Crisp, perfectly crunchy, easy to make and absolutely irresistible, this Hot Water Cornbread, very different from these delicious Corn Muffins , this Corn Spoonbread, Southern Cornbread or Mexican Cornbread in texture, is the best and easiest way to have cornbread on your dining room table in mere minutes! Serve with my Collard Greens recipe or my Mustard Greens recipe for a true down home Southern meal!
If you grew up around tables in the South, you are very familiar with hot water cornbread. It was a mainstay bread dish accompanied by Southern Collard Greens recipe, butter, syrup, hot sauce and fried chicken gizzards. Because of its few ingredients, it became a staple that was low cost and quick to make for busy country families.
What is Hot Water Cornbread?
If you love traditional cornbreads like my Mexican Cornbread or Corn Muffins, the texture, time commitment and ingredients are quite different. To make Hot Water Cornbread, you only need the following ingredients:
- Cornmeal (I prefer yellow from Martha White or even Quaker Oats for a brand)
- Sugar
- Salt
- Boiling Water
That’s literally it!
How to Make Hot Water Cornbread
All of the ingredients are tossed into a bowl and combined. You can really adapt this recipe to fit your needs and preferences for consistency. I give some leeway for the amount of water you add because it comes down to your preference. I like my hot water cornbread mixture to be thick but a bit looser than some recipes I’ve tried in the past.
I add about a cup and a half and then mix until well combined. Next I check the consistency and add a bit more water until it is well mixed and easier to spoon out into the oil for frying. You really can gage it to make it the way you love it.
I think about 2 tablespoons of batter per hot water cornbread is enough as far as size however you can vary this depending on your preference.
I fry them in vegetable or canola oil or any neutral oil heated to about 375 degrees. I would not suggest anything like a strong olive oil since too much of that flavor will take away from the cornbread. You want to fry each side until golden brown which doesn’t take more than about 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and enjoy! It is really that easy.
Do you make it how I make it differently? How do you serve your Hot Water Cornbread? Do you serve with butter or syrup or along with greens? What is your favorite way to eat them?
Also if you love these, you will also love trying these Corn Fritters made with fresh corn.
The BEST Southern Hot Water Cornbread Recipe
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt can go up more if you want more for taste
- 1 2/3-2 cups boiling water
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Add cornmeal, sugar and boiling water to a medium sized bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add oil to 10 inch cast iron skillet and heat over medium high heat until temperature reaches 375.
- Drop 2 tablespoons of batter into oil and fry on both sides until golden brown then drain.
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I love you recipes thank you for sharing
Love that recipe for a hot water cornbread so I’m going to go and buy some corn meal
I see it comes as flour or coarse . I imagine the coarse is the one to buy right?
Looking forward to that excellent pot roast recipe as well. What a combination!!
Thank you so much…you brought sunshine into a cloudy day.
My grandmother would make hot water cornbread with honey instead of sugar, she would also add a little hot oil to the mixer of cornmeal and hot water before she put her love and finger imprint back into the iron skillet.
Very well done. These are just like the ones my grandmother, mother and aunt use to make. To stick with family tradition I used bacon fat instead of cooking oil (more natural). Thanks for putting it out there
This is just like my grandmother would make! I use this same mixture and add things like corn (and a little more sugar) for corn fritters. I’ve also used this for fried green tomatoes ( add a teaspoon of Tony’s creole seasoning).
Bettye Goff
Says
April 28,2020 at 9:45 pm
I was raised in southern Ar. I LOVE Old-Fashion Hot-Water Cornbread my Auntee was the Queen of fried bread she taught all of us how to fry hot water cornbread her corn pones would have finger imprints…OMG the best we never ate it with butter & syrup always beans, peas w/okra and greens all varieties…BON APPETIT
I grew up on hot water cornbread in northern Louisiana. We didn’t add sugar to the recipe; nor was it eaten with syrup or butter. The recipe was simply self-rising cornmeal (white or yellow) and hot water. It was the “must have” bread when serving field peas, black eye peas, crowder peas, and greens.
I grew up in south Louisiana and dont much care for cornbread period! I had never had hotwater cornbread until I visited friends in Grambling, La. I loved it.
Can you give ratios, please?
I screwed up and added flour and had to fry in olive oil as it was was all I had.
Still tasted great!
Love hot water cornbread! Even though I’m a Southerner, this was new to me. I added finely diced onion and jalapeno peppers to the basic recipe. So good with chili or plain chili spiced beans.