Our Easy Homemade Cornbread, which is like the classic Jiffy cornbread mix, has been a reader favorite on Budget Bytes for years, but I was craving a richer, more decadent cornbread to go with my Black-Eyed Peas this year. So, I crafted this super rich cornbread that is less on the sweet side and full of golden buttery goodness. It’s the perfect compliment to a bowl of chili, to serve with your Thanksgiving feast, or drenched in honey and butter for breakfast.
Ingredients for Super Moist Cornbread
Here’s what you’ll need to make this super rich, moist, and buttery homestyle cornbread:
- Yellow Cornmeal: This is the base for the cornbread. For this recipe, we use slightly more cornmeal than flour to give the bread even more corn flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Mixing just a bit of flour into the cornmeal helps keep the cornbread soft, moist, and not too crumbly.
- Salt: Salt is very important in cornbread, which can otherwise be a little bit bland. The salt helps the flavor of the corn pop!
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Baking powder and baking soda keep this rich cornbread from being too heavy and dense by adding just the right amount of leavening. We use a mix of baking soda and powder because of the acidic pH of the sour cream.
- Milk & Sour Cream: I used a mix of whole milk and sour cream to moisten the cornbread and give it tons of rich flavor. Sour cream adds flavor similar to buttermilk, but is an ingredient we’re much more likely to already have in our fridge!
- Egg: Egg helps give the cornbread strength so it doesn’t fall apart, and it adds just a little bit of fluff to the texture.
- Butter: Instead of just using cooking oil for this cornbread, I used melted butter for extra rich flavor.
- Oil: Butter gives the cornbread tons of flavor, but just a little bit of oil helps keep the bread super moist after baking in a way that butter alone does not. You can use any neutral cooking oil like canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, or corn oil.
- Sugar: I tested this recipe both with and without sugar since sugar is a VERY controversial ingredient in cornbread. I will say that I prefer just a little sugar in my cornbread, but you can leave it out if you prefer.
What Bakeware to Use
You have a few options when it comes to what to use to bake this cornbread. I used a simple 8×8 metal baking dish, but if you prefer super crispy edges you can bake the cornbread in a preheated cast iron skillet. You can also bake it in a 9-inch round pie plate, if preferred. It all depends on what shape you want the pieces (square or wedges) and if you like those super crispy edges!
What to Serve with Cornbread
Cornbread is a staple recipe that goes with just about any meal, and because it’s so easy to make it is definitely one of my go-to side dishes for dinner. That being said, cornbread is a must with Thanksgiving dinner, a hearty bowl of chili, bean soup, vegetable soup, pumpkin soup, or black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. I also love cornbread with butter and honey as a side to my fried eggs for breakfast!
How to Store Leftovers
Make sure to let the cornbread cool completely to room temperature before packing to prevent condensation, then place it in an air-tight container for storage. Cornbread can be kept at room temperature for about three days, or refrigerated for about five days. You can rewarm cornbread in the microwave briefly to make it steaming hot and ready to melt a pat of butter!
You can also freeze cornbread for longer storage. Make sure to wrap the cornbread tightly in plastic or waxed paper, then place it in a freezer-friendly container (like a freezer bag). Frozen cornbread will stay good for about three months. It can be thawed at room temperature.
Homestyle Cornbread
Servings 9 piecesIngredients
- 1.5 cups yellow cornmeal ($0.73)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour ($0.10)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.06)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp sugar (optional) ($0.04)
- 1 cup sour cream ($1.06)
- 1/2 cup whole milk ($0.24)
- 4 Tbsp salted butter, melted ($0.50)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 1 large egg ($0.09)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, melted butter cooking oil, and egg.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir just until everything is evenly combined. Avoid over-stirring the batter.
- Pour the batter into a greased 8×8-inch baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Allow the cornbread to cool in the baking dish, then slice into nine pieces and serve.
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Nutrition
How to Make Cornbread – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Add 1.5 cups yellow cornmeal, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and 2 Tbsp sugar (optional) in a bowl. Stir until the dry ingredients are really well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup sour cream, ½ cup whole milk, 4 Tbsp melted salted butter, one large egg, and 2 Tbsp cooking oil until smooth.
Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir just until they are combined. Try not to over-stir the batter.
Spread the cornbread batter into a greased 8×8-inch baking dish.
Bake the cornbread in the preheated 400ºF oven for about 20 minutes or until it’s golden brown on top.
Let the cornbread cool in the pan, then slice into nine squares and serve.
I love cornbread with butter and honey, but it goes with a variety of savory meals as well!
Yum! I’ve made this twice now and both times it’s turned out great. I like to heat it up in the microwave and drizzle some honey on top for a quick breakfast. Also the second time I used skim milk and couldn’t really tell the difference.
This looks amazing! One question: can I use lower fat milk instead of whole? I tend to have 2% milk on hand more often than whole milk.
You could! The cornbread just might not be quite as moist due to the lower fat content.
I do happen to have buttermilk, how much should I add, the same as the sour cream, 1 cup? Thanks so much!
We actually really like the moisture the sour cream brings to the cornbread, but if you’re looking to use up that buttermilk, I’d try subbing it for the milk and the sour cream and doing 1 cup of buttermilk. I wouldn’t do both regular milk and buttermilk as the batter would be too wet.