Easy Buttermilk Cornbread (No Sugar)

This is the perfect side to all of those soups, stews, and chilis that we crave all winter long! Plus it's perfect for Crockpot Cornbread Dressing!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

Quick and easy! This classic buttermilk cornbread recipe has a few simple ingredients and is done in 30 minutes. Since it's not sweetened it works beautifully as an ingredient in other savory dishes.

🧾 Ingredients

• You can omit the bacon drippings if you'd like and just use an extra tablespoon of melted butter.
• I use white cornmeal - I think it tastes better and it's more traditional in the south. If you'd like to use yellow cornmeal go right ahead!

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

1. Blend the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and bacon drippings in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt together in another bowl.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
4. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes.

💭 Tips

Expert Tip: Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry finish up quickly. When baking soda gets wet it begins to "work" and if you wait too long to bake the cornbread batter it won't rise well.

• Mix buttermilk cornbread by hand - there's no need for a mixer and you won't overwork the batter and make it tough.
• Leave a few lumps in the batter - it doesn't have to be perfectly smooth.
• Cornmeal should be stored in the freezer if you don't go through a lot of it quickly. It gets rancid and tastes weird plus it gets bugs after too long in the pantry.
• If you'd like to make your cornbread in an iron skillet preheat the oven with the bacon drippings in the skillet and let it get really hot. When you're ready to bake carefully remove the hot skillet and spoon the batter in - then return to the oven. The bottom and sides will cook immediately when they hit the skillet and you'll have a crispy crust.
• This is one of those things that is best the day it's made. Eat it or store it in the freezer. Leftovers can be used for dressings and other dishes.

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📖 Recipe

4.6 from 5 votes

Classic Buttermilk Cornbread

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Buttermilk cornbread has a few simple ingredients and is done in less than 30 minutes. Classic southern style - no sugar! And, you can't beat a warm square of this covered in melted butter with honey dripping down the sides!

Course Bread,Side

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings:12

Calories:172

Author:Marye Audet-White

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Equipment Needed

• ▢
  Iron Skillet
• ▢
  9x9-inch baking dish

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 ½ cups cornmeal
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 egg, beaten
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
• ▢ ⅓ cup butter, melted
• ▢ 1 tablespoon bacon drippings

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
• In another bowl, beat the egg and buttermilk until combined, then mix in the melted butter and bacon drippings.
• Quickly stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
• Spoon the batter into a greased 9x9-inch square baking dish, smoothing the top.
• Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Expert Tip: Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry finish up quickly. When baking soda gets wet it begins to "work" and if you wait too long to bake the batter it won't rise well.

• Mix cornbread by hand - there's no need for a mixer and you won't overwork the batter and make it tough.
• If you're using baking powder and sweet milk you can let the batter rest for 5 minutes or so before baking.
• Cornmeal should be stored in the freezer if you don't go through a lot of it quickly. It gets rancid and tastes weird plus it gets bugs after too long in the pantry.
• If you'd like to make your cornbread in an iron skillet preheat the oven with the bacon drippings in the skillet and let it get really hot. When you're ready to bake carefully remove the hot skillet and spoon the batter in - then return to the oven. The bottom and sides will cook immediately when they hit the skillet and you'll have a crispy crust.
• Cornbread is one of those things that is best the day it's made. Eat it or store it in the freezer. Leftovers can be used for dressings and other dishes.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 219IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

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