A standby Cornbread
This straightforward cornbread recipe is extremely plush, made with buttermilk and real corn, and it comes together in less than 10 minutes. It will become your go-to recipe to enjoy alongside ribs, chili, or any of your favorite meals!
Let’s talk cornbread.
If we go to a restaurant and open the menu and see cornbread listed somewhere, we feel like we've hit the jackpot. Bonus points if it’s served piping hot with some honey butter on the side. A house standby restaurant cornbread we've ever had was at Copper Canyon Grill in Rockville, Maryland. We could have eaten the entire pan and made it our meal, but we restrained myself.
When we make cornbread at home, we always turn to this recipe, which has been our go-to for well over 10 years now. It’s an extremely speedy recipe to prepare, comes out wonderfully plush every single time, and the leftovers stay fresh for days.
We've tried many others, and while there are tons of great cornbread recipes out there, we always come back to this one. It’s simply a standby.
How To Make a Cornbread Recipe From Scratch
We know.
It’s straightforward to grab a cornbread mix, add a couple of ingredients and toss it into the pan, but honestly? This is not much more involved and it tastes SO much better!
Let us show you how to make fabulous, old-fashioned cornbread without the mix…
If you keep a bag of corn in the freezer and buttermilk in the refrigerator, you will likely have everything you need to throw this together in less than 10 minutes.
All it takes is a bowl, a blender or food processor, and a spatula. That’s IT!
- First, whisk together your dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Then, bust out your food processor or blender and give the corn and buttermilk a speedy spin. Add the eggs and process a few seconds longer.
- Add your blended corn mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together briefly, then add the melted butter (mmmm butter!) and stir until mostly combined. BIG TIP: Do not overmix! You just want to make sure the dry ingredients are moistened, but lumps are okay!
- Spread it into a square pan and pop it into the oven. Done!
The resulting cornbread is crusty on the outside, plush on the inside and loaded with bits of real corn.
It is absolutely rich all on its own, but we will also never turn down a smear of salted butter (or honey butter if you’re kicking things up a notch!).
- Cornbread Muffins
- Cornbread Casserole
- Sweet Corn Spoon Bread
- Sausage Cornbread Stuffing
- Skillet Cornbread
- Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
Four years ago: Crispy Potato Latkes
Five years ago: Applesauce Snack Cake with Oat-Nut Streusel
Six years ago: Cake Batter & Sprinkles Chocolate Bark
Nine years ago: Peach Crumb Bars
A standby Cornbread Recipe
Yield: 10 to 12 servings This straightforward cornbread recipe is extremely plush, made with buttermilk and real corn, and it comes together in less than 10 minutes!- 1½ cups (187.5 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (159 g) yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) table salt
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (123 g) frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined; set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, process the sugar, thawed corn kernels and buttermilk until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the eggs and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer.
- Using a rubber spatula, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; pour the wet ingredients into the well. Fold the dry ingredients into wet, giving the mixture only a few turns to barely combine; add the melted butter and continue folding until the dry ingredients are just moistened (do not overmix!).
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cornbread onto wire rack, turn right side up and continue to cool until just warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into squares and serve. Leftovers can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- To freeze the baked cornbread, cool completely then wrap well in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil, place in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator, then remove the foil and plastic wrap, wrap loosely in aluminum foil and reheat in 350-degree oven until warmed through, 20 to 30 minutes.
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in September 2007. It was updated in July 2015 with new photos, then refreshed in September 2018 with more new photos and extensive recipe tips.
[photos by The Almond Eater]
- Yield: 10 to 12 servings
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 25 minutes
- Total: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1½ cups ( 187.5 g ) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup ( 159 g ) yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ( 0.75 teaspoon ) table salt
- ¼ cup ( 55 g ) light brown sugar
- ¾ cup ( 123 g ) frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 1 cup ( 240 ml ) buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup ( 113.5 g ) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined; set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, process the sugar, thawed corn kernels and buttermilk until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the eggs and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer.
- Using a rubber spatula, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; pour the wet ingredients into the well. Fold the dry ingredients into wet, giving the mixture only a few turns to barely combine; add the melted butter and continue folding until the dry ingredients are just moistened (do not overmix!).
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cornbread onto wire rack, turn right side up and continue to cool until just warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into squares and serve. Leftovers can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
To freeze the baked cornbread, cool completely then wrap well in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil, place in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator, then remove the foil and plastic wrap, wrap loosely in aluminum foil and reheat in 350-degree oven until warmed through, 20 to 30 minutes.
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in September 2007. It was updated in July 2015 with new photos, then refreshed in September 2018 with more new photos and extensive recipe tips.
[photos by The Almond Eater ]
