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!

Homemade Cornbread Mix with text overlay.


 

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!

Wedge of cornbread with butter.

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???

Labeled ingredients for making Cornbread Mix recipe.
  • 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!

Labeled ingredients for making 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.

Aerial view of jar of Cornbread Mix.

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.

Aerial view of Cornbread Mix whisked in bowl.
  1. 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?

  1. 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.
Cast iron skillet with cubes of butter.
Cast iron skillet with melted butter.
  1. Measure 2 cups of Cornbread Mix into a large bowl. Stir in buttermilk, an egg, melted butter, and your desired amount of honey.
Combining ingredients in a bowl.
Stirring together ingredients with wooden spoon.
  1. Using a pot holder, remove the (very!) hot skillet from the oven (be careful!).
  2. Pour the cornbread batter into the center of the skillet, allowing the melted butter to spread to the edges.
Batter spread into skillet.
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
Scene with Cornbread Mix, skillet, and butter.

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.

Aerial scene with skillet, plate, and jar.

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.

Close-up of Cornbread Mix recipe in jar.

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. 🙂

Skillet of cornbread with jar of Cornbread Mix in background.

Ideas for Enjoying Cornbread Mix

Aerial view of Cornbread Mix in glass jar.

Homemade Cornbread Mix

Homemade Cornbread Mix is quick and easy to make with just FOUR real ingredients, saves time and money, and tastes great!
Course: Pantry Staples
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 1 batch of Cornbread Mix will make 4 pans of cornbread
Calories: 163kcal
Print Pin Rate

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.

Video

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.
  • NUTRITION CALCULATIONS are for one serving from one pan of cornbread (made as directed, with one pan of cornbread yielding 12 servings).
***If you would like to test this recipe (to make sure you like the cornbread before making a quadruple-batch of Cornbread Mix!), a single batch of dry ingredients (for ONE pan of cornbread) would call for: 1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.***

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 191mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 171IU | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

Click below to download & print Cornbread Mix labels!

Originally published February 11, 2014, and updated on January 20, 2022.

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Recipe Rating




23 Comments

    1. That's a great question, Gin, but I'm not sure as I haven't tried it. Please come back and let us know how it works if you decide to give it a try! 🙂

  1. 5 stars
    Haven't made ithis yet but I know it will be five stars because it's so similar to the cornbread that I make and love. I do have some questions. My whole wheat pastry flour and cornmeal go rancid quikly so I have to keep them in the refridgerator. Can this mix be stored in the refridgerator and will the baking powder stay active? Also, I would rather use white sugar than honey and put it in the dry mix. How much would you recommend? Thank you!

    1. Hi Donna! That's a great question and you're right...baking powder should not be stored in the fridge or freezer as the condensation in the fridge can activate it and the extreme temperature of the freezer can damage it.

      What you could do, however, is mix up the Cornbread Mix with all ingredients *except* the baking powder. Then when you want to make a pan of cornbread, just add 1 tablespoon of fresh baking powder for every two cups of Cornbread Mix.

      As for adding white sugar to the Cornbread Mix in lieu of adding honey later, yes, that should work fine! How much to add depends on how sweet you like your cornbread. 🙂 You could add 1/2 cup sugar to your batch Cornbread Mix (which would be equivalent sweetness to stirring in 2 Tablespoons honey per pan) or you could add 1 cup sugar to your batch of Cornbread Mix (which would be equivalent to stirring in 1/4 cup honey per pan), or you could add more.

      Hope this helps and hope you enjoy! 🙂

  2. I love cornbread and can't wait to make this mix so I can have it on hand whenever I need cornbread...I am also trying to be a little bit of a preppier...I am just a beginner preppier...Thank you so much for giving me a boost with my prepping

  3. 5 stars
    Totally perfect and just what I was looking for. I make Stacey Little's (Southern Bite) Creamed Corn Cornbread and this just makes it shine extra bright. Looking forward to getting your emails and searching through your site. Thanks so much!

  4. 5 stars
    This cornbread turned out great!! I loved how the mix made it so quick and easy. We love making cornbread so having this on hand saves me so much time!

  5. 5 stars
    I recently debated buying cornbread mix at the store to have on hand but decided against it because of all the additives and because homemade is so much better. Love having this mix on hand so cornbread will come together a little faster!

  6. Thanks for the Cornbread Mix. My daughter and I are "preppers" and we store (for long-term storage) popcorn because it hasn't been modified nearly as much as regular corn, and it grinds into cornmeal for making cornbread as well as regular corn. We use both a Nutri-Mill and WonderMill grain grinders, and use the WonderMill Jr. as a backup in case power goes down. I'm anxious to use our home-ground popcorn in your mix.

    1. Wow, Chuck...I've never heard of grinding popcorn into cornmeal. What a great idea! I buy non-GMO organic cornmeal, but it's so expensive. I love that you've figured out an alternative...thanks for sharing! 🙂

  7. Thanks for sharing! Personally, I have always just kept some Jiffy mix on hand because it was so cheap and I really like cornbread. I keep a lot of other mixes in my pantry though so I pinned your mix to try it out.

    1. I hope you like it when you try it, Rachel! I bet a big batch of cornbread mix divides out to be even cheaper than Jiffy...plus you'll know exactly what's in it. 😉

  8. This looks fabulous! I've already printed the recipe off and stuck it in my recipe binder. I'm a huge fan of having mixes on hand, and I'm trying to convert my husband over into loving corn bread, so hopefully this recipe does the trick!

    1. I'm glad you're going to be able to use this recipe, Trisha, and I hope your hubby comes around to cornbread. Sometimes I wish I didn't like it quite so much! 😉

  9. Ooh this looks delicious. My Connor is absolutely obsessed with cornbread (his favorite place to get it is IKEA...? 🙂 ), so I will definitely have to try this out for him!

  10. 5 stars
    Hi Samantha! Oh, love this mix - sometimes I do wind up using boxed mixes for cornbread and this is definitely so much better. Thanks for the great idea!!