To-die-for Cornbread! Crispy edges, it’s soft on the inside, savoury with a touch of sweet and so moist, you don’t need butter to scoff it down (but who in their right mind would skip butter…??) This is quick cornbread recipe that will be on your table in 30 minutes.
Want the muffin version? Here it is!
Cornbread recipe
I don’t want to brag, but I am known for my cornbread.
OK, it sounds like I’m totally bragging – but let me have just this one. Rarely do I say my recipes are the BEST version in the world! (Because who is to say one’s Chocolate Cake or one’s Meatloaf or Chili is the BEST in the world??).
This cornbread regularly makes an appearance all year round for a variety of purposes. As a side dish for a meal (especially Southern themed, like alongside Pulled Pork). As a snack or for afternoon tea – because it’s got more flavour than just plain bread rolls. Dunked into slow cooked stews.
And also to take to gatherings when I’m told “not to bring anything” or where I’m not specifically told what to bring, what others are bringing or if there’s a theme. Because cornbread is a generic all-round crowd pleaser that has a place at any meal – and it’s super quick to make!!
What you need for cornbread
Here’s what you need.
A note on a few of the items:
Canned creamed corn is the key ingredient here. Ordinary canned corn kernels won’t work
Cornmeal – ground from dried maize, these yellow grains add flavour and a hint of the signature tiny “crunch” to cornbread. Cornmeal is sold incorrectly labelled as “polenta” in most stores in Australia! Polenta is actually an Italian side dish which is made using cornmeal. Sold in packets labelled as “Polenta” in Australia like the Marco Polo and Il Molino brands (both sold at Woolworths). Do not get instant polenta.
How to make cornbread
And here’s how to make it. It’s as simple as:
Heat skillet until piping hot
Mix wet, mix dry, then mix them together
Dollop butter into hot skillet, then once it melts, pour batter in then bake until golden!
You’ll love how it comes out with crunchy buttery edges, that beautiful golden brown top and how moist it is on the inside!
How to serve cornbread
Cut it into pieces – large or small – and serve it warm if you can so the butter melts and oozes into the bread.
To take it over the top, add a drizzle of honey – it’s an experience worth trying at least once! And served like this, it’s definitely worthy of serving by itself – at book club, as a snack, afternoon tea with friends.
It’s right at home as a side for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Sunday Supper, casual lunches and BBQ’s. Dunk it into Chili, serve it with Pulled Pork smothered in an incredible homemade BBQ Sauce….
Ugh, my knees are going weak at the mere though!!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Cornbread recipe (creamed corn)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal , medium grind (Sold in packets labelled "polenta" in Australia, Note 1)
- 1 1/2 cups flour (plain / all purpose)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup canned creamed corn
- 1/2 cup / 125g melted butter , unsalted
- 2 eggs , lightly whisked
- 3/4 cups milk
Baking
- 1 – 2 tbsp butter , melted (for greasing & brushing)
Instructions
- Place a 26cm/10" castiron skillet in the oven and preheat to 220C / 425F while making the batter.
- Place the Dry Ingredients in a bowl and mix.
- Place Wet ingredients in a separate bowl and mix until combined.
- Pour Wet into the Dry ingredients, mix until combined.
- Take the skillet out of the oven. Add the 1 tbsp of butter and swirl it around to coat the base and halfway up the sides (or use a brush to do this)
- Pour the batter in, smooth surface.
- Turn oven down to 190°C/375°F, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (or when you poke the top, it springs back).
- Cool 15 minutes in the skilet before tunring out onto serving platter or cutting board.
- Best served warm! It can be served in the skillet or turned out. Serve with butter and honey as well, to take it over the top!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published December 2014, updated November 2019 with fresh new photos, new video and Dozer in his adorable outfit that he hates so much!
Life of Dozer
Winnie the Pooh was always my favourite growing up… so I couldn’t resist this outfit!! 😂
just mad for supper and it was perfect. super easy and fast. If you’re looking for a basic cornbread recipe that will not fail you this is it. followed all of Nagi’s directions and came out delicious. will have to find suggestions on leftovers as we have a very small family. thanks Nagi
Thanks for another great recipe Nagi!
I made this in a 9″ cake pan so I didn’t get that nice golden crusty exterior but it was still absolutely delicious. I felt hesitant to use my cast iron because it is a bit too large – 12″. Might try it anyway next time and just go with a thinner cornbread so I get that crisp exterior!
Served with your chilli con carne.
Holly xx
This cornbread is delicious and so light, it’s great as is with a slather of butter and maple syrup, I have a batch in the oven now that I’ve thrown some black pepper, cheddar and diced jarred jalapenos into. Will go along with your pasta salad, bbq ribs and brisket recipe. American night in our Tasmanian household tonight!
The USA does give good BBQ!!! N x
I’ve come by many cornbread recipes from the Deep South to my own. Yours is absolutely the one I’ve been searching for! I suppose choosing one is an individual preference (looking at your comments), but when followed to the “T”, yours is perfect for me!
So delicious! Even my kids went back for seconds.
I made this recently and it was delicious. Didn’t have a cast iron skillet so I used a cake tin and it worked. This will be one of my favourite food to bake….thanks Nagi
What can you replace the eggs with for the cornbread recipe
I made this yesterday and used Orgran “no egg egg replacer” and it turned out perfectly
I find this recipe far too sweet. I might try omitting the sugar next time as I think there’s plenty in the creamed corn.
Also, bake time should be more like 50 mins if you only have a loaf pan.
This recipe was perfect! I even grew my own corn and made my own creamed corn for it! Thank you.
I am impressed!! 🌽 N x
This recipe is exactly what I was looking for. Delicious, and a nice touch serving straight from my cast iron skillet. Perfect with our post-Thanksgiving turkey chili!
Cast iron makes the BEST cornbread! N x
Hi Nagi, love this recipe, I used a normal baking tray. It was sooo soft so much that when I tried to transfer it, it broke in half. Anyone with a breaking corn bread experience?
Hi Nagi, Is it possible to bake this in a baking dish, if so can you please advise size/type? I havent had a chance to give my skillet a whirl yet & dont want to try it out on Thanksgiving night!
Hi Nicole I used a square baking tray 20 by 20 by 5 cm and it came out. The problem is when I was transferring it to a serving dish, it broke in half so not sure if I did the right thing
This recipe is absolutely delightful and was everything I was looking for to pair with a big pot of spicy chili. Just the right amount of sweetness and texture with the cream corn and a perfect hint of crisp on top. I instantly fell in love with the recipe. The reviews and comments played a big favor here. Seriously, it can’t be bad if a lot of people like it. But my heart sank when I got to the part about the cast iron skillet. I’ve wanted one for a long time and have once again reminded my husband that it’s still at the top of my wish list.
I scoured the page to check for “alternate” directions but found none. I will be quite honest, this was frustrating bc there’s nothing in the title or description that alluded to this detail. Anyhow, I understand the concept of a cast iron skillet, but since I don’t own one and I’ve certainly never baked with one, I was unsure what, if any, time and temp adjustments would be needed. So I turned to the comments to see if anyone else was in the same boat as me. I found some, but they lacked specific details.
I’m not one who jumps at taking risks when it comes to baking, but I did it anyhow. So for those of you wanting to use a muffin tin, here’s what worked for me:
I used a regular size muffin tin with muffin liners filled 2/3 full. I baked it for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. The recipe yielded 20 PERFECT sweet, magnificent muffins.
The only change I would make would be to the title. It should be more descriptive about the intended creation. “Cornbread recipe” is a generic title that doesn’t fit. Another thing I look for in comments is how many people make changes. If a lot of people are altering it, then it’s possible the original recipe isn’t all that good. Fortunately I realized the generic title and figured those folks didn’t realize it was “creamed corn” cornbread recipe (which is what I searched for). That pesky little detail appeared in parenthesis under the title and it was no where on the recipe page until the photo showing the ingredients.
The title should also include “cast iron” OR alternate instructions should be included with the recipe. Folks with varying knowledge and skill levels use sites like this. I am no where near the level of an expert cook, so clarity and direction are key for me. I want to feel confident about my ability to execute the recipe so it will result in something edible and not be a complete waste of time and money spent on ingredients. Nagi is clearly an amazing cook and has great recipes, but going the extra mile with clarity will reduce all of those recipe changes (that some will see as a flawed recipe) and help cooks like me get better! Thanks for hearing me out!
I used a stainless steel skillet and it was delicious. I still got a little crispness on the edges. I hope this helps.
Hi Nagi. Could this be made in a pie maker? And is it possible to reduce the quantities as I am sure my corn hating husband won’t try it 🙁
Hi Calli…there’s a sliding scale at the top of the recipe to adjust for smaller quantities but you will need to adjust the bake time if you reduce it. I don’t think it will work in a pie maker though…sorry! N x
I have been looking for a good corn bread recipe!!
Can I bake this recipe instead? I don’t like cream corn, what can I sub it with?
Sorry you can’t make this one without the creamed corn! N x
You can substitute anything for the creamed corn! I used cement and the kids loved it
Can this be done in a normal baking pan?
This cornbread was a fabulous success! I read many of the comments and got ideas for minor changes: Reduced sugar to 1/4 cup (light coloured raw sugar) and added approx 1/8 cup honey. Used buttermilk instead or milk. OMG right balance of sweet and savoury; moist inside but a bit crispy outside. Our american friend said don’t change a thing! Thanks again Nagi, you’ve knocked another one out of the park!
Hi Nagi, if I’m trying to omit the eggs is there a substitution?
Hi…I have not tested it without eggs…sometimes you can sub buttermilk for eggs (1/4 cup for each egg) but I don’t know how it will come out in this recipe…let me know if you try it! N x
First time making skillet corn bread. It came out perfect. I actually used a coated skillet, all I had and vanilla soy milk, all I had too. End result was a moist, sweet corn bread. Lots of butter and honey- yum!
Made this exactly as written and it turned out perfect, thank you for ANOTHER great recipe!