, then set the bowl aside. 

    two overhead photos showing How to Make Cornbread

    Whisk together wet ingredients

    In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter sugar and honey, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Add, milk, sour cream and eggs and whisk until smooth.

    two overhead photos showing How to Make Cornbread

    Combine Wet & Dry ingredients

    Next, add the dry ingredients to the whisked wet ingredients and stir/whisk until mixture is smooth.

    two overhead photos showing How to Make Cornbread

    Add Corn

    Fold in corn kernels, gently stirring until they are evenly distributed throughout the cornbread batter. 

    two overhead photos showing How to Make Cornbread

    Bake

    Pour the cornbread batter into a prepared baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is set, lightly golden-brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

    two overhead photos showing How to Make Cornbread

    Serve!

    Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Then serve warm with a generous slather of this cinnamon honey butter. 

    Store

    Store any leftover cornbread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. You can also use it to make the best cornbread croutons or this cornbread dressing!

    How to freeze cornbread: 

    Let the cornbread cool completely. Slice into individual servings and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you plan on freezing it for a while, I recommend also tightly wrapping each slice of cornbread in plastic wrap before putting it in an airtight container. 

    front view of slices of cornbread with butter

    What to serve with cornbread:

    Here are some of our favorite recipes to enjoy with this homemade cornbread. 

    • CHILI! We love chili around here, beef chili, turkey chili and chicken chili are all great companions for this honey cornbread recipe. 
    • Soup. this sausage and kale soup tastes amazing with a side of this honey cornbread, also try this vegetable soup and this chicken and rice soup! 
    • This slow cooker pot roast is a great main dish to serve with this sweet cornbread. 
    • And of course, serve it as a side amongst all your favorite Thanksgiving Recipes. 
    • Serve it as a Thanksgiving or holiday side dish alongside this Roast Turkey and the best Turkey Gravy! 

    Recipe FAQs

    Why is my cornbread dry?

    This recipe makes very moist cornbread, if it turns out dry it's likely that it was over-baked. Next time, shorten the baking time and be sure to use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is heating to the proper temperature.

    What kind of cornmeal is used in cornbread?

    This recipe calls for yellow cornmeal, but white can be used as well it will just have a different color.

    overhead view of a slice of homemade cornbread

    If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don't forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube - be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!

    Best Cornbread Recipe

    Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe

    Laura
    This is the best cornbread recipe you'll ever eat! It's sweet and moist with a beautiful crumb, and has bursts of fresh corn in every bite. Plus this Homemade Cornbread is easy to make in 30 minutes - no mixer required.
    5 from 48 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Appetizer, bread, Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 16 Servings
    Calories 163 kcal

    Equipment

    • 9x9" baking pan
    • measuring spoons
    • measuring cups
    • glass batter bowl
    • whisk
    • spatula

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ¾ cup yellow cornmeal
    • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp fine sea salt
    • ½ cup salted butter melted
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • ¼ cup sour cream
    • 2 eggs
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup honey
    • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels thawed

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees f. Grease a 9x9” square baking dish, set aside. (Note, you can use an 8x8” baking dish, you will need to bake a touch longer).
    • In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter sugar and honey.
    • Add, milk, sour cream and eggs and whisk until smooth.
    • Add dry ingredients and stir/whisk until mixture is smooth.
    • Fold in corn kernels.
    • Pour into prepared baking dish.
    • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is set, lightly golden-brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
    • Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

    Video

    Notes

    Ingredient Substitutions  

    • Yellow Cornmeal. White cornmeal can be used in place of yellow, the final result will just have a different color.
    • All-Purpose Flour. To make this cornbread recipe gluten-free, you can substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour. Bread flour and cake flour also work well. 
    • Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
    • Whole Milk. You could use 2% milk, or half and half, but I don't recommend other substitutions (with lower fat content)
    • Sour Cream. Full-fat is best. Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream. 
    • Granulated sugar and honey. I don't recommend making substituions for the granulated sugar or honey. If you don't love sweet cornbread you can reduce the amount of sugar but that is all I would recommend.
    • Corn. Feel free to use fresh corn (cooked) from the Cobb or frozen and thawed corn. 

    Store

    Store any leftover cornbread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. 

    How to freeze cornbread: 

    Let the cornbread cool completely. Slice into individual servings and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you plan on freezing it for a while, I recommend also tightly wrapping each slice of cornbread in plastic wrap before putting it in an airtight container. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1pieceCalories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 254mgPotassium: 150mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 279IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine! 

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sarah

      November 25, 2022 at 9:26 am

      5 stars
      I made this as part of the cornbread dressing recipe, and it didn’t disappoint! Will make again to go with chili in the coming months.

      Reply
    2. cat

      November 13, 2022 at 10:32 am

      can i use buttermilk in place of milk and sour cream?

      Reply
      • Laura

        November 13, 2022 at 2:41 pm

        If substituting buttermilk I recommend substituting the whole milk + sour cream for 1 1/4 cups buttermilk.

        Reply
    3. Cathy

      November 03, 2022 at 11:36 am

      Can I add 1 can of cream corn as well?

      Reply
    4. Nan Anderson

      October 31, 2022 at 10:57 am

      5 stars
      Trying this for the first time.....I'm going to make it in a skillet like I normally do....expecting 5 stars!!

      Reply
    5. Lisa in PDX

      October 29, 2022 at 6:06 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this but subbed a half cup of AP Flour for Corn Flour and did muffins instead of the pan. Not sure if the corn flour helped or hindered but still tasted grear and 15 min. was perfect for muffins.

      Reply
      • Sharon

        January 08, 2023 at 8:18 pm

        5 stars
        Perfect with chili! And very easy to make.

        Reply
        • Laura

          January 09, 2023 at 7:29 am

          Yes! They are a match made in heaven!

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    About Laura

    I’m Laura, a former chemistry teacher turned homeschooling mom of six beautiful babies! I create simple and delicious recipes that are tested and perfected to make cooking and baking joyful and fun!

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