Customizable Cornbread Recipe

Our basic cornbread recipe can be embellished with a variety of sweet and savory mix-ins.

Baked in a pan or made into muffins, cornbread is our go-to comfort food. Plus, it has so much personalization potential.

Just use our basic recipe or a store-bought mix, and then add any number of sweet and savory ingredients.

Tip: If you're short on time, skip the pre-rinse and put the mixing bowl and baking or muffin pan into the dishwasher with a Cascade Platinum Plus ActionPac.

Basic cornbread recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Bake time: 15 to 25 minutes
Serves:

Ingredients

Butter or cooking spray, to grease pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk or buttermilk
⅓ cup vegetable oil or 5 tablespoons butter melted and cooled slightly
1 egg, beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F and grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan or muffin tin
2. If baking cornbread muffins, reduce heat to 375 F
3. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in one bowl
4. Whisk sugar, buttermilk, vegetable oil and egg in a separate bowl
5. Mix together until just combined
6. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or 15 minutes for muffins, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
7. Cool slightly and serve

10 Cornbread add-in ideas

Use our ideas as a starting point for your own signature cornbread. Just beware of adding too many ingredients – more than two or three may ruin the wonderful texture. That said, add as many herbs and spices as you please!

1. Spiced pumpkin pecan cornbread

Add 1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1 cup of pumpkin puree and 1 cup of coarsely chopped pecans.

2. Cheesy bacon cornbread

Fold in four to six strips of cooked, crumbled bacon and 1 cup of shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese. For bolder flavor, substitute 1½ ounces of crumbled blue cheese.

3. Cranberry orange cornbread

Add the zest of 1 orange and 1 cup of chopped fresh (or frozen and thawed) cranberries that have been picked over, washed and chopped.

4. Honey sage cornbread

Substitute ⅓ cup of honey for the granulated sugar, increase salt to 1¼ teaspoons and fold in 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh sage (or more to taste).

5. Sundried tomato and mozzarella cornbread

Reduce granulated sugar to 2 tablespoons, and fold in 1 cup of grated fresh mozzarella and ¼ cup of chopped sundried tomatoes.

6. Whole corn and chipotle cornbread

Fold in 1 cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels and 2 tablespoons of minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

7. Maple sausage cornbread

Substitute ⅓ cup of pure maple syrup for the granulated sugar and fold in ½ pound of cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage.

8. Rosemary asiago cornbread

Add ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper to dry ingredients, and fold in ¼ cup of grated Asiago cheese, 1 minced garlic clove and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary.

9. Apple cheddar cornbread

Peel, core and dice a green apple, and then sauté in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until just tender, about 3 minutes. Fold into the batter, along with 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

10. Berry cornbread

Gently fold in 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries or mixed berries. For an even brighter bite, add the zest of 1 lemon, too.