Learn how to make the BEST cornbread from scratch! With a lightly sweet corn flavor and tender crumb, it's delicious alongside a hot bowl of soup.
If my Midwestern upbringing taught me one thing, it’s that there’s nothing better than a slice of cornbread and a bowl of chili on a cold fall night. But I’m not talking about just any cornbread. I’m talking about good cornbread, the kind that’s slightly crumbly, perfectly golden, and right on the line between savory and sweet. If you dunk it into the smoky, spicy chili, it’ll taste delicious, but it’s also tasty on its own, with or without a pat of butter on top.
This homemade cornbread recipe checks every box. Even Jack, who generally swears off cornbread, is happy eating slice after slice. I’ll always vote for pairing it with chili, but really, it’s fantastic with any soup or stew. Serve it for dinner, alongside piping hot bowls of whatever soup you like best. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, pop them in the freezer for another day, or devour them for breakfast with a big slather of honey or jam. Let’s bake!
Cornbread Recipe Ingredients
This cornbread recipe isn’t just delicious – it’s simple too! There’s a good chance you have all the ingredients in your pantry already:
- Cornmeal and all-purpose flour – They make up the base of the batter. I like to make this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Medium Grind Cornmeal. It adds some texture to the bread, but it’s not too coarse or crunchy.
- Baking powder and baking soda – They make the cornbread nice and fluffy.
- Almond milk – For moisture. If you don’t keep almond milk on hand, feel free to substitute a different type of milk. My homemade oat milk or regular cow’s milk would work here too.
- An egg – It adds richness and helps the cornbread puff up in the oven.
- Maple syrup – You can’t make good cornbread without a little something sweet! I love the combination of the corn and maple flavors in this recipe.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – I use extra-virgin olive oil because it’s what I keep on hand. If you prefer, you can use a neutral-flavored oil, such as canola or sunflower oil, in its place.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Cornbread
Ready to bake? Here’s what you need to do:
First, whisk together the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another. Then, pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Stir until just combined – a few lumps are ok.
Next, pour the batter into a greased 8×8 inch baking dish.
Finally, bake! Transfer the cornbread to a 350° oven and bake for 25 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the homemade cornbread cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature before slicing and serving. It’ll be tempting to try a slice right away, but trust me, the wait is worth it. After it cools, the cornbread will have a fluffier, more cohesive texture and richer corn flavor.
Enjoy!
Homemade Cornbread Serving Suggestions
Did I mention that this is a great recipe to pair with chili? I kid, but the combination of the lightly sweet cornbread and spicy chili is a tough one to beat. Still not in the mood for chili? That’s ok! Serve this cornbread with any soup or stew. These recipes would all be great choices:
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Yellow Split Pea Soup
- Roasted Red Pepper Soup
- Wild Rice Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Or any of these 25 Best Soup Recipes!
It’d also go well with a hearty salad like my Sweet Potato Salad, Rainbow Kale Salad, or Best Broccoli Salad. And of course, you can’t go wrong by topping your cornbread with butter, jam, or honey and enjoying it on its own.
More Favorite Baking Recipes
If you love this cornbread recipe, try one of these delicious baking recipes next:
- No-Knead Bread
- Rosemary Focaccia
- Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread
- Or any of these 25 Super Fun Baking Recipes!
Homemade Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 large egg*
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil or any neutral oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond milk, egg, maple syrup, and oil.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25 to 32 minutes or until the center springs back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
So comforting and yet so simple. The ultimate comfort food on your thanksgiving table. Definitely prefer it warm to room temperature. Will make it again! I used a cup of apple sauce in lieu of the egg and it worked perfect!
Why give 4 stars when you didn’t follow the recipe?
So easy! So deliciously perfect! I’ve been searching for a go to cornbread recipe and this is it, 26-27 minutes made a beautifully moist bread (I made the vegan version)…served it with your White Bean Soup, also a keeper. Thank you!
Hi Tracey, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I have searched high and low for a GOOD, healthy cornbrea6 recipe. Praise the Lord! I finally found it. I’m grateful! 🙌🏾 Thank-you for sharing. 💙😊
I’m so glad you loved it!
Absolutely loved this. Made it with a red cornmeal and simply eggless (vegan version), cut a parchment circle out and also used a baking spray for quick release, and it was perfect. We put it with the white bean soup (divine) and made quite an Autumn evening of it.
That sounds wonderful, I’m so glad you loved the recipes!
I think this was literally the best cornbread I have every had. It was devoured over dinner and my family is asking me to make more! Thanks for coming through again, Love & Lemons!
I’m so glad it was such a hit!
Great texture and consistency! Fluffy and super easy to make. However not a whole lot of flavor to it. I’ll probably try adjusting to make sweeter since my hubby likes sweeter cornbread. But definitely a great base recipe!
This cornbread is absolutely delicious! The level of sweetness is perfect.
This is officially our go-to cornbread recipe now. My husband is always asking for it, which is big because he was never much of a cornbread fan (until now). Thank you for this!
I want to try corn bread recipe .. Can All purpose flour be replaced with whole grain flour like spelt flour/ Einkorn?
Hi Priyanka, light spelt flour should work just fine.
This was delicious, but a wee bit dry. Any suggestions as to making this more moist?
Hi Joan, you could try baking it a tad less.
Absolutely delicious!! This is the perfect sweet cornbread, exactly the recipe I was looking for. Highly recommend!!
I really enjoyed this cornbread, but I will say it wasn’t quite sweet enough for me. I’m not smart enough to know exactly how to fix that without messing up the ratios. However, it was very good otherwise. If you prefer a savory cornbread, this one’s for you. Also, it was extremely easy to make.
Can I add drained corn kernels to the corn bread recipe.
May I sub oat milk instead of almond ?
yep! Any type of milk will work.
Hello! It’s a quite expensive to find maple syrup where I live. Have you tried using honey instead? Would I need to bake it at a lower temp?
cornbread is maybe my greatest weakness, but I have to have it from time to time, so thank you
I’m excited to try! I make your maple cornbread muffins all of the time!
Oh I’m excited to try this! My classic cornbread recipe is very similar to this but uses refined sugar and melted butter so I’d like to try with the healthier swaps maple syrup and oil.
Can I use gluten free all purpose flour instead of regular flour?
Hi Susan, I think it might be fine, but I haven’t tried so I can’t be sure.
I used Cup-4-Cup Gluten Free Flour and it worked great! And I made them as cupcakes…baked for 20 min.
Hi Jeanine, I’ve never really been a cornbread fan (like your husband), but I decided to give this a try – you haven’t failed me yet. Delicious!
I would highly recommend this recipe for those who may be wary like I was. Soooo good!! Thank you!!