You’re only 30 minutes away from the absolute best Homemade Cornbread with a golden crust, fluffy crumb, and buttery taste, and it’s so simple to make. This easy cornbread recipe will be your go to!
We love to enjoy a slice of this bread with some honey butter or whipped maple butter.
Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe
Nothing creates a fury among friends quite like a cornbread recipe, whether being served some to eat or just discussing the topic.
This country is as divided over how people like their cornbread as they are about whether beans belong in chili or not. It mostly comes down to whether you like a sweet cornbread or savory, fluffy or dense. I’m in the fluffy, slightly sweet camp!
Unlike my Creamy Cornbread Casserole, this homemade cornbread recipe is more of a traditional cornbread with a crispy golden crust, fluffy crumb, and wonderful flavor without any mix-ins. It’s made from scratch using one bowl and a cast iron skillet with simple pantry ingredients, and all in just 30 minutes.
The aroma while it bakes and the taste when it’s done is Heaven sent! If you’ve been searching for the perfect easy cornbread recipe, look no further. Really.
Ingredients Needed
You only need a handful of simple pantry items to make this easy cornbread recipe.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Ground cornmeal – Cornmeal is the base of the recipe for from-scratch cornbread.
- All-purpose flour – Acts as a binder so the bread isn’t too crumbly.
- Kosher salt – For flavor.
- Baking powder & Baking soda – Gives the bread some lift.
- Buttermilk and Whole Milk – These both lend flavor and necessary moisture to the cornbread.
- Honey – For some sweetness.
- Eggs – Provides structure to the batter.
- Unsalted butter – Adds richness and moisture.
Recipe Variations
My preference for this easy cornbread is to stick with the basics and let the cornmeal and buttermilk shine, but you can definitely add in (up to a 1/2 cup total) of these ingredients:
- Crispy cooked bacon
- Cooked and crumbled chorizo
- Fresh corn kernels
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Diced fresh jalapenos or candied jalapenos
How to Make Cornbread
This cornbread recipe is so easy to make in a cast iron skillet. Here are some tips to make sure it comes out perfectly.
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details and don’t miss the video below.)
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing will result in a dense crumb, instead of tender and fluffy.
- Make sure your skillet is HOT! That crispy, buttery crust is achieved by pouring the batter into a very hot skillet. You can preheat your skillet in the oven or use it to melt the butter on the stovetop (like I do), but either way, you want to hear that sizzle when the batter hits the surface.
- A cast iron skillet is ideal for this cornbread recipe, but all is not lost if you don’t have one! An ovenproof skillet or baking dish will work – just make sure you heat it up first in a hot oven before pouring the batter into it.
- Moist cornbread almost always incorporates some type of soured milk, such as sour cream, yogurt, or buttermilk. Buttermilk is definitely my preferred ingredient and produces the best texture.
Video: Cast Iron Cornbread
What to Serve with Cornbread
This recipe makes a great little snack or side paired with chili or soups. We love a slice with a pat of butter or a few candied jalapenos. It would also make a great base for cornbread dressing at Thanksgiving time!
Proper Storage
- Storing leftovers. Allow to cool completely, then wrap any leftovers tightly in foil or transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- To freeze. Because of the dairy content, the texture changes a bit once thawed, which isn’t ideal. But you can freeze it, if necessary. Allow to cool, transfer to a freezer-safe dish, then wrap the entire pan tightly in 2 layers of foil. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat. The quickest way to reheat portions is in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds, wrapped in a lightly dampened paper towel to lock in a bit of moisture.
More Cornbread Recipes:
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Homemade Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/4 cups ground cornmeal
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 large eggs , lightly beaten
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in the center position.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add in the buttermilk, milk, honey, and eggs; whisk until the batter is smooth and combined. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent browning.
- Transfer all but 1 tablespoon of the melted butter into the batter mixture; whisk to combine, then (make sure the skillet is still hot) pour the batter into the buttered skillet.
- Place skillet into the oven; bake until the center is firm and a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy with some butter or honey!
This recipe is wonderful! It’s so simple and quick, it’s very forgiving of substitutions and always comes out great. Just be sure not to overbake it. It might just be my oven, but when I bake it for the recommended amount of time it tends to come out dry so I usually take it out a bit early and let it finish baking in the residual heat of the pan. Thank you thank you for this wonderfully simple, delicious recipe!
My daughter is allergic to honey. Could I sub something else? It looks really good.
Hi Susan – I would replace the honey with 2 tablespoons EACH granulated and brown sugar.
Do you have a vegan substitute recipe handy?
Hi! If I replace the buttermilk with yogurt, would it be 1 cup still or less? Thanks!
I’ve never made this with yogurt, so without further testing I couldn’t say for sure, sorry!
I just made it with yoghurt in lieu of buttermilk and it worked great! My yoghurt was on the more liquid side (made by a local farm so it had no thickeners or stabilizers) so I used a 1:1 ratio and it was fine. I would definitely add water if it’s strained/Greek yoghurt or has thickeners in it. This recipe seems very forgiving though. I’ve made it many times and usually have to sub at least one thing but it always turns out great! I subbed maple syrup for the honey this time and that was lovely too. :)
Delicious
After a few unsatisfactory attempts at other cornbread recipes, I thought it was my cornmeal. Wrong! I just needed to stumble across this recipe! Nothing stuck or fell apart. Moist with a hint of sweetness. Perfection! Bookmarked!
Is it ok to use regular butter if I don’t have unsalted.
Yep, totally ok. But I would cut back on the teaspoon of kosher salt to maybe 1/2-3/4 tsp.
I’ve made this recipe countless times. It’s our favorite! Cast iron is the only way to go and we love the little touch of honey.
Loved it. It was very tasty!!!