This sweet, moist cornbread is the ultimate comfort food! With just the right balance of sweetness and a fluffy, tender texture, it’s perfect alongside your favorite chili, barbecue, or just on its own with a bit of butter. Once you try it, you’ll want to make it again and again!
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Below you will find tips, tricks and helpful hints for making this recipe including step by step instructions with pictures. If you would like to go directly to the recipe, scroll down to the recipe card or tap "Jump to Recipe" at the top of the page.
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Why You'll Love this Cornbread
You’re going to fall in love with this sweet cornbread! It’s incredibly moist, with just the right amount of sweetness that pairs perfectly with savory dishes like chili or barbecue, but it’s also amazing on its own with a little butter or honey.
This cornbread has a light, fluffy texture that’s never dry or crumbly, making it a hit with everyone at the table. Plus, it’s super easy to whip up—perfect for family dinners, holidays, or whenever you’re craving some cozy comfort food!
Disneyland used to have a delicious restaurant in Frontierland called Big Thunder BBQ and they had the most amazing sweet cornbread. I have been trying to recreate this sweet cornbread recipe at home because it was so delicious. And, I think I have done it with this recipe!
Sweet Moist Cornbread Ingredients
*Ingredient amounts are located in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Cornmeal: Cornmeal is the star of the show and is necessary to make sweet moist cornbread. You can use yellow or white cornmeal, but Yellow produces the most visually appealing result.
- All-Purpose Flour: The next ingredient needed to make this cornbread is flour. You can use all-purpose or self-rising, but I prefer to use all-purpose because that is what most people have in their cabinets.
- Sugar: Sugar is what makes this cornbread recipe sweet!
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is one of the most important ingredients in this recipe because it is what helps the cornbread to rise and be fluffy. Baking soda is not needed.
- Salt: The following ingredient that makes this cornbread recipe is salt. Salt brings out all of the flavors in a dish, which makes it really important when baking.
- Oil: The oil helps keep the cornbread moist. Feel free to use any neutral tasting oil such as vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Butter: One of my favorite ingredients to use when baking sweet cornbread is butter! The butter in this recipe helps to enhance the buttery flavor and contributes to its moistness.
- Honey: The last ingredient that needs to go into this cornbread recipe is honey. This versatile sweetener helps give this cornbread sweetness and brings out the flavor of the other ingredients!
- Eggs: Eggs are what binds the cornbread ingredients together. I use 4 large eggs instead of three because it produces a more dense cornbread.
- Milk: Milk brings all of the ingredients together and creates a creamy batter that bakes into moist, sweet cornbread. Buttermilk can also be used instead of regular milk.
How to Make Sweet Moist Cornbread
[Step 1] First, grease a 9×13 dish and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
[Step 2] Add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Sift or mix them together with a whisk.
[Step 3] In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, melted butter, oil, butter, milk, sugar and honey.
[Step 4] Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together, just until moistened.
[Step 5] Pour the sweet cornbread batter into the 9×13 pan and place it in the oven for 45-50 minutes until it is golden brown.
[Step 6] Cover the cornbread loosely with aluminum foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking time so the top doesn’t brown too much. Use the "toothpick test" by inserting a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.
[Step 7] Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
[Step 8] Don’t forget to add some butter and a drizzle of honey when you serve this yummy cornbread!
How to Make Cornbread Muffins
The great thing about this moist cornbread recipe is that it is so versatile and it tastes like sweet cornbread cake! You can use the cornbread batter to create cornbread muffins!
My kids love when I make cornbread muffins because they fit right in their little hands. I love making fluffy cornbread muffins because they bake faster and they are portion controlled!
- After mixing the batter, line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- Use a ¼ cup cookie scoop to add the batter to each cup.
- Bake the muffins at 350° for 20 minutes.
Tips for Moist Cornbread
- Add Extra Fat: Use butter, oil, or even a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt in the batter to add richness and moisture.
- Include Buttermilk: Buttermilk keeps cornbread tender and adds a slight tang that balances the sweetness.
- Don’t Overmix: Gently fold the ingredients together—overmixing can lead to a dry, crumbly texture.
- Use Honey or Sugar: A bit of sugar or honey in the batter not only adds sweetness but also keeps the cornbread moist.
- Add a Can of Creamed Corn: Stirring in a can of creamed corn gives extra moisture and a bit of texture to your cornbread.
- Bake at the Right Temperature: Bake at 350°F for a more even, moist bake, and check a few minutes before it’s fully done to avoid overbaking.
- Rest Before Cutting: Let the cornbread cool slightly in the pan before cutting—this keeps it from drying out too quickly.
Is Cornbread Supposed to be Sweet?
To me, classic cornbread is meant to be sweet. This is because of the sugar content in the recipe. Cornbread also tends to be really moist and cake-like with the right amount of sweetness which makes it even more flavorful! Southern-style cornbread tends to be sweeter than other recipes and I actually prefer it that way, especially topped with whipped honey butter!
What Goes With Sweet Cornbread Cornbread is amazing when paired with soup or chili. It is also great served as a side dish on Thanksgiving. Here are some dishes I serve this sweet cornbread with:
- Creamy Chicken Chili
- Southwest Corn Chowder
- Epcot’s Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup
- Disney World Chili
- Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Disneyland’s Cheesy Enchilada Soup
- Sweet Pork Barbacoa
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- 9×13 Baking Dish or Cake Pan
- Muffin Pan
- Cast-Iron Skillet
How to Store Leftover Cornbread
Leftover cornbread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cornbread can also be frozen for up to 2 months. I like to slice the cornbread into individual pieces and wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap before freezing.
To reheat cornbread, wrap it in foil and place it in a 350° oven until warmed through. You can also reheat cornbread in the microwave. Place the cornbread on a plate and heat it for 30-45 seconds.
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Easy Sweet Moist Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Cornmeal
- 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ⅔ Cup Vegetable Oil
- ⅓ Cup Butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 4 Eggs beaten
- 2 ½ Cups Milk
Instructions
- Measure and add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk or sift together.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, melted butter, honey, eggs, and milk.
- Stir the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together, just until moistened. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan and bate at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cover the pan loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent over-browning.
- Serve with butter and a drizzle of honey.
HealthyFoodSecret says
THANK YOU SO MUCH WE LOVE THEM!!!!!!
Gert says
Instructions?? - Steps 3, 4, 5 are a repeat of step 2.
mindymoser says
Thank you! I fixed the instructions.
Angel says
Is it milk or buttermilk? The ingredients list says milk but, in your instructions up top you say buttermilk, thanks!! I too love a good moist sweet cornbread!!
Ami says
Love this recipe. My 5 yrd old calls it (not the jiffy) cornbread. lol. It is a little sweet. For beans & chili. I use 1/4 cup sugar for those nights.. turns out perfectly every time... did I say how much I love this recipe, because I do!!!! thanks so much
Jes says
@Angel, regular milk works perfect ♥️
Nailah says
I'm sorry stupid question here. Is it all purpose flour.
mindymoser says
It's not a stupid question 🙂 I used all purpose flour.
Baby powder says
Hi can I use less sugar I really dn*t care for sweet cornbread I want bread not cake
mindymoser says
I haven't tried, but I'm sure you can 🙂
Ellie says
I don’t like sweet cornbread. How do I make it “not sweet”?
mindymoser says
I would try adding less sugar.
Tiffani says
Have you made muffins with this batter? I'm wondering how that would affect the cooking time.
mindymoser says
I haven't tried this recipe with muffins. I'm guessing the baking time would be around 20 minutes? Let me know if you try it!
Tiffani says
20 minutes was perfect. It made 30 muffins.
mindymoser says
Awesome! I'll have to try that. Thank you!
Christie says
Tried this with coconut oil instead of veg oil, and added 2 tsp vanilla (i put vanilla in everything) and they were delish! Also did muffins, made 24 nice full muffins, could have done more with 3/4 full cups 🙂 20 mins was great, thank you for the perfect cornbread recipe!
mindymoser says
I'll have to try adding vanilla! Sounds delicious 🙂
Sarah says
This was, by far, the best recipe I’ve found!! I did a smaller batch, because it’s just me, and I baked it in my cast iron skillet. OMG!! So good!!
mindymoser says
That is such a great idea! I'm going to have to try and make it in my cast iron skillet!
Ami says
Love this recipe. My 5 yrd old calls it (not the jiffy) cornbread. lol. It is a little sweet. For beans & chili. I use 1/4 cup sugar for those nights.. turns out perfectly every time... did I say how much I love this recipe, because I do!!!! thanks so much
Jenae says
Amazing! I used half applesauce and half oil. Baked it in my cast iron skillet and it turned out so delicious!!
mindymoser says
Yay! I'll have to try making them with applesauce!
Lynn says
I’ve been making this exact recipe for many years, it’s outstanding if you prefer a moist sweet cornbread. It’s a family favorite as I’ve given the recipe to everyone in my family. FYI, it works perfectly using skim milk making it light and fluffy - my favorite. Also, I always use orange blossom honey.
Recently made regular size muffins and little mini muffins that can be popped right into your mouth. I froze them for an upcoming RV trip and will serve with Roast Beef Soup.
mindymoser says
I love it! I need to try this recipe as muffins! Thanks for the tip 🙂
Rosie says
I’m making them right now! Muffins and pan! Will let you know how it goes! I like my cornbread a little sweet!
mindymoser says
Yay! I still need to try them in a muffin pan. Let me know how you liked them.
Dee says
Milk or buttermilk?
mindymoser says
I've only used milk, but I'm sure you could use buttermilk too!
Lorraine says
I just made this tonight for my husband and he loved the cornbread😊
Mindy says
Yay! I’m so glad he liked it! My husband makes it at his fire station all the time!
Dani says
This has become a family favorite thanks very much
Kelly says
Wow just made this to go with my Chilli. It is so good!!! Very moist! Thank you for the recipe!!
mindymoser says
You're welcome!
Carrie Paulk says
This is the best cornbread. Very moist and fluffy. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Mindy says
You’re so welcome 😊
Amira says
Hi! Does anyone know if you can substitute coconut oil instead of vegetable or canola?
Mindy says
I haven't tried this recipe with coconut oil, but I don't see any reason why it wouldnt work!
Robin says
Goofy DH doesn't like sweet cornbread, so I reduced sugar to 2/3 cup. Still a little sweet, but not too much for him. I baked in greased muffin cups. Fantastic recipe, definitely the one I am keeping! No more searching for the perfect cornbread recipe, this is it.
Mindy says
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you were able to make it work for you 🙂
Brenda says
Great recipe! I yielded 24 full sized muffins with a 1/4 cup measure. I was kind of curious when the batter seemed so loose, but it makes a nice, fluffy muffin, which is great because I don’t like the heaviness of standard cornbread. 20 minutes was spot on too. Super cute in the Halloween muffin liners to go with my Chili for guests. Will absolutely make these again, maybe with corn and jalapeños. Thank you!
Mindy says
I'm so glad you liked them!
Marsha says
Hi! I don’t have regular cornmeal on hand but have, ‘self-rising corn meal mix’.
Looking at the ingredients of it, it appears to have all the dry ingredients except the sugar. (Which is a must for us!)
I was wondering if you could suggest how much I should use?
Thank you!!
Mindy says
I'm not sure, I haven't used it before. Let me know how it turns out!
Amanda says
If I don’t have honey can I use agave syrup instead? Can’t wait to try this recipe!!!
Mindy says
I haven't tried, but I'm sure it would work!
Mary says
Looks awesome, can’t wait to make for my work Friendsgiving! I recently tried cornbread with corn kernels in it. Have you ever tried that with this recipe? Considering including but curious what you think. Thanks so much!
Mindy says
I haven't tried it, but that sounds amazing! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Sheila says
Made this last night, it’s was awesome!
Mindy says
Yay! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Sue says
it is true... the best cornbread I have ever tasted. my guests were very impressed. thank you
Mindy says
I'm glad you liked it!
Suzy Stidham says
Do you store the cornbread on the counter (room temperature) or in the fridge? I'm going to make them the day before Thanksgiving 🙂
Mindy says
You can do either. I actually like it cold, so I keep it in the refrigerator. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Samantha says
I am currently making for Thanksgiving tomorrow and my melted butter has solidified in the wet mixture. Is this normal? Do I need to start again? Hope you can respond!
Mindy says
Sometimes that can happen if the wet ingredients are really cold. Just make sure to mix it up as much as possible and you should be fine!
Stanyel says
Should I cover the muffins with foil also? If so how long?
Mindy says
The muffins don’t need foil because they bake faster 🙂
Sallie says
Would almond milk work as a substitute for regular milk? Thanks!!
Mindy says
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t;)
April says
Have you ever added cream corn to the recipe?
Mindy says
I haven't, but I'm going to have to try now 🙂
Shirley Calzada says
I have tried many, many recipes for cornbread over the years, generally with much disappointment, and never found one that was moist and sweet enough for my taste - until now!! From now on this is the only recipe I will use. Thank you!!
Mindy says
It's my favorite recipe! I'm glad you liked it 🙂
David A Rankin says
Worst corn bread I've ever had, no flavor and greasy as can be....
Kathy Michaels says
Great recipe. I baked it in a 10 inch cast iron pan, that was buttered well. Came out of pan perfectly. Thank you. Recipe definitely a keeper.
Sarah says
This was fantastic! Thank you!
Kathy says
I’ve made this several times now. It is perfect just as it is! I gets lots of compliments and many requests for the recipe. Thank you!
Kathy says
This is by far the best corn bread recipe I've ever tried! My family likes their corn bread moist and sweet...they loved it! Next time I make your recipe I'll be cutting it in half to make muffins...it makes a lot! Thanks.
Mindy says
I love making muffins with this recipe. I'm glad you liked it!
Caroline says
Can you use self raising flour
Mindy says
I'm not sure, I have only used All-Purpose.
Susie S. says
I just made a half recipe with cream corn added and muffins and they came out so good! I hate how dry typical cornbread so this one was so delicious! I used a whole can of cream corn and was worried it wouldn’t cook well. It took about 35 mins to cook but we’ll worth the wait.
Sharon Donovan says
I made beef stew today and wanted cornbread too. The recipe I usually make I did not have the main ingredient. Went to faithful Pinterest, typed in sweet cornbread. I saw this recipe and sounded good. I made and it is wonderful. I will recommend this recipe. One thing different, is I put in 1/3 C. of coconut oil and 1/3 C. of vegetable oil. Thank you, this is a keeper.
Gina says
If I make this a couple days ahead should I put in refrigerator or freezer?
Mindy says
It should be fine in the refrigerator 😊
MaNasseh says
I made the sweet honey cornbread muffins, my family loves them.
Dee says
Due to dietary restrictions, I used water instead of milk. Everyone loves it.
Sheila ~:} says
Are you sure it takes 3 cups of flour? I had to check my grandma’s old recipe, and it’s almost exactly like yours but didn’t nearly use as much flour.
Mindy says
Yes, I’m sure 😊
Nola Basler says
Ok I’ve baked and ate a ton of cornbread these are amazing!!! This is the first time
I’ve given my opinion so that tells you how amazing they r never gonna loose this recipe THANKYOU for sharing Nola
Kat says
Hi Mindy, would I be able to cut this recipe in half to make in an 8x8 baking dish? Are there any adjustments you would recommend I make in the measurements for this? Thanks!
Mindy says
Yes! I do it all the time. Just divide all of the ingredient amounts in half, then check for it to be done starting at 30 minutes 😊
Suzanne says
I love this bread. Do you know if it would work using All-purpose Gluten Free flour?
Mindy says
I haven't tried it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work 🙂
Lori says
Made this last night and followed the directions. Not sure what I did wrong. Cornbread came out like a cake and it raised up in the middle area. It was so dry that I had to throw it al away.
Samantha says
This cornbread it the bomb! I don’t find it too sweet like others have said, it’s perfect for rib night!
Erika says
I make this recipe ALL THE TIME!! My family loves when we make muffins with it and it makes 24!!
Glenna says
From this day forward, this will be my "go to" cornbread recipe. So delicious and love that it doesn't crumble!
Mindy says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Stacia says
Can I split this recipe and half and will.it turn out okay?
Mindy says
I haven't tried, but I think it would turn out ok if made in an 8x8 baking dish.