Spice up your fall baking with my delicious & easy Pumpkin Cornbread recipe! It’s the perfect cozy side dish for your favorite fall meals—slightly sweet, a little savory, and packed with actual pumpkin goodness that’ll make your kitchen smell like autumn in no time.
I sure love a warm slice of cornbread slathered with butter and drizzled in honey, especially with a bowl of chili or a pot of stew. It’s a favorite comfort food for loads of people, but I thought it would be fun to do a pumpkin twist on cornbread for October and the autumn vibes are on point.
The addition of real pumpkin puree and warm pumpkin spice sets this cornbread apart from my classic homemade cornbread recipe. It still has the corn flavor and wonderful cornbread texture that you love, but it’s an excellent addition to your repertoire of must-bake recipes for the Fall.
The batter comes together in one bowl (okay fine, two bowls) in less than 10 minutes, then it’s in the oven and on to other things. I love fall.
If you are as obseessed with cornbread as we are, you might also like trying our moist cottage cheese cornbread (so, so good!), corndog mini muffins, jalapeno cheddar cornbread, maple cornbread, pimento cheese cornbread, or these hatch chile cornbread muffins.
Ingredients You’re Going to Need
Here is what you need to gather to make this recipe. For specific measurements, keep scrolling for the printable recipe card below.
- Pumpkin puree – Adds moisture and a rich, earthy sweetness that makes the cornbread soft and flavorful.
- Cornmeal – Gives the cornbread its classic texture and a slightly gritty bite, balancing the smoothness of the pumpkin. We like using yellow cornmeal but white cornmeal works just fine here too.
- Flour – Helps give structure to the bread, creating the perfect balance between dense and fluffy. I always use unbleached all-purpose flour in my baking for best results.
- Baking powder – Provides the rise, making sure the cornbread is light and airy.
- Sugar – Adds just a touch of sweetness to complement the pumpkin and cornbread.
- Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) – Enhances the pumpkin flavor with warm, cozy fall vibes.
- Eggs – Acts as a binder and helps with the structure and texture of the cornbread.
- Salted Butter – Adds richness and moisture, giving the cornbread that melt-in-your-mouth feel. Vegetable oil or canola oil make great substitutes in terms of moistness, but they lack the rich flavor of butter.
- Milk – Keeps the cornbread moist and helps activate the baking powder for a good rise. If you have buttermilk on hand, you can absolutely use it in place of the milk.
Let’s Make Pumpkin Cornbread!
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9×9-inch baking pan with baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, melted butter, milk, honey, and eggs until smooth.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, stirring just until everything is mixed—don’t worry if the batter is a little lumpy. I personally hate dirtying that second bowl mixing the wet ingredients separately, but it definitely helps everything combine more easily with less stirring, which means a lighter, better crumb.
- Spread the cornbread batter into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs.
- Slice into 9 large squares and serve warm with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey or with a batch of my whipped cinnamon honey butter!
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, for sure! Use a good gluten-free flour substitute (my favorite is the King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour) and you’ll be good to go!
The most critical thing for moist cornbread with this recipe is to not overbake it, as that can dry it out. The addition of pumpkin puree in this recipe helps keep the cornbread nice and moist.
Some folks love that classic crispy bottom to their cornbread and if you want to achieve the same result just preheat a cast-iron skillet in the oven with a little oil or butter before adding the batter right to the hot pan. This helps form that delicious, crispy crust.
I don’t anticipate that happening with this recipe, but if it is something you have experienced before it is usually because there’s not enough fat (like butter or oil) or if it’s overbaked. Adding an extra egg or using buttermilk can also help improve texture.
If you don’t have a jar of pumpkin spice in your pantry, don’t fret. Simply increase the cinnamon to ½ teaspoon and add ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg with a pinch of allspice and ground ginger to round things out.
Yes, if you prefer cornbread made with buttermilk and you have it on hand, you can sub it in for the regular milk without any other changes to the recipe.
How to Store Pumpkin Cornbread
To store the cornbread, let it cool completely first. Then, transfer the cornbread squares to an airtight container or wrap the pan of cornbread tightly in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 2 days. Cornbread can go stale within 2 days at room temperature, and refrigerating doesn’t really help prevent the staleness from setting in, so freezing is the best option for longer storage.
Freezing instructions: Wrap the cornbread in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. It will stay fresh for about 2-3 months in the freezer.
Reheating: To reheat, thaw it at room temperature for a few hours. Then, cover the cornbread with foil and warm it in the oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through. You can also microwave individual pieces for 20-30 seconds.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Moist Pumpkin Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (141g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (170g) yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup salted butter melted
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×9-inch baking pan with baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon.1 cup (141g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (170g) yellow cornmeal, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In another bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, melted butter, milk, honey, and eggs until smooth and combined.1 cup pumpkin puree, ⅓ cup salted butter, ½ cup milk, 2 Tablespoons honey, 2 large eggs
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. It is okay for the batter to be slightly lumpy.
- Transfer the cornbread batter to the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean with just a few crumbs on it. Slice into squares and serve warm with butter and honey.
Notes
- Pumpkin Spice Substitute: If you don’t have a jar of pumpkin spice in your pantry, that’s okay! Simply increase the cinnamon to ½ teaspoon and add ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg with a pinch of allspice and ground ginger to round things out.
- Buttermilk: If desired, you can absolutely replace the regular milk with buttermilk in this recipe. Everything else stays the same.
- Storage: Let the cornbread cool completely, then transfer the cornbread squares to an airtight container or wrap the pan of cornbread tightly in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Freezing instructions: Wrap the cornbread in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. It will stay fresh for about 2-3 months in the freezer.
- Reheating: To reheat, thaw it at room temperature for a few hours. Then, cover the cornbread with foil and warm it in the oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through. You can also microwave individual pieces for 20-30 seconds.
