Cornbread Without Buttermilk
Published Oct 13, 2023
Updated Mar 03, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Cornbread Without Buttermilk recipe is easy and only requires one bowl. It is moist, buttery, crispy around the edges, and just a delight to enjoy by itself or with some honey drizzled on top.
Forget the store-bought boxed cornbread mix. This cornbread from scratch without buttermilk is the real deal! You only need 8 ingredients and 30 minutes to make this easy recipe.
If you love tasty homemade baked goods, also check out our 3 Ingredient Biscuits, Zucchini Muffins With Applesauce, Perfect Plain Cake, and Vanilla Pound Cake.
I love corn in every form. My love for corn is right up there with my love for plantains and coconut. That’s why Koki Corn, which is like some savory form of cornbread never lasts long in my house.
I often have huge plans for making cornbread and freezing for the future but my plans never come to fruition.
Because once there is cornbread at home, I won’t rest until it is all gone! I just can’t resist that flavor of corn in a baked good!
Table of Contents
- Easy Cornbread Recipe Without Buttermilk
- Different Kinds of Fat For Cornbread
- Ingredients For Cornbread
- How To Make Cornbread Without Buttermilk
- Cornbread Without Buttermilk Variations
- Cornbread Recipe FAQs
- What Goes Good With Cornbread?
- More Thanksgiving Recipes
- More Homemade Bread Recipes
- Cornbread Without Buttermilk Recipe
Easy Cornbread Recipe Without Buttermilk
Can you make cornbread without buttermilk? The answer is a resounding yes! This recipe works because sometimes buttermilk can be hard to come by.
Without buttermilk, you can still make perfectly moist homemade cornbread. Just use a combination of whole milk, baking powder, and melted butter.
You’ll get really tasty cornbread with the right texture, you won’t miss the buttermilk.
You’ll love this cornbread recipe because you only need one bowl for the batter and it is not too sweet, which makes it perfect for drizzling some good honey or maple syrup on top.
Please don’t be shy with the honey.
Different Kinds of Fat For Cornbread
I tried a couple of batches of cornbread with different kinds of fat before settling on this version, which is sufficiently buttery. Here is what I experienced when I used different kinds of fat:
- Cornbread with oil: I tried cornbread with oil, and it was less than satisfactory. It lacked the flavor and richness that butter brings to baked goods.
- Cornbread with melted butter: The first time I tried cornbread with melted butter, I didn’t like it. Maybe I used more butter than needed because it was greasy and had an off-taste. I retried using the right quantity of melted butter, and I totally loved it!
- Cornbread with softened butter: This is another great way to make cornbread. Soften the butter at room temperature, then cream it together with the sugar before adding the other ingredients. The butter melts further into the cornbread as it bakes, yielding a really good buttery flavor.
This recipe has been updated with a better ratio of ingredients yielding moister cornbread.
This cornbread can be baked in a cast iron skillet or an 8 by 8 inch baking dish.
Ingredients For Cornbread
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make tasty cornbread without buttermilk:
- Cornmeal: Use fine yellow cornmeal as it gives a yellow hue to the cornbread which is really attractive.
- Flour: Regular all-purpose flour will work.
- Sugar: Granulated or cane sugar would work.
- Baking powder: Makes the cornbread rise creating a less dense cake.
- Salt: Enhances flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Whole milk: Regular milk provides moisture and flavor. You could also use evaporated milk but please avoid low-fat milk as it doesn’t add as much moisture.
- Eggs: Add moisture and richness. Essential for binding the cornbread so it doesn’t fall apart.
- Melted butter: Adds moisture and flavor. Brown the butter for an even deeper flavor.
For the full list of ingredients with measurements, check out the recipe card below.
How To Make Cornbread Without Buttermilk
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients then to the well add the milk, eggs, and butter. Whisk to form a batter. It’s okay if there are still lumps.
- Pour the batter into a buttered baking dish and bake. Bake at 350 degrees Celcius (180 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cornbread comes out clean.
Be careful not to overbake cornbread as it dries out quickly. Once it is fully cooked, pull it out of the oven for a moister cornbread.
To add more flavor and enjoy a moist cornbread, add 2 tablespoons of salted butter to the top of the cornbread as soon as it is done baking. The butter will melt and seep into the cake creating more moisture and flavor.
Cornbread Without Buttermilk Variations
Here are variations you could try with your cornbread:
- Blueberry Cornbread: Add some blueberries to the batter to make blueberry cornbread. My kids love this version.
- Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread: Add some diced jalapenos and shredded cheese to the batter to make Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread. My Hispanic friend loves this version.
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Add mashed sweet potatoes to the batter to make Sweet Potato Cornbread.
- Corny Cornbread: Add fresh corn kernels or creamed corn for more texture and corn flavor.
Also, check out these recipes for Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting and My Favorite Ambrosia Salad.
Cornbread Recipe FAQs
You can substitute buttermilk by combining whole milk and lemon juice. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to make one cup. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and you’ll have a cup of buttermilk substitute. Scale the recipe as needed.
Or use this cornbread without buttermilk recipe and you won’t have to make a buttermilk substitute. Milk and baking powder are sufficient for excellent cornbread.
Both buttermilk and milk could work in cornbread, depending on the ratio of other ingredients in the recipe.
You can but it will take away from the richness milk brings to cornbread resulting in drier cornbread. Getting milk to use in cornbread is important. Consider substituting milk with evaporated milk or half and half.
What Goes Good With Cornbread?
This delicious cornbread can be eaten by itself, or it can be paired with the following recipes:
Our favorite way to enjoy cornbread is warm with some butter smeared on top and some honey drizzled on top. So good!
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Love this recipe for Cornbread Without Buttermilk? Also, save these recipes to add to your Thanksgiving table:
More Homemade Bread Recipes
If you make this recipe please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!
Cornbread Without Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C). Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet or an 8 by 8 square baking dish with oil or butter.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients: Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. To the well add the milk, eggs and melted butter. Whisk the dry and wet ingredients together to combine. Don't overmix and lumps are okay.
- Pour into pan and bake: Pour the batter into the greased pan and level the top using a spatula. Place in the preheated oven to bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Start checking around 18 minutes. Be careful not to overbake so it doesn't turn out dry.
- Add butter to top: As soon as the cornbread comes out of the oven, top with more butter (about 2 tablespoons) then let the butter melt and seep into the cornbread.
- Slice and share: Enjoy warm. Wrap and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to a month.
I come from a long line of cornbread addicts. This is just the perfect recipe!!
Just a hint of sweetness, nice moist consistency, and perfect to accompany my green beans, potatoes and ham. My father who grew up on my southern KY/ northern TN. Grandmother’s corn bread, said this is the best tasting, perfect cornbread. Putting the butter on top after baking really amped up the flavor!! ( what doesn’t butter improve, besides my cholesterol!?!)
Oh , did I tell you how SIMPLE this recipe is to execute?? SUPER Simple!! Thank you! This is MY new recipe for cornbread!
Timberly, your comment has made my day! I put so much work into perfecting this cornbread and I’m glad it wasn’t in vain. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how it turned out for you! Hope you have a great day!
This is the best cornbread recipe I have ever tried. Thanks for sharing your recipe
Robert, this made my day. Thank you!
Is this batter put greased and floured pans, or just greased with oil and butter without the flour?
Hi Marilyn, you only need butter or oil to grease the pan.
Good day Ma.
Will love to try out this recipe but i don’t know what kind of milk to use. i am in Cameroon. can i use powder milk or evaporated milk such as peak milk will be good?
Hi Elsie, evaporated milk (Peak milk) will be perfect. You need liquid milk for this recipe. Hope this helps.
Good Day Precious,
I have not tried your cornbread recipe yet, but I’m sure I will. I do believe it will have a buttery rich and slightly sweet flavor. My maternal grandfather was born and raised in the Show Me State and later moved to Wisconsin to own a smaller dairy farm. He tired of growing fields of rocks in Missouri.
He would often make the cornbread while my grandmother prepared the rest of our dinner (supper as we called it.) The next day my grandfather would break up a piece of the cornbread into a glass. Then he’d fill the glass with ice cold whole milk we saved from our milking herd. That IS whole milk. He would let the cornbread and milk sit for a minute or two for the cornbread to absorb milk. Then eat the mixture out of the cup with a spoon. Not quite a dessert, but very good and refreshing.
That’s a great way to eat cornbread! Thanks for sharing, Dennis.
Hello Precious thanks for this recipe.I would like to try it, how do I make or get cornmeal?pls do let me know how its made.
Hi May, cornmeal is ground corn. Depending on where you live, you could purchase already ground corn or you could grind corn to make yours. Hope this helps.
Hello Precious,
I would like to try this corn bread. Can I make the corn meal by just blending white corn to flour and then using it for the cornbread?
Hi Olayinka, yes you could definitely do that.