Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe | Buns In My Oven (2024)

Our Sweet Cornbread Recipe turns outperfectly moist and tender every time. If you love northern style cornbread, with that perfect balance of sweetness, this will quickly become your go to recipe!

Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe | Buns In My Oven (1)

Alright, everyone, I’m about to get controversial.

I am sharing the best cornbread recipe today and you’re about to see that it has sugar in it.

That’s right.

I generally love me some southern food, but when it comes to cornbread I just have to have the sweet stuff.

I know that people are very passionate about whether or not sugar belongs in cornbread, so please just pass right on by if you like the southern version without a hint of sweetness. You’ll hate this recipe. 🙁

If you want a rich, dense, sweet cornbread that goes great with my turkey chili and my Instant Pot ham and bean soup, well, here you are. I have the best cornbread recipe for you and I’m so excited you’re here for it.

Not into our plain sweet cornbread? You might like our Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread instead!

Table of Contents

Ingredient Notes:

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Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe | Buns In My Oven (2)

Cornmeal – The key ingredient! This will give the cornbread the taste, texture, and color that we all know and love.

Dry Ingredients – In addition to the cornmeal you’ll need some all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda for the cornbread batter. The flour helps lighten it up a bit. If you use just cornmeal, the bread will be quite dense.

Wet Ingredients – Some egg, buttermilk, and vegetable oil are the remaining ingredients you’ll need for the batter. The buttermilk helps keep the bread moist and the tangy flavor pairs well with the sweet.

What We Love About This Recipe:

  • Better Than a Box: This homemade cornbread is so much better than the boxed mix! It’s a little more work, but you’ll love the result.
  • Versatile: Slather on some butter and have a slice for a snack or serve this alongside your favorite soup, stew, or chili!
  • Kid-Approved: Kids love the sweet, moist texture of this cornbread, making it a great choice for family dinners.

How To Make Cornbread:

Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe | Buns In My Oven (3)

Dry Ingredients: One of the things I love about cornbread is that it’s EASY!Start by adding the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda) to a large mixing bowl.

Combine: Now you can start adding the wet ingredients (oil, egg, buttermilk) to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.

No need to even use a mixer here. Just stir it together by hand until it’s a mostly smooth batter with just a few lumps remaining.

Bake: This buttermilk cornbread mixture can be baked in a greased round cake pan or a cast iron skillet. It’ll take about 25 minutes for the cornbread to finish baking.

That’s it! I told you it was easy.

Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe | Buns In My Oven (4)
Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe | Buns In My Oven (5)

My Favorite Skillet!

Cast iron skillets are my favorite! They heat so evenly, get piping hot for searing, and nothing is better than bacon fried in a cast iron skillet.

Variations:

Like a little heat with your sweet? Stir in some diced jalapenos!

Out of buttermilk? Add a tablespoon of vinegar to a measuring cup and then add milk up to the 1 cup mark. Let sit for 5 minutes and you’ve got a cup of buttermilk. This is buttermilk cornbread, so don’t skip the buttermilk! You need the acid to help the cornbread rise.

Like it sweet, but not too sweet? Feel free to adjust the sugar to your tastes. I wouldn’t leave it out entirely, but you should be able to cut it down to half without any issues.

Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe | Buns In My Oven (6)

What To Serve With Cornbread:

This sweet cornbread is pretty great all on it’s own with some butter and honey, or maple syrup! It’s even better served as a side though. Here are some good recipes to serve with this cornbread:

Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe | Buns In My Oven (7)

FAQs:

How do you store cornbread?

This sweet cornbread will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. You can extend it to a week in the fridge, or up to a few months in the freezer.

Is this cornbread gluten-free?

No, not with the all-purpose flour being added in. You could substitute that for a gluten-free flour like coconut flour or almond flour.

MORE CORNBREAD RECIPES!

If you love cornbread as much as I do, you’ll want to try these other recipes too!

  • Jiffy Corn Casserole
  • Cornbread Salad
  • Mexican Cornbread Casserole
  • Sloppy Joe Cornbread Bake
  • Mini Corn Dogs
  • Tamale Casserole
  • Keto Cornbread
Follow me on social for more recipe ideas & inspiration!

Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe | Buns In My Oven (9)

Recipe

Sweet Cornbead

Northern style cornbread – rich, moist, and sweet! This is perfect topped with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Save

Prep5 minutes minutes

Cook25 minutes minutes

Total30 minutes minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan or cast iron skillet.

  • Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking soda to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.

  • Add the oil, egg, and buttermilk to a small bowl and whisk to combine.

  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined with a few lumps remaining.

  • Spread mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

  • Cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tips & Notes:

Recipe lightly adapted from All Recipes.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1slice| Calories: 289kcal (14%)| Carbohydrates: 40g (13%)| Protein: 5g (10%)| Fat: 12g (18%)| Saturated Fat: 8g (50%)| Cholesterol: 30mg (10%)| Sodium: 436mg (19%)| Potassium: 131mg (4%)| Fiber: 2g (8%)| Sugar: 14g (16%)| Vitamin A: 88IU (2%)| Calcium: 41mg (4%)| Iron: 1mg (6%)

Author: Karly Campbell

Course:Bread

Cuisine:American

Keyword:bread, easy bread recipes

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Homemade Sweet Cornbread Recipe | Buns In My Oven (2024)

FAQs

What temperature do you cook homemade cornbread on in the oven? ›

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch square baking pan. ...
  2. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. ...
  3. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. ...
  4. Wrap leftovers up tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Oct 15, 2023

Can you add sugar to cornbread mix? ›

I love to bake from scratch, but I have often used packaged cornbread mix, adding a little extra something to the ingredients and making the finished product taste more homemade. My favorite thing to add is sugar—a hot topic for another conversation!

What is sweet cornbread made of? ›

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix egg, sour cream, milk, and butter in a small bowl. Fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened; pour into prepared baking dish.

Should I bake cornbread in a glass or metal pan? ›

Glass, ceramic, and cast iron work best, but you can also use metal baking dishes.

Should cornbread batter sit before baking? ›

Set the batter aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

By letting the cornbread batter sit at room temperature before baking, the cornmeal has some extra time to absorb the flavor from the other ingredients, and the baking powder gets a head start.

What is the difference between southern cornbread and sweet 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.

Why put sugar in cornbread? ›

If you use one of the stone-ground varieties of cornmeal, you can omit the sugar. But if you use the more common finely-ground cornmeal, adding sugar will help attain the flavor of stone-ground cornmeal.

What does adding an extra egg to cornbread do? ›

Eggs are responsible for giving baked goods structure, which means the amount you use directly affects the resulting texture. Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery.

Why is my homemade cornbread so dry? ›

Cornbread is known for being dry, and that's because it's not properly hydrated. This can lead to unpleasant. hard bits that get stuck in your teeth, making the final product taste even drier. Start by soaking your cornmeal and buttermilk overnight. or up to 24 hours.

Should I use milk or water for cornbread? ›

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.

Why does my homemade cornbread fall apart? ›

Cornmeal gives cornbread its classic color and flavor, but too much can make your bread crumbly. Try replacing a little bit of cornmeal with flour. The specific measurements will depend on how much cornmeal and flour is in your recipe, but you should try to have more flour than cornmeal in your batter.

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

The thing that distinguishes Southern cornbread from, say Yankee cornbread, or any other cornbread one is likely to eat outside of the southern states, is that it is savory, not sweet, and it is made mostly with cornmeal.

Is real Southern cornbread sweet? ›

Real, traditional, Southern-style cornbread is savory, not sweet, and always has been.

Was cornbread originally sweet? ›

Early cornbread consisted of cornmeal, water, and salt and was baked over a fire or in a hearth. Without milk, eggs, or sugar, early versions of the bread were quite different than what we eat today, but they offered a vital source of energy.

How long to heat corn bread in oven? ›

Cover with aluminum foil to avoid burning and to keep the bread from getting too dry. Bake in a 350-degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until bread is warmed through. For best results, do not exceed 15 minutes of oven time.

What temperature do you cook Jiffy? ›

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Should you cover cornbread after baking? ›

Make sure the cornbread has fully cooled down before you store it. Wrap the loaf in aluminum foil or plastic wrap two times, and then place it in a zip-tight plastic bag. Make sure to eliminate all the air as you seal it. Cornbread will last up to three days stored at room temperature.

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