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Cornbread Recipe

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4.91 from 22 votes
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This is the BEST Cornbread Recipe! Made with cornmeal, creamed corn, and sweet corn – it’s gluten free, perfectly sweet, and PACKED with corn flavor. 

Honey being drizzled on piece of cornbread with butter

The reason I initially wanted to make this cornbread recipe is because I cannot stop making my instant pot chili (which is so good by the way) and it tastes extra delicious with a side of homemade cornbread. It’s fluffy, so moist, a little sweet—but not too sweet—and so good.

I’d been eating the chili “plain” but then decided it just needed a little something extra. And this, my friends, is exactly what I was craving.

Ingredients

This cornbread recipe contains THREE varieties of corn: cornmeal, creamed corn, and sweet corn.

  • Butter – adds moisture and adds an amazing buttery flavor that pairs so well with the sweet corn.
  • Granulated Sugar – adds the perfect amount of sweetness to compliment the corn. Some cornbread recipes call for sugar, while others don’t. It’s the great sugar divide! You can definitely try to omit the sugar if you fall in the latter camp. (*not tested)
  • Eggs – binds everything together.
  • Buttermilk – makes the cornbread ultra moist while also providing a nice tangy flavor.
  • Yellow Cornmeal – the base for our cornbread. Most recipes will call for equal parts cornmeal and flour, but I really wanted to make the corn flavor and texture shine, so we’re just using cornmeal!
  • Cream Style Corn and Sweet Corn – the creamed corn adds moisture and creaminess while the sweet corn adds a nice “pop” in every bite!
  • Baking Soda – helps the cornbread achieve a light and fluffy texture.
  • Salt – enhances other flavors and cuts the sweetness from the sugar and corn.
Pro tip
I highly recommend using store-bought buttermilk, but if you’re in a pinch, make your own! 1 cup buttermilk = 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice + your choice of milk filled to the 1 cup line. Let sit for 10 minutes, then proceed with the recipe.

How to make

This might just be the easiest cornbread recipe ever. Mix (in ONE bowl), bake, then face-plant into your delicious cornbread!

  1. Whisk together butter, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk in a large bowl. bowl of cornbread ingredients
  2. Pour batter into a cast-iron skillet.skillet of cornbread batter
  3. Bake for 40 minutes then serve and enjoy!baked cornbread in skillet being cut
Pro tip
Don’t have a cast iron skillet? Try a greased non-stick baking dish instead: 8×8, 9×9, or even 9×13! *Baking times may vary.*

Is cornbread gluten-free?

This cornbread is gluten free, because it doesn’t contain any flour! Most cornbread recipes DO contain flour, so this recipe is awesome for our gluten-free folks.

Bonus: the lack of flour makes this cornbread moist, dense, and extra corn-y!

Slice of cornbread with skillet in background

Variations

What to serve with cornbread

As I mentioned above, my instant pot chili is SO GOOD paired with this cornbread recipe. The cornbread is also delicious by itself with a pat of butter and drizzle of honey.

Here are some other recipes that would be delicious alongside a huge slice of cornbread:

Main Dishes

Other Sides

Slice of cornbread, bite taken out with fork

How to store

Leftover cornbread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the refrigerator for 5-7 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

To reheat, bake or microwave until warmed through.

– Jennifer

slice of cornbread

Cornbread Recipe

4.91 from 22 votes
This is the BEST Cornbread Recipe! Made with cornmeal, creamed corn, and sweet corn – it's gluten free, perfectly sweet, and PACKED with corn flavor. 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8 people
Print Pin Rate Recipe

Equipment for this recipe

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Ingredients

US Customary - Metric
  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
  • 2 cups yellow cornmeal
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 (15 oz) can cream style corn
  • 1 (15 oz) can sweet corn drained

Recipe Video

Instructions

  • Grease a cast-iron skillet (or similar baking dish) with cooking spray.*
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk.
  • Using a spatula, fold in the rest of the ingredients.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan.
  • Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until fully cooked.
  • Take 5 seconds to either rate this recipe below and/or PIN it. We greatly appreciate it!
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STORING
Room Temp:1-2 Days
Refrigerator:5-7 Days
Freezer:2-3 Months
Reheat:Microwave or bake in oven until warm
*Storage times may vary based on temperature and conditions

Notes

You can also make this in a 9x13 in baking pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

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Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Cornbread Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 358 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 87mg29%
Sodium 269mg12%
Potassium 191mg5%
Carbohydrates 47g16%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 19g21%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 125IU3%
Calcium 45mg5%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.

Keywords: easy, gluten free, sweet corn
Enjoy this recipe?
Tag @showmetheyummy on Instagram and hashtag it #showmetheyummy
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Author: Jennifer Debth

This post was originally published November 2, 2016 and has been updated to provide more detailed content.

Reader Interactions

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  2. Anonymous

    Chico, California

    5 stars LOVELOVE LOVE it! Best cornbread ever ( and I’ve had a lot of cornbread) Sometimes I add some chopped jalepenos for a bit of a kick
    Reply

  4. Trina

    Washington, District of Columbia

    5 stars Best cornbread ever! I poured batter by spoonfuls into greased mini muffin tins and baked at 350 for about 10 minutes til toothpick came out clean. Delicious.
    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Yep! It’s meant to be flourless. If it’s too sweet for you, try halving the sugar next time… the texture should still be fine 🙂

  7. Polly

    Fairfax, Virginia

    5 stars FINALLY, a GF cornbread recipe with corn that doesn’t have a bitter after taste! It’s so much easier than having to deal with GF flour and way too much baking powder and soda that is added in most of the other recipes. This was my last effort at GF cornbread. My family was thrilled that I finally made one that was not only edible, but delicious.(I only used 2 TBLSP of sugar) Thank you!
    Reply

  8. Tom

    Penfield, New York

    5 stars Fun to prep, looks and smells fantastic. Followed recipe exactly. Crispy edges and great texture. With added creamed and kernel corn, wonderful corny taste. With ribs, OMG.
    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Sure! You’ll need less baking time, because it’ll be thinner.

  10. EKR

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    5 stars This cornbread is hearty and delicious. I love the dense texture and rich corn flavor with a hint of sweetness.
    Reply

  11. Julie

    Muscle Shoals, Alabama

    5 stars I cut this recipe in half. A family of four can’t eat that much corn bread. We love this recipe. It’s slightly sweet (I added less sugar than called for), tender, and the perfect side to soup.
    Reply

    • Laurie

      Penetanguishene, Ontario

      hi how much maple did you substitute for sugar, and then did you change any of the other amounts, as it is a “liquid” thank you

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Laurie! You should be able to do an equal swap and be just fine with no other changes. 🙂

  13. Anonymous

    Waxhaw, North Carolina

    5 stars I love this recipe! This cornbread is so moist and has a really nice texture. It is so easy to make. Our favorite cornbread recipe for sure!
    Reply

  15. Lynne

    Waynesboro, Virginia

    5 stars Look no further for your gluten free cornbread recipe! I am picky when it comes to cornbread, and this recipe offers a cornbread that is moist, dense, just the right touch of sweetness, and a splendid balance of the cream corn along with the whole kernel corn. Great texture! Absolutely a must and a fav!
    Reply

  16. Hazel

    Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal

    Best cornbread I’ve ever made! I am from South Africa and here we call it mielie bread. Mielie meal is a staple food for many South African’s who are from the black rural communities. My Grandmother always steamed her mielie bread in a tin so I did it that way like I remembered she did. It had grease-proof paper folded in a pleat across the middle and tied on with string. I greased the tin with a double layer of ghee. (I substituted ghee for butter because ghee has the dairy solids removed). The flavor is better too… I halved the sugar (and used Erythritol instead of sugar). I also used fresh minced baby corn spears instead of creamed sweet corn (which is high in sugar) and I cut the corn off the cob instead of using tinned corn kernels. For buttermilk I substituted full cream yogurt and milk Kefir mixed which is what I had in my fridge. I increased the raising agent to 1t instead of 1/2t. This recipe is a keeper…I have been looking for one for a long time because you can eat this with a wheat intolerance. Thank-you.
    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Aww yay!! Thank you so much Hazel! Really glad you enjoyed this and that it works with your substitutions! 🙂

  17. Karl

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    5 stars Just made this the other day. IMO this is the best cornbread I’ve ever had. Made it to go with ham and beans when I made dinner for my girlfriend, she absolutely loved it. She thinks I’m a genius in the kitchen now. Threw my other recipes away, I’ll never make any cornbread but this form now on. Thank you so much!
    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      You could try! Not sure if all the batter would fit into the pan though. And it’ll probably take longer to cook. I’d recommend using a round cake pan instead if you don’t have a cast iron skillet!

    • Vandhna

      Whitby, Ontario

      Sounds delish! I love baking but corn bread has been a little daunting for me. Will definitely try this. Is there a substitute for the buttermilk? My husband is lactose intolerant. Thanks

  20. Nadia

    Fargo, North Dakota

    5 stars I followed the recipe exactly and made it in a muffin tin. It’s so delicious! This cornbread is amazing and so easy to make!
    Reply

  21. Gabby

    5 stars Just made this and WOW!!! Incredible!! I only used half of the sugar (so 1/3 cup), and I think it was perfectly sweet. (The cream corn has sugar in it, too.) This is going to be my go-to cornbread recipe from now on!! Thank you!!!
    Reply

  22. Angela

    I’m not sure what happened with these. I followed the recipe exactly and had a ton of batter. There is no way all of it would fit in a 10” skillet. We made 18 muffins and still had about 1/4 cup left over. We baked and baked and they are back in the oven…probably been close to 30 min now. Great flavor, but they are a mushy mess.
    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Angela! Did you watch the video? We show it in a 10″ skillet 🙂 Mine might be deeper than the one you have? You could definitely use a 12″ skillet, just won’t be as thick. The muffins will definitely take longer to bake than the cornbread as directed in the recipe, because the muffins are SO much deeper. Longer than 30 minutes doesn’t surprise me at all. If you bake them long enough, they shouldn’t be a mushy mess. How did they turn out?

  23. Christina

    Hey there… Looks like a great recipe! Do you think the sugar could be way decreased or even left out and it still be good?
    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Christina! You could probably halve it and be fine 🙂 I hope you love it!

  24. Barb

    5 stars Oh my Gosh, this cornbread recipe is outstanding. I made it with gourmet buttermilk and followed the recipe as written. It is moist, great texture and the corn on the browned bottom caramelized. I did put my iron skillet in the oven while preheating, and then added the mixture to a hot skillet. The best with my chili on a cold day here in Florida!
    Reply

  25. shirley

    Seattle, Washington

    I love cornbread, but haven’t eaten much lately because of milk allergies. Do you think it would work with almond or soymilk, and earth balance margarine? I think I will give it a try, and let you know. My biggest problem with cornbread is that I can’t eat enough of it! It even works good in dressing for your turkey.
    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Shirley! Yes! I would replace 1/4 cup of the milk with white vinegar (so you’d use 3/4 cup almond milk + 1/4 vinegar) and let that sit for 10 minutes. That will act as your “buttermilk”. I would love to know how it turns out for you! I also have a Vegan Pumpkin Cornbread you might enjoy. 🙂 Also, I plan on turning the cornbread into a dressing recipe, so stay tuned!! 🙂

  26. Marina

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Hey Jennifer!! One more question, what kind of pan would I use if I wanted to double this recipe?
    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Marina! I think this would work ok in a 9×13 if doubled. 🙂 If you have any extra batter, just turn them into muffins! 🙂

  27. Adina

    Kassel, Hesse

    Delicious looking corn bread, I have never had any, but I just know it is something I would love. I will have to try this.
    Reply

  30. Marina

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    5 stars Oh my GOSH that video is awesome! That pad of butter and drizzle of honey at the end though. 😉 I have such a love/hate relationship with cornbread because I’ve never had a recipe that I liked. They’ve always been either too dry or too heavy from flour, but THIS cornbread miiiight have to make an appearance at our Thanksgiving table this year. There really is nothing better than chili and cornbread!!
    Reply
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