This Quick and Easy Honey Cornbread is homemade from scratch and is the best sweet and moist treat or side dish to add to any spread. It’s made in a cast-iron skillet with buttermilk and drizzled in warm butter.
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You can enjoy cornbread in both the sweet and savory forms. A lot of Southerners argue that true Southern cornbread is not sweet. I agree, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dabble in a totally separate recipe! And that’s what I’ve done here.
How to Make Honey Cornbread
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Pour half of the melted butter throughout the cast iron skillet pan. Reserve 1/2 of the butter for the cornbread mix.
- Add the cornmeal mix, salt, and sweetener to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Next add in the eggs, remaining butter, buttermilk, and honey. Stir to combine.
- Be sure not to over mix the batter.
- Pour the mixture into the cast iron skillet, reserving about an inch from the top.
- Bake.
When Do You Add the Honey
The honey gets added when all of the wet ingredients are added. So simple!
Can You Use Jiffy?
Sure, but then it wouldn’t be homemade cornbread. You can follow the instructions on the package and add honey to it.
Can You Make Them into Muffins
Yes, I love to use these silicone muffin liners. Muffins will need to bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown on 400 degrees.
To air fry muffins, air fryer on 330 degrees for 11-15 minutes
What Kind of Cornmeal to Use
Self-rising cornmeal is used in this recipe because it is already mixed with self-rising all-purpose flour (which produces AMAZING cornbread). I recommend you purchase your own, it’s available here on Amazon.
You can make your own by combining 2 cups of cornmeal, 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. You can read more about How to Make Self Rising Cornmeal here.
Do You Have to Use a Cast Iron Skillet?
It depends on what kind of taste you are going for. If you want cornread with a crispy crust, use a cast iron, especially if you plan to bake it. A cast iron will also cook the cornbread more evenly. But you can still use this recipe without a cast iron. You can use an 8×8 baking dish/cake pan.
You can also bake it in the air fryer. See the recipe card for instructions.
How to Store It
I store leftover cornbread in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Freezer Tips
To freeze the cornbread, wrap it in foil or in plastic wrap for 2-3 months.
What to Pair With it
Classic Butter Beans Recipe
Southern Collard Greens
Southern Cabbage
Southern Green Beans
Oven Baked Roasted Corn
Sweet Potato Beef Chili
Classic Butter Beans Recipe
More Cornbread and Biscuit Recipes
Homemade Southern Style Cornbread
Air Fryer Cornbread
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Keto Low Carb Cornbread
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Homemade Blueberry Cornbread
Cornbread Muffins
Pumpkin Cornbread
Cornbread Casserole
Sweet Potato Cornbread
More Southern Soul Food Recipes
Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes
Southern Soul Food Baked Mac and Cheese
Southern Mustard Greens
Okra and Tomatoes
Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Southern Baked Ham With Pineapple
Get a full listing of Soul Food Thanksgiving Recipes here.
Quick and Easy Honey Cornbread
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sweetener or sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Instructions
Oven Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- You can use a cast iron wedge pan or 10 inch cast iron skillet for this recipe. Pour half of the melted butter throughout the cast iron skillet pan. Reserve 1/2 of the butter for the cornbread mix. If you would like cornbread with a really crispy crust, place the skillet on the stove on medium heat while you mix the batter in the steps below. Adding the batter to a hot skillet will produce really crispy cornbread.
- Add the cornmeal mix, salt, and sweetener to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Next add in the eggs, remaining butter, buttermilk, and honey. Stir to combine.
- Be sure not to over mix the batter. Over-mixing will lead to large cracks in the crust and a lot of crumble. Only mix well enough to combine the ingredients.
- Pour the mixture into the cast iron skillet, reserving about an inch from the top. There is enough batter to prepare 2 batches using the cast iron wedge pan. Don’t over fill, the cornbread will rise. Reserve leftover batter.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and return clean.
- I like to cool the cornbread completely prior to slicing and let it cool for at least 20 minutes.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Follow the instructions above for the batter.
- Place silicone baking molds in the air fryer. Pour the batter into each of the silicone muffin molds. Fill each mold 3/4ths full. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to cook in batches.
- Cook the cornbread muffins for 11-15 minutes on 330 degrees. Mine were ready at 11 minutes. Test if the cornbread has finished by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin and ensure the toothpick returns clean.
Notes
- You can make your own buttermilk using 1 1/2 cups of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon. Read more about How to Make Buttermilk here.
- You can make your own self rising cornmeal by combining 2 cups of cornmeal, 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. You can read more about How to Make Self Rising Cornmeal here.
Malika J.
Tuesday 25th of January 2022
Last night I baked homemade cornbread for the first time! I was raised on Jiffy lol. I was pleasantly surprised how simple this was! I love this recipe, I thought about going with your Keto recipe, but your recipe cards showed this was lower in calories. I subbed the sugar for Lakanto and you still get the hint of sweetness. Next time I may add a tad more to make it a little sweeter, but SO good.
staysnatched
Thursday 27th of January 2022
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Danielle
Monday 3rd of January 2022
This is soooo delish! And fast and easy! When I make it I get a lot of compliments. I love how she always adds alternatives.
staysnatched
Monday 3rd of January 2022
I'm glad to hear that!
Kailyn Johnson
Tuesday 8th of June 2021
I used the jiffy mix and added honey for easy cornbread muffins. The tips were extremely helpful and answered all possible questions.
Allison
Tuesday 27th of April 2021
Thank you!!! My first time making cornbread was a success! Yummy and buttery. This recipe was definitely easy to follow!
staysnatched
Thursday 29th of April 2021
I'm so glad to hear it!
Amanda B
Friday 1st of January 2021
After watching the endless insta videos of her pulling out perfect cornbread I decided it was time to try for myself. It was my first time using my brand new lodge cast iron skillet (which I also got since Brandi suggested it) and it did wonders. Giving it 5 stars because the recipe itself was written perfectly, the only thing that I would change (which is my own doing, not Brandi's) is next time I will add a full cup of sugar instead of half a cup. In her original cornbread recipe she lists this as a tip, adjusting sugar based on your sweetness preference. I totally forgot and only added the half cup but with my sweet tooth I'll adjust for next time. The texture was perfect, it came out of the cast iron skillet perfectly, and when you use a self rising mix the way Brandi suggests this recipe is actually so simple to make. Now I just need to make her white chicken chili to go with the cornbread!!
staysnatched
Saturday 2nd of January 2021
Thanks for sharing! That's a great tip. If you want really sweet cornbread you will need to use more than I do. So glad you got the pan!