The Cornbread Recipe You're Going to Love (2024)

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This easy Cornbread recipe is made in the Northern style: Fluffy, cake-like, ultra moist, and with a hint of sweetness. It’s perfect with the barbecue at your next picnic or on the side of a bowl of chili.

There’s a pretty big difference between the two types of cornbread. Most people prefer one or the other. No matter what anyone tells you, there’s no wrong way to make it.

• Northern-style cornbread: Like the homemade cornbread recipe below, this style has a cake-like texture and almost always includes some sugar, brown sugar, or even honey. Made with yellow cornmeal, it is golden, buttery, and moist, and perfect as a side dish for barbecued meats or chili.
• Southern-style cornbread: Most recipes use coarse, stone-ground white cornmeal, less flour, and no sugar whatsoever. It’straditionally made in a sizzling, pre-heated cast iron skillet with bacon drippings, for a crispy crust. It’s thinner, too, and on the crunchy side.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• Cornmeal:Plain, old-fashioned yellow cornmeal works great in this recipe. Stay away from the coarse, stone-ground whole-grain cornmeal or medium-ground cornmeal (used to make polenta) which will make this cornbread drier and even gritty.
• Sugar: Feel free to use brown sugar, instead of granulated, for a little molasses flavor. You can even substitute a bit of honey for half of the sugar in the recipe.

Step-by-step instructions

1. To start, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and grease a 9-inch square or round pan (or line with parchment).
2. Grab a large mixing bowl and add the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix everything together, then make a well in the center of the cornmeal.

3. Pour in the melted butter, eggs, and milk.

4. Stir until everything is just combined. A few lumps are totally okay here.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Let the freshly baked cornbread sit in the pan for about 15 minutes before cutting into chunks and devouring.

Recipe tips and variations

• Honey butter: Tastes so delicious on cornbread! Beat 1 cup softened butter until smooth, then add ⅓ cup honey, and a pinch of sea salt. Keep out at room temperature for easy spreading while you serve the cornbread.
• Leftovers:Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Freezing: For longer storage, freeze baked cornbread squares or muffins for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and gently reheat in the microwave.
• Storing cornmeal: Most store-bought cornmeal is shelf stable and can be stored in the pantry at room-temperature for between nine months and a year. The fancier versions are better kept in the freezer.
• Spicy:Finely dice 1 to 2 seeded jalapeño peppers and add to the batter. The spice will diminish a little as it bakes. You can also try sprinkling cheddar cheese on top!
• Gluten-free: Corn is naturally gluten-free, but read the package to be sure. Also, switch out your favorite GF baking blend for the flour in the recipe.