This honey cornbread recipe is unlike any cornbread you’ve ever tried. Packed with nutty, rich brown butter and sweet honey, this tender, moist, almost cake-like recipe is gonna blow away all cornbread competition online. Serve up this honey cornbread with all your chilis, soups, and stews, or bring it to your Thanksgiving table for a fab twist on traditional cornbread. Trust me, it hits every single time!
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“I have several different cornbread recipes I make. But this is my family’s favorite. The honey, browned butter and buttermilk add a lovely depth of flavor to the cornbread.”
—JAN
My honey cornbread is here honey child, and it’s unbelievable. Take it from me, a girl who knows her cornbread like a straight up BOSS! With a corporate working Mississippi bred mama, I grew up on Jiffy cornbread as the quick bread of choice for weeknight dinners and the ultimate Southern cornbread recipe at the Sunday supper dinner table. We learned how to make great cornbread from my Big Mama for reals.
This honey cornbread has more of that cake-like texture with a savory note of brown butter that is beyond delish y’all. I know this is gonna become one your all-time faves so let’s get into it.
The Lowdown on this Honey Cornbread
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern remix
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Can be made gluten-free with an adjustment
Key Flavor: Sweet buttery caramelized cornbread
Skill Level: Easy (No Sweat Fam!)
Easy and Homemade!
You won’t believe how dang on easy it is to make cornbread from scratch y’all! No box needed boos. Plus you just need staple or pantry ingredients to whip up this dream recipe.
Balance of Sweet and Savory Notes
The rich, savory and slightly caramelized browned butter and yellow cornmeal perfectly balances the sweetness from the honey.
So Versatile
Enjoy this honey cornbread as a side dish with savory dishes like chili, barbecue, or southern favorites such as fried chicken. Now that’s some good eatin!
Ingredients you’ll need to make this honey cornbread recipe
- Cornmeal: You can’t make great cornbread without this. I use yellow fine cornmeal for the color and smooth texture.
- Flour: This balances the gritty texture of the cornmeal and adds structure.
- Baking Powder: We get that perfect lift and fluffy consistency from this.
- Sugar: This is gonna sweeten up your cornbread along with the honey.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds a rich tangy flavor and additional moisture.
- Honey: For more sweetness plus a unique twist, we getting down with this.
- Butter: We browning it up and adding a great nutty flavor.
- Eggs: Eggs give that steady structure and the egg yolks add richness.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract adds aromatic notes and makes this cornbread taste almost like cake. And it’s bomb y’all!
- Oil: We gotta make this cornbread moist boos and nothing does it better than this!
How To Make Honey Cornbread
What to Serve with Sweet Cornbread with Honey
- Southern Veggies and Sides: Combine it with other faves like these collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, or hoppin john.
- Bowl of Beans: This cornbread recipe with honey is a hit with a bowl of pinto beans, black-eyed peas, or red beans and rice.
- Mains to Try: Serve with delish main dishes like Mississippi pot roast, fried chicken, chicken fried steak, or fried pork chops.
- Spread It On: A drizzle of maple syrup and honey or a spread of honey butter, apple butter, or any other spread you love can really set this off.
- Perfect with Chili and Soups: Try this cornbread with honey with my Southern chili, white chicken chili or a bowl of homemade tomato soup.
Recipe Substitutions
- Butter: If you don’t have salted, unsalted butter is cool boos. Just toss some salt into the batter as well. And remember, if you run out of time, you don’t have to brown the butter. You can melt in the microwave and use instead.
- Sugar: Use brown sugar as a substitute here for a hint of molasses. Delish!
- Honey: You can replace honey with maple syrup or agave nectar.
- Buttermilk: None lying around? Make your own. Just add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of regular milk, let it sit for about 10 minutes until it curdles and use in place of the buttermilk.
- Oil: Just make sure you use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil here.
- Shortening: You can also use bacon grease like the Southern OGs use or lard here. And in a pinch, more oil will work. Just don’t use butter since it burns faster.
They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“Best Cornbread I’ve Had In A Very Long Time…. Great And Very Easy Recipe To Follow….”
—WILL
Recipe Additions and Variations
- Honey Jalapeno Cornbread: Stir some diced fresh or jarred jalapenos right into the batter before baking. Delish boos!
- Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Cornbread: Give the ultimate Fall vibes. Add some pumpkin puree or mashed sweet potato into the batter to make a moist and delicious pumpkin cornbread or sweet potato cornbread.
- Cheesy It Up: Stir some shredded Monterey Jack, pepper jack or cheddar cheese into the batter before you bake it up. That’s some good eatin boos!
- Gluten-Free: Swap the regular all-purpose flour for your fave gluten-free flour blend. Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free but may be processed in facilities that also process flour which can cause cross-contamination. Just triple check your package.
Expert Tips and Tricks for the Best Homemade Honey Cornbread
- Add Honey Without It Sticking: Spray the measuring cup with a coating of non-stick spray before adding the honey. It will slide right on out leaving less cleanup for you boos.
- Perfect Crispy Edges: Heat that skillet with oil first! In my family, we use bacon grease but you can use lard or shortening. Just add to your cast iron skillet then place in the hot oven and allow it to get hot before pouring in the cornbread mixture. The cornbread mixture will cook right away when it hits the heated pan and hot oil creating a crisp exterior.
- Keep An Eye On Your Butter: Browning butter can go from golden to burnt in just minutes so keep an eye on it. Don’t go wandering off while you cook it.
- Keep It Fine: Cornmeal comes in different grains from coarse to fine. Any will work for this honey cornbread recipe but I prefer fine cornmeal so the texture is smoother. Coarse cornmeal will create a crunchier, gritty texture instead.
- Don’t Overmix: As soon as those ingredients are just combined, stop mixing. Overmixing will create a super tough and dense cornbread y’all.
- Chill Out: Give that honey cornbread recipe a little time to rest. About 10 minutes will allow the bread to set up and be cut much easier.
How to Store & Reheat
- Make sure you cool the cornbread with honey completely before storing it. Place the cornbread in a well-sealed container or resealable bag in a single layer. Line the bottom of the container or bag with a piece of paper towel and place another paper towel on top.
- It’s all good at room temp or you can reheat a slice for a few seconds in the microwave or wrap it in foil and heat in a 350° F oven for a few minutes until heated through.
How long will this honey cornbread recipe last?
Your honey cornbread recipe should last up to three days when stored properly and kept at room temperature. If you pop in the fridge, it will last up to 5 days.
Can I freeze honey cornbread?
You sure can boos! Store the same way and freeze. Make sure you label with the date. It should last up to three months. Thaw it out in the fridge overnight and serve or reheat if ya want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep, you sure can boos! Use a muffin pan with liners and fill up each opening about two-thirds full. Decrease the baking time to 15-18 minutes, and they will be so good y’all.
I prefer using a finer grain of cornmeal for a more delicate texture. But you can also use a coarse grain if you want. It’s your world. Do you boos!
The good ole’ trusty toothpick trick works every time boos. Just insert right in the center, and if it comes out clean, it’s all good.
Yep you sure can boos. It can be kept at room temperature for a couple of days. Just warm if you want a heated slice and serve it up.
Next time you’re whipping up cornbread for dinner, y’all gotta give my honey cornbread a try! It’s got addictive rich, nutty vibes from the browned butter and a sweet kick from honey. I serve it up all the time because it works with any and every dish I serve it with. It’s beyond satisfying and absolutely the bomb y’all.
More Cornbread Recipes
- Cornbread Dressing
- Hot Water Cornbread
- Fried Cornbread
- Corn Muffin Recipe
- Sweet Potato Cornbread
- Mexican Cornbread
- Corn Pone
- Corn Spoonbread
Honey Cornbread
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup salted butter 1/2 stick
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup corn meal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½-⅓ cup honey This comes down to preference- add less or more depending on how sweet you like your cornbread!
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
- Shortening
- Cast Iron Skillet
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
- In a saute’ pan, melt butter over medium heat and wait until butter begins to brown. Be careful not to burn. Remove from heat and cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, corn meal, baking powder and sugar until well mixed. In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together buttermilk, honey, eggs, vanilla extract, oil, and cooled browned butter.
- Slowly add wet mixture to dry mixture and mix together until well combined.
- Coat cast iron skillet with shortening until fully covered. Place cast iron skillet in preheated oven for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove cast iron skillet from oven and add cornbread mixture to skillet. Place back in oven for 22-25 minutes until cornbread is done. Remove from oven and serve. Happy Baking!
Video
Notes
How to Store & Reheat
- Make sure to cool the cornbread with honey completely before storing it. Place the cornbread in a well-sealed container or resealable bag in a single layer. Line the bottom of the container or bag with a piece of paper towel and place another paper towel on top.
- It’s all good at room temp or you can reheat a slice for a few seconds in the microwave or wrap it in foil and heat in a 350° F oven for a few minutes until heated through.
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How tasty is this cornbread?! We made this for a family bbQ this weekend and it was a huge hit. Saving it to make it again.
You certainly can’t go wrong with honey in your cornbread. Nice and sweet, perfect with a bowl of potato soup. Thanks for the great recipe!
I have several different cornbread recipes I make. But this is my family’s favorite. The honey, browned butter and buttermilk add a lovely depth of flavor to the cornbread.
Thanks so much, Doll!!