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If you love your cornbread sweet, soft, and cake-like, this Sweet Cornbread is the one to make. It bakes up fluffy with golden edges and a tender crumb that slices clean — no dry, crumbly squares here.
What makes it so reliable is the mix of sugar + honey for layered sweetness, plus oil and butter for lasting moisture and buttery flavor. It’s made completely from scratch, comes together in one bowl, and is perfect served warm with a pat of butter — or my Whipped Honey melting right into every bite.
If you’re looking for an even richer, honey-forward version, try my Honey Butter Cornbread. Need a shortcut? My Bisquick Cornbread is extra beginner-friendly. And for that restaurant-style vibe, my Cracker Barrel Cornbread copycat hits the sweet muffin-like flavor.
✨ Before You Begin
✨ This is intentionally sweet. If you prefer the savory, crumbly skillet-style version, you’ll want my Southern Cornbread instead. This recipe is softer, fluffier, and cake-like.
✨ Don’t overmix the batter. A few small lumps are perfectly fine. Overmixing develops gluten and makes cornbread dense instead of tender.
✨ Use a metal pan if possible. Metal gives you those golden edges and a slightly crisp bottom. Glass works, but it won’t brown quite as deeply.
✨ Let it cool slightly before slicing. The crumb finishes setting as it rests, which helps it slice cleanly instead of crumbling.
Moist Sweet Cornbread Ingredients + Key Notes
- Cornmeal: Yellow cornmeal is a must when making cornbread.
- Flour: All-purpose white flour
- Sugar: White granulated for sweetness
- Baking powder: the perfect leavening agent to make a fluffy cake.
- Salt: Kosher or sea salt
- Vegetable oil: any unflavored oil will add moisture to the cake.
- Butter: Unsalted butter gives the bread a light texture.
- Honey: good quality honey; see my notes below.
- Eggs: Large
- Milk: Whole milk to create more moisture in the cake.
🥣 How To Make Sweet Cornbread
Prep the pan. Grease an 8×8 baking dish and preheat the oven to 350°F (177ºC).
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the wet ingredients. Stir in oil, melted butter, honey, eggs, milk, and vanilla just until combined — don’t overmix.
Bake. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 42–45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
What to Serve With Sweet Cornbread
Cozy Chili Nights
Sweet cornbread and chili are a classic pairing. Serve it alongside Texas Chili for bold, hearty flavor, or try it with Pioneer Woman Chili for a cozy, crowd-pleasing dinner.
Creamy Comfort Soups
This tender, cake-like cornbread is especially good with Crack Chicken Noodle Soup — the creamy broth and sweet crumb are a perfect match.
Southern Comfort Mains
Round out the table with Smothered Chicken or Crockpot Chicken and Gravy for a true comfort-food spread.
Storing + Reheating + Freezing + Make-Ahead Tips
Storing
- Store leftover sweet cornbread tightly covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. If refrigerating, let it come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Reheating
- Warm individual slices in the microwave for 10–15 seconds, or wrap loosely in foil and heat in a 300°F oven for 8–10 minutes. Gentle reheating keeps the crumb soft and moist.
Freezing
- Wrap slices individually in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and warm slightly before serving.
Make-Ahead
- This cornbread can be baked a day in advance. Once cooled completely, cover tightly. For best results, warm briefly before serving to refresh the texture.
✦ Frequently Asked Questions
✦ Is this traditional Southern cornbread?
No. Traditional Southern cornbread is typically savory and more crumbly. This version is intentionally sweeter, softer, and more cake-like.
✦ Why is this cornbread so moist?
The combination of oil, butter, honey, and whole milk keeps the crumb tender and prevents it from drying out.
✦ Can I reduce the sugar?
You can reduce the sugar slightly, but keep in mind that sweetness is part of this recipe’s identity. Reducing too much will change the texture and flavor balance.
✦ Can I bake this in a cast iron skillet?
Yes. Preheat the skillet in the oven, grease it well, then pour in the batter. Bake as directed and watch for slightly faster browning.
✦ Why does my cornbread crumble?
Overbaking or overmixing can dry out the crumb. Also make sure to measure flour correctly — too much flour will make it dry.
More Southern Side Dishes You’ll Love
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Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! 💗 Kathleen
Sweet Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Arrange the oven shelf to the lower third of the oven. Preheat to 350ºF (177ºC). Generously butter, (or use bacon grease) or spray with nonstick cooking spray an 8x8 baking pan; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal (1/2 cup), flour (1 1/2 cups), sugar (2/3 cup), baking powder (1 tablespoon), and salt (1/2 teaspoon).
- Add the oil (1/3 cup), melted butter (3 tablespoons), honey (1/4 cup), eggs (2 large), milk (1 1/4 cups), and vanilla extract (1 1/2 teaspoon) to the cornmeal/flour mixture. Whisk until combined. There will still be lumps in the batter and that's just as it should be. Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven. Bake for about 42-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Notes
- This is intentionally sweet. If you prefer the savory, crumbly skillet-style version, you’ll want my Southern Cornbread instead. This recipe is softer, fluffier, and cake-like.
- Don’t overmix the batter. A few small lumps are perfectly fine. Overmixing develops gluten and makes cornbread dense instead of tender.
- Use a metal pan if possible. Metal gives you those golden edges and a slightly crisp bottom. Glass works, but it won’t brown quite as deeply.
- Let it cool slightly before slicing. The crumb finishes setting as it rests, which helps it slice cleanly instead of crumbling.
I left out the honey and it still turned out sweet and delicious!
Yaaay! That’s amazing, Liz! Thanks for the 5 star rating and positive feedback 🙂
We partnered this with chili! I think I have to make an extra batch next time, my fam devoured this cornbread
Yaay! They are so perfect together, right? I agree, you have to double batch this. LOL. Thanks for the positive feedback and rating 🙂