Buttermilk Cornbread
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So easy! No mixer needed here! Amazingly moist and slightly sweet. A classic side dish loved by EVERYONE. Serve with butter. SO GOOD.
Featured Comment
This side dish is such an underrated side. It’s sometimes overlooked. Kind of seen as just a filler perhaps?
Except it’s not. It’s absolutely not. It’s the best kind of southern cornbread one can ask for.
It’s perfectly fluffy, moist, and slightly sweet, and IT IS DANGEROUSLY GOOD, particularly with extra butter on top, melting right into the warm bread with a drizzle of honey. It’s perfection to say the least.
tips and tricks for success
- Preheat the cast iron skillet first. Using a preheated cast iron skillet is key here. This allows for even cooking, achieving everyone’s favorited golden brown crispy edges. You can also serve the cornbread warm right in the skillet.
- Use buttermilk. While adding a slightly tangy flavor, buttermilk is a key ingredient here yielding light, moist and fluffier cornbread. Using milk will lead to more neutral flavors and a drier consistency. You can also make a buttermilk substitute using milk, adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.
- Use fine or medium-ground cornmeal. Dependent on personal preference, fine or medium-ground cornmeal are typically the most popular options for cornbread. For a more smooth consistency, fine-ground cornmeal is ideal, but for more texture and grittiness, medium-ground is the way to go.
- Do not use cornbread mix. Cornbread mix is not the same as cornmeal. Cornbread mix comes pre-mixed with leavening agents.
- Avoid overmixing. Using a rubber spatula, stir the batter just until everything is just combined and moistened with a few lumps here and there. Overmixing will lead to dense, tough cornbread.
- Freeze as needed. Cornbread freezes very well and can typically last up to 3 months in the freezer.
what to serve with cornbread
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Buttermilk Cornbread: Frequently Asked Questions
A quick and easy buttermilk substitute is creating your own buttermilk with whole milk and something acidic such as lemon juice or distilled white vinegar.
You can add 1 tablespoon acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to 1 cup milk, letting it stand for 5-10 minutes.
Cornbread can be made 1-2 days in advance, reheating in the oven at 350 degrees F, covered, for about 5-10 minutes, or until warmed.
Yes! Once cooled completely, portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating at 350°F (covered in foil) until heated through.
You can make one of our favorite cornbread stuffings, a holiday staple.
Buttermilk Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups reduced fat buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a large cast iron skillet in the oven.
- In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg and 3 tablespoons butter. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.
- Remove skillet from the oven and add remaining 3 tablespoons until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
- Working carefully, immediately scoop the batter into the hot skillet. Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes.
- Serve warm.
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I’ve tried so many recipes for cornbread and this is theee best one!!! My entire family devoured it! And we are def foodies! Make sure you cook for the 30 mins. Comes out perfect in my cast iron skillet ❤️
I needed to make cornbread for Thanksgiving dressing and I had a lot of buttermilk leftover from another recipe. It’s entirely possible that it will not make it to then! Just came out of the oven and the hubs and I shared one test slice. He was moaning with food love and declared that it was my best ever.
Both sides of my family are from the South and I have been eating and making cornbread my whole life. So many recipes… but this is truly the best ever. Made it pretty much exactly as written but added a teaspoon of Bell’s seasoning for dressing prep and only two tablespoons of sugar. Next time I will use salted butter, the crust will be better with a little salt. I think the sugar is needed to balance the buttermilk tang but I don’t want it sweet. I used full fat Bulgarian buttermilk, highly recommend. While the toothpick came out clean, I think another five minutes would have been good. I set timer for 25. But I will cut it up and pop it back in the oven this time anyway.
Looking forward to experimenting with chili peppers, black pepper, corn, cheese and whatever else I can think of.
If you don’t have a cast iron pan… What is wrong with you? Go get one now! And then make this #damndelicious cornbread!!!
The only cornbread recipe you will ever need. This is superb!!
My first attempt at making cornbread. Very easy and straightforward recipe. Very good taste and texture. Thanks very much.
Do you think this could be made the day before Thanksgiving and still taste delicious or does it need to be served the same day it is baked? Thank you!
WOW!! I usually make a southern recipe from my family but I was bored with bland cornbread. I am SO glad I found this!! Between two of us, we ate half the cornbread immediately. We couldn’t stop or even give it time to fully cool down. THANK YOU. I am from SC and we will eat regular or sweet cornbread. This is my GO-TO from now on!!
Five stars BUT with one exception: Many Southerners don’t like sweet cornbread so when I make this, I might just put in a teaspoon of sugar, if any. For those who love sweet cornbread, this recipe is a classic. And just use plain ole buttermilk – “reduced fat” is a personal choice. Either way, this is great and goes with just about any meal. (Red beans and rice with cornbread makes for a vegetarian meal with a pretty complete protein from the 3 different sources.)
The very best cornbread I have ever made. Very moist. Excellent in every way. I melted 3 tablespoons of butter in the skillet in the oven while preheating and poured the batter in with the butter. Delicious
I made this for my hubby who loves classic cornbread. He said it was the best I have ever made. I even substituted the flour for Pamela’s pancake baking mix to make it gluten free and it turned out perfect. I hate cornbread and loved this one!
This is one of the best cornbread recipies EVER! I’ve made it over and over and it never disappoints.
This recipe is delicious. I’ve been making cornbread all my life and this is one of the best. My husband has been ill and I made this for him tonight with pinto beans and sautéed cabbage. He raved about the cornbread. Thank you Chungah.
This recipe has made my husband a fan of cornbread. Finally! Best recipe by far. Bake in a cast iron skillet because I just love the way it looks. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Great! Used Cast Iron Skillet, followed recipe, added some tiny chopped red jalapenos from the garden.
Loved it! I have an all in one convection / airfry so it is smaller.. But I use a really good cake pan and this recipe is the bomb! Moist, doesn’t fall apart, thin crispy buttery outside! Awesome use of buttermilk
This recipe is amazing. Moist and delicate.
I’ve been using the same recipe for cornbread for years but thought I’d just give this a try because I needed to use up some left over buttermilk and this recipe asked for more buttermilk than my usual one.
Am I ever so glad! This may have been the best tasting thing I’ve ever made! SO GOOD. Needless to say, this is my go to recipe now! Thank you!
I had given up on ever making a cornbread that is the best and stays together! I found it now!!! Thank you!
Bomb indeed! I made this as written except that I reduced the amount of sugar to 1/8 cup and used whole wheat AP flour. It is my new go-to cornbread recipe. Thank you!
This is seriously the best cornbread I’ve ever eaten!!! As a southerner, I’ve grown up on it and have never really found any that I’ve just fallen in love with but THIS IS IT!!! This is the cornbread that has won me over!!! Absolutely the BEST!!! THANK YOU!!!
I am 62 years old and have always been searching for the best cornbread. I have finally found it! This cornbread is delicious! I will keep making this recipe for always. Thank you for ending my search!!!