My scrumptious sweet potato cornbread recipe is super southern and so simple to make. It will elevate your fall dinners with lots of sweet potato flavor and is impressive enough for the Thanksgiving spread, too.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my honey buttermilk cornbread and buttermilk biscuits too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Easy to Make - You don't need any special kitchen equipment or advanced technique for this easy sweet potato cornbread recipe from scratch. And it's no shade to Jiffy because I use it all the time, too.
Autumnal Flavor - You'll taste the earthy sweetness of oven baked sweet potatoes with sweet warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger--perfect for fall.
I don't know about you, but I especially believe cornbread with sweet potato to be Soul Food and have more soulful hits for you to feast on: baked bacon mac & cheese, slow cooker yams, Cajun roasted turkey wings, southern green beans and potatoes. Don't forget sweet potato pie or strawberry cream pound cake for dessert!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Sweet Potato Puree adds rich orange color, moisture, and of course the flavor. I recommend roasting Jewel or Garnet sweet potato for the best results. Here's my pure sweet potato puree recipe for ya!
Cornmeal and Flour in equal amounts provide good structure without any graininess in the bread. You can use yellow, white or even blue cornmeal.
Brown Sugar for sweetness with rich caramelized flavor of molasses. Use either light or dark brown sugar here.
Buttermilk combines with rising agents in this recipe to create a light and fluffy texture with a soft, tender crumb. No buttermilk? Add a spoonful of vinegar to regular milk and bam!
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Shape - I love the cast iron skillet for this recipe but you can also use a regular baking dish--either 9x9 square or a round cake pan or a loaf pan instead. You can also make sweet potato cornbread muffins with a 12-count cupcake pan.
Sour Cream can be used in place of buttermilk because it's acidity will activate the leavening agents in the same way.
Vegan - Use plant-based egg, milk, and butter substitutes to make this cornbread vegan. Maple syrup, molasses or sorghum syrup are good alternatives for the honey butter glaze.
How to Make Sweet Potato Cornbread
- Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Step 2: Beat the eggs then stir in sweet potato puree, brown sugar, and remaining wet ingredients.
Pro Tip #1
To avoid tough cornbread, avoid over-mixing the batter. Stir it until just combined with no dry pockets of flour and cornmeal.
- Step 3: Fold wet into dry and stir until just combined.
- Step 4: Gently pour the batter into hot buttered cast iron skillet then transfer to oven to bake.
Pro Tip #2
Pouring the batter into a hot skillet is key to moist cornbread with crispy edges. I use this same technique for my honey cornbread and smoked cornbread, too!
Pro Tip #3
The batter will be thick so you may need to spread and smooth it for a flat top.
- Step 5: Meanwhile, mix up honey, melted butter, and sea salt.
- Step 6: Brush the baked sweet potato cornbread with honey butter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make cornbread up to three days in advance as long as it is stored properly.
You can store this cornbread at room temperature for up to three days then refrigerated in an airtight container beyond that. It keeps for up to one week total.
Cool the cornbread to room temperature then wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil before placing in the freezer. You can either freeze it whole or in pieces. Either way, it will keep for up to four months in the freezer.
How to Serve
In my opinion, this cornbread is the absolute best when served warm. After a generous brush of honey butter, it's ready to enjoy with everyday meals like honey mustard chicken thighs and brown butter green beans or chicken and mushroom soup!
Sweet potato cornbread should definitely be part of your fall Sunday dinner lineup. And no Soul Food Thanksgiving menu is complete without it.
Last but not least, this cornbread can be part of your traditional Black New Year's Day meal with smoky collard greens or braised mustard greens and soulful black eyed peas. I love using it to sop up the pot likker!
More Favorite Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you enjoy this Soul Food sweet potato cornbread recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Southern Sweet Potato Cornbread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- 1 silicone spatula or kitchen spoon
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Cornbread
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided with four tablespoon melted
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups sweet potato puree from about one large sweet potato, roasted and mashed
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
For the Honey Butter Glaze
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the Tools: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place two tablespoons butter in cast iron skillet and place pan in oven to melt.6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Make the Batter: Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.1 cup flour, 1 cup cornmeal, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- In another bowl, beat eggs then mix in sweet potato puree, brown sugar, and melted butter until uniform. Stir in buttermilk.2 eggs, 2 cups sweet potato puree, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 cup buttermilk
- Bake the Cornbread: Fold wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined. Carefully pour batter into skillet with melted butter (this helps create crispy edges!) then place skillet back in oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.
- Finish and Serve: Meanwhile, melt butter for the glaze then mix vigorously with honey and salt. Brush honey butter mixture over top of baked cornbread before serving.¼ cup unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons honey, 1 pinch fine sea salt
Carlton says
I needed a quick dish for my work potluck and came across your cornbread recipe. It exceeded my expectations and turned out very tender and tasty. All my coworkers wanted the recipe! It’s a keeper!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your note, Carlton! I'm so glad you and your coworkers enjoyed the cornbread.