Moist Sweet Cornbread (2024)

Indulge in the irresistibleMoist Sweet Cornbread, a guaranteed crowd-pleaser wherever you serve it!

This recipe boasts a soft, melt-in-your-mouth crumb and a moist, delightful sweetness reminiscent of honey. Unlike traditional dry and crumbly cornbread, this recipe delivers a flavorful experience that’s sure to win you over, even if you’re not a fan of its savory counterpart. Get ready to transform your perception of cornbread with this extremely popular and requested recipe that promises to be a hit at every gathering!

Why We Love This Sweet Cornbread

• A delightful departure from the ordinary:Unlike traditional cornbread, which can be dry and crumbly, this recipe boasts asoft, melt-in-your-mouth crumband amoist, delightful sweetness reminiscent of honey. It’s a perfect option for those who find savory cornbread unappealing.
• Effortlessly impressive:Don’t be fooled by theamazing results– this recipe is surprisinglyeasy to make! It requiresfairly common ingredientsand comes together in asimple process, making it accessible to bakers of all skill levels.
• A guaranteed crowd-pleaser:Thisextremely popularrecipe has won over countless taste buds, making it a surefire hit at potlucks, barbecues, or anytime you need a delicious side dish.
• Versatility reigns supreme:Enjoy this sweet cornbread alongsideall kinds of meals, from savory chili and hearty stews to lighter salads and grilled fish. It’s also perfect as asatisfying snackon its own, any time of year.
• A touch of sweetness for any occasion:Whether you’re looking for awarming breakfast treator asweet ending to a savory meal, this cornbread delivers the perfect touch of sweetness tobrighten your day.

Our Raving Reviews

The best moist sweet cornbread recipe out there, just read the reviews. (down below in the comments)

I promise this will be the best cornbread recipe you’ve ever tried if you aren’t a huge fan of regular crumbly cornbread.

“I have made this for family gatherings on MANY occasions now, and it always goes so quickly. It’s the best cornbread I’ve ever had, and my relatives say the same. I am so glad to have found this recipe. It will definitely be one I use for the rest of my life!”

Kaitlin

This is the best. My second time making it and it does not last long. Thank you!

Lisa

This cornbread was DELICIOUS! My whole family loved it. Very generous recipe, and very easy to make too. Exactly what I was looking for tonight. Thank you! As a matter of fact, I enjoyed this so much I felt the need to pimp it out over on my cooking blog, along with mymade-up dinnerrecipe from tonight.

Kristin Dorson

I have been searching and tweaking cornbread recipes trying to get something even close to a cornbread I had at Randy’s BBQ. It was sweeter, moister and more-cake like than the typical dry, crumbly cornbread I grew up with. I didn’t even have to tweak your recipe as it was fabulous as is! It’s so wonderfully moist and rich that it doesn’t even need butter! Definitely a keeper!

Melody

There is nothing better than a Sweet Cornbread.

There are tons more reviews below!

This moist sweet cornbread recipe continues to be one of the most popular on the blog and it’s obvious very why.

Everyone seems to want a sweet cornbread that stays moist and one that keeps for an extra day or two as well. Here you have it.

What goes well with Moist Sweet Cornbread?

This moist sweet cornbread recipe is so versatile. Because it is a moist, cake like recipe it pairs perfectly with savory soups, stews and chili’s.

It also pairs beautifully with beef, poultry and seafood making it a great side dish recipe anytime you want something a little sweeter. Scroll down for a few pairing ideas!

• The Best Chili Recipe
• 7 Layer Mexican Dip
• Deluxe Lasagna Rolls
• Red Wine Marinated Flank Steak
• Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
• Crockpot Beefy Meatballs

Honestly it’s incredible for breakfast with some yogurt or fresh fruit and a cup of coffee too!

Ingredients, Substitutions and Additions

cornmeal – I am often asked, white or yellow. We usually use white but have used yellow just fine. I think it’s maybe just what you have around you. White is more common where I live but I’ve lived all over and yellow was more common.

I’ve also been asked about self rising cornmeal. I have not tested this recipe with it, but some readers have with good results. See the comments for their tips.

all purpose flour – This recipe has only been tested with all purpose flour. But many readers have substituted whole wheat flour with good results.

granulated sugar – don’t skimp on this too much – it’s part of why this recipe is sweeter and better than most.

baking powder – this helps with getting the cake like rise and while it could be eliminated we tried that, and didn’t like the final results as much.

salt – this can be eliminated if you are using salted butter.

vegetable oil – we have used vegetable oil and canola oil in this recipe and both are perfect. We have not tested this with any other oil, so try at your own risk.

butter – we usually use unsalted butter, but when we use salted butter we eliminate the above salt.

honey – So I have never made this cornbread without the addition of the honey, so I have no idea what the texture or change to the recipe is like, but I know a few readers have said they left it out and it was fine. I suspect that it makes a difference with the moisture level if anything, we love the flavor it gives, so we keep it in.

eggs – we always use “large eggs” when creating recipes, so that is what this recipe was tested with.

whole milk – so, we’ve made a couple of variations of this – we use buttermilk on occasion and it definitely gives it a richer, heavier feel and it’s absolutely delicious.

We tried it with half and half and lower fat milks, and while it’s still fantastic, it’s not the same as whole milk or buttermilk.

Additions to Add to this Moist Sweet Cornbread

While we make this moist cornbread as is, many readers have tried it with many different ingredients. Here are a few suggestions.

• Chopped Jalapenos – for us, it’s sweet so we don’t really want it also spicy, but many readers love it this way.
• Shredded Cheese – it sounds like mild cheddar is the winner here
• Can of Corn – Many readers like adding a drained can of corn, we have heard that creamed corn is best but there would need to probably be a reduction in liquid elsewhere.
• Chocolate Chips – one daring reader attempted to add chocolate chips and she loved it. We decided to try it and it was pretty darn good!
• Blueberries or other fresh chopped fruit – so at first I was skeptical, but it makes it like a breakfast cake and it’s delicious.
• Spices and/or herbs – Rosemary is amazing, but we also love to add cinnamon and/or nutmeg in the later months of the year.
• Please leave any additional suggestions in the comments, we love to hear how you made it your own!

The Real Story of Creating this Moist Sweet Cornbread

It took countless tries, and many failures before I was able to create this Moist Sweet Cornbread.

So many people say it is all over the internet and was there before I posted it.

Well, considering I shared the original form of this recipe on an adoption reunion board circa 1995.

It was a group of about 100 women, and then again I shared this version on an old website of mine from the late 90’s… that got tons of traffic. I’m willing to bet any versions of this exact recipe or similar variation, is probably my recipe that is circulating around.

That’s okay though, share the love. I want everyone to enjoy it. I don’t care who claims it’s theirs, but please just don’t tell me it’s not mine.

I’ve had readers tell me they entered it into local competitions and won with it, so it’s also an award winning moist sweet cornbread.

Storing and Enjoying Leftover Sweet Cornbread:

Keeping your leftover sweet cornbread fresh is easy! Here are a few tips:

• Room temperature storage:For short-term storage (up to 3 days), place cooled cornbread in anairtight containeror alarge zip-lock bag. This will help it retain its moisture and delicious flavor.
• Refrigeration:For longer storage (up to 5 days), wrap the cooled cornbread tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place it in anairtight containerand store it in therefrigerator.
• Freezing:To enjoy your sweet cornbread later, you can freeze it! Wrap the cooled cornbread tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, or place it in afreezer-safe container. It will last forup to 2-3 monthsin the freezer.

When you’re ready to enjoy your leftover sweet cornbread:

• Reheating from frozen:Thaw the frozen cornbread in the refrigerator overnight. Then, you can warm it up in theovenat 350°F (175°C) for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
• Reheating from refrigerator:You can reheat refrigerated cornbread in themicrowavefor 15-30 seconds at medium power, checking and rotating halfway through, until warmed through.
• Leftover inspiration:Beyond reheating, leftover sweet cornbread is incredibly versatile! Try crumbling it over a bowl of yogurt or ice cream for a delicious crumble topping. You can also cube it and toast it for a sweet and crunchy snack.

No matter how you choose to store or enjoy it, leftover sweet cornbread is a delightful treat that can be savored in many ways!

Moist Sweet Cornbread pairs with any meal, so enjoy it with dinner again the next night.

You can use it in any recipe that calls for cornbread like chili casseroles and such.

You can dry it out in the oven and make cornbread bread crumbs or croutons for salad.

Seriously, it’s moist sweet cornbread that just reminds you of home and a little slice of cake.

Because who doesn’t love cake? It’s not cake. It just kind of reminds you of it.

It is absolutely fantastic with Chili. The perfect anytime addition to any meal, and the kids absolutely love it.

We bring this cornbread recipe for events, picnics and other activities often and we always get rave reviews and the kids that try it always tell us they didn’t like cornbread before.

An entire pan was devoured in only 10 minutes very recently, so I’m pretty confident it’s a winning recipe.

Full Meal Idea for Moist Sweet Cornbread

Serve it with this delicious Perfect Chili Recipe. Another great recipe you should check out is this Old School From Scratch Velveeta Macaroni and Cheese Recipe and for dessert, just whip up a batch of these really easy Gooey Lemon Bars.

Making the Recipe

If you love cornbread as much as we do, we have a Sweet Skillet Cornbread and Honey Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins too. Otherwise go ahead and use our printable recipe and make yourself up a batch tonight!