Easy Sweet Cornbread Recipe: Made with Buttermilk

Homemade cornbread is the perfect side dish for tons of different recipes. The moist crumb and sweet texture pairs perfectly with chili, soups, and much more. This sweet cornbread recipe has the right amount of sweetness, which can be easily increased by smothering it with honey! You can use this recipe to make cornbread muffins, in a cast-iron skillet, or just in a baking dish. There is no wrong way to make it!

You know what makes for the best sweet cornbread recipe? When it also doubles as an easy cornbread recipe. In our opinion, if it’s not easy, don’t make it. Perfect cornbread doesn’t require a ton of ingredients, time, or effort, and we promise, this recipe is a winner every time. You might even be tempted to try out the cornbread batter.

While you can easily eat cornbread all year long, there’s just something about eating it during the fall months that just feels so cozy. We love serving it with just about any meal we can think of. I’ll admit we occasionally just pick up Famous Dave’s Cornbread mix, when I’m not feeling lazy, I always turn to this amazing, yet simple cornbread recipe.

It uses simple ingredients, and it is on the sweet side with crispy edges. However, the buttermilk helps to create the perfect balance of sweet and savory. I don’t know if I’d call this a traditional southern cornbread recipe, but it’s definitely a traditional recipe in our family now! It doesn’t really matter where a great recipe comes from!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup plain cornmeal
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Spray or grease a baking dish (I used a rectangle cake pan)

Combine flour, cornmeal, white sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl and dry ingredients in a separate bowl

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Pour into your prepared baking pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes

Variations

This is a great base recipe to start with for cornbread. There are lots of ways you can mix it up (pun intended) to make it even more delicious. If you add savory items, though, you may want to cut back on the sugar a little bit.

Here are a few different ideas:

• Add cheddar cheese (or the cheese of your choice) to the batter
• Mix in diced jalapenos – consider taking the seeds out to make it less spicy
• Add pieces of corn (our microwave corn on the cob recipe can get you those in a jiffy)
• Add a little bacon grease to the batter
• Add bacon bits

What is the difference between white cornmeal and yellow cornmeal

The only difference between the two is the color. The white cornmeal is made from white corn and yellow cornmeal is made from yellow corn. But the nutritional content and taste are not different. The texture is also mostly the same.

What is a good buttermilk substitute?

I’m not one to love to buy a big container of buttermilk when I know I’m not going to use much of it, and it always seems to be something I forget to buy anyways. While nothing truly replaces real buttermilk, there’s a pretty simple substitute you can try.

All you need is a little less than one cup of milk and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Mix it together and then let it sit for about five minutes to allow it to curdle. Works great in this recipe!

How can I make this healthier?

You could cut down on the sugar (though, it won’t really be “sweet cornbread” anymore!) or use a sugar substitute of your choice – though we don’t guarantee success with those. You could also use unsweetened apple sauce instead of butter. White whole wheat flour can make it a little bit healthier as well.

What kind of pan should I cook this in?

I usually cook mine in an 8×11 baking dish. For thicker slices, you could use an 8×8 baking dish. A pie pan or a cast-iron skillet would work as well, though I am not sure what temperature you would cook it at with those cooking vessels.

How should I store this?

I would either wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and leave it on the counter top for a day or two, or you could put it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for several days.

plastic wrap airtight container aluminum foil

Can I freeze cornbread?

The idea of freezing cornbread might seem odd, but when done correctly, it works. If you want to make a few loaves ahead of time and store them for later use, there is no better way than to freeze them.

Place your bread on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer for at least 2 hours or until frozen solid. Transfer the bread from the cookie sheet into a sealable freezer bag and seal it tightly with no extra air inside. Label the bag with contents and date before returning it to the freezer.

Do I have to use butter?

While we think it’s an important part of this recipe, you could try using vegetable oil or unsweetened applesauce in this recipe instead.

More Bread Recipes You May Enjoy:

• Homemade Cornbread Crouton Recipe
• Easy Instant Pot Cornbread – Totally Fool Proof!
• Jalapeno Cornbread Recipe with Muffin Adaptation

If you want a great cornbread recipe, we know you won’t be disappointed with this one. It’s perfect for pouring your favorite slow cooker chili over or eating for breakfast. Be warned – this might become your favorite cornbread recipe, causing you to become a cornbread snob!