Southern Cornbread, Without Buttermilk

This Straightforward Cornbread Recipe without Buttermilk is moist, satisfying, and straightforward to cook with plain ingredients. It has the right balance of sweet and savory.

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A house favorite Cornbread Recipe without Buttermilk

Learn how to cook this straightforward from-scratch cornbread without buttermilk. This cornbread is golden brown, slightly sweet, and pairs evenly with your favorite comfort foods. Most of the ingredients in this recipe are already in your pantry.

Instead of using cornbread mix, you can have from-scratch cornbread from scratch in the same amount of time. It’s an straightforward recipe that can be baked in different ways.

Since it uses basic ingredients, you won’t need to worry about finding anything you likely don’t already have on hand. Whether you’re having cornbread with chili or topping it with honey, you’ll have everyone asking for this satisfying cornbread recipe.

Traditional cornbread uses buttermilk but isn’t often an ingredient people have on hand. You can still have a moist cornbread recipe without using it.

The great thing about this particular recipe is that although it is not buttermilk cornbread, it is still straightforward to cook even if it’s your first time.

What you’ll need for this Plain Cornbread Recipe

Dry Ingredients

• All-purpose flour – All-purpose flour is not only straightforward to find, but it leaves you with a moist, fluffy cornbread. You can replace this with various types of flour listed below, but you may need to adjust the recipe.
• Yellow cornmeal – Yellow cornmeal will give you the most flavor. White cornmeal has less flavor overall and will change the overall taste of the cornbread.
• Granulated sugar – Granulated white sugar sweetens the cornbread. We don’t recommend using brown sugar in this recipe.
• Baking powder – we prefer baking powder over baking soda in this recipe. Be sure to use fresh baking powder that isn’t expired for a house favorite results.
• Kosher salt – we specify kosher salt because it measures differently than other salts. A little bit can go a long way.

Wet Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter – we use unsalted butter and add the amount of salt we want separately. It’s a good idea to make this recipe the first time to see the salt flavor and decide if you want to replace it with salted butter the next time.
• Milk – we find that both whole milk and 2% milk both work well
• Vegetable oil – you can also use canola oil or avocado oil
• Large eggs – try to stick with either large or extra-large eggs

What kind of cornmeal to use in a Southern Cornbread Recipe without buttermilk?

Cornmeal is a main ingredient of cornbread so the type you choose will make a difference in the overall flavor. We recommend using yellow cornmeal in this southern cornbread recipe.

Yellow cornmeal has a stronger flavor than white cornmeal whose flavor is a bit milder. White cornmeal is often described as not having as much flavor overall.

How to make Cornbread without Buttermilk

Detailed instructions and measurements to make Cornbread without Buttermilk are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper. By doing so, it’s easier to remove the cornbread after cooking to cut and serve.
3. Melt butter and set it aside to cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
5. In a separate medium bowl, add the wet ingredients: melted butter, milk, oil, and eggs. Mix to combine.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
7. Pour the cornbread batter from the large bowl into the prepared pan.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, removing when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You want the cornbread to have crispy edges, but still be moist on the inside.
9. Allow it to cool 5 minutes before serving. We like to pull it out by the parchment paper and place it on a cutting board for slicing.

Basic Cornbread Recipe Variations

If you’d like to make this sweet cornbread a little more savory, you can substitute some of the unsalted butter with bacon grease or bacon drippings. Don’t go too heavy with the bacon grease because it can become salty.

If you want to add a little something extra to your cornbread batter, you can mix in:

• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• Jalapenos
• Crumbled cooked bacon
• Fresh corn kernels

How to make Cornbread in a cast iron skillet

You can make this sweet cornbread recipe in a cast-iron skillet rather than in a casserole dish. We recommend a 9-inch cast-iron skillet for this.

To turn this into a skillet cornbread recipe, preheat the oven to 375°F. While the oven is preheating, place the skillet inside. Once it’s preheated, remove the hot skillet from the oven and coat with butter.

Pour batter into the skillet and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

How to use this Traditional Cornbread Recipe for corn muffins (Can Cornbread be made in muffin tins?)

If you’d prefer to make this recipe as cornbread muffins rather than in a casserole dish, you can. Divide the cornbread batter into a muffin tin, filling them about 2/3 of the way full.

Place them in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the center of the cornbread muffins comes out clean, they are done.

What should we serve with No Buttermilk Cornbread?

A house favorite thing to serve with cornbread is comfort food where you can soak up the sauce into the cornbread. It makes the well-balanced side dish. Some of our favorites are:

• Beef Stew
• White Chicken Chili
• Pumpkin Chili
• Crockpot Chicken Chili
• Slow Cooker Taco Soup
• Crockpot Mexican Chili

It’s also great by itself with a little drizzle of honey on top or spreading it with some of this Cinnamon butter recipe.

How to store leftover Cornbread

Allow the cornbread to cool completely and place in an airtight container. Leftover cornbread can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The airtight container will help keep the cornbread fresh.

Storing leftover cornbread in the refrigerator will make it last longer, but it may have a little condensation.

Leftover cornbread is also excellent to use in stuffing or dressing for Thanksgiving.

Can you freeze Cornbread?

You can freeze cornbread. It can last up to 3 months in the freezer when stored properly. Store it in a freezer-safe airtight container to keep the cornbread fresh.

To thaw frozen cornbread, place it in the refrigerator overnight.

Kitchen tools to make cornbread

Measuring cups

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Measuring spoons

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Glass mixing bowls

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9×13 baking dish

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Cornbread Recipe (No Buttermilk) FAQs

Can we use wheat flour in this cornbread recipe?

You can use wheat flour, but you cannot replace all of the all-purpose flour with wheat flour. Wheat flour requires more liquid, so we wouldn’t recommend replacing more than 50% of the all-purpose flour.

Keep in mind that using wheat flour may cause your cornbread to not be as moist and will change the flavor slightly.

Can we use baking soda rather than baking powder?

Whenever you want to use baking soda in place of baking powder, you will need to use 1/3 teaspoon baking soda in place of every 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Follow the same principles as the baking powder in terms of using fresh baking soda and making sure it isn’t old or expired.

How to Moisten Dry Cornbread

You can moisten dry cornbread by adding a bit of butter on top while it’s hot. The butter will melt into the cornbread and help moisten it again.

If needed, you can place it back in the oven to warm before adding the butter.

What’s the difference between southern cornbread and regular cornbread?

Southern Cornbread

Southern cornbread is flatter, more savory, denser, and isn’t as sweet. It often has a crusty exterior. The amount of sugar is usually less than in the Northern.

Northern Cornbread

Northern cornbread is the taste and texture of the cake. It’s fluffy and sweet like a traditional cake, but with cornmeal mixed in. It is often referred to as corn cake because of its texture and sweetness.

Prep 5 minutesCook 40 minutesTotal 45 minutesMakes 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup yellow cornmeal
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1¼ cup milk
• ¼ cup oil
• 2 large eggs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper . By doing so, it's easier to remove the cornbread after cooking to cut and serve.
3. Melt butter and set it aside to cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
5. In a separate medium bowl, add the wet ingredients: melted butter, milk, oil, and eggs. Mix to combine.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
7. Pour the cornbread batter from the large bowl into the prepared pan.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, removing when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You want the cornbread to have crispy edges, but still be moist on the inside.
9. Allow it to cool 5 minutes before serving. We like to pull it out by the parchment paper and place it on a cutting board for slicing.