Southern Living Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe

24 Cornbread Recipes That Go With Everything

From the Classic to the Creative

Cornbread is a staple in the South. Here are all-star recipes, including hot and spicy versions, muffins, fried cornbread, classic buttermilk cornbread, hush puppies, and more.

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Cream-style corn, chile peppers, and shredded cheese help to make this a moist and delicious Tex-Mex cornbread, perfect to serve with beans, a bowl of chili, or a hearty soup or stew. A cast-iron skillet makes the best crust, but a heavy baking pan can be used as well.
The Spruce / Diana Rattray

This Tennessee Southern corn light bread isn't low in calories or fat, but the texture is lighter than a typical Southern cornbread. It's an old-fashioned regional favorite.
The Spruce

This basic cornbread is an excellent choice if you're looking for a classic Southern buttermilk cornbread to serve with beans, greens, or a big bowl of chili. Or make a pan to use for stuffing.
The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Use a little sugar in these pumpkin corn muffins or cut back to make a less sweet muffin to go with chili or beans. The pumpkin in the mixture makes them moist and tasty.

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The Spruce / Diana Rattray

This fabulous cornbread is sweetened with a little maple syrup, in the batter, and in the glaze. Bacon makes it perfect for breakfast, but this maple and bacon cornbread would also be nice to serve with beans.
The Spruce

Cornbread with cream-style corn gives this delicious treat a wonderful moisture and texture along with the natural sweetness of the corn.
The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Stoneground cornmeal and coarser grits or polenta are added to the batter for this delicious and rich southern spoonbread with polenta or grits recipe. Beaten egg whites give this spoonbread a light, souffle-like appearance right out of the oven.
The Spruce Eats / Jennifer Perillo

Cornbread pudding is both a corn pudding and spoon bread, so it's sure to please. The recipe balances out the two favorite Southern side dishes, resulting in a dish that's neither too heavy nor too light. Perfect for holiday dinners or an average weeknight, it's almost effortless to make, too.

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The Spruce / Leah Maroney

Now those enjoying a low-carb lifestyle can partake of keto cornbread with this recipe. It's made with almond and coconut flours and, while delicious on its own, it can be the springboard for stuffing during the holidays.
The Spruce

This moist broccoli cornbread can be made with a Jiffy corn muffin mix and is the perfect snack for a tailgating event.
The Spruce Eats / Pete Scherer

Cheesy zucchini bread is a flavorful cornbread that's perfect for breakfast or dinner. It's made with zucchini, sharp cheddar cheese, garlic, and rosemary.
Diana Rattray

Cornbread cooked in the Instant Pot is surprisingly tasty and has a wonderful firm texture. This version is a typical Southern cornbread, made with little or no sugar and some optional add-ins.

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The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Corn kernels give this moist buttery buttermilk cornbread with corn kernels extra texture and flavor.
The Spruce / Diana Rattray

These golden cheese cornbread muffins are moist and cheesy. Serve the muffins with beans or chili.
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

These moist sour cream cornbread muffins are lightly sweetened with honey. The sour cream and butter give them fabulous texture and flavor.
The Spruce / Diana Rattray

This easy everyday cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to beans, chili, and greens. It also makes a great cornbread for cornbread dressing.

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The Spruce / Diana Rattray

This honey-buttermilk cornbread is moist and flavorful. And the honey helps it brown nicely.
The Spruce

To sweeten or not to sweeten. A Southern-style cornbread is usually made without any sweetener, but some people do choose to sweeten their cornbread.
The Spruce

This moist buttermilk Mexican cornbread with cream style corn and peppers has a fabulous texture and flavor and a popular variation of everyone's favorite Southern cornbread.
The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Mashed butternut squash adds moisture and flavor to this delicious butternut squash cornbread.

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The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Maple syrup and bacon team up in these cornbread muffins. These maple and bacon cornbread muffins are a great breakfast muffin or serve them with beans or chili.
The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Flo's easy Mexican cornbread is filled with shredded cheddar cheese and mild chile peppers.
The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Hush puppies are crisp-fried cornmeal fritters traditionally served with fried catfish. These beer batter hush puppies would be great with beans and greens as well.
The Spruce

These Johnnycakes are delicious rounds of fried cornbread.