Easy Homemade Cornbread (Moist, Sweet & Golden)

Jump to Recipe

Easy homemade cornbread is moist, tender and lightly sweet — and it beats any box mix in the same 30 minutes. The secret is a 1-to-1 ratio of cornmeal to flour, which keeps it from turning dry and crumbly, plus oil and milk for a rich crumb. One bowl, no mixer, and a cast iron skillet gives it a crispy golden crust.

The Quick Version

• 1:1 cornmeal to flour keeps it moist, not crumbly.
• Don’t overbake — cornbread dries out fast.
• Cast iron skillet for a crispy golden crust.
• One bowl, no mixer, ready in 30 minutes.

How to make it

1. Heat oven to 400°F (200°C); grease an 8×8 pan or cast iron skillet. Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. Whisk milk, oil and eggs.
3. Stir wet into dry just until combined; pour into the pan.
4. Bake 20–25 minutes until golden and a toothpick is clean. Serve warm with butter.

Foolproof tip: for a crispy crust, preheat the greased skillet in the oven for 5 minutes before adding the batter — it should sizzle as it goes in.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my cornbread dry and crumbly?

Too much cornmeal or overbaking. Use a 1:1 cornmeal-to-flour ratio and pull it the moment a toothpick comes out clean.

Should cornbread be sweet or savory?

Regional — Northern is sweet and cakey, Southern is savory. This one is moderately sweet; drop to 1 tbsp sugar for savory.

How do you get a crispy crust?

Bake in a preheated cast iron skillet — the hot pan crisps the bottom and edges.

More quick breads & muffins

Part of our easy quick bread & muffin recipes. In a sweet mood instead? Try banana muffins or blueberry muffins.

The Home Baking Ideas Kitchen

We are a small, recipe-obsessed team. Every recipe is tested in a real home kitchen with a hand mixer and grocery-store ingredients before it goes live. How we test →