The Ultimate Southern Hot Water Cornbread Recipe

Crisp, perfectly crunchy, easy to make and absolutely irresistible, this Hot Water Cornbread, very different from these delicious Corn Muffins , this 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 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?

The BEST Southern Hot Water Cornbread Recipe

Crisp, perfectly crunchy, easy to make and absolutely irresistible, this Hot Water Cornbread, very different from these delicious corn muffins or Mexican cornbread in texture, is the best and easiest way to have cornbread on your dining room table in mere minutes.

4.36 from 17 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Bread

Cuisine: soul food, south, Southern

Keyword: bread, bread recipe, cornbread

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 157kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams of Grandbaby Cakes

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.

Notes

Note: 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. 

Nutrition

Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

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