Bake this sweet cornbread recipe in a cast iron skillet for a moist and delicious old-fashioned cornbread with a crispy crust.
Originally published March 2020; this post has been updated.
While I think many of us will agree that a crispy crust on the cornbread is ideal, some people balk at the idea of a sweet cornbread. Southern cornbread, they say, has no such thing as sugar in it. And they aren’t wrong.
But you know, it’s such an indulgent comfort food for me, and in my opinion this continues to be the best cornbread recipe I’ve used. It has just the right amount of sweetness, and it tastes delicious with a little pat of butter.
Sweet Cornbread Recipe
This easy cornbread recipe has been in my recipe file for years upon years and it never fails to make us happy. It makes a cake-y sweet and moist cornbread that tastes delicious with a little pat of butter or a drizzle of honey. If you’ve never made cornbread from scratch, you’re going to love this.
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Ingredients
This moist cornbread recipe starts with real food ingredients. If you maintain a well-stocked pantry, it’s very likely that you have most (if not all) of these ingredients on hand.
Butter — Allow the butter to come to room temperature for easy mixing. I used salted butter; if you prefer unsalted, that will work fine.
Sugar — Use your favorite brand of granulated cane sugar. I prefer organic.
Eggs — Fresh eggs, store bought, use what you have readily available.
Milk — You can use whole milk, skim milk, or if your family is dairy free, an alternative nut milk. I don’t recommend using buttermilk in this sweet cornbread recipe, as it is more acidic and will impact how the baking powder performs.
Flour — When I bake with all purpose flour I opt for the unbleached option. Bleached flour is very white, but it’s also treated with bleaching agents that I don’t really need in my food.
Cornmeal — This is what gives this quick bread it’s recognizable flavor. Cornmeal comes in fine, medium, or coarse grind. I suggest sticking with the fine or medium grind for this recipe. I also make sure that I’m using an organic cornmeal, to avoid the genetically modified corn that has been altered to survive being sprayed with poison.
Leavening — Baking powder gives this cornbread recipe its lift.
Salt — Use your favorite table salt or sea salt.
Making this Homemade Cornbread
Start by creaming the sugar and butter together. It’s easiest to do this with a stand mixer or hand mixer, but a good old wooden spoon works, too. It will just take a bit more work on your part.
Once creamed, add the eggs and milk.
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet ingredients.
Stir the cornbread batter just until the ingredients are combined.
To get the crispy edges on this made-from-scratch cornbread, heat a cast iron skillet in the oven. Pouring the batter into an already-hot pan is the trick. Bake until the top of the cornbread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cut the cornbread into wedges and serve with butter and sweet honey, if you like. This sweet cornbread makes an excellent side dish for chili and for soups or stews. It’s also good with fried eggs — it’s perfect for sopping up the soft yolk of an over-medium egg.
Serving Suggestions
Cornbread is a natural (a must have?) when serving ground beef chili, of course, but don’t stop there! It’s a great side dish for so many other meals. Or serve it for breakfast with a little dab of honey butter.
Storing Leftover Cornbread
Store leftover cornbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. For longer storage, wrap bread in a layer of waxed paper followed by a layer of aluminum foil, and store in the freezer for up to three months.
You can also use leftover cornbread to make cornbread French toast the next day or reheat it and spread on some of this slow cooker apple butter.
★ Did you make this sweet cornbread recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! ★
Easy & Delicious Sweet Cornbread Recipe
This cornbread recipe is sweet and might just end up being your favorite cornbread recipe. You can bake it in a skillet for extra crispy edges or a standard baking dish.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup butter + 1 tablespoon
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1-2/3 cup milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/3 cup cornmeal
- 4-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Put a 12” cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. (See notes for using a baking dish instead.)
- Cream 2/3 cup butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in milk and eggs.
- Combine dry ingredients; stir into wet ingredients until just combined.
- Remove hot cast iron pan from oven and drop 1 tablespoon of butter into the pan and swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides of skillet.
- Pour batter into hot skillet and return it to the hot oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cut into eight wedges and serve warm with butter and/or honey.
Notes
To get the crispy edges on this made-from-scratch cornbread, heat the cast iron skillet in the oven. Pouring the batter into an already-hot pan is the trick.
If you'd like to bake this in a 9" x 11" glass baking dish instead, grease the pan with melted butter and do NOT put it in the oven before adding the batter. You don't want to shatter the pan!
Store leftover cornbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. For longer storage, wrap bread in a layer of waxed paper followed by a layer of aluminum foil, and freeze for up to three months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 wedgeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 378Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 310mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 6g
I made this recipe to take to a friends house for dinner! It was a hit and everyone wanted the recipe!! You wouldn’t have other cast iron recipes would you?! Since the cornbread recipe was so SO delicious, I was hoping you had a skillet pizza or bread recipe!!!
So glad it was a hit! I don’t have a skillet pizza or bread recipe, sorry!
Made this tonight paired with Chili and my husband and house of teenage boys loved it!! This is by far the only recipe we will use now on ( followed directions exactly and made no substitutions )
Perfect, glad everyone loved it!
Made 2 batches; baked one in a 12″ skillet and the other in a 10″. Had to add about 10 more minutes to get the 10″ done. In the future will just use a 12″ skillet I think. Very tasty, the whole family and the dinner guests loved it. Did not change anything in your recipe. Thank you.
Glad you all enjoyed it! 🙂
Made it and it is in the oven now. I cant wait to try it
I hope you love it!
This recipe looks really good, I haven’t yet tried it. Wondering if honey can be substituted for the sugar. Everything else looks fabulous! If the substitution doesn’t work, I don’t want to ruin the whole recipe. 🙂
I haven’t tried that, it could work but look at conversion amounts from a dry to wet sweetener.
YUMMMMMMMM…
Made it using Half&half and baked it in a 9″ square pyrex pan for. 35-40 minutes. I just like a thicker pie e to split and toast. Sooooo good! Gonna make this often!
Deb
Westport, MA
Currently have two in the oven they look amazing.
Can’t wait to take them to our 4th of July gathering.
Perfect, I hope they were enjoyed!
This is the best cornbread recipe I have ever tried. We loved it. Thank you for sharing.
So glad you loved it! 🙂
Mine is still cooking after 30m in a 12in cast iron because the center is not cooking..I did recipe to a “T” amd smells amazing but definitely had to throw foil over it because it was browning to much 🙁 what did I do wrong lol
It’s hard for me to know from way over here! Best guess is double check that your oven temp isn’t off.
Can you substitute the sugar with splenda? Thanks .
I haven’t tried that with this recipe, but I think it would work.
Is it possible to make this in a 10” cast iron skillet?
Sure! Cooking time may vary a little so keep your eye on it. Another option is a 9″ x 11″ glass baking dish.
My new favorite cornbread recipe. Love the instructions using cast iron too. Family sized recipe & they love it.
So glad to hear that!
Can you explain how you wrote your fractions? The dash is throwing me off. Did you mean one and one thirds ? I sure hope so!
Yes, one and one-third!
Great cornbread I just ad a little avocado oil so the butter doesn’t burn in the 400 degree skillet. We neve have leftovers!!!
Great idea, so glad you love it! 🙂
I used this recipe for the first time ever making a cornbread and it came out sooo good! Everyone loved it, even my picky 5 year old! I was soo impressed with myself lol! I’m about to make it again this week for Thanksgiving and pray that it wasn’t just a fluke, but that this recipe really is the best!!
The only adjustment I made (after reading everyone else reviews and browsing other recipes prior) was that I did pull it out of the oven at 20 minutes, I checked it with a toothpick and it was squeaky clean! It didn’t crumble AT ALL either. Love this recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it and will make it again!
Made this recipe once before and it is by far the BEST!!! lil butter and honey outs it over the top! Entering it for a chili and cornbread cook off tonight!
That’s awesome, love it!
Is it better to use whole milk? I usually buy 1% but will buy whole milk if it’s better for this recipe. I have celiac so follow a gluten free diet. I’m going to try it with gluten free cornmeal and cup for cup gluten free flour. Do you know if the cornmeal you use has gluten? If not, can you share the name? I will let you know the outcome.
I usually use Bob’s Red Mill products since they are made using non-GMO corn. No need to go buy whole milk – what you have should be fine!
Made this for the first time tonight to accompany a big batch of crockpot taco chili. Absolutely delicious! Turned out perfectly!
So glad to hear!
Hi can I add jalepeno and cheddars cheese to them? Will it alter the rest of the ingredients at all?
That sounds delicious! I would try just adding it as is without altering anything, I haven’t tried it but I think it should work.
Mine turned out with a pancake like texture. It was more cake than cornbread.
It is a sweet cornbread!
I made this cornbread for tonight’s dinner , it was the best that I have ever had , I wouldn’t change anything !!! I served it with homemade chili beans ❤️
I’m going to post it on F.B. For sure !
A grandma from Southern California
Love it, thank you! 🙂
Nutritional info say serving size 1 gram. I guess two zeroes are missing here. I’ll Loosen my belt and enjoy this tasty treat!
I will have to take a look at that, glad you love it! 🙂
FANTASTIC! I make this often with no changes to the recipe. Be sure to not overbake it though. Yum!
So glad you love it! 🙂
Thank you! THIS is the sweet cornbread recipe I’ve been looking for all my life! It’s moist, with a crispy bottom (When cooked in the cast iron pan), with just enough sweetness! It’s not a cake, just a slightly sweet cornbread that would go great with chilli. I’ll try your chilli recipe next!
You’re welcome, I’m so glad you love it! 🙂
What kind of corn meal do you suggest I use
I would go with whatever you can find that is organic and a fine to medium grind.
I added a small container of unsweetened apple sauce for extra moisture (I don’t care for crumbly corn bread). The top never turned golden brown but it was still very good. I like sweet cornbread and this had just the right amount of sweetness. This recipe was definitely worth the extra effort of making homemade.
I’m glad it worked out for you! 🙂
Awesome cornbread. It’s sweet and has the best density. Moist and doesn’t crumble. I like to melt a tablespoon of butter on top when it first comes out and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Those sound like delicious additions! Glad you love this recipe 🙂
SO GOOD! I made some baked beans from scratch but forgot the cornbread mix at the store. Luckily I had almost everything for this recipe (subs: used ghee, less sugar & added some honey, and oat milk) and I will never go back to the pre-made mix again. Thank you for sharing this recipe with the world!
That’s so great, and those subs sound perfect! Glad you loved it 🙂
Can I use buttermilk instead?
You can substitute the milk for buttermilk 1:1, but you may need to also add 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Give it a try!
This was perfect! I generally only have oat milk on hand so that’s what I ended up using. This wasn’t too sweet either so I can still sneak some into my stuffing!
I’m glad the oat milk worked well! Sounds delicious in stuffing 🙂
Made this tonite!! Very good with chili!!
I’m so glad to hear it!
Great recipe to make again and again!
I’m glad you liked it!
Should the 2/3 cup butter be softened or melted? Thanks!
I usually take it out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before making the recipe.
I made this tonight, DELICIOUS!!!! & very easy!
Glad you enjoyed it Maureen. Thank you!
Can I use a 10” skillet for this recipe or do I need to alter the amount of ingredients?
I haven’t actually *tried a 10″ skillet, but I suspect it would be fine. A little bit thicker, so you might have to cook a tad longer.
The only cast iron pan I have is a 10” skillet so I used it. Each time it’s come out perfectly!
Glad to hear it!
Love thisrecipe but after creaming eggs and sugar when I add the milk and eggs the butter clumps up which makes it difficult to make sure the buttervis evenly distributed. should the milk and eggs be room temp?
You could certainly let the milk sit out for an hour or so ahead of making the recipe!
I HAVE to make cornbread-sausage stuffing every Thanksgiving… Jim’s from Tennessee. But no sugar or flour is allowed in the cornbread. (Did that once and got an earful about “Yankee cornbread. Wrong wrong wrong, evidently). The Southern recipe calls for bacon fat, but I use olive oil.
Teri! Yes, I’ve discovered that people are quite passionate about the “proper” recipe for cornbread! LOL.