Customizable Cornbread Recipe
Our basic cornbread recipe can be embellished with a variety of sweet and savory mix-ins.
Baked in a pan or made into muffins, cornbread is our go-to comfort food. Plus, it has so much personalization potential.
Just use our basic recipe or a store-bought mix, and then add any number of sweet and savory ingredients.
Tip: If you're short on time, skip the pre-rinse and put the mixing bowl and baking or muffin pan into the dishwasher with a Cascade Platinum ActionPac.
Basic cornbread recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Bake time: 15 to 25 minutes
Serves:
Ingredients
Butter or cooking spray, to grease pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk or buttermilk
⅓ cup vegetable oil or 5 tablespoons butter melted and cooled slightly
1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F and grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan or muffin tin
- If baking cornbread muffins, reduce heat to 375 F
- Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in one bowl
- Whisk sugar, buttermilk, vegetable oil and egg in a separate bowl
- Mix together until just combined
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or 15 minutes for muffins, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Cool slightly and serve
10 Cornbread add-in ideas
Use our ideas as a starting point for your own signature cornbread. Just beware of adding too many ingredients – more than two or three may ruin the wonderful texture. That said, add as many herbs and spices as you please!
1. Spiced pumpkin pecan cornbread
Add 1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1 cup of pumpkin puree and 1 cup of coarsely chopped pecans.
2. Cheesy bacon cornbread
Fold in four to six strips of cooked, crumbled bacon and 1 cup of shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese. For bolder flavor, substitute 1½ ounces of crumbled blue cheese.
3. Cranberry orange cornbread
Add the zest of 1 orange and 1 cup of chopped fresh (or frozen and thawed) cranberries that have been picked over, washed and chopped.
4. Honey sage cornbread
Substitute ⅓ cup of honey for the granulated sugar, increase salt to 1¼ teaspoons and fold in 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh sage (or more to taste).
5. Sundried tomato and mozzarella cornbread
Reduce granulated sugar to 2 tablespoons, and fold in 1 cup of grated fresh mozzarella and ¼ cup of chopped sundried tomatoes.
6. Whole corn and chipotle cornbread
Fold in 1 cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels and 2 tablespoons of minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
7. Maple sausage cornbread
Substitute ⅓ cup of pure maple syrup for the granulated sugar and fold in ½ pound of cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage.
8. Rosemary asiago cornbread
Add ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper to dry ingredients, and fold in ¼ cup of grated Asiago cheese, 1 minced garlic clove and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary.
9. Apple cheddar cornbread
Peel, core and dice a green apple, and then sauté in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until just tender, about 3 minutes. Fold into the batter, along with 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
10. Berry cornbread
Gently fold in 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries or mixed berries. For an even brighter bite, add the zest of 1 lemon, too.