Easy Cornbread

A quick and easy Cornbread recipe which you can make in 30 minutes! This cornbread is perfect as a side dish or even served as a sweet snack.

cornbread in skillet

What is Cornbread?

As an Australian, I didn’t know what cornbread was until one of my trips to the US. In fact, my first taste of cornbread was at a breakfast one day during our honeymoon in Nantucket. That cornbread muffin, served warm with a dollop of butter and honey, remains one of my fondest food memories.

After a few years of living and working in the US, I soon learnt that cornbread was either a cake which you could eat as a dessert (e.g. smothered with jam or honey) or, more commonly, as a side dish to a savoury meal, often a barbecue.

cornbread in skillet with knitted cloth

Why This Recipe Works

  • This cornbread takes a mere 5 minutes to prepare!
  • Bake this cornbread in either a cast-iron skillet or a cake pan, or even as muffins.
  • Cornbread is a quick and easy side dish to make when entertaining.

Cornbread Recipe

This easy cornbread recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks of all time, Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson.

Her recipe is for making cornbread in a cast-iron cornstick pan, if you are lucky enough to own one. Thankfully, you can also make cornbread in a cast-iron skillet, or even in a normal cake pan.

I think there is something very warm and welcoming about bringing a large pan of cornbread (which is essentially cake) to the table for everyone to slice and share.

sliced cornbread in skillet

What to Serve with Cornbread

Cornbread is perfect served alongside so many dishes. My favourites include:

cornbread sliced in white skillet
Print

Easy Cornbread

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 36 reviews

  • Author: Thanh | Eat Little Bird
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 3 to 4
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

A quick and easy Cornbread recipe which you can make in 30 minutes! This cornbread is perfect as a side dish or even served as a sweet snack.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F (without fan).
  2. Grease a cast-iron skillet (26 cm/10.5 inch) with butter or non-stick baking spray. (See Kitchen Notes below for using other pans.)
  3. In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal (or polenta), flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
  4. In a measuring jug, whisk together the milk and egg.
  5. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.
  6. Lightly mix until everything is just combined.
  7. Last, mix through the melted butter.
  8. Pour the mixture into the prepared skillet (or cake pan).
  9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top of the cornbread is lightly golden.
  10. Serve warm, but allow the cornbread to rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving (not crucial, but the cornbread will be very soft if served straight from the oven).

Kitchen Notes

USING A CAKE PAN
Instead of a cast-iron skillet, you could also use a 23 cm/9 inch round cake pan or 20 cm/8 inch square cake pan.

CORNBREAD MUFFINS
This recipe makes 12 muffins which need 12 to 15 minutes to bake in the oven.

RECIPE CREDIT
This recipe is adapted from Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson.

OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.

CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.

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73 comments

  1. Dottie 20 September 2020

    Easy and oh so good. Very moist and not too sweet






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 23 October 2020

      Hi Dottie,
      Thank you for your feedback! So glad you enjoyed this cornbread recipe.

      Reply
  2. Jennifer Mcgrath 17 October 2020

    Love this website!!






    Reply
  3. Jackie 25 November 2020

    Delicious! Will make again.






    Reply
  4. Patricia 25 November 2020

    I made this on the weekend and everyone loved it. I’ll be making it again for sure on Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing your recipe.






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 30 November 2020

      You’re welcome! I hope you and your family had a lovely Thanksgiving.

      Reply
  5. Dianne 27 November 2020

    Decided to make this at the very last minute for Thanksgiving. Success!! Loved the buttery, crumbly texture.






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 30 November 2020

      That’s wonderful to hear! I hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving.

      Reply
  6. Brad 27 November 2020

    Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. Delicious cornbread.






    Reply
  7. Kate 27 November 2020

    This looks like a delicious yet simple recipe. It’s a must-try and will be on our menu very soon. Thanks for sharing it.






    Reply
  8. Kristen 1 December 2020

    Could you add a can of sweet corn kernels to this without altering the consistency?

    Reply
  9. Jad 5 December 2020

    Our family did not like this recipe. The cornbread turned out very dry and the flavor was not what we enjoy unfortunately.






    Reply
  10. Sarah 5 December 2020

    Delicious recipe! The cornbread was tasty and moist. Making it again this weekend for my in-laws.






    Reply
  11. Janie 5 December 2020

    Great recipe, my family loved it.






    Reply
  12. Kathleen 1 January 2021

    Yummy! Happy New Year 2021!






    Reply
  13. Jan 18 February 2021

    200 degrees??

    Reply
  14. Jan 18 February 2021

    200 degrees?

    Reply
  15. Simon 6 August 2021

    I used a 23cm cake pan and ended up with a flat cornbread, didn’t rise what so ever.






    Reply
  16. Jeanne 7 August 2021

    I made this cornbread with your chilli con carne. Both recipes were excellent!






    Reply
  17. Johanna Bruce 16 August 2021

    Delicious!






    Reply
  18. Nicole 26 November 2021

    100% using this recipe again! Thank you. Was perfect! Everyone loved it.






    Reply
  19. M’Lou 1 January 2022

    Even using gluten free flour, this is always my go-to cornbread recipe. It comes out great!

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 6 January 2022

      That’s great to hear that it also works with gluten-free flour!

      Reply
  20. JBD 12 January 2022

    Delicious! If made w/polenta, it’s crunchy… so a matter of preference and mouth feel for polenta vs corn meal. We had zero problems w/dryness, baked in a cast iron skillet, and my entire household LOVED it! ( Me and hubs.) YUMM- this cornbread recipe is now my keeper (plus easy and easy to remember– one cup x,y,z, and one egg, one stick of butter, one TB bpowder, 1/2 tsp salt (a little more is ok), and 4 TB sugar (I used 2 TB bcs am NOT a sweet fan). Thank you!!!






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 30 January 2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed this cornbread recipe! Everyone always loves it when I make it too 🙂

      Reply
  21. Eve 14 April 2022

    Delicious recipe! This cornbread is so good!!






    Reply
  22. Amy 4 May 2022

    Excellent cornbread recipe! The family loved it






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  23. David 10 May 2022

    So simple to loved them I added a can of sweet corn






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  24. Julie 12 May 2022

    Easy and delicious! I’ve made it many times now. Don’t need any other recipe!






    Reply
  25. Lisa Wells 25 May 2022

    Really delicious cornbread! My family fought over the crumbs!






    Reply
  26. Tamara 12 June 2022

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I have done it countless times over the past months and it is now a staple in my kitchen I wouldn’t want to miss. I have changed it slightly by substituting half of the sugar with brown sugar which I think gives it a slightly more interesting flavor. Best regards from Germany






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 27 June 2022

      Hi Tamara,
      I’m so glad you like this recipe! It’s also a staple in our home 🙂 I will definitely have to try with brown sugar – thank you for the suggestion! Herzliche Grüsse 🙂

      Reply
  27. Tracey Saraceni 12 July 2022

    Unbelievable!!
    My husband loved cornbread but I’ve never mastered it…even using my Oma’s recipe.
    This was perfect and he kept going back incl at 2am for a wedge with preserves on it.
    So simple and beautiful texture. Bravo!!!






    Reply
  28. Charlotte 25 October 2022

    My favorite cornbread recipe! So delicious and tender.






    Reply
  29. Jo 7 November 2022

    Please advise/help! I’m in Spain and I get so confused with polenta and cornmeal. I have bought cornflour, which is flour like in texture. It is not the cornflour that the British use to thicken gravy etc, but yellow flour. Can I use this? I understood this to be ‘fine cornmeal’ in American language?? Thanks! (If not, I have regular polenta. These are the only things I can get here.) I want to try it but do not want to waste eggs, butter etc if this is the wrong ‘corn’ ingredient. Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 7 November 2022

      Hi Jo,
      My understanding is that, what Europeans call “polenta” is the same as what Americans call “cornmeal”. So if you are in Spain, I’m guessing that you should be able to find polenta. I recommend using the fine polenta, and also the instant variety, i.e. the type that takes a few minutes to cook and not 30 minutes.

      I’m not sure what type of flour you have bought, but if it is like wheat flour in texture, then it is probably the wrong thing. You need “polenta” for this recipe. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  30. Jo 7 November 2022

    Thanks for replying! I didn’t see your reply and it was too late. :(. Yep. Didn’t work. Extremely dry. I *do* have fine polenta, NOT the quick kind. Will that work? Ugh! I have fine polenta for an American friend’s pastry recipe and that also didn’t work because I needed the flour type stuff – ie maize flour and NOT polenta! Every time it’s the wrong thing because of what Europeans call polenta and what Americans call cornmeal! 🙂 Loved the easiness of your recipe so really hoping it works next time! Thanks.

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 8 November 2022

      Hi Jo,
      Any type of polenta should work in this recipe, including the type which takes longer to cook (because it will cook in the oven with the rest of the ingredients). However, the texture of the cornbread might be a bit different, e.g. it might taste a bit more gritty. The same applies if you use larger grains of polenta.

      But the quality of polenta varies everywhere and, as you can see from the other comments above, almost everyone everywhere has enjoyed this cornbread recipe. Which, to me, means that you can use any type of polenta 🙂

      FYI I only keep fine, instant polenta in my pantry so that I can make polenta quickly for my kids. So this happens to be the polenta I also use for this cornbread recipe, which is why I recommended it.

      Reply
  31. Jessie 8 November 2022

    Easy and so delicious! I will be making this cornbread again for Thanksgiving!






    Reply
  32. Eric 8 November 2022

    This is the only cornbread recipe I use now. Works out perfectly every time and everyone, esp my mom, loves it. Thank you!






    Reply
  33. Mary Fowler 13 November 2022

    I am pleased with this recipe… its the first time I have ever made in the UK 🇬🇧….

    Reply
  34. Elsie S. Stewart 17 November 2022

    I tried this recipe and it’s really good.






    Reply
  35. violet 1 December 2022

    Just wanted to thank you for the lovely recipe. I made it two times in two days in a row lol we all loved it including my hard to impress son. Its easy, quick, not overly sweet and sensible amount of butter.
    thank you

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 2 December 2022

      Hi Violet,
      That’s great that you and your family enjoyed this recipe! It’s a staple in our home 🙂

      Reply
  36. Rey 6 January 2023

    Loved this! Never ever tasted cornbread in my life as it’s not a typical Aussie staple, but I have always been curious since it features a lot as an accompaniment in bbq recipes. It will be a menu regular in our house from now on! I made it with GF flour. Simple and delicious. Thank you:)






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 21 February 2023

      Hi Rey,
      So glad you enjoyed this recipe! I agree that cornbread is not very typical in Australia. I first tried it on a holiday in the US. But great to hear that the recipe worked well with GF flour 🙂

      Reply
  37. Meghan 14 April 2023

    This cornbread is delicious! I love the soft tender texture it has…I think because of the added flour. I saved it, and it will be my new go to for quick, easy, and delicious cornbread. What could be better! Thanks!






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 14 April 2023

      Hi Meghan,
      I’m so glad you enjoyed this cornbread recipe! It’s a favourite in our family 🙂

      Reply
  38. Kmach 6 June 2023

    This will be my go-to cornbread recipe from now on. This tastes fantastic! Love, love, love!






    Reply
  39. Anne Souter 25 August 2023

    This is a fantastic recipe but tastes much better with much less sugar. I use only one tablespoon rather than four.

    Reply
  40. Hetty 18 September 2023

    Excellent cornbread recipe. Thank you! I have made it several times and my family fight for the last piece.






    Reply
  41. Angela 18 September 2023

    Our favorite cornbread recipe by far, and we have tried many.






    Reply
  42. David 20 September 2023

    Fantastic recipe! I will be making this again for Thanksgiving!






    Reply
  43. Andy Randell 25 September 2023

    Excellent Recipe, just had Cornbread, with Baked Bean’s and Bratwurst, for Family Dinner.






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 25 September 2023

      Hi Andy,
      Thanks for your feedback! Your dinner sounds delicious!

      Reply
  44. Peter 28 September 2023

    The best cornbread recipe I have tried!






    Reply
  45. Starann L Queen 7 October 2023

    Thank you for the recipe

    Reply
  46. Velma 30 October 2023

    Cornbread should always be cooked at 375 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes. Then it won’t need to rest because it will be done all the way through. But you should cut it, then turn the pieces over to prevent sweating. Also, yankees make it too darned sweet. You should cut the sugar by half for proper southern cornbread. We do right in the south lol

    Reply
  47. Shelly B 31 January 2024

    I made this corn bread tonight to go with black bean soup. It was absolutely delicious and so simple to make. I will never by Jiffy mix again!! Thank you for sharing.






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 12 February 2024

      Hi Shelly,
      I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe! My family love this cornbread too 😊

      Reply