Cornbread Recipe

This homemade cornbread is soft, sweet, and super moist, the perfect Thanksgiving side. It’s easy to make, I use simple ingredients and a hand whisk, you don’t even need a mixer for this although you can definitely use one. It pairs perfectly with butter and honey, and tastes amazing on its own too. I really hope you try this cornbread for your Thanksgiving 2025 table and let me know what you think.

What is cornbread?

Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal that’s soft inside with a golden crust. It’s a classic comfort food and one of the most popular Thanksgiving sides in the United States.

Is cornbread supposed to be sweet?

That depends on the recipe. Some homemade cornbread is slightly sweet and buttery, like this one, while others are more savory. This version leans on the sweet side and pairs perfectly with butter or honey.

How to serve cornbread?

Serve cornbread warm with butter, honey, or both. It’s great with chili, soups, and other Thanksgiving side dishes, but it’s also delicious on its own.

Cornbread Ingredients

All you need are simple pantry staples to make this homemade cornbread and it takes a few minutes too! Here are some of the ingredients and a simple explanation of each.

• Flour: I use all-purpose flour because it gives the cornbread a soft but sturdy texture. Since there’s already cornmeal in the mix, lighter flours like cake flour can make it crumble too easily.
• Cornmeal: I use yellow cornmeal for the best flavor and color. It gives the cornbread that classic taste and slight crunch. Make sure to use plain cornmeal, not a mix, so you can control the sweetness and texture yourself.
• Sugar: I use white sugar for a clean, balanced sweetness. You can use brown sugar if you prefer a deeper, caramel-like flavor, but it will make the cornbread a bit darker, more moist, and slightly denser.
• Baking powder: I use baking powder instead of baking soda because I make this recipe with milk, not buttermilk. Without acid in the batter, baking soda can cause the cornbread to brown too much, and I personally don’t like the look of it.
• Milk: I use regular milk in this recipe, but you can absolutely use buttermilk if you like. Buttermilk gives a slightly tangier flavor and makes the cornbread extra tender. If you use it, you can swap the baking powder for a mix of baking soda and baking powder to balance the acidity.
• Honey:Totally optional, but I love adding a little. It gives the cornbread a light sweetness and helps keep it moist. You can skip it if you prefer, especially if you’re already serving it with butter and honey on top.

You will also need eggs (I use large eggs), and butter (always unsalted to control the salt), and salt. Measurements are posted in the recipe card below the instructions.

What is Cornmeal?

Cornmeal is a type of flour made by grinding dried corn kernels. It comes in different textures: fine, medium, or coarse. It’s used in both sweet and savory recipes. Yellow cornmeal has a slightly stronger flavor and a golden color, while white cornmeal is milder and lighter in color. It’s often confused with polenta, corn flour, or masa harina, but they’re not quite the same. Polenta is made from a specific type of coarse yellow cornmeal, corn flour is much finer, and masa harina is treated with lime water and used for making tortillas and tamales.

1. Cream butter and sugar
Use room-temperature butter and mix it with the sugar until smooth. You can use a spatula or a mixer, whatever’s easier for you.

2. Add eggs and honey
Add the eggs one at a time, then stir in the honey if you’re using it. Mix until everything is well combined. Add the milk and mix. The mixture will look a bit grainy (specially if you used cold eggs and cold milk), don’t worry, that’s normal.

3. Add dry ingredients and bake
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

At this stage, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) with the fan on and top and bottom elements on. Be careful not to set it to broil, that’s different and will brown the top too fast

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir with a whisk or mixer until just combined (don’t over-mix). The batter will have a slightly grainy texture from the cornmeal, that’s normal too and exactly how it should be.

Butter your baking dish (I used a 10×9 inches dish), pour in the batter, and bake for 20–25 minutes or until the top is golden and the edges are crispy. Check for doneness using the toothpick method, if it comes out clean, it’s ready. Take it out from the oven and allow it to cool at room temperature for a bit then serve.

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