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This is truly the best homemade cornbread recipe. It’s my go-to quick bread on busy nights because it’s ready for the oven in 5 minutes! 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.
My family has been making this easy cornbread recipe for decades, and thousands of people on the internet have, too. This recipe has over 1000 comments and 600 glowing reviews and is officially THE favorite cornbread recipe!
Table of Contents
- The Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe Recipe
- What Makes This THE Best Cornbread
- Recipe Ingredients
- Practical Substitutions
- How to Make Homemade Cornbread
- Different Baking Dishes & Cooking Times
- What is the Best Cast Iron Skillet for Cornbread?
- Recipe FAQs
- Topping Ideas for Cornbread
- Ways to Use Leftover Cornbread
- How to Store Cornbread
- More Great Cornbread Recipes
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This cornbread is EASY – prep in just 5 minutes!
- No buttermilk and basic pantry ingredients.
- Bake it in any pan.
- Ready in 30 minutes!
This cornbread has been a staple for my family for years and years. My family absolutely loves this cornbread recipe, and I’m sure your loved ones will too.
The Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe
Equipment
- medium mixing bowl I love these because they have lids and double as serving bowls.
- parchment paper The precut pieces are easy to use and cut as needed.
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, not self rising flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal, fine ground, not cornmeal mix
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, see notes for recent changes
- 1/3 cup neutral oil or melted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup milk, or milk substitute like almond milk
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or square baking dish or cast iron skillet well and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. See notes for other pan sizes.
- 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 25 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- NOTE! The original recipe called for 3.5 teaspoons of baking powder and it worked great for many people (me included) but a few people reported it leaving a bitter taste. I take reviews seriously, so I did major recipe testing on 6/11/24 and tested the recipe 10 times on one day. I made the decision to change the amount of baking powder to 1.5 teaspoons. I tested it many times and had my mom test it as well at sea level. I believe this is a great move for everyone and the recipe will work perfectly. You can always use the original amount of baking powder if that’s how you made it before.
- You can make this in a 9-inch round cake pan, 9-inch square baking dish, or 9-inch cast iron skillet. You can also bake this in an 8×8 square baking dish for 35 minutes, make it into 12 standard sized muffins baking them 15-18 minute, or double the recipe and toss it in a 9×13-inch baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes.
- Use yellow cornmeal in this recipe. White works fine, but it just doesn’t look the same. Don’t use a cornmeal mix or self-rising cornmeal so check the package to make sure it doesn’t have added baking soda, baking powder, or salt.
- To make this recipe gluten free, simply substitute the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. It works very well! You can let the batter rest in the pan for 30 minutes before baking to improve texture.
Nutrition
17 Best Cornbread Recipes Ever!
What Makes This THE Best Cornbread
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.
- Well for starters, it tastes DIVINE.
- It’s sweet but not over the top.
- It’s soft but not cakey.
- And crumbly without being a plain mess.
I serve this cornbread alongside all my soups, favorite chilis, and along with my favorite barbecue.
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Yellow cornmeal: A must for cornbread! It gives the bread its beautiful golden-brown color and grainy, delicious consistency.
- Granulated sugar: This gives the bread sweetness. I LOVE sweet cornbread, and this is a sweet cornbread recipe. Don’t love sweet cornbread? Just leave it out or reduce it!
- Salt
- Baking powder: To help the dough rise and expand as it bakes.
- Oil
- Egg: This binds everything together and helps the bread to rise.
- Milk: For a rich, moist cornbread!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Practical Substitutions
There’s a LOT of room to play with this recipe so don’t feel that you have to make it exactly as it’s written.
- Use melted butter OR oil—canola, avocado, vegetable oil, or even coconut oil.
- Use fine OR medium ground cornmeal, and you can use white OR yellow 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 2 tablespoons.
- Use cow’s milk—whole milk is perfect—OR alternative milk, like almond or soy.
- Use an egg OR a flax egg.
How to Make Homemade Cornbread
I can’t express enough how easy this cornbread recipe is to make, even for a new cook. And it’s a great recipe for kids learning to bake for the first time!
So, how do you make cornbread? Just follow these easy steps to make this super simple recipe.
Step 1: Toss your dry ingredients in a bowl.
Step 3: Give everything a quick mix. So easy!
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients.
Step 4: Pour it into a greased dish or cast iron pan and bake in a preheated oven. You’re done putting it together in 5 minutes!
Different Baking Dishes & Cooking Times
I have tested this recipe a ton! You can use whatever pan you like or have on hand, including a metal or glass dish or a cast iron pan.
- 8×8 inch square or round baking dishes: bake 35 minutes
- 9×9 inch square or round baking dishes: bake 25 minutes
- Double the batch for a 9×13 inch pan: bake 45-50 minutes
- 12 muffins in a standard muffin tin: bake 15-18 minutes
- Cast iron skillets are the same cooking time based on size
Extra Yummy Tip: If you pour the cornbread batter into a hot skillet and then bake, it will result in an amazingly crisp golden crust!
What is the Best Cast Iron Skillet for Cornbread?
I love using the Staub Cast Iron Fry Pan for my homemade cornbread. While it’s a bit of a splurge, I’ve found that the extra smooth interior lasts forever! It’s oven-safe up to 900 degrees F and the enamel construction is safe to use on all stovetops. Unlike other cast iron skillets, it doesn’t require seasoning (a huge bonus!) and it’s dishwasher-safe, although I recommend hand washing it. Plus, your freshly made cornbread will look absolutely gorgeous in it!
Recipe FAQs
Use yellow cornmeal in this recipe. White works fine, but it just doesn’t look the same. Golden yellow cornbread is a must. NOTE: Do NOT use anything that says Cornmeal Mix or self-rising cornmeal, or you’ll have too much baking soda and salt in the recipe.
Cornmeal is dried ground corn. It’s found in the baking aisle of grocery stores. You can typically find it in a fine or medium grind. Both will work well for this recipe. Don’t use polenta or grits; they are processed differently and will not work. Corn flour is more finely ground and can also be used, though the texture will change.
You don’t have to use cow’s milk in this cornbread recipe!
-Use an alternative milk, like a nut or seed milk—almond, soy, hemp, coconut, or oat.
-Use evaporated milk for a shelf-stable milk substitute from the pantry.
-A powdered milk, either dairy or nondairy, can also be used.
Yes, cornbread can be frozen! Wrap individual pieces or a whole loaf tightly in plastic wrap or foil and place in an airtight freezer bag for an additional layer. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Leave in the wrapping to thaw overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter for several hours before reheating.
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
- Maple syrup
- Or just as it is!
What To Serve With Cornbread
We eat this cornbread about once a week! A slice of cornbread is scrumptious served with any of these easy recipes:
Make This A Gluten-Free Cornbread Recipe
Make 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). It works perfectly!
This truly is the best cornbread recipe! It can be whatever you need it to be and still come out amazing.
Ways to Use Leftover Cornbread
For special meals, I will use any leftover cornbread in a tasty and so simple Cornbread Dressing with Sausage & Apples.
My next favorite way to use it up is in this extremely versatile Cornbread Salad—yes, a salad!
And the simplest way to give a new life to leftover cornbread is to pop it in a glass and top with cold milk. It’s so yummy, whether the cornbread is warm or at room temperature! (This is the perfect way to eat cornbread for breakfast IMO.)
How to Store Cornbread
Cornbread can be stored in a bag or airtight container on the counter for 1 to 2 days if the room temperature isn’t too hot.
For warm or humid conditions, it’s best stored in the refrigerator.
More Great Cornbread Recipes
Cornbread Recipes
Blueberry Cornbread Recipe {Sweet & Savory}
Cornbread Recipes
Easy Cheddar and Jalapeno Cornbread Recipe
Cornbread Recipes
Sweet & Tangy Cranberry Cornbread
Cornbread Recipes
30-Minute Southern Cornbread Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Made this according to the recipe with the 1.5 tsp baking powder. Turned out beautifully. It slices well and holds together really well resulting in some pretty along with delicious cornbread.
Love that you made it Sarah!!!
Can you really make everybody happy? Why try? I’m not sure why a creator would modify a working recipe when they themselves enjoyed the original and it was popular with nearly all positive reviews.
Reducing the baking powder results in an inferior result that’s dense and flat with a top that doesn’t brown as well, and that just doesn’t taste that good. Keep the 3.5 teaspoons of baking powder and this makes a light, fluffy, and moist corn bread with a slightly browned top that is delicious.
I’m wondering what elevation you are baking it at? I tried all the different amounts and they all work, I changed it to get rid of the bitterness. Maybe yours was old so it fell?
I served this last night to friends who are good cooks and received a lot of compliments.
Thank you I just made some it was out of the blue our dinner was missing it and I found your recipe it came out perfect thank you so much now I know how to make homemade cornbread
It’s SO good isn’t it LaTisha, and fast to come together!
Almost 1700 comments…that is a sign of success. This is the best corn bread recipe I’ve ever used. Can’t stand the ones printed on the side of the cornmeal. Too dry, too mealy. Jiffy cornbread mix is a junk food version. This one hits all the spots just exactly right. Not too sweet, not cakey but moist, not too soft but not dry as bones either. This is it. I’m done looking. This is the cornbread I’ll be serving forevermore. I heated a good old seasoned cast iron pan in the oven while it preheated. Took it out, melted a thick pat of butter in the pan before pouring in the batter. Makes a nice and brown crust. Glad I found you!
Hiring YOU for my PR team! Thank you!!!
Used butter milk instead of whole milk, did half butter and half olive oil, and for a double recipe instead of 3 tsp baking powder I did 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp baking soda – it came out great! Put butter in a cast iron and poured the batter into it, and it formed a crystallized crust from the sugar.
Made this according to recipe and it resulted in a cornbread that was tasty but didn’t hold together or cut well. Also didn’t rise as it should have. I think the original 3.5 Tb baking powder may indeed be necessary and I question the ratio of flour (gluten) to corn meal. Regrets
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, THIS RECIPE!
So glad you make it Nikki! Thanks for the comment!
Can you use buttermilk in this recipe and would that mean cutting back on the butter?
You can use buttermilk in this recipe without needing to change anything else, you can do a 1:1 swap, buttermilk to milk!
Added corn and green chillies. After baking, brushed clarified butter over the top. Deliciously simple recipe that compliments any meal.
It’s delicious with fresh fruit, also.
Newly married. My husband loves this and asks for it weekly. Thank you so much. Glad i found it.
Yay! Happy baking, so glad you found it!