Sweet Potato Honey Cornbread Recipe

Dry cornbread has ruined enough dinners. That's exactly this sweet potato honey cornbread will get you right. The sweet potatoes keep the cornbread soft, moist, and packed with flavor without making it overly sweet. I've shared over a thousand recipes online and helped millions of folks get reliable results in their own kitchens. This recipe was tested to be simple and nearly impossible to mess up, even if homemade cornbread hasn't always been your thing.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Southern

Keyword sweet potato cornbread recipe, sweet potato honey cornbread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 18

Total Time 33

Servings servings

Calories 314kcal

Ingredients

2 cups yellow cornmeal
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup brown sugar or sweetener
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sweet potatoes Cooked, mashed (or pureed), and cooled. See notes.
2 eggs
1 ½ cups buttermilk See notes for substitution.
½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter Melted measured solid.
butter to grease the pan

Honey Butter Topping

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the muffin tin with butter or oil.
butter to grease the pan
In a large mixing bowl, add the yellow cornmeal, flour, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir until combined.
2 cups yellow cornmeal, 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup brown sugar or sweetener, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), sweet potatoes, honey, and melted butter until smooth.
2 eggs, 1 ½ cups buttermilk , ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, ½ cup honey, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , 1 ½ cups sweet potatoes
Pour the mixture into the muffin cups (I like to use a cup with a spout for an easy pour), filling each about three-quarters full. (I have also tested filling them to the top and that worked just fine with my muffin tin.) The batter will produce enough muffins with only a small amount remaining and left over.
Be sure not to over-mix the batter. Over-mixing will lead to muffins that are tough and will crumble. Only mix well enough to combine the ingredients.
Bake for 8-9 minutes. Check in on the muffins. If the tops have browned, place a piece of foil over the pan. Don't seal the pan completely. Use the foil to tint the heat from the oven so the tops of the muffins don't overbrown, but the inside continues to bake.
Bake for an additional 7-10 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and return clean. Mine were ready at 17 minutes.
Combine 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of honey. While the muffins are still warm, brush the honey butter over the muffins.
2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Notes

Makes 12-15 muffins.

For silky smooth sweet potatoes, blend them with a hand immersion blender or food processor once they are cooked. This makes the muffins super tender!

You can air fry, bake, or boil your sweet potatoes, whichever fits your schedule. The goal is to get them fork-tender and mashable. I love to air fry mine.

Air frying and baking are the best options for flavor. Air fry at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes until fork tender. To bake them, bake them at 400, for 55-70 minutes or until a fork slides in easily. Let them cool slightly, then peel off the skins and mash until smooth.

My least favorite method is boiling them, but it works! Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into chunks. Add them to a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for 15–20 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain well, then mash until smooth.

Boiling tends to make sweet potatoes absorb more water, which can lead to a thinner, wetter mash. When you mix that into your batter, it can make the muffins too soft, dense, or even a little gummy instead of fluffy and tender.

Whichever method you choose, make sure the sweet potatoes are smooth and cooled slightly before mixing them into the batter. Warm potatoes can melt the butter too soon and change the texture of your muffins.

Use mashed sweet potatoes, not sweet potato pie filling. The pie filling is already sweetened and seasoned.

Measure the sweet potato puree after mashing for the most accurate results.

Don't overmix the batter. Stir just until the ingredients are combined to keep the muffins tender.

A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.

Brush the tops with honey butter while they're still warm for extra flavor and moisture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g