Sour Cream Cornbread Recipe

This easy sour cream cornbread recipe makes a slightly dense and moist cornbread with just the right amount of sweetness! This cornbread is not too crumbly and goes perfectly with a bowl of soup or chili.

It's a cinch to make and comes out delicious every single time with hardly any effort to make! That's a dinner win if I've ever heard of one.

My Favorite Sour Cream Cornbread Recipe

When I was a kid, my mom made Jiffy cornbread from that fun little blue box. Her secret touch was to add a little sour cream to the mix to make it more moist and a little thicker than how it normally cooks.

I've taken a page from her book and am sharing a great recipe for sour cream cornbread. The sour cream in the cornbread recipe replaces part of the oil and helps to make the cornbread a bit thicker and denser than traditional cornbread. It makes a great cornbread that is sweet and moist, but doesn't fall apart. I love this recipe to serve alongside chili. It's also perfect for buttering up with lots of honey butter.

Best part of this recipe? It only takes 5 minutes to stir together and another 20 minutes to bake. That means in less than a half hour, you can have a hot bread side dish on the table. It’s so quick and easy! I love to have cornbread ready when I make things like soups and chilis. It rounds out the meal and it’s a good option for kids who don’t love what you made (tell me I’m not the only one who has a kid who doesn’t love chili as much as you do!?).

Should you use low fat or full fat sour cream in cornbread?

Because you are replacing the fat and oil in this recipe with sour cream, I have found it best to use full fat sour cream and not light.

What kind of cornmeal do you use in cornbread?

Use yellow cornmeal in this recipe. White works fine, but it just doesn’t look the same. Golden yellow cornbread is a must. Also, don’t try to sub any of the cornmeals used for making tamales – they are a different grind and the texture doesn’t come out the same.

What are good toppings for cornbread?

This recipe is great with a drizzle of honey, butter, honey butter, or just as it is.

What do you serve sour cream cornbread with?

I like to serve it with lentil chili, vegetarian chili (made in the Instant Pot!), or next to simple baked chicken legs with some roasted veggies or a salad on the side. It goes well with lots of things.

Can you make cornbread gluten free?

I have made this recipe gluten-free by simply swapping out the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free baking blend and it worked perfectly.

Sour cream cornbread ingredients:

• All purpose flour: Flour will keep everything together and allow the bread to rise and get slightly puffy.
• Yellow cornmeal: This is what makes cornbread, cornbread! It lends a slightly grainy texture and beautiful golden color.
• Granulated sugar: Sugar gives the bread a touch of sweetness.
• Baking powder, baking soda, salt: These are necessities for the bread to rise correctly and the salt balances out the sweet, starchy, and creamy flavors.
• Sour cream: A hidden secret! It makes the bread a little more moist and thick, and just plain heavenly.
• Egg: To bind the dry ingredients together.
• Butter: Also contributes to a moist, fluffy end product!

Sour cream vs. buttermilk cornbread:

Sour cream and buttermilk alike create a nice and tender cornbread. They both have acids in them that tenderize gluten strands, making the bread softer after baking. Buttermilk isn't fatty, however, so it adds a rich flavor and texture without adding fat.

Sour cream makes cornbread more moist and gives it a creamier texture, but it has a higher fat content than buttermilk. If you follow a lower fat diet, you may prefer to make buttermilk cornbread like this one rather than sour cream cornbread.

How to make sour cream cornbread:

1. Preheat oven for 400 degrees F. and grease 8-inch square baking dish.
2. Mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt..
3. Make a well in dry ingredients and add sour cream, egg, and melted butter.
4. Mix the ingredients just until everything is incorporated.
5. Add the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

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If you love this easy sour cream cornbread recipe, you might also like these:

• The Best Cornbread Recipe
• Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
• Cornbread Waffles with Chili: 15 Minute Dinner
• Easy Turkey Pumpkin Chili
• Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili

This post was originally published in 2018, and has been updated and rephotographed in January 2020.

Sour cream cornbread is the most perfect simple, flavorful, and moist cornbread that isn't too crumbly and comes together in less than a half-hour!