The Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe
on Dec 14, 2020, Updated Sep 25, 2023
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Fill your kitchen with the aroma of homemade cornbread! My family has been making this easy cornbread recipe for decades. The crisp golden crust and moist, fluffy center really can’t be beat. If you have some cornmeal sitting in your pantry, cornbread is comfort food just waiting to happen.
If you’re wondering how to make cornbread, this simple cornbread recipe is what you’ve been looking for. It makes buttery, perfect cornbread – every time. Plus, it only takes 25 minutes from start to finish! You can make it in a skillet or any baking dish, too.
Homemade Cornbread
This cornbread has been a staple for my family for years and years, but I realized a while back that I hadn’t created a post to share it with you! My family absolutely loves this cornbread and I’m sure your loved ones will too.
This cornbread is EASY. No buttermilk. Bake it in any pan. Ready in 25 minutes!
One of the reasons I love this cornbread recipe is that you don’t need anything fancy to make it. Many cornbread recipes require buttermilk or creamed corn or a very specific kind of pan. By comparison, my recipe is one you can make any day, any time, with what you have on hand. You can use any kind of pan and don’t need any special ingredients. With just a few things you probably already have on hand you can make the best cornbread ever!
What Makes this the Best Cornbread?
Well for starters, it tastes DIVINE. It’s sweet but not over the top, soft but not cakey, and crumbly without being a plain mess. I can’t recommend it enough!
Plus, there’s a lot of room to play with the recipe. Use melted butter OR oil, use fine OR medium ground cornmeal, use all-purpose flour OR a white whole wheat flour. Don’t like a sweet cornbread? Feel free to reduce the sugar to as little as 1/4 cup. It’s perfect, the ingredients are simple, AND you can make it your own.
Cornbread Ingredients
- All purpose flour: All purpose flour will allow the bread to rise a bit and give it the spongy, caky consistency of bread.
- Yellow cornmeal: A must for cornbread! It give the bread its beautiful golden-brown color and the grainy, delicious consistency.
- Granulated sugar: This gives the bread a touch of sweetness it needs to balance out the corn and bread flavors.
- Salt: Just a pinch to bring out the complexity of flavors.
- Baking powder: To help the dough rise and expand as it bakes.
- Butter: This is a must — it gives the bread a moist, flaky, rich flavor that is heavenly.
- Egg: This binds everything together and helps the bread to rise.
- Milk: For a rich, moist cornbread!
How to Make Cornbread
Okay, now let’s get to the subject of this post: how to make homemade cornbread! You may be surprised to discover that baking a perfect pan of cornbread only requires a few easy steps:
- Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or cast iron skillet well and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine well.
- Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and add your oil or butter, milk, and egg. Stir just until the mixture comes together and there are only a few lumps remaining.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Serve hot.
See! It’s that easy. I love a side that comes together in a snap and is on the table in about 30 minutes.
Topping Ideas for Cornbread
Did you know that you can add fun toppings to cornbread that make it even more delicious to eat? Here are some of my favorite topping ideas for homemade cornbread:
- A drizzle of honey
- Butter
- Honey butter
- Jelly or jam
- Ham and cheese
- If you live someplace where you can get your hands on maple cream, that’s amazing on cornbread too!
- Or just as it is
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve cornbread with beans or chili. It goes well with lots of things. My favorite thing is crumbling the cornbread into my chili, mixing it in, then sprinkling cheddar cheese on top. So good! It’s a great side for any meal that needs a few extra carbs though.
Homemade Cornbread FAQs
What kind of baking dish should I use?
You can make it in a 9-inch round cake pan, square baking dish, or 9-inch cast iron skillet. Bonus! You can also make these into muffins or double the recipe and toss it in a 9×13-inch baking pan. You’ll just need to adjust the baking time if you are making muffins or doubling the batch. Muffins take around 15 minutes to bake and a doubled recipe takes 35-40 minutes to bake.
What is the best kind of cornmeal to use for 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 is Cornmeal?
A lot of readers ask about cornmeal. What is cornmeal? What about polenta? It can be confusing. Cornmeal is dried and ground corn. It’s found in the baking aisle of grocery store. Cornmeal is just dried and then ground field corn and you can typically find it in a fine or medium grind. Both will work well for this recipes. Polenta and grits will also work in this recipe. Corn flour is more finely ground and can also be used.
What Can I Substitute for Vegetable Oil in Cornbread?
Another great thing about this particular tried-and-true cornbread recipe is you don’t NEED to use vegetable oil. You can use any mild oil you prefer, like canola oil, avocado oil, or even melted butter!
Why is My Cornbread Crumbly?
Ugh, isn’t overly crumbly and dry cornbread just the worst? If you’re experiencing just a little bit of crumble, that’s normal. It shouldn’t be true quick bread consistency, but it also shouldn’t be totally dry and feel like wet sand. Using too much cornmeal is one way to dry it out, so don’t skip out on the equal portion of flour.
What Should I Serve With Cornbread?
A lot of people love to pair cornbread with chili… for the obvious reasons (it’s amazing). But I love cornbread with so many other meals, too! It’s great with all kinds of barbecue or grilled meats. Its subtle sweetness makes it a great accent for spicy and meaty foods.
What is the ideal cornbread texture?
This recipe is perfect because it makes a delectable texture: spongy, moist, and soft, and just crumbly enough to sprinkle crumbs over chili. It’s buttery and rich with just the right amount of sweetness.
Can I Make This Cornbread Gluten Free?
Yes! I have made this recipe gluten free by simply swapping out the all purpose flour for a gluten free baking blend (often labeled 1:1 gluten free baking blend) and it worked perfectly. This truly is the best cornbread recipe! It can be whatever you need it to be and still come out amazing.
Watch my video showing you how to make this easy cornbread recipe here:
The Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8–10 1x
Description
Fill your kitchen with the aroma of homemade cornbread! My family has been making this easy cornbread recipe for decades. The crisp golden crust and moist, fluffy center really can’t be beat.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/3 cup neutral oil or melted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or cast iron skillet well and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine well.
- Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and add your oil or butter, milk, and egg. Stir just until the mixture comes together and there are only a few lumps remaining.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- You can make it it in a 9-inch round cake pan, square baking dish, or 9-inch cast iron skillet. Bonus! You can also make these into muffins or double the recipe and toss it in a 9×13-inch baking pan. You’ll just need to adjust the baking time if you are making muffins or doubling the batch. Muffins take around 15 minutes to bake and a doubled recipe takes 35-40 minutes to bake.
- 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.
- To make this recipe gluten free simple sub the all-purpose flour for a gluten free 1:1 baking flour.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
After you master this recipe (and you will!), I challenge you to learn how to make biscuits and gravy next. Also a staple in this house 🙂
More Cornbread Recipes:
Easy dinner recipes to serve your cornbread with:
- Classic Ham and Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker recipe)
- Hearty 15 Bean Soup in the Instant Pot
- Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin and Potatoes
- Easy Slow Cooker Chili
- Quick and Easy Chili Recipe
- Side salad with any of these 9 homemade salad dressing recipes (a good dressing makes everything better)
Ohhh see how simple, flexible, and adaptable this recipe is? Now you can whip up a pan of cornbread any time the craving hits. It’s so simple and this recipe will turn out perfect every time, just read the reviews!
Based on all the fab reviews, I’m planning to make this for Thanksgiving — at a friend’s house. Can I make this day ahead, or is it best day of? Also, since I’m taking it to a friend’s house, would you wrap it in cling wrap or Tupperware?
I like it best hot out of the oven, but if it’s Thanksgiving and that oven space is a hot ticket item, you’d be fine to make it ahead of time by a day. Just make sure you let it cool all of the way before covering it so that it doesn’t get steamy or sweat on itself. You care good to cover the whole pan with cling wrap and serve it out of the pan. You can also warm it a bit in a warm oven for a few minutes it you like though I think it’s fine at room temperature. I can’t wait to hear how you like it!
My daughter has an egg allergy. Have you ever made this using an egg substitute? If so would you be able to share how you made it egg free? Thanks so much!
It’s so flexible, I bet an egg replacer would work, you could make a flax egg, and I have even tried it using sour cream or greek plain yogurt to replace the egg. I think it’ll work great!
Best cornbread recipe ever! It’s going in my Recipe Binder- my husband asked for it to be made again, that’s twice in one week!
Woohoo! I feel the same way about it, so glad that you liked it as much as we do!
Amazing cornbread. I have an old corn bread recipe I use for thanksgiving every year but wanted something much easier to make. This one tastes like authentic cornbread you find at restaurants and way way easier. Thanks for a great recipe.
Yay! I’m so glad you found success with the recipe too!
From all of us who aren’t wizards in the kitchen, thanks for this super simple, delicious recipe.
Bookmarked!
You are SO welcome, it’s just one of those recipes that works every time!
I’ve never made cornbread before. I decided to give this a try to go with ribs and baked beans this weekend. The recipe was so easy. I did my first batch in an 8″ square and now I am doing a double batch in a square muffin tin for individual loaves. Slathered with butter, it is so good. I have already bookmarked this recipe. Thank you. ?
Thank you! Your meal sounds perfect and I think you’ll LOVE having the fun little loaves to serve. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and leave a review.
Best cornbread ever! I wish I could post a photo of it here, since I don’t use Instagram. It was beautiful! Thanks for the great recipe!
I love that you said that you’d like to add a photo. We are working on that functionality right now and it should be available to you in just a few weeks!
I know I will probably upset some people with this review but I have to say it, cornbread is not cake. I have been making cornbread since I was 16 years old and I have NEVER put sugar in my cornbread, sorry if you put sugar in the mix you have never eaten real southern cornbread. I have tried the sweet stuff and it is repulsive to me, but that’s just me.
All you need is 1 -2 cups of self-rising cornmeal with an egg, 1/4 cup oil, and buttermilk to make a loose, smooth consistency and you will have a great pan of cornbread. Bake about 425. It’s not a cake but it’s wonderful! Serve hot with butter!
What was the point of commenting on this if you have a recipe that you like? Not everyone likes all foods the same and as far as I recall, no one claimed this was a “real southern cornbread”. Don’t like this style of cornbread? Don’t make it. Want to post your recipe? Go post a real southern cornbread recipe on your own blog. No need to try to tear down someone elses’. The collective is that this is a great recipe and I would agree.
Northern corn bread has no sugar in it and a crumbly texture. Southern cornbread has sugar and a more cakey texture. This recipe is more like true southern cornbread. I personally find northern corn bread flat and bland.
My mom made this recipe and I grew up in Indiana, so maybe the midwest like theirs sweet like the south!
That’s simply not true. I was born and reared in Louisiana, can’t get much more Southern than that.
I never heard of sweet cornbread until I left the South as an adult. No one I ever knew in the South put sugar in their cornbread…not anyone. Not at home, not at any relatives home, not in any restaurant, cafe, church social, work event, community event, ….no one anywhere.
If you do happen to like your cornbread like cake then this is a good recipe for it.
Exactly. My family has lived in the South for generations. I have Never known anyone that puts sugar in their cornbread in the South. Nothing wrong with it if you want to do it but Southerners do NOT put sugar in their cornbread. But we do put LOTS of sugar in our tea.
I am a life long Southerner and we do not put sugar in our cornbread in the South. I know a lot of awesome Southern cooks and none of them put sugar in their cornbread. Most Southerners also use white meal and not yellow meal.
Loved this cornbread recipe! I added a chili pepper, rosemary and cheddar cheese too. Definitely making this again. Thank you!
Ohhhh those sounds like amazing additions, thank you for letting us know what worked for you. I appreciate the review!
This cornbread is the best I’ve ever made. I substituted the milk for unsweetened almond milk and added a bit more of it and it turned out so fluffy and lovely. Thank you for this recipe. It’s a family and friend favorite and I make it all the time!
This recipe got rave reviews from my family and friends. It’s perfect served with a thick hearty soup.
Hooray! I always love a good family review of a recipe. Hope you make it again.