This easy cornbread recipe is perfect if you love slightly sweet, moist cornbread instead of dry, crumbly cornbread. Be prepared for requests for this cornbread recipe the next time you take it to a gathering, because it is so much better than dry store-bought cornbread or cornbread box mixes.
Best Moist Cornbread Recipe
One of the most common complaints about cornbread is that it is too crumbly or dry. But you’ll never have that complaint again once you have tried my perfect cornbread recipe! It’s so easy that it is practically foolproof and it results in perfectly moist, sweet cornbread that is perfect for serving with chili, soup, or any kind of BBQ. This tried-and-true cornbread recipe is sure to be the best you have ever had!
Be sure to serve this cornbread with a bowl of Easy Minestrone Soup, Smoked Baby Back Ribs, My Best Classic Chili Recipe, or my Best-Ever Baked Beans.
Why You’ll Love this Sweet Moist Cornbread Recipe
- It’s not crumbly or dry with a perfectly moist, sweet crumb.
- Comes together in one bowl in under 10 minutes of work.
- Goes with all kinds of main dishes from soup to grilled or barbecued meat!
How to Make Moist Corn Bread
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a large 9×13-inch rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add in the vegetable oil, melted butter, honey, eggs, and milk, and stir until combined.
- Pour the cornbread batter into the prepared baking dish and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until your cornbread turns a golden brown. Remove it from oven and serve warm with butter and honey.
Best Moist Cornbread Recipe Tips
Why does my cornbread crumble?
Cornbread is naturally crumbly but if yours is more crumby than usual and feels like you’re eating sand, you may need a higher flour to cornmeal ratio to hold it together. But, if you followed this recipe, you should be fine. 😉
Can you over mix cornbread?
Yes, overmixing cornbread batter can lead to a tougher and denser texture. When mixing cornbread batter, stir just to combine the ingredients until they are just incorporated. Once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed and no large pockets of dry ingredients remain, it’s best to stop mixing.
How do I make sure my cornbread is moist?
Overmixing can lead to tough cornbread. Mix until the ingredients are just combined to avoid this. Also, be careful not to overbake the cornbread. Check for doneness a few minutes before the recommended time by inserting a toothpick in the center—if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s ready.
What to serve with moist cornbread
- Texas Smoked Brisket
- Perfect Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet BBQ Rub
- Whole Roasted Mexican Chicken
- Slow Roasted Oven BBQ Beef Brisket
- Uncle Richard’s Brown Sugar & Honey Smoked Baby Back Ribs
- Slow Cooker Little Smokies in Honey Garlic BBQ Sauce
- Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Best Corn Bread Recipe FAQs
If you don’t have milk on hand, you can substitute with non-dairy milk or even water at the same ratio amount requested in the recipe. You may even choose to use buttermilk but it may change the desired flavor of your cornbread.
Some cornbread recipes are more dry because they use only butter for more buttery flavor. Others sacrifice the best flavor by using oil to keep the cornbread moist. Our cornbread recipe uses both butter and oil for the best of both worlds in terms of both flavor and a moist, tender crumb.
Cornbread batter typically falls somewhere in between thick and thin—it’s not as runny as pancake batter but shouldn’t be as thick as cookie dough either. It’s usually a pourable consistency that you can spread into a baking pan without much trouble.
If the batter seems too thick, you can adjust it by adding a bit more liquid, like buttermilk or milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. Or if it’s too thin, you can add a bit more cornmeal or flour to thicken it up gradually.
Eggs contribute moisture to baked goods. An extra egg can make the cornbread slightly more moist and tender. Eggs also play a role in the structure and texture of the cornbread. An additional egg might make the cornbread slightly denser or richer in texture.
If your cornbread is on the dry side because of being overbaked, there’s not a lot you can do to fix it after the fact. You can brush the top of the cornbread with a bit of melted butter or drizzle it with a touch of honey.
Or if it is a day or two old and you want to revive it, you can wrap the dry cornbread in a damp paper towel and microwave it for a short burst (15-20 seconds at a time) until it’s warm. This can help introduce moisture into the bread.
But my favorite way to use dry cornbread is to make cornbread dressing!
More Easy Bread Recipes
Best Moist Corn Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup salted butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large 9×13-inch rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.
- Stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add in the vegetable oil, melted butter, honey, eggs, and milk, and stir until just combined.1 cup cornmeal, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2/3 cup vegetable oil, ⅓ cup salted butter, 2 Tablespoons honey, 4 large eggs, 2 ½ cups whole milk
- Pour the cornbread batter into the prepared baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until the cornbread turns golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm with butter and honey.
Authentic Midwestern food has takes on almost every continent of regional foods, right? I am guessing your mom was just trying to feed some kids! I love corn bread and think your recipe looks delicious.
You had me at butter and dripping honey! That is EXACTLY the right way to eat cornbread, in my book. I cannot wait to try this recipe. I’m making a big pot of chili this weekend with your perfect cornbread on the side 🙂
WOW, this is one gorgeous looking cornbread. One cannot have enough cornbread recipes, right ?! Mine is similar to yours, also using honey for sweetness but buttermilk instead of whole milk. I will give your recipe a try this Sunday and serve it with some brisket. I am sure it will be fantastic.
There’s nothing sadder than a dried out piece of cornbread. Yours looks absolutely tender and delicious. Love that drizzle of honey, too. YUM!
I love cornbread and this does look perfect. My kids love cornbread and definitely going to try this one. Saving for later.
It does sound like the perfect cornbread. I love cornbread with ham and beans or grilled chicken. I know it may sound crazy but those two dishes seem to scream for cornbread to go with them. I’ll have to try your recipe.
This looks so delicious! I absolutely love cornbread and honey – especially with a glass of milk. I’ll take that over a cookie any day!
This looks so light and delicious. I love cornbread and am going to give your recipe a try!
Oh I love good homemade cornbread! And you are so right…so many recipes turn out dry and crumbly. I’m definitely going to give your recipe a try
ohhh……you’ve got me now! I’m a southern girl who is ALLL about cornbread! Yes, Lord, I”m in heaven with your recipe! I grew up on cold water cornbread, which really is a required taste but I do love different kinds of cornbread and yours sounds amazing!!
I’ve never tried cornbread but your recipe inspired me to make it. It looks delicious and the recipe sounds so easy! Can’t wait to try it!
Your cornbread looks wonderful! I don’t make it too often but I will be sure to give your version a try next time I do.
I’ve been using a recipe called “Perfect Cornbread” for years. Yesterday, I found myself in a place without access to my recipes so I Googled “perfect cornbread” and yours popped up right at the top. I decided to try it since it was quite different from my standard, which I had always thought was okay. It was so good, I will never make anything else. My husband says it’s the best cornbread he has ever had, and I agree!
I’m so glad you loved my cornbread recipe, Susan!
Can you make this into muffins?
Absolutely! Bake time should be around 20 minutes.
Hi, I was just searching for some cornbread recipe this isn’t dry or too sweet I just popped it in the oven I will definitely let you know how it turned out. Thanks for sharing .
Hi Amy, I ran across this recipe for some homemade cornbread and I’m certainly glad I did. I just popped it in the oven, I will let you know how it turned out. Thank for sharing .
I’m glad you chose this recipe to make! It will be so good! Enjoy!
Howdy, do you have any gluten free recipes? Thank You!
None specifically, although I have made many of my recipes with 1-to-1 gluten free substitutes with no problems at all!
Can Gluten Free flour be used as substitute?
Yes.
I followed the recipe to a T. It’s a quick bread to get ready for the oven. It was a nice height after baking.
It tasted good, especially with butter, I just wish it had tasted a little more like corn.
Amy, How can I make this Gluten-free? Do you have any recipes that are GF? My 3 daughters and 2 grand children have Celiac. Have you ever thought of an GF cook-book? I have 2 but the recipes suck to be frank.
Thanks for any help that you can give me.
Corinne Hummel
Yes you can use the King Arthur 1:1 gluten free flour. Most of my recipes can be subbed with the gluten free 1:1 flour. It’s a great option for those that need gluten free recipes!