Buttermilk Cornbread
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
This cornbread recipe was fantastic! I also used the chili recipe that is given from damndelicious and it was just as great. The two were absolutely terrific together! The family loved both!
OH MY GOODNESS!! Make this NOW! JUST DO IT! ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!
Thank You Damn Delicious, you ROCK!
I’ve made this several times, substuting 1/2 the buttermilk with whole milk, or plain Greek yogurt and whole milk when I didn’t have buttermilk. Every single time it turned out delicious! Using melted butter in the hot cast iron skillet gives it the most crispy, buttery crust. I’ll never make boxed cornbread again!
Great suggestion of the yogurt and milk instead of buttermilk. Perfect!
Just made it. Delicious!
This is a great recipe that does exactly what it says: fluffy interior, crunchy brown exterior. Easy and quick to do. It is too sweet for my tastes, so I halved the sugar and it was a nice amount. I would definitely consider swapping for honey or not using any sweetener at all if you want a more traditional/savoury cornbread. I tried two recipes from other sites before this and the texture was never right, so this one is a blessing.
This is a delicious recipe. I did not have quite enough cornmeal so substituted 1/4 cup masa. It worked fine!
Thanks so much,
Carolyn
Wonderful recipe but not Southern. Southern cornbread is made with white cornmeal and not sweet…then they put sweet stuff on it. This is more like Yankee cornbread where I come from.
Perfect. Will try with jalapeño and cheddar next time.
So delicious! Thank you!
I really loved this recipe. I also added a can of sweet corn to the recipe, and it was really moist! I will certainly make this again, and would like grind up some of the corn before adding it next time.
BEST EVER! Love it. Will definitely be keeping this recipe. Love how simple the ingredients are and how quickly it comes together. Very little hands on time. Lotta bang for the buck.
This looks amazing, thank you for sharing!! Would one be able to bake in a glass dish or cake pan if one doesn’t have a large cast iron? Would temperature and time differ? Thank you in advance!
DELICIOUS! This is the best cornbread recipe I’ve ever found. I’ve made it dozens of times, it’s a keeper!
The cornbread is moist, has perfect texture, tastes delicious and is easily adaptable to added or subtracted ingredients. At different times I have decreased the sugar and/or salt, omitted the sugar, added various herbs, jalapenos and canned (well drained) corn. No matter how I altered this recipe, it has turned out perfectly every time. That’s incredible!
Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful recipe. This is worthy of a blue ribbon at the country fair!
This is my go-to cornbread recipe now! It is excellent as-is. It is especially good griddled in a cast iron pan the next day – slice a wedge in two, butter the split sides, and toast until browned. I add a 7 oz. can of diced green chiles and a cup of shredded cheddar cheese, and bake for ~5-10 additional minutes.
Will jiffy corn muffin mix work fine with this in place of cornmeal?
Jiffy Is not straight cornmeal and already has baking powder, sugar, etc… so it wouldn’t work.
Great recipe however the most impressive thing is the smithy cast iron skillet you’re cooking with! That in itself would make any cornbread better.
This cornbread was delicious. My only problem was that the butter really popped and made a big mess when I put it in the hot skillet. Did anyone else have this problem?
I had the same problem! I was wondering if maybe I read the instructions incorrectly. I was wondering if maybe I was supposed to add the butter to the batter and not the pan?
OMG, it is dangerous…it really is Damn Delicious! Not too sweet … perfect! Not only is it exceptionally good it’s an impressively beautiful presentation! I’m keeping this recipe!
Very good! I used a generous tablespoon of honey instead of sugar and added some chopped black olives, dried tomatos and thyme (mixed them with the dry stuff just before combining it). Still came out nice and fluffy, great recipe. Butter in the skillet makes an addictive crust.
Made this with a flax egg for a friend with egg allergies and it was fantastic. That butter in the hot skillet was key too!
I’d never tried making cornbread on a preheated pan. It came out DELICIOUS! My picky teen age son ate a lot and I’m taking the rest to work tomorrow to share since I’m tempted to eat it all— buttery? Light and made with fresh cornmeal I bought from a corn mill in Millville Virginia during the holidays! A keeper