The Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe (2024)

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I can honestly say that thisHomemade Cornbread Recipeis one of my all time favorites. It’s so easy to make and tastes better than any of the pre-made mixes.

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Easy Homemade Cornbread Recipe:

You are going to love this easy homemade cornbread recipe. Making cornbread from scratch isn’t as hard as you might think. This cornbread recipe is the perfect side dish to our favorite crock pot meal. This is one of our favorite oven baked recipe.

This cornbread recipe is super easy to make. We think it tastes much better than store bought cornbread and it will save you money.

I remember the first time I made this recipe. I was surprised by how easy it was to prepare. Trust me, you can definitely make this and your entire family will be impressed with the results.

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The Best Easy Cornbread Recipe:

We do call this the best corn bread recipe. We love the way it fills out kitchen with the aroma of fresh cornbread. With just a few simple pantry ingredients, you can make this easy cornbread recipe that your entire family will love.

This cornbread recipe is slightly sweet but also buttery cornbread recipe that I know your family will love. Your family will be asking for seconds.

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Easy Cornbread from Scratch:

Have you ever made cornbread from scratch? Once I started making this recipe I never made the box stuff again. I usually always have the ingredients on hand which makes it easy to serve this with our favorite soups and stews.

One the best money saving tip that I use for my family is I make homemade cornbread mixes. This makes it so much easier to have the dry ingredients already mixed together. On the day I decide to make cornbread, all I have to do is add the rest of the ingredients. It really makes my life a little easier in the kitchen.

They are easy to assemble and you get the taste of this easy homemade cornbread recipe without all the extra work.

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What is Cornmeal?

Cornmeal is a meal ground from dried corn. This staple ingredient is a must when preparing cornbread. It gives the cornbread a golden-brown color and the grainy texture that makes the best cornbread.

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Cornbread Ingredients:

The ingredients for this recipe are not complicated. If you already love to bake, I bet you already have most of these items in your pantry!

  • All-purpose flour
  • Yellow cornmeal
  • White sugar
  • Salt
  • Baking Powder
  • Egg
  • Milk
  • Vegetable oil

How to Make Homemade Cornbread:

  • Prepare oven and baking pans – First preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then spray a 9X9 baking panwith the non-stick spray of your choice. You can also lightly grease the pan with butter or shortening.
  • Combine Ingredients – Simply combine the dry ingredients together then add the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. I usually use a hand mixer but you can stir it by hand as well.
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  • Pour batter into pan – Then pour the batter into your prepared pan. Then bake for 30 minutes until the cornbread is golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the cornbread will be clean when removed when it’s done.
  • Serve and Enjoy – Allow to cool slightly or to room temperature and then cut. I love to serve warm with butter.

Cornbread Variations:

What is great with this recipe is you can change it based on your diet or what you have on hand. Here are some variations:

  • Use Water – If you are all out of milk, you can definitely use water. Just add about 1 ½ teaspoon of butter to ensure you still have soft and moist cornbread.
  • Melted Butter – You can use melted butter instead of oil
  • Whole Wheat flour – You can use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour
  • Half the Sugar – Reduce the sugar if you don’t want it as sweet

Since you are making this from scratch, you adjust the ingredients as your prefer and what you have. That is why I love this easy recipe.

Topping Ideas for Cornbread

What do you top your cornbread with? You can use fun toppings that make this easy cornbread recipe even more amazing. Try these toppings the next time you make cornbread:

  • A little bit of honey
  • Butter
  • Honey Butter
  • Syrup
  • Jelly

Even if you like your cornbread fresh out of the oven, you will not be disappointed.

What Can I substitute for Vegetable Oil?

If you prefer to use something other than vegetable oil. Here are some of our suggestions. Any of these would work great with this cornbread recipe.

  • Canola Oil
  • Avocado Oil
  • Melted Butter

What is the Difference between Southern Cornbread and Regular Cornbread?

  • Southern Cornbread – This type of cornbread is made with white or yellow cornmeal. It usually is made with more eggs and has a cakelike texture.
  • North Cornbread – This type of cornbread has a crumbly texture and is made with fewer eggs and yellow cornmeal.
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What kind of Pans can you Cook Cornbread in?

There are 3 different types of pans that can be used for this recipe. I usually use a metal or glass 9X9 baking dish. However, you can also use a cast iron skillet for this recipe.

When using a cast iron skillet, warm up the skillet by putting it into the oven while it is preheating. Then follow the rest of the original recipe and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes until cutting this cornbread recipe.

What to Serve with Cornbread:

  • Soups or Stews – It is the perfect bread to serve with soups and stews. We also like to crumble it and mix in a bowl of beans.
  • Chili – Add a side of this cornbread to this Crock Pot Chili. I like eating it on the side of my chili with some melted butter on top. But my husband crumbles it up puts it in his bowl of chili.
  • Other Options – Check out What Goes with Cornbread for more ideas.
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Variation Ideas:

I love that this recipe is so versatile. This easy recipe is a base cornbread recipe. It is so simple to add in your favorite ingredients to make this recipe your own!

  • Honey is a great addition to this recipe, if you like sweet cornbread. All you have to do is add ¼ cup of honey to the ingredients and mix it in before baking.
  • If you prefer spicy foods, I recommend that you add chopped jalapeños prior to baking. You can easily remove as much seeds to give this homemade corn bread recipe the prefect amount of spice.
  • Cheese is also a great add in for this recipe. I love making cheddar cornbread. Mix in approximately ½ cup of your favorite cheese to all the other ingredients.
  • Cornbread Muffins – We love cornbread muffins in muffin tins.

Can you Freeze Cornbread?

Yes, you can freeze cornbread. Cornbread freezes very well if stored properly. Place cornbread in a freezer safe container and it will last about 3 months.

Print this Homemade Cornbread Recipe below:

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Review

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Homemade Cornbread Recipe

4.93 from 188 votes

Looking for an easy homemade cornbread recipe? This is the best corn bread recipe where you can make cornbread from scratch easily.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 9

Cuisine American

Course Side Dish

Calories 255

Author Carrie Barnard

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

  • Spray a 9×9 baking pan with non stick spray.

  • Combine all ingredients into a bowl. Stir well.

  • Pour into your prepared pan and baked for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cornbread comes out clean.

  • Allow to cool, and then cut and serve.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

*Store the leftover cornbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 255kcal, Carbohydrates 36g, Protein 4g, Fat 10g, Saturated Fat 7g, Cholesterol 20mg, Sodium 279mg, Potassium 248mg, Fiber 2g, Sugar 12g, Vitamin A 70IU, Calcium 93mg, Iron 1.4mg

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More Easy Cornbread Recipes

  • Sweet Honey Cornbread Recipe
  • Corn Bread Muffin Recipe
  • Best Jiffy Cornbread Recipe
  • Gluten Free Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Recipe
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About the Author

The Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe (15)

Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Eating on a Dime!

I’m on a mission to help you cook delicious meals without busting your budget. Together we are going to cook real food… for real families!

About Carrie Page
The Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to use butter or oil in cornbread? ›

Butter adds flavor and color, while oil keeps the crumb tender and moist. Brown Sugar: We add some sugar to our cornbread and prefer to use brown sugar. The flavor combination of cornmeal and brown sugar works well. If you only have white sugar, that's okay.

What kind of cornmeal is best for cornbread? ›

Yellow cornmeal is the most common, but if you have white cornmeal, that's also fine to use. Can I Bake This in a Skillet? 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.

What ingredient keeps cornbread from crumbling? ›

Cornmeal gives cornbread its classic color and flavor, but too much can make your bread crumbly. Try replacing a little bit of cornmeal with flour. The specific measurements will depend on how much cornmeal and flour is in your recipe, but you should try to have more flour than cornmeal in your batter.

What makes cornbread rise more? ›

The air spaces are created by bubbles of gas (mostly carbon dioxide) produced within the batter during the baking process. Ingredients that produce these bubbles are called leavening agents. In "quick breads," which have no yeast (and don't require hours for dough to rise), the leavening agent is usually baking powder.

What kind of oil is best for cornbread? ›

This cornbread is made with olive oil (rather than butter – or a combo of the two, which is what my old go-to cornbread recipe called for . . . ) which makes for the most flavorful and moist of cornbreads.

How do you keep cornbread from being dense? ›

Add in some Flour

If you use straight cornmeal, it will tend to be dryer. Adding in flour will help to keep the cornbread moist. I like to use a 50/50 ratio of cornmeal to flour in my recipe. I feel this gives a moist and fluffier texture.

What is the secret to good cornbread? ›

Here are Mindy's five secrets:
  • Begin with the right cornmeal, which for Southerners is usually white. ...
  • Use full fat buttermilk and lots of it. ...
  • No egg and no sugar. ...
  • Use the right ratio of batter to the skillet. ...
  • Cook with a seasoned, 12-inch cast iron skillet.
Jul 23, 2021

What's the difference between southern cornbread and regular cornbread? ›

Northern cornbreads tend to be more cake-like, on the sweet side, with a finer crumb due to more flour in the mixture. Southern cornbread is flavored with bacon grease, and cooked in a cast iron skillet, a perfect side for barbecues, or chili. It also tends to be rather crumbly.

What is the difference between New York cornbread and southern cornbread? ›

Southern cornbread has traditionally been made with little or no sugar and smaller amounts of flour (or no flour), with northern cornbread being sweeter and more cake-like. Southern cornbread traditionally used white cornmeal and buttermilk. Other ingredients such as pork rinds are sometimes used.

Will an extra egg make cornbread less crumbly? ›

The extra egg which is increased protein and binder makes the cornbread denser and heavier in texture.

Should you let cornbread batter rest? ›

Cornbread Best Practices:
  1. LET the batter sit for 15-20 minutes before baking. ...
  2. BE gentle!! ...
  3. START preheating your oven as soon as you set aside the batter to rise, by the time it's preheated, your batter should be ready to go in.
  4. HEAT your skillet. ...
  5. SUBSTITUTE regular salt for this amazing Smoked Salt.
Jul 7, 2019

Why does my cornbread always sink in the middle? ›

Cornbread, or any baked good, will fall in the middle if it is not completely baked, or if you add too much leavening, which causes it to rise more than the structure of the batter can sustain. Always use a tester inserted in the center of your cornbread to make sure it's done.

What does adding an extra egg to cornbread mix do? ›

Eggs, or egg substitutes help add structure to the cornbread.

Should I add an extra egg to my cornbread? ›

For those who don't like their cornbread to be "crumbly," member Jeremy Joseph suggests adding one additional egg white and only two teaspoons of baking powder. Some members had success with substituting alternative flours for the white flour, such as Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour.

What kind of pan is best for cornbread? ›

But there's one dish that nothing but a cast iron skillet will do: cornbread. Why? If you bake it in anything else cornbread will not achieve the desired crispy crust.

Can I replace vegetable oil for butter in cornbread? ›

There is not really a hard and fast rule to the right amount of oil to replace butter, but you can typically use about three-quarters of the amount of butter that is called for in the recipe. For instance, if the recipe calls for 10 tablespoons of butter, you can use about 7 1/2 tablespoons of oil.

Why is it better to use butter instead of oil? ›

The spongy texture and moist flavor that oil creates can be a boon to certain recipes. Not to mention oil is cheaper and easier to work with. Butter will always provide superior flavor and that melt-in-your-mouth texture. In many recipes, combining the two gives the best of both worlds.

Can you substitute olive oil for butter in cornbread? ›

The short answer is yes, you can substitute olive oil for butter — both of them are fats and usually serve the same role in a cooking or baking recipe.

What does oil do for cornbread? ›

Food writer and cooking teacher Faith Willinger recommends using olive oil in cornbread recipes. In her experience, the olive oil gives the bread a deeper, more complex flavor than traditional recipes calling for vegetable oil or butter.

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