This easy homemade Honey Cornbread recipe is sweet and moist from the honey with a salted butter top for balance. This side dish is great for Thanksgiving or a BBQ!

Click HERE to save recipe to Pinterest
I’m a big fan of cornbread. Always have been. When I was little and my dad would bring Boston Market home for dinner, I always went for the cornbread first.
Making it at home is super easy. It only takes about five minutes to prep and 25 minutes to bake so it’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner or BBQ but also perfect as a Thanksgiving side dish.
Serve this Honey Cornbread alongside traditional herb stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

INGREDIENTS
- FLOUR – All purpose white flour.
- CORNMEAL – You need cornmeal for cornbread.
- BAKING POWDER – For rise.
- BAKING SODA – Again, for rise.
- SALT – For balance.
- EGGS – Two large eggs.
- BUTTERMILK – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can add one tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup, and add enough milk until it measures 1 cup. Stir, and let sit for five minutes before using.
- UNSALTED BUTTER – You’ll use unsalted butter in the batter.
- HONEY – No sugar, just honey in this bread for sweetness.
- VANILLA EXTRACT – I know it’s pricey, but try to use real vanilla extract and not imitation.
- SOUR CREAM – Sour cream keeps the cornbread moist. You can sub Greek yogurt if you prefer.
- SALTED BUTTER – You’ll melt salted butter on the top for the perfect balance of salty and sweet.

TOOLS FOUND ON AMAZON TO HELP YOU
- Mixing Bowls – You’ll need a couple mixing bowls. I like the grippy bottoms on these.
- Hand Mixer – I reach for my hand mixer way more than my stand mixer.
- Balloon Whisk – To whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Baking Dish – A baking dish with a lid is great for storing leftovers.
HOW TO MAKE HONEY CORNBREAD FROM SCRATCH
STEP ONE: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
STEP TWO: In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, honey, and vanilla extract. Then add in the sour cream until fully combined.
STEP THREE: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into a greased 9×9 baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
STEP FOUR: Slice the two tablespoons of salted butter into 4 or 5 slabs and place them on the top of the cornbread and cover with aluminum foil for 5 minutes to melt. Slice & enjoy!

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR CORNBREAD A SUCCESS
- If serving warm, use a plastic knife for clean cuts.
- Plain yogurt can be used in place of sour cream.
- I like that this recipe isn’t super crumbly like some cornbreads are, at least not to start, it will dry out a little bit as the days go by.
- How do you make cornbread not dry? The honey, buttermilk, and sour cream keep the bread moist and slightly dense.
- I have never tested this recipe without buttermilk and don’t believe that regular milk would be a good substitution for it.

WHAT GOES GOOD WITH HONEY CORNBREAD
I like to serve cornbread with just about everything but it’s great with crock pot bbq chicken, roasted vegetables, one dish ranch chicken potatoes & veggies.
MORE CORNBREAD RECIPES:
Southern Cornbread
Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread
Vegan Cornbread
Skillet Cornbread
Green Chile Corn Casserole
CONNECT WITH PERSNICKETY PLATES!
Follow along on my social media so you never miss a post!
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
I made a fun group on Facebook for sharing recipes, asking questions, and talking about food. I’d love to have you! Request to join HERE.
Also, sign up to receive an email in your inbox for each new recipe:
FREE EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION & EBOOK
If you MAKE & LOVE this recipe, share it on Instagram and tag me @melissa_pplates and/or #persnicketyplates so I can see it. I LOVE seeing what you make & I’ll share it in my stories!
It is VERY HELPFUL to me and other readers if you leave a review after you make my recipe. Please come back & let me know how it turned out!

I made them into muffins and didn’t even have to break out the big equipment! This is the moistest cornbread I have ever eaten. YUM. Family approved!
Yay 🙂 Thanks for reporting back!