Skip the store-bought batter, this whole-grain cornbread recipe is delicious. My daughters love this cornbread so much they would happily eat it for dessert. I happen to be more of a dark chocolate girl, but I do love the fact that this version of cornbread has actual bits of corn in the batter. It pairs perfectly with chili on a cool night for dinner.
This recipe would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving spread, but could easily be served as a side to dishes like chili or other soups throughout the year.
And if you like to switch things up consider adding some jalapeno bits or other spices to the batter or you could also add Swiss or Parmesan cheese instead of the cheddar. Don’t be afraid to make it your own!
Whole-Grain Cornbread
Skip the store-bought batter, this whole-grain cornbread recipe is delicious. My daughters love this cornbread so much they would happily eat it for dessert. I happen to be more of a dark chocolate girl, but I do love the fact that this version of cornbread has actual bits of corn in the batter. It pairs perfectly with chili on a cool night for dinner.
Print Recipe
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour + 1 extra tablespoon
- 1/2 cup whole-grain cornmeal (I used Arrowhead Mills)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup corn (I used unthawed frozen ones)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese sharp, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour together with cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
- In a small pan over medium heat melt the butter. Whisk in 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour and keep whisking until it begins to brown. Add the frozen corn kernels and let thaw in pan for a minute. Pour in heavy cream and whisk entire mixture together until it thickens (should only take a couple minutes). Mix in tablespoon of maple syrup and remove from heat.
- Add creamed corn mixture, eggs, sour cream and grated cheese to dry flour mixture. Blend together well without overmixing.
- Pour batter into a square or round glass baking dish.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Whole-Grain Cornbread
Amount Per Serving
Calories 305
Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 14g88%
Cholesterol 122mg41%
Sodium 220mg10%
Potassium 338mg10%
Carbohydrates 18g6%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 870IU17%
Vitamin C 1.2mg1%
Calcium 211mg21%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Do you know if it will turn out if I leave the cheese out? Can I sub polenta for cornmeal?
Some of our readers have left the cheese out for more of a dessert cornbread, and they have also used polenta. – Nicole
Can whole milk sub for the heavy cream?
Caroline,
It should work if you mix ¾ cup whole milk and ¼ melted butter. – Nicole
Hello, I’m a registered dietitian. This looks delicious. Just wanted to suggest if you want to make it even healthier, you can swap your sour cream for plain Greek yogurt. Also, although you use maple syrup instead of regular sugar, it is still adding sugar. I do like that it is just 1 tbsp though. Moderation is the main thing to having sweets in your diet. :)
Would whole milk work in the place of heavy cream?
Hello. I’ve made it with both and prefer the taste and texture with the cream.
Made these these this morning, in muffin form, for my 11-year-old daughters lunch for the week. I accidentally bought coarse ground cornmeal so I was concerned she wouldn’t like them. I also used plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream and mexican-blend cheese and parmesan cheese instead of sharp cheddar. She took one bite and exclaimed how much she loves them! Success!
Can I use corn flour in place of cornmeal? If so do I need to make any adjustments.
Hi. Corn flour is too fine. It would be more like corn cake. :)
this is the most delicious corn bread recipe i’ve ever made. most corn bread is dry and bland. most doctored recipes call for a can of creamed corn but i really like the use of a homemade version. i also mince the frozen corn. the presence of whole corn kernels seemed odd and my kids ended up picking them out. but otherwise, superb recipe!
Do you know how many calories thus would be? Do you think someone witj diabetes could have some of this?
Hi there Gabriela. We do not provide the nutritional breakdown of our recipes. I also can’t really know how this would affect your blood sugar. It is a pretty hardy corn bread without added sugar but has both protein and fat.
This is my new favorite recipe! Any idea if you can freeze the batter to thaw and bake later? I’d like to try making a few at a time.
We’ve not frozen this batter.
How long would you say this keeps? Hoping to make it a few days ahead for an event.
Hi Jess. I find this website to be SO helpful: http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16959.
Has anyone tried freezing this batter to thaw & bake later? Looking for a good recipe to have on hand with my freezer meals. Thanks!
Nope, we’ve never frozen this batter.
Did you every try this? I’m curious about the same thing. Thank so much!
I freeze cornbread all the time. (Very handy come Thanksgiving time and chili season.) I’ve never frozen the batter. I’m not sure that would work.
OH MY GOODNESS. THIS IS THE BEST CORNBREAD EVER! I can’t quit eating it!
I did a few things different out of necessity or $$$.
– not whole-grain corn meal
– honey instead of syrup
– plain organic yogurt instead of sour cream
– extra sharp cheddar cheese
– doubled the recipe
– 8″ x 12″ glass baking dish
The cornmeal I used must be the wrong kind. Are there different types? The cornmeal is a hard little round thing, like on the bottom of bagels and English muffins. Didn’t turn out too well.
Hmm. Not sure. You can definitely find different grinds. This might help: http://food52.com/blog/3698-cornmeal-vs-grits-vs-polenta-vs-masa.
Can this recipe be used in a muffin tin instead of pan?
Sure, that should work.
I was wondering if you could make this with gluten free flour? It seems like a great recipe but wasn’t sure if it could be made gluten free (I have Celiac Disease)
Yes, you can use a GF all-purpose baking mix.
Would you leave the cheese in if you want to put honey on the cornbread? I wasn’t sure if it made it really cheesy or if it just added flavor.
Hello. Yes, if you’d like it to be both cheesy and a little sweet.
I wonder if I can use whole farm milk instead of heavy cream and whole plain yogurt instead of sour cream?
Hi Jena. I think that will still work. You might need to lessen the amount of milk by a little.
My son requested corn bread for breakfast with his morning eggs. I often defer to 100days for healthy, family friendly recipes. I followed this recipe and used whole milk instead of cream and plain whole yogurt instead of sour cream because I didn’t have the other ingredients in my fridge. It came out just fine and all was gone soon after coming out of the oven. We served it with a drizzle of honey.
Thanks! Those are exactly the two substitutions I want to try!
Hello,
This recipe looks amazing! but I don’t have any whole wheat flour on hand and am really trying to stick to ingredients I already have rather than going out and purchasing for a single recipe. Can I substitute the whole wheat flour for almond /cashew/chickpea/quinoa flour? I make my own and have these available. Please let me know. Thank you!
Hi Karuna. Sorry, we are rarely able to get to recipe questions in real time. Did you give it a whirl? We’ve not tried subbing anything other than a commercial gluten free blend. I am not sure how a nut or other flour might work.
I love this cornbread but I bake mine in my cast iron skillet. It’s the way my Mama cooked it and why bother with perfection
I made this corn bread and the Vegetarian Chili for dinner tonight. I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and half and half instead of cream. I also choose to leave out the corn pieces as well. My hubby said it is the best corn bread he has ever had! I would have to agree. It is deliciously moist and so good! I will for sure be making this again!
This was great! I am used to “Jiffy” cornbread so it took a few bites to adjust but I love the savory taste! It’s moist too, which is great because I have made several cornbread recipes that come out too dry. I am going to freeze mine tonight so I will let everyone know how it turns out but I think it should work well!
I left out the corn kernels as I didn’t have any. My kids (ages 7-11) made this completely on their own and had so much fun doing so. It’s that easy! Absolutely delicious, moist cornbread. This one is a keeper!
I couldn’t find the Arrowhead Mills corn meal so I bought Bob’s Red Mill cornbread mix. Ideas on how to modify?
Hi Julie. No, sorry. I don’t know what is in the Bob’s mix. :)
the recipe didn’t show for the whole-grain cornbread
Brief technical difficulty. All is restored now. :)
Has anyone frozen the leftovers?
I would love to make this recipe tonight but I don’t have any heavy cream. I DO have buttermilk, which is what I’ve typically used to make cornbread (with white flour and sugar). I would love to make this whole grain version instead of the typical cornbread I make – can I sub the buttermilk for the heavy cream? Would I still need sour cream and, if not, how should I adjust the liquid measurements to ensure it isn’t dry? Thanks! :)
Hi Jill. We’ve not tried subbing on this but I think it would work fine. Please let us know if you do and how it turns out. I would leave the sour cream in. ~Amy
I just made this and I don’t know what I did but it was VERY bitter (inedible).
I’m pretty sure it was the baking soda. But I’m confused because everyone says there’s turned out perfectly.
So sad.
Just checking, since you mentioned baking soda in your comment….this recipe calls for baking POWDER, not soda – that could DEFINITELY be what made it inedible – a whole Tbsp of baking soda would ruin it for sure (baking powder is only about 1/4 part baking soda, usually – depending on brand – mixed with something like cornstarch and cream of tartar, so baking powder gives the needed leavening but you use more of it, without the taste being so easily affected)…maybe that will help if you want to try again :)
I was wondering if you had any ideas on how to sub the sour cream and cheese (my daughter is allergic to dairy)? I can typically just swap coconut oil and almond milk for milk/butter in any of your recipes and they are still fantastic!
Hi Katie. You could probably get away with leaving the cheese out. Here is a vegan recipe for sour cream which I have used but I’ve never tried to use it in baking: http://mywholefoodlife.com/2014/03/18/dairy-free-sour-cream/. There are, of course, vegan sour creams in grocery stores but most do not have great ingredient lists. ~AMy
I use n/f Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream, honey instead of maple syrup and jalepeno instead of corn
Has anyone tried Almond milk in place of the heavy cream?
do you have to use cheese? any suggestions to make it gluten free?
I have yet to make a recipe from this blog that we did not enjoy and this is no different. Delicious!
Hi Ashley. We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. Our focus is on helping people cut out processed food while replacing them with real/whole foods. These posts help explain our philosophy: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/, https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/. ~Amy
This recipe is AMAZING! And this is coming from a person who does not normally like cornbread! Would you be able to let me know the nutritional values for this recipe?
Any tips on how to do this in the bread maker?
Hi there. We’ve not tried a bread machine version of this. There are lots of bread machine cornbread recipes out there with varied ingredients. :) ~Amy
I can’t find whole-grain cornmeal by Arrowwood Mills anywhere. I went to 4 different stores and they only carry yellow cornmeal or blue cornmeal. Where does Lisa buy the whole grain version? Thank you!
Hi Pam. Lisa does most of her shopping at Earth Fare. You can also find it at Whole Foods or order it online. I sometimes order the Bob’s Red Mill version. ~Amy
I wanted a recipe to make for my daughter’s water polo team when I go to visit her in California. I used the pork recipe on chicken and I slow cooked it in the oven on 250 since I have to make a large amount. It turned out great.