Traditional Cornbread Recipe

How To Make Cornbread

Cornbread comes together quickly and easily with ingredients you probably already have in your fridge and pantry. Check out the full recipe below, but here’s the general idea:

Mix the Wet Ingredients

Whisk melted butter, milk, and egg in a large bowl.

Add the Dry Ingredients

Stir in cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, just until moistened. Adding the dry ingredients after the wet ones will ensure the batter is mixed evenly.

Spread Batter in Pan

Pour the mixture into a sprayed or greased pan and spread with a spatula to make sure the thick batter goes all the way to the edges of the pan and is the same thickness throughout.

Bake

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown for a perfectly crispy exterior and still-tender interior.

Top

Lather with softened butter, or drizzle with honey. Toppings like jalapeños, shredded cheese, or crispy crumbled bacon pieces can transform cornbread into a delectable side dish or a filling meal by itself.

How To Keep Cornbread from Crumbling

Cornbread is naturally a little crumbly, but to avoid too-crumbly cornbread, try these tips:

Don’t Forget to Spray the Pan: Thoroughly spraying your pan ensures the cornbread will release cleanly and effortlessly from the pan without breaking.

Measure Carefully: Fat, egg, flour, cornmeal, and baking powder are all key elements in a perfect cornbread recipe, but even more important is knowing how to measure accurately. Too little or too much of any of these can affect flavor and texture, so measuring accurately can make or break a recipe.

Bake to Perfection: If cornbread is overbaked, it will be dry, crumbly, and tend to fall apart when served. To avoid overbaking, set a timer for the shortest time in the baking range and start checking for doneness then. As soon as a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, remove the cornbread from the oven. If it isn’t done, continue baking for an additional minute or two and check again.

Use a Serrated Knife and a Slow Hand: Cut cornbread with a serrated knife, using a light sawing motion.

Storing Leftover Cornbread

Cornbread can be eaten warm, straight from the oven, but it also refrigerates and freezes well.

To Store at Room Temperature: Wrap completely cooled cornbread tightly in plastic wrap or foil and store up to 1 day at room temperature.

To Store in Refrigerator: Remove cooled cornbread from pan. Tightly wrap completely in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate up to 1 week.

To Store in Freezer: Remove cooled cornbread from pan. Tightly wrap completely in plastic wrap or foil and place it in resealable freezer plastic bags and freeze up to 3 months.

Regardless of how you choose to store it, leftover cornbread can be a great ingredient to make new dishes from! Instead of as a classic side for chili, round out the meal by making your chili with cornbread dumplings, or use your leftovers in this Cornbread Stuffing Recipe.

Popular Cornbread Variations

This classic cornbread recipe serves as a jumping-off point for endless variations. Experiment to your heart’s desire!

Variations with Toppings:

Make it Sweet: Drizzle baked cornbread with honey or serve with honey butter for a sweet and savory delight.

Make it Savory: Stir shredded cheese or fresh herbs like thyme, parsley, or cilantro into the batter.

Make it Spicy: Stir in chopped jalapeño peppers or chili garlic sauce, or serve with hot sauce.

Try any of these variations on the classic version in our Best Cornbread Recipes collection, or check out some of our other favorites.

Flavor Variations:

Looking for Buttermilk Cornbread Recipes? Try our Buttermilk Cornbread recipe featuring corn and onions for a savory variation on the original.

Need Gluten Free Cornbread Recipes? With pork, cheese, and jalapeño, our Gluten Free Cornbread recipe. is packed with flavor.

Craving Mexican Cornbread Recipes? Try our Mexican Cornbread recipe or Southwestern Cornbread Casserole that’s loaded with black beans, salsa and cheese.