Homemade Cornbread Mix
Cornbread Mix is quick and easy to make and keep in the pantry for a time-saving shortcut! With just FOUR simple ingredients, it avoids the artificial additives often found in store-bought mixes. Use it to effortlessly whip up a pan of delicious cornbread, or in a variety of other recipes that call for cornbread mix!
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If you've been hanging around these parts for any length of time at all, you already know how much I adore and rely on homemade pantry mixes. From Taco Seasoning to Chili Seasoning...from Pancake Mix to Cake Mix...there's just something satisfying about keeping wholesome, shortcut, from-scratch mixes on hand. And my collection certainly would not be complete without this Cornbread Mix!
Why Make Homemade Mixes?
Homemade mixes are quick and easy to whip up on the front end. And that small time investment is returned in spades when you're making dinner on a busy weeknight and you're saved from pulling out and measuring a bunch of extra ingredients!
Homemade mixes are also a great way to save money. Store-bought mixes can be expensive, particularly when you can replicate them at home yourself for pennies on the dollar.
And finally, who wouldn't prefer to control their own ingredients, thereby avoiding the artificial additives and preservatives found in many mixes from the store?
At the end of the day, I'd choose this Cornbread Mix made from real, simple ingredients every time! Because who doesn't want to save time, save money, and eat better?
And have I mentioned that the resulting cornbread also happens to turn out tender and delicious?!?!
Ingredients
Would you believe you can make your own from-scratch Cornbread Mix recipe with just FOUR simple ingredients???
- Yellow cornmeal. I prefer using a fine-ground cornmeal in my cornbread, although a medium-grind will also work if you enjoy a heartier texture. I've even used half fine and half medium (if I happen to have both on hand) for light, tender cornbread with a bit of texture. However, I would not recommend using coarse-ground cornmeal unless you're okay with an almost crunchy texture.
- Flour. All-purpose white flour is standard in most Cornbread Mix recipes. But for years now, I've used whole wheat pastry flour instead. The "pastry" part is important, as whole wheat pastry flour is 100% whole wheat but with a more delicate taste and texture (akin to that of white flour) than regular whole wheat flour. It's my favorite ingredient to make my baking more wholesome, and it's the flour used for the photos in this post.
- Baking powder. Make sure it's fresh! After being opened for six months to a year, baking powder can start to lose its potency. So when you use baking powder in a homemade mix, you particularly want to be sure it's fresh since the mix is intended to be stored for awhile in your pantry.
- Salt. I like to use fine sea salt.
And then -- once your mix is ready -- it only takes a few additional ingredients to turn it into piping hot, homemade cornbread!
For one pan or skillet of cornbread, you'll need 2 cups of Cornbread Mix plus...
- Buttermilk. If you don't have any buttermilk in the fridge, it's ridiculously easy to make your own. Simply measure a tablespoon of lemon juice (or white vinegar) into the bottom of a glass measuring cup. Fill the cup to the 1-cup line with milk, stir, and allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. During this time, the milk will thicken and curdle into buttermilk. And while I love making cornbread with buttermilk, you may also use regular whole or 2% milk (or even unsweetened almond milk) in this recipe if that's your preference.
- Egg. Lightly beaten.
- Unsalted butter. Melted and cooled. Butter lends richness and flavor to cornbread. You could certainly make it with oil instead, but I happen to believe that butter makes it better. 😉
- Honey. Use as much or as little as you'd like, depending on how sweet or savory you prefer your cornbread.
And as an aside, it works best if all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Otherwise, the cold buttermilk and egg can cause the melted butter to re-solidify into little chunks in your batter.
How to Make Cornbread Mix
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
It's super simple, y'all.
- Measure the ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until very well-combined.
That's it!
Transfer your Cornbread Mix into an airtight container or jar (or even a big plastic zip-top bag) and then label it...because you don't want to forget what it is later. Ask me how I know. 😉
Cornbread Mix Labels
If you scroll down below, past the recipe card at the bottom of this post and above the comment section, there is actually a free printable label that you can affix to your container of Cornbread Mix.
There's also a second label for the back of the container that gives instructions for how to use your mix to make a pan of cornbread...just like you'd find on a bag of store-bought mix!
Yield
This Cornbread Mix recipe makes enough for four batches of cornbread.
One batch of cornbread can be an 8-inch pan/skillet or 12 muffins.
How to Make Cornbread
So you've got your mix ready to go! Now how do you use it to make cornbread?
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Put a tablespoon of butter (or even bacon grease!) in the bottom of an 8-inch cast iron skillet (or a comparable baking dish). Pop it in the oven to melt.
- Measure 2 cups of Cornbread Mix into a large bowl. Stir in buttermilk, an egg, melted butter, and your desired amount of honey.
- Using a pot holder, remove the (very!) hot skillet from the oven (be careful!).
- Pour the cornbread batter into the center of the skillet, allowing the melted butter to spread to the edges.
- Smooth the surface and bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool skillet for 5 minutes before slicing and serving the cornbread warm. Or you can let it cool completely and enjoy it at room temperature.
Gluten-Free Option
I have successfully made this Cornbread Mix recipe gluten-free by swapping out the flour for a gluten-free baking flour blend. I also make sure that my cornmeal is gluten-free.
However, gluten-free cornbread sometimes doesn't rise quite as well as regular cornbread. So I've also learned to increase the baking powder just a touch (meaning I let it slightly heap in the measuring scoop rather than leveling it flat).
How Sweet Do You Like It?
I didn't include sugar in this Cornbread Mix so that you have the ability to decide how sweet it ends up. Some people like really sweet, almost cake-like cornbread, while others enjoy their cornbread sans any sweetener. Your preferred level of sweetness may also depend on how you're planning to use or enjoy a particular batch of cornbread.
So with this mix, you can dictate the degree of sweetness by adding a little more or a little less honey when you stir up your cornbread batter. I usually stick with ¼ cup honey and find that to produce lightly sweet cornbread, which is just the way my family likes it.
Cornbread Mix Uses
Homemade Cornbread Mix is a handy-dandy pantry staple that I think you'll use all the time!
Sure, you can use it whip up a pan or skillet of cornbread to accompany chili, soups, and stews.
But you can also bake it up as muffins or use it to top casseroles!
I even allow it to rendezvous with my waffle iron every now and then! Beef stew over cornbread waffles is scrumptious. 🙂
To Make One Batch
If you would like to test this recipe (to ensure that you enjoy the cornbread before making a quadruple-batch of Cornbread Mix), a single batch of dry ingredients would call for:
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
The above will yield one batch of mix, or enough for one pan of cornbread.
Simply whisk these ingredients together in a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients listed in the recipe card (under TO MAKE A PAN OF CORNBREAD), and follow the directions where it says TO USE CORNBREAD MIX.
Storing Cornbread Mix
Homemade Cornbread Mix should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
To determine how long your Cornbread Mix will keep, look at the expiration dates of the individual ingredients you use (AKA, the cornmeal, flour, and baking powder).
Baking powder typically has the shortest shelf life of the above ingredients. Since it should be used within 6 months of opening, that's a good general rule for how long your Cornbread Mix will last. If the canister of baking powder you use isn't fresh, adjust your Cornbread Mix expiration date accordingly.
Basically, if I keep a jar of Cornbread Mix in the pantry through soup and chili season, I try to use it up by the time I stop making soup. I wouldn't expect my cornbread to fully rise if I made a batch with leftover mix the following year. 😉
Seriously, folks, if you're not on the homemade pantry mixes bandwagon yet, hop on!!!
It only takes a matter of minutes to throw together enough Cornbread Mix to have handy for multiple future meals...which saves you time down the road on busy weeknights.
And as an added bonus, the resulting cornbread tastes way better than the kind that comes from packaged mix. Plus the ingredients are better for you!
It really is the kind of recipe that just keeps on giving. 🙂
Ideas for Enjoying Cornbread Mix
- Mexican Beef & Cornbread Bake
- Bacon Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread
- Ultimate Cornbread Casserole
- 3 Bean Chili
- Award Winning Texas Chili
Homemade Cornbread Mix
Video
Ingredients
FOR CORNBREAD MIX:
- 4 cups cornmeal, fine or medium grind
- 4 cups flour, all-purpose white flour, whole wheat pastry flour, OR a combination of the two
- ¼ cup baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
TO MAKE A PAN OF CORNBREAD:
- 2 cups Homemade Cornbread Mix
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 egg, whisked
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted and cooled
- ¼ cup honey, more or less, depending on desired sweetness
- Additional tablespoon of butter, or bacon grease, if baking in skillet
Instructions
TO MAKE CORNBREAD MIX:
- In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients until very well-combined. Store in a labeled, airtight container.
TO USE CORNBREAD MIX:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a tablespoon of butter (or bacon grease) in the bottom of an 8-inch cast iron skillet* and place in the oven to melt.
- Measure 2 cups of Cornbread Mix into a large bowl. Stir in the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and desired amount of honey. Using a pot holder, remove hot skillet from the oven. Pour cornbread batter into center of skillet, allowing melted butter to spread to the edges. Smooth the top and bake for 20 minutes, or until surface is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool skillet for 5 minutes before slicing and serving cornbread warm.
Notes
- Instead of a cast iron skillet, you may bake this cornbread in an 8-inch round pan or in 12 muffin cups (for muffins, reduce the bake time to about 15 minutes). If making muffins, generously grease the pan/muffin cups with butter spray with nonstick cooking spray, or line with muffin liners (in lieu of preheating in the oven with melted butter).
- You may use regular all-purpose white flour in this recipe, or whole wheat pastry flour, or a combination of the two.
- If you don't have buttermilk on hand, make your own by putting a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into the bottom of a glass measuring cup. Fill the cup to the 1-cup line with milk, stir, and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, after which the milk will have thickened and curdled like buttermilk.
- Leftover cornbread will keep, completely cooled and tightly covered, at room temperature for a day or two and in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Homemade Cornbread Mix should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. It will keep for three to six months (depending on the expiration date of the baking powder that you used to make it).
- NUTRITION CALCULATIONS are for one serving from one pan of cornbread (made as directed, with one pan of cornbread yielding 12 servings).
Nutrition
Click below to download & print Cornbread Mix labels!
Originally published February 11, 2014, and updated on January 20, 2022.
How long can I store the mix in an air tight container? Does the mix need to be refridgerated?
Hi Patricia! Homemade Cornbread Mix should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, ideally in a cool, dry place. It does not need to be refrigerated. It will keep for up to six months if made with fresh baking powder. Hope that helps! 🙂
This sounds wonderful. For buttermilk substitute use 1/4 cop plain unflavored unsweetened yogurt and combine with milk. Great taste n moisture to the bread!!
I was really hoping to find a cornbread mix recipe like the Martha White brand cornbread mixes that are "just add water" and don't require egg and milk. These are available at Walmart, or at least when they stock their shelves.
Hi Bill! I can totally understand the convenience of that! It would be hard to make a cornbread mix like that from scratch without the use of dry milk and dehydrated egg. This recipe is all-natural, so it does require a few more ingredients. 🙂
Why in the world would you go to the trouble of looking up a recipe for a pre made mix that has the directions on the side?....then complain about it.