Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe – Simple & Easy (With Video!)
on Mar 08, 2018, Updated Oct 23, 2024
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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.
See How Easy It Is To Make This Cornbread Recipe!
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!
17 Best Cornbread Recipes Ever!
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.
Table of Contents
- See How Easy It Is To Make This Cornbread 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
- The Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe Recipe
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
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Easy Jalapeño Cornbread Recipe – Ready in 30 Minutes!
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Best Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe – Moist & Fluffy!
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Cornbread Waffles with Chili – 15 Minute Dinner Idea
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Zucchini Corn Bread
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
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.
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 45-50 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.
I substituted Splenda for the sugar as I’m diabetic. This paired so well with a beef stew I made. I have some leftover stew so whipped up a new batch of this delightful cornbread. I wasn’t able to taste the baking powder at all.
This is a must try recipe!!
Also delicious with butter and topped with sugar free maple syrup. I’m in heaven!!
This is an easy recipe but I can definitely taste the baking powder in this recipe! Would probably put less!
When people take the time to leave a review, you know it’s really good. This recipe is delicious 🤤. It was so easy and fun to make. Thank you 😊 🙏🏾
I had the pleasure of dining at home last night, and it was a delightful experience from start to finish.
Amazing quick bake for kids school International food bring & eat event. Made it without egg but with a teaspoon of mango chutney & 1/4 cup of olive oil instead. Came out great!
I am From Texas and I agree.. This is a lot of sugar for cornbread… But people seam to like sweet cornbread.. My Family does not like it so sweet so i omit most of that either way. It’s not new and they do realize it for sure lol…
I’m not usually one to write a review but I cannot believe how good this turned out! I was skeptical but let me tell you… it’s perfectly sweet with the perfect texture! I followed the recipe EXACTLY with the exception of drizzling honey on the top after it got out of the oven. I did take people’s advice and used melted butter (you had an option of butter or oil) and I beat the egg before adding it. This was so quick to make as well!
Y’all this is not cornbread, or not traditional cornbread, it’s cake. There is almost as much sugar as there is cornmeal or flour. It’s a fairly new trend in US cooking, and the reason Brits among others say ‘your bread tastes like cake and you don’t even realize it.’ If you want to make cake, that’s great. But if you want to make corn *bread* this isn’t it.
I agree! Too sweet especially if you’re making it to add in cornbread stuffing which should be savory–not sweet.
I find it well balanced with savory sausage and other cornbread ingredients! To each their own…
I have never really been a cornbread fan, but this recipe has changed my mind! So delicious and easy!
Has anyone made this with corn cob cast iron cornbread molds? I inherited some really old ones and was thinking about using them with this recipe. Not sure how long to bake, though.
Hands down the best cornbread I’ve ever had/made. I didn’t have enough butter on hand, so I used oil instead. Also, I used almond milk instead of dairy milk. Lastly, I added about a tablespoon of honey to the batter before baking. Turned out perfect. Thank you!
The recipe was almost perfect. The baking soda was too much. I would probably do about 1/2 teaspoons or 1 teaspoons but not 3 1/2 teaspoons.