Southern Cornbread

Southern Cornbread Recipe – a family recipe passed down for generations. THE BEST! Great with chili and soups. We also use this cornbread in our Southern Cornbread Dressing at the holidays. Self-rising cornmeal, flour, eggs, and buttermilk. SO easy to make and tastes great!

Post Updated 10/20/2019

skillet of cornbread

Remember this recipe.

Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!

Pin This Recipe

The Best Cornbread Recipe

It is finally feeling like Fall here in The Ham – I hope it stays this way! We decided to cook chili and cornbread for dinner last night. This cornbread recipe is the recipe that my Mom uses. I’ve eaten this cornbread my whole life. It is simple and super delicious. A wonderful crispy crust and super tender cornbread on the inside, My Mom uses this cornbread in her dressing/stuffing (best ever) for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

slice of cornbread on a spatula

How to Make Southern Cornbread From Scratch

This cornbread is super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Start by putting some oil in a small cast-iron skillet. Place the skillet in the oven and then preheat the oven. In a large bowl, whisk together self-rising cornmeal mix and flour. Stir the eggs, and buttermilk into the dry ingredients. Stir the mixture just until combined. When the oven has preheated, remove the skillet and pour the batter into the hot skillet. Place the skillet back in the oven and bake.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you can make this cornbread in a square baking dish or in a 9-inch cake pan. Sometimes I make the cornbread in a cast-iron cornbread stick pan. You can also use a muffin pan.
  • I used White Lily Buttermilk White Corn Meal Mix. If you can’t find White Lily, any self-rising cornmeal will work.
  • Please note that this recipe does NOT use Jiffy Mix.
  • For extra flavor, use bacon grease instead of vegetable oil.
  • Is Southern Cornbread sweet? No. There is no sugar in southern cornbread.
  • How Long with Cornbread Last? This cornbread will keep 1 to 3 days in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap.
  • You can store the cornbread in the refrigerator, but it isn’t necessary.
  • I always make my cornbread a couple of days in advance when I am making dressing for the holidays.
  • To make homemade buttermilk, use a ratio of 1 cup milk to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir the milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes. It will start to curdle when it is ready to use.
slice of cornbread on a spatula

What Goes With Cornbread?

We make this easy cornbread all the time. It is a great side dish for just about everything! Soups, stews, chiligrilled chicken, and pork. We especially love this with some pinto beans or our favorite Slow Cooker Ham and White Beans. Comfort food at its best!

Looking for more recipes to go with this easy side dish?  Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the website that go great with this Southern Cornbread:

Slow Cooker Steak Soup

Slow Cooker Steak Soup – sirloin roast, beef broth, onion soup mix, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and egg noodles. Cooks…

skillet of cornbread

Southern Cornbread

Yield: 6 people
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Southern Cornbread Recipe – a family recipe passed down for generations. THE BEST! Great with chili and soups. We also use this cornbread in our Southern Cornbread Dressing at the holidays. Self-rising cornmeal, flour, eggs, and buttermilk. SO easy to make and tastes great!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup self-rising cornmeal
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • cups buttermilk
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil

Instructions:

  • Pour oil into a 9-inch iron skillet. Place skillet in oven. Heat oven to 425ºF with skillet inside.
  • Combine the remaining ingredients. The batter should be the consistency of waffle batter. Add more buttermilk if necessary.
  • Once the oven is preheated, remove skillet and pour in the batter. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes:

  • If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you can make this cornbread in a square baking dish or in a 9-inch cake pan. Sometimes I make the cornbread in a cast-iron cornbread stick pan. You can also use a muffin pan.
  • I used White Lily Buttermilk White Corn Meal Mix. If you can’t find White Lily, any self-rising cornmeal will work.
  • Please note that this recipe does NOT use Jiffy Mix.
  • How Long with Cornbread Last? This cornbread will keep 1 to 3 days in an airtight container. I usually put the cornbread in a ziplock bag and store it on the counter.
  • You can refrigerate the cornbread, but it isn’t necessary.
  • I always make my cornbread a couple of days in advance when I am making dressing for the holidays.
  • To make homemade buttermilk, use the ratio 1 cup milk to 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir the milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes. It will start to curdle when it is ready to use.

Steph

Remember this recipe.

Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!

Pin This Recipe
cornbread in cast iron skillet
slice of cornbread on spatula
skillet of cornbread

Categories:

Tags:

You Might Also Like

See All Bread

English Muffin Bread

English Muffin Bread Recipe – easy homemade bread recipe! No kneading! Simply mix the ingredients together and bake.  Flour, honey, yeast,…

Bisquick Sausage Muffins

Bisquick Sausage Muffins Recipe – start your day with a savory delight! Sausage, swiss cheese, Bisquick, egg, milk, herbs, and…

Honey Wheat Bread

Homemade Honey Wheat Bread Recipe – with its natural sweetness from honey and the heartiness of whole wheat flour, it’s…

Comments

  1. I love you! This recipe is the closest I can find to my mother’s and because she didn’t use recipes I struggle with the ratios because I can no longer call her to verify

  2. I’ve made this cornbread 3x now and it’s turned out perfect every time. It reminds me of my mothers. I love it. Thanks so much.

  3. Here it is! St Patrick’s Day. We always have corned beef, cabbage and potatoes and to sop up the delicious juices we always have white cornbread from a cast iron skillet handed down generations. This recipe is SO close to what the family serves that it’s amazing. Any leftovers become corned beef hash and split and toasted cornbread wedges topped with butter and honey. I’m happy to see a self rising white meal bread here rather than the cake like yellow variety.

    1. To make one cup of self-rising cornmeal, mix 1 cup cornmeal, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a bowl.

  4. 1Tbl oil?? I’ve always used at least 1/4- 1/2 cup. But I use 1 1/2 -2 cups corn meal mix and about 1/4 cup flour. Depending on the size of skillet I use.

  5. Oh thank goodness! I just put this together and stuck it in the oven and was reading the posts thinking I had messed up using All Purpose flour. Glad to see it's what you use too!. Lately can't seem to make a good cornbread so keeping my fingers crossed.

  6. Stephanie, The recipe said 1 cup self rising cornmeal and 1/2 cup of flour. Should it be 1 cup of cornmeal and a 1/2 cup of self rising flour?

    1. Nope. I used self-rising cornmeal and regular flour. You can use Buttermilk Cornbread mix by Martha White or White Lily.

  7. We don't have selfraising cornmeal in my country i live in. ( the Netherlands, Europe ) Can i use regular with adding some bakingpowder and salt myself? I know it's many years after you put this recipe on, but i got recent my first slowcooker and found the recipe of your chili for the slowcooker and you had a link to this cornbread attached to it. That's why my late reaction. And i appologize for any language mistakes i may have made, but english's not my speaking language. That's Dutch. Thanks in advance for answering. Will you send your answer by mail? m.boersma59@gmail.com. Thank you very much.

  8. Hey!!! I hope you'll see this comment since it's way after the original post date but I was just wondering what brand of self rising cornmeal you use? I'm here in Birmingham too (at the risk of sounding like a lunatic I swear if I ever met you I would probably act like you were a celebrity because to me you are!!) so I am sure I can get the kind you use. I am getting married in March and this is my first Thanksgiving where I'm preparing the whole meal at our house…I although his family loves me I still want to impress them, so of course I'm using as many of your recipes as possible because I follow your blog (obviously ????) and everything I've ever made of yours my fiancé just RAVES about! And since the dressing is my favorite thing as well I've made the executive decision to use yours this year! I am not sure if you can post what brand you use so if you can't my email address is bmixon@jefcoed.com

    Thank you so much!!!

  9. I use self rising in both corn meal,and flour. I always heat my case Iron skillet before I pour my batter in to it. I would oil my skillet then heat it on the stove. I have made my corn bread on top of the stove when my oven quiet working in the middle of baking. It was still just as good.

    1. Do you have a metal pan? I've made muffins in a metal muffin pan before. I've never made it in a glass pan. I think the glass pan could shatter with the hot oil and cold batter.

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating