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    Easy Cornbread Recipe (Without Buttermilk)

    November 11, 2021 by Tara Buss 5 Comments

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    Learn how to make an easy cornbread recipe without buttermilk. It is not sweet but perfectly savory with so much flavor. Using simple ingredients, it's a perfect side dish to accompany your next Southern feast.

    Two slices of homemade cornbread in front of a pan of cornbread

    Everyone needs a delicious cornbread recipe in their repertoire. Sure, you could use a boxed cornbread mix, but you likely have all of the ingredients in your pantry to make a homemade cornbread already, so why not.

    I'll share with you today an easy recipe for what I consider to be the best cornbread.

    Sweet vs Savory Cornbread

    I don't know where the rumor started that southern cornbread is sweet, but I have been eating cornbread my whole life in southern states and was always served savory cornbread.

    Yes, it has a hint of sweetness, but it is a far cry from your Jiffy cornbread mix.

    This is not a sweet cornbread recipe. If you are looking for something sweet, this is not your recipe. It is savory with a hint of sweetness to round out the flavor, but I wouldn't call it sweet.

    I don't get into the southern vs northern cornbread debate. I just cook what I know, and to me, this is traditional cornbread.

    Is buttermilk necessary for cornbread?

    Diehard cornbread purists will tell you, yes, cornbread absolutely has to be made with buttermilk, but I beg to differ. My cornbread is very tasty and only uses milk and butter for the liquids.

    I don't typically keep buttermilk in my kitchen. I just don't have a need for it. I do however always have milk on hand, and you never know when the mood will strike for a yummy hot slice of homemade cornbread.

    I would rather have a cornbread recipe that is no frills, no fuss, and uses versatile ingredients that I always keep on hand than be a purist about it.

    Ingredients Needed

    Egg, bowls of flour, cornmeal, butter, milk, salt, baking powder, and sugar

    The ingredients for homemade cornbread are simple. You likely already have most of them in your kitchen already.

    cornmeal: Cornmeal is simply ground up corn. They come in different textures, like fine, medium and coarse. I chose a medium grind for my cornbread because I like the texture that it gives. You can also use a fine grind cornmeal if you prefer less bite that the medium grind lends. White cornmeal or yellow cornmeal both work, but I like the classic look of the yellow cornmeal.

    flour: An unbleached all-purpose organic flour is what I use. You could also use an all purpose 1 to 1 gluten free flour that bakes like an all purpose flour.

    baking powder: This is our leavening agent to give the cornbread a little lift.

    salt: You gotta have flavor in your cornbread, so a good amount of salt is needed.

    sugar: Not a lot. Just a little to bring out the flavor of the corn without making it sweet.

    milk: Whole milk will give the best results but you could substitute another milk or or milk alternative.

    butter: I like to use a salted grass fed butter like Kerrygold, but any salted butter will work. I prefer butter over vegetable oil, not only for the flavor but also because I avoid cooking with vegetable oil.

    olive oil or bacon drippings: This is for greasing the baking dish. Bacon grease is what my grandma uses and grandmas know what's up.

     

    How to make homemade cornbread

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees f. If using a cast-iron skillet preheat it with the oven. If using a glass dish, there is no need to preheat the dish. A cast iron pan will give it a crispier crust on the bottom.

    Mix cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder) in a large bowl with a whisk until well combined.

    Pour in melted butter, milk, and egg.

    Whisk until there are no lumps and dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the wet ingredients.

    Grease baking dish or cast iron skillet with 1 T. olive oil.

    Pour batter into baking dish or hot skillet. Using a flexible scraper spatula, scrape out the cornbread batter into a 8 x 8 glass baking dish or 8-9 inch cast iron skillet.

    Smooth out the top so it is even.

    Bake in 400 degree preheated oven for about 25 minutes until top is golden brown and cornbread comes out clean when a toothpick is inserted.

     

    cornbread in a cast iron skillet with a bowl of pinto beans

    What to serve with homemade cornbread

    Cornbread is particularly good with any kind of soup, chili, or saucy comforting dish. It's perfect for mopping up liquid.

    If you really want a southern feast, I particularly love it served with my crockpot pinto beans and southern boiled cabbage. So yummy! Talk about comfort food!

     

    Storing leftover cornbread

    We love this cornbread so much that we rarely have leftovers, but if you do storing it is easy.

    • Allow to cool completely before storing so moisture isn't trapped inside the wrapping.
    • Wrap in plastic wrap or cover with foil to keep from drying out, and leave it at room temperature for a day or two.
    • If you would like to store it any longer than that, it keeps in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer bag for 2-3 months.

     

    More homemade breads and quick breads to try:

    Homemade biscuits without buttermilk

    Soaked whole wheat bread

    Soft white sandwich bread

    Easy homemade rolls or buns

    No flour oatmeal muffins

    Homemade breadcrumbs

     

    Two slices of homemade cornbread in front of a pan of cornbread
    Print Pin
    5 from 2 votes

    Cornbread recipe without buttermilk

    Simple and flavorful savory cornbread using everyday ingredients. Perfect to accompany a southern meal.
    Course Bread
    Cuisine American
    Keyword breads, cornbread
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
    Servings 8
    Author Tara Buss

    Equipment

    • bowl
    • 8x8 glass baking dish or 8-9 inch cast iron skillet
    • flexible scraper spatula
    • whisk

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup cornmeal medium grind
    • 1 cup flour all purpose unbleached
    • 1½ tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • 1½ cup milk
    • 1 egg
    • 4 tbsp butter melted
    • 1 tbsp olive oil

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
    • Mix dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder) together with a whisk in a large bowl until well combined.
    • Pour in milk, egg, and melted butter and whisk until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated with the wet and no lumps are present.
    • Grease 8x8 glass baking dish or 8-9 inch cast iron skillet with olive oil, covering bottom and sides.
    • Pour in cornbread batter into baking dish, using a scraper spatula to scrape out the entirety of the batter.
    • Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

    Notes

    If using a cast iron skillet, place it in the oven while the oven preheats. This produces a crispier crust.
    Using a glass baking dish will not yield as crispy of a crust, but it will still be delicious.

    Pin it for later

    homemade cornbread without buttermilk

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sierra

      March 30, 2022 at 10:37 am

      5 stars
      Made this today with gluten free flour and it turned out amazing! Not sweet, and super buttery and moist. Perfect recipe!

      Reply
      • Tara Buss

        March 30, 2022 at 6:09 pm

        I'm so glad it worked well for you! Thanks so much for the review, Sierra.

        Reply
        • John Paul

          November 20, 2023 at 1:47 pm

          I.grew up in KY sitting on the kitchen counter watching my grandmother cook. I made cornbread the other day from visual memory. It was very good and so much like home. Today, while preparing for Thanksgiving, I searched your recipe to double check the baking powder amount after I had already tweaked my own. Minus the sugar, they are exactly alike!
          Your recipe is truly southern cornbread that captures the country heart! Thank you!

          Reply
    2. Amy

      January 15, 2024 at 10:30 am

      5 stars
      Tried today used bacon grease instead of olive oil delish.

      Reply
    3. Sherry

      February 28, 2024 at 10:26 am

      Hi Tara,
      You say I can use your cornbread recipe which has a whole cup of flour or the Martha White mix which has only a touch of flour. Are you of the opinion that what goes into the cornbread doesn’t affect t the dressing all that much? I have seen cooks put up to 5 eggs in their cornbread and then say therefore no eggs are needed in the dressing because they are already there.
      My grandmother made delicious cornbread dressing but I am on a mission to find the perfect cornbread dressing and have made no less than 75 recipes. I wish there were cornbread dressing contests like the barbecue ones. I would travel to them in search of the best. I really am no closer to finding what I am looking for at this point. Which is a light fluffy cornbread dressing that is not dense at all. Many of the dressings I make will be almost perfect right out of the oven but then turn dense shortly thereafter. I don’t want dressing that has a crust around the sides and on the bottom. I am looking for the perfect texture rather than the perfect seasoning.
      Thanks in advance for any advice you might have. I guess mainly I wonder about your advice on the cornbread recipe used in the dressing. Also how finely do you crumble your breads?
      Sherry

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Tara! Mom, wife, and frugal living expert. I believe you can feed your family well even when money and time are tight. Let me show you how.

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