Buttermilk Cornbread

This buttermilk cornbread has a tender crumb that is soft, slightly sweet, and easy to make. This cornbread is delicious every time, and it always disappears fast! Make cornbread for dinner, breakfast or to add to your holiday table.

Why We Love Buttermilk Cornbread

• Sweet, Buttery and Moist Recipe– I’ve moved around a lot and had my share of dry, too crumbly cornbread. This recipe is soft, moist cornbread that is buttery and slightly sweet in the best possible way.
• Perfect for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner– We often eat cornbread for breakfast in our house, but it’s also a great quick and easy side for with chili, soups, stews, any BBQ, fried chicken, meatloaf or any meal you would make dinner rolls for.
• A Southern Tradition– People from the south and the southwest take their cornbread very seriously, and I’m super excited to have a recipe that has been passed on.

When I lived in the south down in Atlanta for a while, I used to go to this one little restaurant that had the BEST cornbread on my lunch break. It had the most delicious moist crumb, little pieces of corn, and was served warm with a little slab of butter and a drizzle of honey.

The place was tiny (and is no longer there!) I asked the owner and it was her Grandma’s buttermilk cornbread recipe that had been passed along, just like all of the best southern comfort food.

Right before I moved away, she gave me the recipe and I’ve been making it ever since! I’m originally from the midwest where cornbread was mostly made for Thanksgiving or muffins, so I was so happy she gave me her sweeter cornbread recipe, as northern cornbread tends to be drier and more crumbly.

This buttermilk cornbread recipe is a little bit different than my scratch honey cornbread muffins, and I really like both recipes! This recipe feeds a few more people though, my muffin recipe is a small batch to make six muffins.

Note About Sweetened Cornbread– Some people online like to argue whether sugar belongs in cornbread at all. This largely has to do with where you grew up, and often how your mom and her mom made it. If you prefer no sugar in your cornbread, you may want to try a different recipe as this version has a touch of sweetness.

Ingredients For Buttermilk Cornbread

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal – I use yellow cornmeal but white can be used in this recipe too.
• ½ cup white granulated sugar– Some people prefer no sugar in their cornbread, but I just prefer it. I’ve had it both ways when I lived in the south. You could omit it if you prefer no sugar.
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ cup buttermilk- See more information below in the article for substitutions if you don’t have buttermilk
• ¼ cup butter – melted, use salted butter for this recipe. If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the dry flour mixture before adding to the wet ingredients.
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup frozen corn –  optional, this gives the cornbread some extra texture but can totally be left out.

How To Make Buttermilk Cornbread

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch pan with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper..
• In a large bowl mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder until well combined.

• In a medium bowl add buttermilk, melted butter and eggs. Blend together with a whisk or fork until the egg yolks have cracked and the mixture is well mixed.

• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until blended, making sure their are no dry ingredient lumps to form the batter. A whisk can help, but a rubber spatula or spoon also works.

• Fold the frozen corn into the cornbread batter if adding to the cornbread. Pour batter into the prepared square baking pan.

• Bake in the hot oven for 23-25 minutes until fully cooked. If the top starts to brown too quickly you can slow it down by covering the top with aluminum foil, but a little crunch around the edges is good.
• Use the toothpick test to make sure a toothpick piercing the center of the cornbread comes out clean with no batter clinging to the toothpick and the top is golden brown. Allow the cornbread to cool on a wire rack, then enjoy!

What If I Have No Buttermilk?

 I often don’t keep buttermilk on hand unless I need it for a specific recipe. Cornbread is a recipe we make on the regular though, and I can’t always run to the store every time I want this buttermilk cornbread recipe. Buttermilk makes a cornbread lighter and fluffier though, but a quick substitution can give you similar results.

Buttermilk Substitution

Instead, I use this easy buttermilk substitute. For every cup of milk, you need a tablespoon of lemon juice. Here’s how you make my buttermilk substitute for this recipe.

• Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a glass measuring cup.
• Fill the measuring cup to the 1 1/2 line with milk and stir.
• Let this mixture set for 10 minutes, then you can add to the recipe as directed in place of buttermilk.

Some people use vinegar instead of lemon juice. You can find more buttermilk substitution ideas here.

How Do I Make This Cornbread In A Cast Iron Pan?

Yes, you can totally make this cornbread in a cast-iron skillet! Here’s what I do to cook cornbread in cast iron.

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add a 9 inch cast iron pan to the oven to heat up while you make the batter.
• Make the cornbread batter as directed in the recipe.
• Remove the hot skillet carefuly and turn down the oven to 350 degrees. Add an extra pat of butter (a tablespoon or two) to the cast iron pan and spread it around to coat the bottom and the sides of the pan.
• Pour the batter into the hot pan and place the cornbread in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the cornbread with no batter clinging to the toothpick. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Then serve and enjoy!

How Do I Store Cornbread?

Store cornbread in a covered air-tight container. Cornbread will last for about three days and still taste fresh.

Leftover cornbread that’s a day past its best can be saved by toasting it in the toaster oven or warming it in the microwave. It helps it taste fresher again to warm it up.

What Do You Serve Cornbread With?

Serve cornbread as the perfect side dish with soup (try my black bean salsa soup), chili , red beans or stew. Add it to any table with BBQ, my crockpot pork loin (which makes awesome pulled pork!) or crispy chicken. Try cornbread with classic meatloaf or my Mini BBQ Turkey Meatloaf!

If you are serving this cornbread at a holiday like Christmas or Easter try making cornbread with my Honey Orange Glazed Ham or my roasted pork loin. Add baked candied yams, dreamy mashed sweet potatoes, honey glazed carrots or green bean casserole with bacon to your holiday meal too!

Other Recipes You Will Love

Blueberry Muffin Quick Bread– This easy blueberry quick bread loaf is tender, delicious, and tastes just like a blueberry muffin. Perfect for breakfast!

Sweet Blueberry Biscuits– These sweet blueberry biscuits are another tradition I’ve only seen in the south, but are so good. Packed full of bursting blueberries then topped with a sweet glaze, these biscuits make a sweet treat for breakfast.