Best Old Fashioned Southern Cornbread Recipe

Cornbread is a staple food in the southern United States and is probably one of the oldest foods in America. In this post, I will share my easy, old fashioned southern cornbread recipe.

This is a traditional cornbread recipe you can make in just a few minutes. I’ve been making it for years, and it always turns out great.

Once you learn how to make homemade cornbread, you’ll never go back to buying cornbread mix in a box. I’m not against mixes, but homemade cornbread is so much better!

This site contains affiliate links, view the disclosure for more information.

My Grandma Naomi was famous for her cornbread! There was nothing better than walking into her home and smelling it baking in the oven. She had it perfected. We were talking one day, and I asked her about the first fight she and my grandpa had ever had and what it was about. She laughed and proceeded to share the story.

It was in the early 1940s. My grandpa had been working out in the field on their farm while my grandma was cooking lunch. They were newlyweds, and my grandma was still learning her way around the kitchen. She said my grandpa came in and sat down to have lunch, and she had a pan of cornbread on the table to go with their meal.

Grandpa told her it looked like a chicken had been scratching around in the cornbread. I’m assuming the cornbread hadn’t released from the iron skillet good, and it was a mess. My grandma said she burst into tears, and that was their first fight. I told her that it wasn’t a fight. He had hurt her feelings.

The irony of the story is my grandma perfected her cornbread over the years, and it was the best cornbread you’d ever sink your teeth in! No one can make it like my grandma could. It was truly the most amazing southern buttermilk cornbread I’ve ever eaten! 

I can’t make it like her. I’ve tried, but it just never turns out. I’m still trying to perfect it, and when I figure it out, I’ll share my grandma’s cornbread recipe with you, but until then, you’re stuck with mine.

The recipe I’m going to share with you today is my own. It’s an easy cornbread recipe. It’s a cross between my mom’s and grandma’s recipe, and I love it, as does my family.

Authentic Southern Cornbread Recipe

Cornbread is a type of bread traditionally made from cornmeal, flour, and leavening agents like baking powder and/or baking soda. It has a delicious corn flavor and a crispy outside. It can be sweet or savory and is the perfect accompaniment to many meals, including beans, soups, and stews. There are many variations of cornbread, but what I’m sharing with you today is my classic cornbread recipe. Look below for add-in ideas! 

If you love Southern food and are looking for more recipes, check out this post and this one.

Y’all, there is a huge debate on how much sugar cornbread should have or if it should have any at all. Should it be sweet or savory? That’s the million-dollar question. The recipe I’m sharing with you has one tablespoon of sugar, and I find it perfect. Even though this recipe has sugar, it’s not a sweet cornbread. The small amount of sugar I add balances it nicely. If you want unsweetened cornbread, omit the sugar. If you want it a bit sweeter, add more sugar.

Supplies Needed for making Southern Cornbread

Skillet: You will need a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. I use one like this. I also use it to make my buttermilk biscuits in. All southern cooks have a cast iron skillet. They are a true southern staple in the kitchen.

Medium or Large Bowl

Spoon– You don’t need anything fancy. Just a simple large spoon will work.

Measuring Spoons and Cups

Note: If you don’t have a skillet, you can use a casserole dish to make this recipe. Just grease your pan well. You also won’t be pre-heating your pan in the oven so you won’t have that crispy crust on the outside like you would using a skillet.

Ingredients for Old Fashioned Cornbread Recipe

I love recipes with simple ingredients, and this cornbread recipe doesn’t disappoint. It’s incredible how much flavor you can get from just a few ingredients!

• All-purpose flour
• Cornmeal – I use yellow cornmeal, not self-rising. Just plain yellow cornmeal; you could use white cornmeal. My grandma would take and mix white cornmeal with stone ground cornmeal. (The stone ground cornmeal gives the cornbread more texture and a richer corn flavor). I do that when I can find stone ground. Stone-ground cornmeal is often hard to find at our local grocery store.
• Sugar
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt – If you’ve read my other blog post, you know that I use Kosher gourmet salt for cooking and baking. I’ve been using it for years. I have a cute little salt container like this and keep it on my kitchen counter.
• Eggs
• Buttermilk – I only use buttermilk. I’ve used whole milk before, but it’s not as good as buttermilk.
• Bacon grease or vegetable oil – I save my bacon drippings when I make bacon. You can purchase one of these to store it in or use a mason jar with a lid.

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place one and a half tablespoons of bacon grease into a cast iron skillet. Place your skillet in your oven while it’s pre-heating to let your skillet get HOT. You want that cornbread batter to sizzle when you pour it into the hot skillet. (Some people heat up their skillet on the stovetop, but we always heat it in the oven while it’s pre-heating).

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Add eggs and buttermilk to the dry ingredients and stir well.

Carefully remove your HOT cast iron pan from the oven, pour a small amount of the hot bacon grease into your cornbread batter, and stir.

Sprinkle some cornmeal (about 1 teaspoon) around in your skillet. This will help keep the cornbread from sticking to your skillet.

Pour your mixture into the hot iron skillet. It will sizzle!

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown on top or a toothpick inserted comes out clean!

Remove from oven and carefully flip out your cornbread onto a plate. Slice and serve!

Old Fashioned Southern Cornbread Recipe FAQs

Why do I need to have a hot skillet?

The reason for pre-heating your cast-iron skillet and having it sizzling hot is that it will create a beautiful crispy crust on the outside of your cornbread. The hot skillet will also help keep the cornbread from sticking to the iron skillet. Make sure to sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on the bottom of your skillet before pouring in your batter. This will help prevent sticking as well!

How do I know when my cornbread is done?

The cornbread will be golden brown on top. You can also use a toothpick or small knife and poke it into the center of the cornbread batter. If it comes out clean, you know your batter has cooked all the way. If you want to get technical, the internal temperature should be around 195-200 degrees.

Can I change up the flavor of the cornbread? 

Yes, you absolutely can. You can add just one of these ingredients or combine a few, like jalapeño and cheddar or corn kernels, bacon, and cheddar. Get creative!

Add more sugar to make it sweeter, or skip the sugar altogether.

2/3 cup of corn kernels (drained). You can also use frozen corn. There is no need to thaw.

Shredded cheese, around 1/2 cup or a bit more

1/2 cup of chopped cooked bacon or ham

Chopped jalapeños 1/4 c or more this will be up to you and how spicy you want it.

Don’t want the spice of jalapeños, then use green chilies instead.

1/2 cup finely chopped scallions

What can I fix with cornbread?

In the south, you’ll find cornbread served with fried chicken, pork chops, pinto beans, collard greens, homemade soup, and chili, with a pat of butter and drizzle of honey on top or served crumbled in a glass of sweet milk or buttermilk. It’s the perfect side dish and can go with almost anything!

What can I do with leftover cornbread?

There are so many things you can do with leftovers if you have any, that is! You can reheat the leftovers and serve it your meal or make cornbread stuffing and cornbread salad. You could also make a breakfast sandwich with it or put some BBQ pulled pork on it! Yum!!! There are tons of ways to use it. Here are some great ideas you may like. You can also crumble it up and share your leftovers with the birds. They love it too!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoy this simple old fashioned southern cornbread recipe. There is nothing better than a warm bowl of soup and a pan of cornbread. If you try this recipe out, please let me know, and I’m curious do you like cornbread sweet or savory?