The Best Cornbread on the Planet {and Fluffy Honey Butter}
This really is the best cornbread on the planet. It’s been my go-to tried-and-true recipe for over a decade. Fluffy, moist, PERFECT!
Sometimes a recipe comes along that changes your life forever.
Dramatic? Not at all. Especially when it comes to this cornbread. It is honestly, truly the best cornbread on the planet.
I am guilty of claiming to have found “the best” recipe and then inevitably find myself still trying other versions. Chocolate chip cookies, I’m looking at you.
But when it comes to this cornbread, it has been my go-to recipe for over a decade.
Once I tried it, I knew it was the one. And I have never had a desire to make or try another cornbread recipe again.
If you’ve made it, you know what I mean.
It is fluffy, moist, and super easy.
Now, I know when it comes to cornbread, there are southern cornbread fans (sweet and cake-like) and northern cornbread fans (not sweet and crumbly). I like my cornbread fluffy, thick and sweet.
Cornbread batter
This is a one-bowl cornbread batter. It comes really fast.
The batter is simple:
- cornmeal (I use yellow cornmeal)
- flour (all-purpose or a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat)
- sugar (the amount in the recipe can easily be halved for a less sweet, but still delicious, cornbread)
- baking powder
- salt
- wet ingredients: oil, melted butter, eggs, and milk
The batter is runny. And it’s ok if there are a few lumps here and there.
It bakes up super fluffy and soft.
Fluffy Honey Butter
Now, let’s talk about this honey butter for a sec. Is it mandatory for this best-ever cornbread.
Nope. I make the cornbread all the time without making the honey butter. But when I do make the honey butter, it is a combo that can’t be beat.
There’s nothing quite like it.
The honey butter is three simple ingredients: butter, honey, and marshmallow fluff. You can add a bit of vanilla, too, if you like.
Sure, you can omit the marshmallow fluff and just go with honey and butter, but the marshmallow adds a light and fluffy texture that can’t be beat.
Delicious served with everything from chili to tacos, here are a few other comments from people who have fallen in love with this cornbread:
Samantha says: I’ve been meaning to write a review for this recipe for awhile now. It is fantastic! Everything I’ve ever wanted cornbread to be!
Maggie says: Fantastic. Over the past few years I’ve tried every cornbread recipe I could get my hands on had given up making it from scratch. It’s my new fav recipe.
Devanie writes: I loved this recipe. It came out perfectly moist and the texture was great. And so delicious. This is the only recipe I will use going forward. Thanks for sharing!
There are hundred more comments and reviews below (including readers who have made this recipe dairy and gluten-free).
So go ahead. Make the cornbread. Make the honey butter. Or JUST make the cornbread.
Either way, this cornbread is life changing. It has become a staple and a tried-and-true favorite.
While I may play around with a million other recipes for a million other things, this is the only cornbread I’ll ever need. It’s the best of the best of the best.
FAQs for The Best Cornbread and Fluffy Honey Butter
You can make these into muffins by using the same temperature and check at around 17-18 minutes.
Yes, I sub buttermilk all the time and it works great! I usually add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda as well.
Yes, I’ve frozen this cornbread before and it warms up really well.
The Best Cornbread
Ingredients
Cornbread:
- ½ cup (85 g) cornmeal
- 1 ½ cups (213 g) flour (see note)
- ⅔ cup (141 g) granulated sugar (see note)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup oil
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 ¼ cups milk
Honey Butter:
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, softened
- ½ cup (170 g) honey
- ½ cup marshmallow fluff
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8X8- or 9X9-inch baking pan (I always use metal; glass pans will bake differently).
- For the cornbread, in a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the oil, butter, eggs, and milk and stir with a whisk or rubber spatula until just combined. The batter will be runny.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- For the honey butter, whip all the ingredients together with an electric mixer. Best served at room temperature so it is soft and spreadable.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: My brother Nate and his wife, Kylie (love you forever!)
Recipe originally published August 2009; updated April 2020 with new photos, commentary and recipe notes
This is the most amazing cornbread recipe Ever!!! Thank you Mel😍
I’ve cooked professionally for 40 years,and as I saw in another comment, “The best of the best of the best” I agree. Made it tonight and it was beloved. I loved it too. Winner! If I had a restaurant this would be the new house recipe. Balanced, moist and wonderful.
This recipe is SO delicious!
I used all-purpose flour and it turned out really good. It was a little bland cause I forgot to put in sugar. But I put honey on it and it was awesome! Will definitely be using this recipe again! 😋🤤
Thank you for an excellent recipe! The taste and texture is spot on. Is it possible to make this in a muffin pan?
I haven’t tried that, but it is worth experimenting – I believe others have commented that they are flat on top, but still make great muffins.
This was the mildest cornbread I have ever tasted. I was a little leery when I saw that it only called for a half cup of corn meal. If I am going to have cornbread I want it to taste like cornbread. Won’t be using this recipe again.
I’m no math wizard, but there is 17 square inches of difference between 8×8 & 9×9 square pans. That’s a lot of space. Can you refine this recommendation further; for example, did you cook with the smaller pan with the same volume of ingredients and still arrive at a good product, or did the smaller pan cause spillover? (I ask because other recipes I’ve used – not from you – for loaf pans have failed miserably for me using the improper size based on their recipe recommendations and spilled all inside my oven.) – I also am slacking here and do not wish to scroll thru 400+comments to see if anyone else has asked this same question. Thanks in advance, if you get a chance to respond.
I agree that there is some difference in space between the pan sizes recommended – the batter will work great in either pan (I haven’t had any issues with the cornbread spilling over in an 8X8-inch pan, but if the sides of the pans you are using are less than 2 to 2 1/2 inches, I’d suggest the 9×9-inch pan to be safe from spillovers. Otherwise, it really just makes a difference in the baked thickness of the cornbread.
I absolutely love this recipe and am so happy to have found it. My partner brought home dinner from a local BBQ joint and the cornbread was to die for. It was sweet, fluffy, and decadent. I have scoured the internet for a comparable cornbread and have finally found it. Actually, it is even better. This is literally the BEST cornbread ever. I discovered I was out of granulated sugar so I used brown sugar and I added a topping that mimicked the one from the BBQ from that night. Otherwise, I followed it to a T.
For the added topping: When the cornbread was nearly done, maybe 5-10 minutes left to bake, I took it out and spread a generous brushing of honey butter over the top and then sprinkled turbinado sugar (such as Sugar in the Raw) over the honey butter and then let it finish baking. After it came out of the oven and was fully baked, I spread another brushing of honey butter on it. This created a sweet almost caramelized topping that made me moan when I took that first bite. This recipe is a keeper and the kind you pass down in the family for future generations. So glad I found it and thank you sincerely for taking the time to share it.
I’ve made this cornbread dozens of times! I make it in a 10” cast iron skillet instead of a square pan. I find that it cooks more evenly and it’s obviously thinner than the smaller pan. I’ve used regular all purpose flour most of the time and last night I used kamut. Tastes great either way! I also always half the sugar, sometimes use just 1/3 the amount of sugar. This is everyone’s favorite cornbread!
Can this be made in a cast iron skillet?
As long as the skillet is big enough for the quantity of batter, I think it should work just fine!
This recipe really is perfection. It is everything I hope for in a cornbread and so delicious! I love all of your cornbread variations that I have tried. I can always count on your recipes to work and taste good. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Lindsey! Glad you love this recipe!
Is that salted or unsalted for the cornbread? It just says butter
I use salted butter
This is the best cornbread recipe out there. The ingredients are what is on your pantry shelf, it is easy to mix up, and it bakes up beautifully. The taste – delicious and the crumb is so tender. I can’t say enough how good this is. If you haven’t tried it – you’re missing out.
This recipe went over big in my family! It disappeared fast. I do wonder if I could use 3/4 cup cornmeal and 3//4 flour. Would I need to adjust to liquid? I have been cooking for a lifetime, and I find your recipes dependable and the “go to” kind.
If you decrease the dry ingredients then yes, it’s likely the liquid would need to be adjusted. Worth experimenting, though!
This cornbread is so yummy!! I loved how fluffy and moist it was! My whole family ate it right up!
Okay, first of all what a pleasure to meet you. I just tried this recipe and notched it up a bit with some mushroom rice and added parmesan cheese to the cornbread topping. Now it’s cornbread out of this universe! 🙂 I just tried the filling and Wowza, it’s fabulous! It’s in the oven now and can’t wait to share this with my hubby when he gets home tonight. I’m a seasoned cook that has really lost her delight in cooking. This one inspired me again. Thank you! Stay close to Christ forever!!
This is my favorite cornbread recipe! I was never a cornbread girl, but after making this I want to eat the whole pan – although that wouldn’t make my family happy because they love it as much as I do. Thank you, Mel!
So yummy! My fairly picky 6 year old said, “this is my kind of recipe!” Thanks for another great recipe!!
Oh my word! I can’t believe I haven’t tried this recipe before now! It is SO SO good! Love it. Very moist, not dry at all, sweet but not too much so – heavenly. Will be making it with my chili from now on. Thank you, Mel, once again for an amazing recipe.
This is my go-to. Love it! Thanks for another delicious recipe. This has replaced all my other cornbread recipes.
This really is the best cornbread,
Don’t know if you’ll get this in time before I bake this afternoon, but when you double the recipe and use a 9×13 pan, how long do you bake?
Hey Mel…Father-in-law requested cornbread with jalapeños and cheddar. Have you ever tried adding this to your recipe?
I haven’t, but it should work great!