Clean Eating Corn Bread Recipe (2024)

This homemade cornbread recipe makes deliciously moist bread. It’s lightly sweetened with honey – no processed sugar needed! Replace your recipe that calls for processed ingredients and make this healthier bread recipe instead.

If you love cornbread, but you don’t love all the processed sugar that usually comes with it, here’s a delicious recipe for a healthier version that never fails. Serve it with some melted butter, a drizzle of honey, and your favorite bowl of chili for an epic dinner!

In my opinion, this is the best cornbread recipe. It’s an easy cornbread recipe that comes together in minutes without any cornbread mixes and makes a great side dish for so many things. There is no all-purpose flour or processed sugar in it. It doesn’t even have buttermilk in it, which means it’s easy to make this dairy-free or vegan.

Who Invented Cornbread?

It was created by Native American Indians.

“Cornbread is probably one of America’s oldest foods. American Indians learned early on to dry or roast corn and grind it into a meal for making bread, cakes and porridge.”

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What Does Cornbread Taste Like?

Believe it or not, it doesn’t taste much like corn! (Depending on which type you have) Instead, it’s more of a sweet type of bread. It’s a bit grainy which makes it perfect for having with things like stew or chili.

What Is Cornmeal?

Cornmeal is coarsely ground flour made from dried corn. It can be found in many stores the world over as it is used in several different types of cuisines.

The Difference Between Cornbread And Southern Cornbread

The non-southern variety is more crumbly and less sweet, while the southern version is more “cake-like” in texture and sweet as well. It’s often served with butter and honey to make it even sweeter.

What Is The Secret To Moist Cornbread?

Greek yogurt. Yes, you read that right. Plain Greek yogurt will do the trick every time. Thankfully, this recipe already accounts for that! (Though, you can always add a bit more if you wish. You can cut down to a 1/4 cup of milk and use an additional 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt).

What Ingredient Keeps Cornbread From Crumbling?

Egg yolks. If your cornbread crumbles too much, throw in an extra egg yolk or two the next time you make it. (Don’t include the egg white. You just want the yolks)

What Kind Of Baking Pan Should You Use For Cornbread?

A brownie pan will work great for making cornbread. But a casserole dish will do the job as well. You can also use a 9-inch cast iron skillet.

What To Serve With This Cornbread Recipe

Cornbread goes well with any number of dishes, especially chili recipes. In my experience, most recipes served with cornbread typically involve beans. Here are some suggestions:

• Cincinnati Chili
• Turkey Chili
• Texas Cowboy Stew
• Creole Chicken Stew
• Honey butter
• Cheddar cheese
• Soups

Cornbread Recipe Variations

• Add jalapeno peppers to make this spice.
• Mix some cooked bacon pieces into the dough (the bread will last only 3 days this way)
• Add a little extra milk to the batter and fry up some Jonnycakes (like pancakes).
• Add some chopped onions, roll the batter into small balls, and bake them into Hushpuppies. (Great paired with seafood dishes)
• Use a muffin pan and make cornbread muffins.

About The Cornbread Recipe Ingredients

Yellow cornmeal – This can be found at most grocery stores.

Corn flour – This can be a little harder to find. I found it at Whole Foods. It’s basically just cornmeal that has been ground to a finer texture than cornmeal.

Whole wheat pastry flour – If you can’t find this, then White Whole Wheat Flour is the next best thing, and often much easier to find.

Baking soda – Make sure it’s on the fresher side so it does its job properly.

Cream of tartar – Found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.

Salt – I used pink Himalayan salt, but you can use whatever salt you normally cook or bake with.

Honey – You can also use maple syrup, but the finished bread won’t be as sweet.

Plain Greek yogurt – Or regular yogurt. Whichever you prefer. Even dairy-free yogurt will work.

Milk– Any kind will work. Good choices for dairy-free milk are almond milk and oat milk.

Largeeggs – These can be chilled, but work better at room temperature.

Oil – Whatever oil you are comfortable using.

Frozen corn– Optional – no sugar added.

How To Make This Cornbread Recipe

Gather and measure all your ingredients.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large mixing bowl, mix your dry ingredients together with a whisk. Then add in the wet ingredients, including the corn, if you are using it. Don’t over-mix this. Lumps are okay here.

Scrape batter into baking dish and bake for 15 -20 minutes. If you think you need longer than 15 minutes, check it every minute thereafter, or you’ll end up with burnt cornbread. If you like a lighter color on top, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top for the last 5 minutes of baking. It’s done baking when you can poke it with a toothpick or cake tester and it comes out clean.

Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and allow it to fully cool before slicing.

Slice into 15 pieces, and serve it warmed up with some butter and honey.

Storing This Cornbread Recipe

If you have leftover cornbread, wrap this well in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also wrap it in plastic wrap to help keep it from drying out.

Freezing Cornbread

If wrapped well, cornbread will freeze nicely for up to 3 months.

Reheating Cornbread

The easiest way to reheat cornbread is to put it in the microwave for a few seconds. A toaster oven will work, but the top of the cornbread may get a bit too brown.

Recipe Supplies

See Also

Fried Polenta, Avocado, & Poached Egg Breakfast (plus, KALE!) Recipe

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Cornbread Recipe Card

Recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 3/24/10.