Easy Sweet Cornbread Recipe

Updated: Sep 24, 2024 · Published: Feb 9, 2011 by Lacey Baier · This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. · 51 Comments

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This easy cornbread recipe makes a healthy, moist, and fluffy sweet cornbread that is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Plus get my best tips for how to store cornbread, how to freeze cornbread, how to reheat cornbread, and what to do with leftover cornbread.

Like many things in my life, I am quite particular about my cornbread. I absolutely hate dry, crumbly, bland, stale cornbread. Well — maybe I should be more clear… I’ll eat it, but I won’t enjoy it. You get the difference, right? I knew you would.

So, when I make my cornbread, I want it to be sweet — but not too sweet — moist, delicate — but with texture — and it’s got to have little bits of corn in it. Those are the rules.

Done! This sweet cornbread recipe is so delicious… it’s the best cornbread recipe I’ve come across and, trust me, I’ve looked and cooked and eaten. A lot.

The top crust is crunchy while the rest is moist, sweet cornbread-y goodness. Believe it or not, you don’t even need any butter to eat it. It’s THAT good. Plus, it’s super easy to make and ready before you know it.

I make this recipe in either a 9-inch spring-form cake pan or a square baking dish, but it could also make tasty little cornbread muffins if you’d like. Pair this cornbread with my homemade chili and you have yourself a very nice thing going on. Very nice, indeed!

Oh, I almost forgot – this easy cornbread recipe is also healthy. Healthy cornbread? Yes, it is possible! This is not my first healthy bread recipe, ya know... I posted other healthy bread recipes on the blog, including a pumpkin bread recipe, a chocolate zucchini bread recipe, an apple pumpkin bread recipe, and a cranberry orange bread recipe.

But let’s get back to the best homemade sweet cornbread since it is the star of the day.

HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD

Some people like sweet cornbread while others like their cornbread savory. It’s a matter of taste. I like mine mildly sweet so I use raw honey and fresh corn in the recipe. This is an easy cornbread recipe that involves only a few simple steps. To make sweet cornbread:

combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl;
in a separate mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients;
add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well but make sure you don’t overmix.
transfer the sweet cornbread mixture to a greased pan;
bake in the preheated oven until the cornbread is ready. Test it with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the sweet cornbread is ready.

How to make cornbread healthy:

replace all-purpose flour with spelt flour;
replace sugar with raw honey;
replace vegetable oil with coconut oil;
remove butter.

HOMEMADE CREAMED CORN

I like my cornbread recipe with corn and I essentially make a quick version of creamed corn by mashing the fresh or frozen corn kernels before adding them to the mixture. This makes it a lighter option and no refined sugar added alternative to using creamed corn in the recipe. Plus: tasty corn in the cornbread = my kinda cornbread!

HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD MOIST

Here’s the thing, I never in my life found a person who likes dry cornbread. EVER. Learning how to make cornbread moist is definitely the key to a delicious sweet cornbread.

If you want your sweet cornbread to be moist and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, make sure you don’t over mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.

And, if you want ultra moist cornbread, add in an egg and some freshly mashed corn kernels. Works like a charm!

FREEZING AND REHEATING CORNBREAD

Sweet cornbread can be stored at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer. If you want to bake sweet cornbread for later, you totally can since freezing cornbread is definitely possible.

How to freeze cornbread:

Cool the sweet cornbread;
Wrap it in aluminum foil or put it in a Ziploc bag; This will prevent the cornbread from losing its moisture and drying out.

How to reheat cornbread:

Thaw the cornbread at room temperature before unwrapping it from the foil or removing it from the bag.
Remove it from the Ziploc bag or from the aluminum foil and you can:

reheat the cornbread in the microwave for approximately 30 seconds or until heated through;
reheat the cornbread in the oven at 350 degrees F wrapped in aluminum foil for approximately 15 minutes.

HOW LONG DOES CORNBREAD LAST?

Properly stored cornbread can last:

for 2-3 days at room temperature;
up to a week in the fridge;
2 to 3 months in the freezer.

How to properly store and how to keep cornbread moist:

Cover the sweet cornbread with aluminum foil or plastic wrap
Or place it in a Ziploc bag.

WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER CORNBREAD

Leftover cornbread is a rare occurrence in my house. We all love it that much. However, if you somehow end up with cornbread leftovers, you can:

use it to make stuffing (Thanksgiving is around the corner so baking an extra batch of sweet cornbread is not at all a bad idea);
make sweet cornbread croutons – it’s super easy to make croutons at home. All you have to do is to cube the cornbread, place the cubes on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven (at 350 degrees F) until the crumbs are dry and crunchy;
make breadcrumbs – to make cornbread crumbs use a blender or a food processor to whirl the croutons until they transform into crumbles.

3 HEALTHY CHILI RECIPES TO PAIR WITH SWEET CORNBREAD

Cornbread is an American staple that goes well with so many different types of food. But nothing compares to the cornbread + chili pairing. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. This amazing combo is perfect for cold Fall or winter evenings when all you want to do is cuddle up on the couch with a warm and satisfying bowl of chili in one hand and sweet cornbread in the other one. Do you agree? That’s what I thought! So here are 3 healthy chili recipes that go amazingly well with the sweet cornbread.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHILI

If you don’t know How To Make Homemade Chili, I have all the tips for you. Plus a healthy and delicious recipe. And don’t worry, chili has complex flavors but it’s actually very easy to make.

This hearty homemade chili is full of meat, veggies, and beans deliciousness, it makes a great weeknight dinner, you can prep it ahead, and is only 235 calories. Plus it’s amazing with sweet cornbread. Get the recipe.

TEXAS CHILI RECIPE

Whether you’re a Texan or not, Texas Chili is a dish you should definitely try. Texas chili is not made with beans like other chilies. But it contains other yummy ingredients such as ground beef, onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, hot sauce, and chili powder.

This spicy Texas chili will definitely warm up your days. It has enough heat to do it. But it will also make your taste buds super happy because it’s filled with chili goodness. Get the recipe.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH POT CHILI

Another hearty and totes delicious chili is this Butternut Squash Instant Pot Chili. Vegan, gluten-free, and paleo friendly, this chili is ready in only 20 minutes. Hooray for instant pots, right?

However, if you don’t have an instant pot, the good news is you can convert this Instant Pot chili recipe into a slow cooker recipe. Tips for how to do it in the post. Get the recipe.