Sour Cream Cornbread Recipe
on Dec 03, 2018, Updated Feb 04, 2025
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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.
When I was a kid, my mom made Jiffy cornbread from that fun little blue box. Her secret touch was adding a little sour cream to the mix to make it more moist and thicker than 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.
Table of Contents
17 Best Cornbread Recipes Ever!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The best part of this recipe? It only takes 5 minutes to stir together and another 20 minutes to bake. That means you can have a hot bread side dish in less than a half hour on the table. It’s so quick and easy!
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients just until they are mixed. Overmixing can lead to dense, tough cornbread.
- Let the cornbread cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. This prevents it from becoming soggy.
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour — if you’re gluten-free you can totally substitute this and it will work perfectly
- Yellow cornmeal — you can use white cornmeal too
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sour cream
- Egg
- Butter
How to make sour cream cornbread
- Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt..
- Make a well in dry ingredients and add sour cream, egg, and melted butter.
- Mix the ingredients just until everything is incorporated.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Recipe FAQs
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.
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.
This recipe is great with a drizzle of honey, butter, honey butter, or just as it is.
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.
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.
Expert Tips
- Using room temperature ingredients will help you get a nice smooth batter.
- Adjust the baking time if using a different pan size. A larger, shallower pan will cook faster, while a smaller, deeper pan may require a bit more time.
- Use high-quality butter for a richer flavor. If you prefer, you can also use melted bacon fat for a savory twist.
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.
More Breads Recipes To Consider
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30-Minute Southern Cornbread Recipe
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Southwest Spicy Mexican Cornbread Recipe
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Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing (With Make-Ahead Tips)
Cornbread Recipes
Crispy Cornbread Fritters: A Simple Southern Delight
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Sour Cream Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven for 400 degrees F. and lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish or a 9-inch round pie plate.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until well combined.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the sour cream, egg, and melted butter.
- Slow mix the ingredients until everything comes together, taking care not to over mix.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cornbread is cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving hot.
Video
Notes
- Preheat your baking pan or skillet before adding the batter. This helps form a crisp, golden crust. If you’re using a cast-iron skillet, place it in the oven while it preheats!
- You can add ingredients like shredded cheese, chopped jalapeños, cooked bacon, or fresh herbs to enhance flavor.
- Start checking for doneness a few minutes before the recommended baking time. The cornbread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
- Store leftover cornbread in an airtight container or wrap it in foil. It will keep at room temperature for a couple of days, or you can freeze it for longer storage.
Great recipe!!! Best tasting cornbread recipe I have found that is so moist! My family and I like it less sweet (personal preference) so we 1/8 cup of sugar and it was perfection!
I followed this recipe exactly as written and it was perfect!!! Moist, flavorful, delicious! I live alone so I do want to add that I got to experiment with freezing leftovers. After a few days, I cut up all the remaining cornbread and wrapped each piece individually in aluminum foil. Then I added all the individual slices to a freezer bag. It reheats beautifully from frozen if you pop it in the microwave for 1 minute. Tastes just like it did when I made it!
Oops, meant to ask in previous comment. How do you recommend storing leftovers? Yes, I have left overs because I told them they had to wait to eat it later. I know, it’s torture.
So glad you liked it! I just keep it covered on the counter for a day or so and if it’s going to be a few days I’ll pop it in the fridge in a tupperware! I make a cornbread salad with leftovers too!
I just made this and OMG is it so good! So moist and not too sweet. I grew up with a recipe that my adopted grandmother made with sour cream, but she added creamed corn to hers making the batter a bit more liquid. But this yummy cornbread still reminds me of hers. Thank you for reminding me of her and her cornbread.
Looks solid! Could I substitute the sugar for honey?
Yes! You’ll use 2/3 the amount of honey as sugar, so you’ll need less. And you’ll want to drop the baking temp by 25 degrees as honey burns more easily.
I made this cornbread last night and it was delicious. I used buttermilk instead of milk and it very tasty with my blackeyed peas and turnip greens. Yummy.
That meal sounds amazing Carol! Thank you for sharing!
Such a good recipe! I was nervous at first because the consistency of the dough/batter was different from what I was expecting, but it turned out fluffy, moist, and delicious!
OMG this was the Best Cornbread!!! I ran out of milk put in substitute came across your recipe lawd this is my go to from now on.
Great recipe. My husband loves cornbread.
Great ! Love this ! Made it many times.