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The Best Cornbread is made in a hot cast iron skillet with coarsely ground corn meal, honey, creamed corn, butter – and sour cream – our secret ingredient which makes this cornbread super moist and delicious!
The Best Cornbread Recipe
I don’t like to brag, but this really is the Best Cornbread Ever!
It’s golden and crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, with a perfect, tender crumb texture. Sour cream is added to the batter – lending richness as well a slight tang to the cornbread.
You’ll also taste that distinctive corn flavor in every bite – from the corn meal as well as creamed corn – plus a touch of buttery sweetness that perfectly complements a bowl of spicy chili, or ribs slathered with a smoky barbecue sauce.
To make the best cornbread – it takes a combination of the right ingredients, as well as the proper cooking technique. We share all our tips and tricks below so you can make the very Best Cornbread Ever!
Why You’ll Love This Delicious Skillet Cornbread
- It’s loaded with sweet corn flavor and has the perfect moist texture thanks to sour cream in the batter.
- This skillet cornbread is so easy to make – no need to buy a boxed mix.
- Our cornbread goes with so many delicious meals – chili, soup, ribs and other barbecued meats, or it’s delicious simply slathered in butter.
Key ingredients and Substitutions
- Corn Meal – We recommend medium-ground or coarsely-ground yellow corn meal. It will add a gorgeous golden color to your cornbread, and the coarser meal adds texture and flavor. A finely ground corn meal will yield a denser cornbread.
- Sour Cream – This adds moisture as well as richness. A full-fat plain yogurt can be swapped in if that’s what you have on hand.
- Honey – This adds touch of sweetness and flavor, as well as moisture to the batter. If you prefer a milder sweetness, agave nectar could be used instead.
- Creamed Corn – Buy a quality brand of canned creamed corn. This adds flavor to the cornbread, plus you’ll see and taste little bits of corn in the finished bread.
- Butter – We typically cook and bake with unsalted butter, but either will work in this recipe. Melted butter is added to the cornbread batter and it’s also used in the bottom of the skillet when baking the bread.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
- Eggs
- Canola or Vegetable Oil
- Vegetable Shortening (aka Crisco) and More Butter – Melted together in the skillet for baking.
Special Tools You’ll Need
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- 11” or 12″ Cast Iron Skillet – It’s important to use cast iron because you’ll preheat the skillet in the oven until very hot. Other types of skillets may not tolerate the high heat.
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- Large mixing bowl
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- Medium bowl
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- Whisk
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- Rubber spatula
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- Various measuring cups and spoons
Cooking Tip
The key to achieving the perfect crispy golden crust is to preheat the cast iron skillet in a hot oven and melt butter and shortening in the bottom. Then (carefully) pour the cornbread batter into the hot skillet. As the batter hits the hot, oiled pan, it will instantly crisp up. Then let the oven do the rest of the work – baking your cornbread to perfection.
How do I make the Best Cornbread Ever?
- Add shortening and one tablespoon of the butter to the bottom of a cast iron skillet. Place in a preheated oven and allow the skillet to get very hot.
- Whisk dry ingredients in large bowl.
- Whisk wet ingredients in medium bowl.
- Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Scrape batter into heated pan.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool slightly to firm up.
- Slice into wedges and serve.
Serving Suggestions
- Our cornbread is delicious simply served warm with butter over the top.
- Our delicious Honey Butter is another great option for serving.
- Serve wedges of our cornbread with chili:
- Grilled and barbecued meats are another great choice:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Best Cornbread Ever ahead of time? Yes, but we think cornbread is best freshly baked. You could premix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. When ready to bake, whisk the wet and dry ingredients together, then bake in a hot cast iron skillet per the recipe.
- How do I store leftovers? Store at room temperature for up to three days in an air tight container.
- How do I reheat cornbread? You can wrap it in foil and warm back up in the oven.
- Can I freeze? Yes, wrap tightly in plastic wrap before freezing.
This cornbread recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in 2013. We’ve updated the post and photos, and made a few minor tweaks to the recipe.
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Best Cornbread Ever
The Best Cornbread is made in a hot cast iron skillet with coarsely ground corn meal, honey, creamed corn, butter – and sour cream – our secret ingredient which makes this cornbread super moist and delicious!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon each of vegetable shortening and butter, for skillet
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups coarse or medium ground corn meal (we used Bob’s Red Mill medium ground)
2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 whole eggs
1 cup full fat sour cream
1/2 cup honey
1 14.5-ounce can creamed corn
3 tablespoons melted butter
6 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in upper third of oven.
- Place one tablespoon of vegetable shortening and one tablespoon of butter into an 11” cast iron skillet and place in the oven to heat and melt the fat.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium bowl beat the eggs, then whisk in the sour cream, honey, creamed corn, melted butter and oil.
- Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to combine.
- Scrape the batter into the hot skillet and bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes to set up then cut into ten wedges and serve.
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Linda Lee says
This is my FAVORITE site! I have never made a recipe from it that did not turn out fabulous. This cornbread is no different! Best ever!
Martha says
Thank you so much Linda!