The Best Sweet Cornbread Recipe (+VIDEO) - The Girl Who Ate Everything (2024)

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posted by Christy Denneyon Oct 25, 2023212 comments »

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corSweet Cornbread recipe– soft, tender moist quick bread recipe that’s sweet just like I like it. Reminds me of Marie Calendar’s cornbread. If you need a sweet cornbread to pair with chilis or soups, this is the recipe you need.

The Best Sweet Cornbread Recipe (+VIDEO) - The Girl Who Ate Everything (1)

EASY CORNBREAD RECIPE

I’ve been searching for the perfect cornbread.

I was at a church function and our friends said his mom was famous for her cornbread so of course I had to try it. It tasted like cake. I like cake.

Turns out it was actually made WITH a cake mix – go figure. So yes, I like my cornbread on the sweeter side but not quite that sweet. Almost. Next recipe.

I’ve tried recipe after recipe and almost settled on one.

Until I happened to be at my friend’s house and her mom was telling me how hers was the best cornbread recipe was and that it tastes sweet like Marie Calendar’s.

The Best Sweet Cornbread Recipe (+VIDEO) - The Girl Who Ate Everything (2)

It was kind of like when I was trying on wedding dresses. I found a lot that I liked but didn’t LOVE. They were all just missing that little something.

Then I tried on the dress meant for me.

The dress was discontinued (or as I like to look at it – one of a kind), inexpensive, modest, and the perfect mixture of satin and detail.

I knew there wasn’t any reason to look any further. I just knew.

The Best Sweet Cornbread Recipe (+VIDEO) - The Girl Who Ate Everything (3)

So then I as I left my friend’s house I knew I had one more recipe to try. My husband looked at me like I was a little crazy when I went into the kitchen at 10pm to make cornbread…yet again.

But I had to know. The result? I said YES to the cornbread. YES!!! This was definitely not Jiffy cornbread.

Soft, tender, flat top with crispy edges – no weird bubbling (don’t ask), sweet and moist with the perfect texture.

Hope you love it like I do! You can even freeze this if you want to make it ahead of time. Trust me, this is the best homemade cornbread. You don’t have to make it in a cast iron skillet. You can just use a baking dish.

INGREDIENTS

  • BUTTER – We use softened butter not melted butter here. Some people use vegetable oil but I love the flavor of butter better.
  • WHITE SUGAR – This is on the sweet side so if you’re looking for a Southern cornbread this is it. You could use brown sugar if that’s all you have.
  • EGGS – Helps make this light and fluffy.
  • SALT
  • BUTTERMILK – Buttermilk cornbread has a little tang and is so moist.
  • CORNMEAL – We use yellow cornmeal here and a fine grained one.
  • ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
  • BAKING POWDER – Helps make it fluffy.
  • BAKING SODA

HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.

  2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and salt and mix until combined. Add the buttermilk and stir until thoroughly combined. Next, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Mix to incorporate.

  3. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake until golden. The cooking time will be different for every oven. START checking it for doneness at 25 minutes and bake longer until a golden-brown color if needed (up to 35 minutes)

  4. Serve warm with butter and a drizzle of honey.

BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTE

If you don’t have buttermilk you can add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of milk and let it sit for a couple of minutes.

CAN I MAKE THESE INTO MUFFINS?

Yes. Just grease a muffin tin and fill the cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake the corn muffins for 12-15 minutes or until the center is set.

CAN I ADD CORN TO THIS CORNBREAD?

In my opinion, cornbread should be made in its purest form without corn. When you add corn it turns into a spoon bread, corn pudding, or Corn Souffle.

CHILI RECIPES:

This is the perfect cornbread side dish for your chili.

  • Easy White Chicken Chili
  • Buffalo Chicken Chili
  • Healthy Spicy Beef and Black Bean Chili
  • Pizza Chili
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Quinoa Chili
  • Green Enchilada Pork Chili
  • Mom’s White Chicken Chili

The Best Sweet Cornbread Recipe (+VIDEO) - The Girl Who Ate Everything (4)

The Best Sweet Cornbread

4.67 from 81 votes

The Best Sweet Cornbread - soft, tender moist cornbread recipe that's sweet just like I like it.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 24 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, , softened
  • 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups buttermilk, (see Note for easy substitution)
  • 1 1/4 cups fine cornmeal, (found by the flour)
  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and salt and mix until combined. Add the buttermilk and mix until thoroughly combined. Next, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix to incorporate.

  • Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake until golden. This will be different for every oven. START checking it for doneness at 25 minutes and bake longer until golden if needed (up to 35 minutes)

  • Serve warm with butter and honey.

Notes

Buttermilk Substitution: If you don't have buttermilk you can add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to each cup of milk and let it sit for a couple of minutes.

This can easily be halved and baked in a 9x9 pan.

Source: my friend Rachel's mom, Kim Smith who got it from her church cookbook. Original author is listed as Cheri McClean.

Cuisine: American

Course: Breads

Author: Christy Denney

All Recipes Bread Breads and Rolls

published on Oct 25, 2023

212 comments Leave a comment »

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212 comments on “Sweet Cornbread Recipe”

  1. Emily Reply

    Can I use Margarine? Should I omit salt in the recipe? (That’s what I do if I use salted butter.)

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Sorry margarine will give you different results. I guess you could try it but I am not a fan of margarine.

  2. kiara Reply

    can this be made with whole milk instead of buttermilk?? I have yet to use buttermilk in any of my baked goods recipes but I’m not sure how I’ll like the tang, is it noticeable and would whole milk work?

    • Christy Denney Reply

      the tang is not noticeable but buttermilk is essential in this!

  3. Mel Reply

    This is the real deal. A lot of recipes say “the best xxx” but this really is the best cornbread! I’ve tried so many different ones and this is a keeper. My search is over. Will be making this again in the near future. Thanks for sharing!

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Yay!!! I’m glad you agree

  4. Mary Reply

    Can I use 1% milk

    • Christy Denney Reply

      You can use 1% to make the buttermilk sub but the buttermilk is crucial

  5. Pamela Reply

    The Best Sweet Cornbread! You got that right! I entered this cornbread recipe in my county this month and won a BLUE RIBBON FIRST PLACE! Thank you for all your delicious goodies on this site! You are appreciated!

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Oh wow!!

  6. Melinda All Reply

    Can I make this in a cast iron skillet?

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Yes!

  7. Catherine Reply

    We made beans and rice tonight for supper and wanted some cornbread to go with it and came across this recipe.

    WOW!!! My husband says it was better than the beans lol.

    Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!!!

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Awesome to hear!

  8. Starr Nelson Reply

    Oh em goodness 😳
    This was AMAZING!!!
    Thanks for sharing my new cornbread recipe!
    It was a huge hit with my family tonight ❤️

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Thank you!

  9. Jane Reply

    OMG. I’ve never made cornbread before and wasn’t really a big fan of it, but holy cow this was so freakin delicious! I’m going to make this recipe all the time.

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Thank you!

  10. Christine Delia Reply

    Hi! Want to try this for Thanksgiving. I do have a glass baking dish, but just wondering, can this be done in a regular 9×13 pan also? What do you think the outcome would be?

    Thank you!

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Yes, it should work!

    • Starr Nelson Reply

      I just made it in a 12 inch cast iron skillet & it was amazing!

  11. norma Reply

    1 1/3 cup sugar? Yep! That’s corncake! That stopped me from trying this recipe. Why don’t you just call it a cake with a little cornmeal thrown in for texture. I usually like and try lots of your recipes. This one won’t stop me.

    • Christy Denney Reply

      This is why I named it sweet cornbread. I have another cornbread recipe that is more savory. https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/kendees-famous-buttermilk-cornbread/

  12. Lauren Reply

    I love this recipe!!! It is my go-to cornbread recipe-it is sweet and not dry at all. I usually reduce the sugar and use 2/3 the amount and it is sweet enough for our family. Everyone I have made this for loves it!

  13. Robert Reply

    Best cornbread recipe ever! Made one for thanksgiving and it came out perfect. Made another one the next day, and I’m making one again this week. Doesn’t last long in our house. Thanks!

  14. Sparks13 Reply

    I have been looking for THE cornbread recipe for decades, yes, really decades. This is it. Not too crumbly, not too sweet, not under sweet, moist as can be. The only thing I don’t know is how well it keeps, because I’ve never had a pan last even 48 hours. And my silly husband said he didn’t like cornbread….

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Aww that’s the best compliment ever!

  15. Sparks Reply

    Wonderful! My husband has never much liked cornbread. Says it’s too dry and stiff. He LOVED this one. I caught him getting thirds.

    • Sparks Reply

      Didn’t even NEED butter…although I still buttered the heck out of it, lol.

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Aww awesome!

  16. Rena Reply

    I made mine in an 8×11 1/2 and it took about 45-50 min. It came out so moist and fluffy and just a hint of sweetness. I use to make a doctored up version with Jiffy corn muffin mix but after this…there is no going back. This was so good!

    • Christy Denney Reply

      Thank you!

Leave a comment »

The Best Sweet Cornbread Recipe (+VIDEO) - The Girl Who Ate Everything (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Southern cornbread and sweet cornbread? ›

A quick Google search will tell you that Southern cornbread is oftentimes devoid of any sugar, while its Northern counterpart is light, sweet, buttery and cakelike.

What is the difference between Yankee cornbread and Southern cornbread? ›

Northern cornbreads tend to be more cake-like, on the sweet side, with a finer crumb due to more flour in the mixture. Southern cornbread is flavored with bacon grease, and cooked in a cast iron skillet, a perfect side for barbecues, or chili. It also tends to be rather crumbly.

Which is sweeter northern or Southern cornbread? ›

In contrast to the dryer, less-sweet nature of Southern cornbread, Northern cornbread is much more cakey and sweet. Indeed, colonial Americans made their cornbread with molasses to sweeten it. Also, Northern cornbread sometimes uses milk rather than buttermilk.

What's the difference between cornbread and hot water cornbread? ›

While regular cornbread is made by pouring batter into in a pan or skillet and baking it in the oven, for hot water cornbread, the batter is shaped into cakes and fried in hot fat in a skillet on the stovetop.

Is white or yellow cornmeal better for cornbread? ›

Traditional southern cornbread is a staple in the south and is classically made from white cornmeal, although yellow cornmeal can be used, and cooked in a pre-heated cast iron skillet.

Which cornmeal is best for cornbread? ›

As for the best cornmeal for cornbread, either fine- or medium-grind cornmeal is a great choice. Medium-grind cornmeal will bring slightly more texture and grittiness to the batter, which you may or may not want (it's up to you!). You can use fine or medium cornmeal in these extra corny muffins.

What country did cornbread come from? ›

Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States, with origins in Native American cuisine. It is an example of batter bread.

What is cornbread and milk called? ›

Also referred to as “crumble-in,” this hearty snack of cornbread doused in milk is beloved among communities in the Southern United States, stretching from Appalachian West Virginia to the heart of Texas.

Can you add extra sugar to cornbread? ›

That being said, this is YOUR Sweet Cornbread recipe, so use as little or as much sugar as you would like.

Can I leave the sugar out of cornbread? ›

I prefer mine on the sweeter side, but if you like a more savory cornbread, you can leave out the granulated sugar and reduce the brown sugar to suit your taste.

What do you eat sweet cornbread with? ›

It's a real treat with chili, ribs, or barbecued chicken. You could even use this sweet, homemade cornbread to make stuffing for your Thanksgiving feast! My mom made this for me as a child, and now it's my family's favorite. Serve with butter, jam, honey, or your favorite spread.

What makes cornbread stick together better? ›

Adding an egg yolk to your cornbread will help hold its shape while you're cutting and serving it. You can add a yolk even if your recipe doesn't call for any eggs at all--just put it in with the other wet ingredients. Cut back on fat or grease by one third.

Can I use milk instead of water in cornbread mix? ›

Can I substitute water for milk in cornbread mix? Yes, you can, but it may result in a less rich flavor. If you're out of milk, try using cream or half-and-half, evaporated or powdered milk, or even plain yogurt. If you have dietary restrictions, try soy milk or oat milk.

Is Jiffy mix cornbread healthy? ›

This product contains a high percentage of the Institute of Medicine's recommended adequate intake for sodium of 1500 mg a day (IOM 2005). This value is much lower than what the FDA requires be listed on food labels -- 2400 mg. Americans average 3,400 mg of sodium a day.

How do Southerners eat cornbread? ›

In fact, savory cornbread, corn muffins, or even old-fashioned "corn pones" can sometimes be the meal all on its own, maybe with some collard greens, butterbeans, yellow summer squash, or fried okra, plus a tall glass of frosty-cold iced tea.

What are the two types of cornbread? ›

Southern cornbread has traditionally been made with little to no sugar and a higher cornmeal-to-flour ratio, while Northern style cornbread is sweeter and more cake-like.

What is sweet cornbread made of? ›

In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the oil, melted butter, honey, eggs, and milk. Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan.

What's another name for Southern cornbread? ›

What is another word for cornbread?
cornponehoecake
cornmeal breadSouthern cornbread
corn muffincorn pone
maize breadmaize flour bread
mealie bread
2 more rows

How do you eat sweet cornbread? ›

Serve with butter, jam, honey, or your favorite spread.

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