The Easiest Southern Cornbread Recipe (With Video)

Cornbread is a Southern favorite. Here's an easy recipe for cornbread that's better than any box mix out there. Trust me, you want to give this one a go!

This homemade Southern cornbread is fluffy and moist on the inside and has a crispy golden edge! With the perfectly crumbly yet soft texture, this cornbread will be the best one you’ve ever had!

What is Cornbread?

Native Americans used to use corn for many of the dishes they cooked, and this recipe has its origins in their cuisine. Considering the hot climate and heavy rainfall that the South experiences, growing corn has always been easy.

This is one of the many reasons why it’s such a big part of Southern cooking. Cornbread has been made in one way or another since the very beginning. Initially, only water and cornmeal were used, which understandably didn’t taste the best! But over the years, new variations started coming up with ingredients such as eggs, whole milk, butter, baking powder, etc.

It is now a part of every weekend meal in Southern households one way, shape, or form. My recipe is going to give you the best, most authentic flavor of a southern cornbread – and trust me, you’ll keep making this recipe again and again! More on cornbread here.

What's the Difference Between Southern and Northern Cornbread?

You might think that cornbread from the North and South is similar, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth! Southern cornbread is savory, and not sweet. It’s also mostly made using cornmeal.

Northern cornbread, on the other hand, has a sweeter flavor and the texture is more cake-like than its Southern counterpart. The cake-like texture in the northern cornbread comes from adding more flour to the mixture.

By having a more savory flavor, Southern cornbread is a perfect side for barbecues and chili. It’s also traditionally made in a cast-iron skillet.

For this reason, sugar tends to be a pretty controversial ingredient in most cornbread recipes! We are adding some sugar to this recipe but it’s more to balance the flavor in the bread and won’t add a sweetness to it.

What's the Perfect Texture for a Cornbread Like?

Classic, authentic Southern cornbread will have the perfect crumb. It will crumble yet won’t fall apart entirely when you slice into it. It should also be moist and buttery on the inside while having a beautiful, golden exterior.

If your cornbread tends to be extremely crumbly, that means you have over-mixed the batter while combining the wet and dry ingredients. This leads to large cracks in the crust which result in the overly crumbly texture. Remember, a perfect Southern cornbread will crumble but won’t be crumbly. So only mix the ingredients enough to combine them.

Do You Have to Use a Cast Iron Skillet for This Recipe?

In my experience, the best-tasting cornbread with the perfect crispy crust can be achieved with the help of a cast-iron skillet.

It helps to cook the cornbread more evenly as well by distributing the heat evenly. It’s also the reason why it’s traditionally used to make cornbread in Southern states.

But if you don’t have a skillet, use any 9-inch baking dish instead.

What You Need to Make Southern Cornbread at Home

You need the simplest ingredients ever to make this traditional Southern dish! I’m sure you have most of them in your pantry already. Let’s look at the ingredients we’ll be using to make this recipe:

Cornmeal: This is the star ingredient of the dish! A word of caution though, don’t use pan yellow cornmeal for this recipe; it won’t work.

All-purpose flour: Many recipes use self-rising cornmeal, but that’s not what we’re doing. Instead, by using all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in this recipe, we’re making our own at home!

Egg: A large egg will add richness to your cornbread, trust me!

Milk: Go for whole milk, instead of skim milk for this recipe.

Melted butter: By using melted butter, it’ll give your cornbread a delicious buttery flavor!

Baking powder: We’re going to use baking powder as the leavening agent in our recipe.

Sugar and salt: These two ingredients will add the perfect balance to your Southern cornbread!

How to Make Southern Cornbread

Preheat oven: Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 degrees Celsius.

Place skillet in the oven: Place your perfectly seasoned and greased 9” iron skillet in the oven. This is an essential step (more on this later!).

Beat egg and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the egg for a minute, add the sugar and beat for two minutes.

Add butter, milk, and salt: Next, add the melted butter, milk, salt, and whisk for a minute.

Add cornmeal: It’s now time to add the cornmeal to the previous mixture and mix until well combined. Make sure to not overmix the batter as this will lead to large cracks in the crust which result in the overly crumbly texture

Add flour and baking powder: Next, sift the flour with baking powder and add to the cornmeal mixture. Again, make sure to not over mix, or the cornbread will become dense.

Remove skillet and spray with oil: Your skillet should be hot enough by now; bring it out of the oven and spray it with vegetable oil, or you can use butter if you wish.

Pour batter: Pour the batter into the skillet, spread the batter evenly using a spatula or a spoon, and then bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Careful while removing: Once it’s baked, allow the cornbread to cool while in the skillet; removing it from the skillet too soon will make it crumble.

Ready to serve: Enjoy with your favorite gravy, casseroles, or stews! Or add honey and butter and have it for breakfast.

Recipe Tips

• Preheat the oven 20 minutes before baking the cornbread.
• Never use a hand mixer when making cornbread; it will make it dense.
• Do not use Pan Yellow Cornmeal for this recipe; it won’t work.

• Cornbread is best consumed the day it’s made. But you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
• To freeze the cornbread, cut it into slices, place it in a Ziplock bag and freeze. When you want to have it, thaw it on the kitchen counter at room temperature for a few hours.

Looking for the Perfect Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe?

If you are, I’ve got one you’ll absolutely love! My recipe for Southern Cornbread dressing is so flavorful and moist. It contains chicken, eggs, onions, bell peppers, and the king of all spices – sage! It also has some other simple ingredients that you’ll already have in your pantry for sure.

Definitely give this recipe a try, you won’t regret it!