Cornbread Recipes from Popular Chefs + Photos

  • To find my new favorite side, I tried five cornbread recipes from celebrity chefs.
  • Hall’s was by a slight margin the best because it was perfectly browned and delicious.
  • The most impressive recipe by Yearwood was actually the simplest, with only three ingredients.

Cornbread is a fairly simple staple to make at home — and if you’re tired of grabbing the premade mix at the store, you can rely on a celebrity-chef recipe to help you prepare the delicious side dish from scratch.

To find the best cornbread recipe, I tried five recipes by famous chefs Carla Hall and Trisha Yearwood, Alex Guarnaschelli and Alton Brown.

See the results!

Hall’s Southern cornbread recipe can be described as a straightforward and easy version.

ingredients for Carla Hall's cornbread laid out on wooden cutting board

These are the ingredients for Carla Hall’s cornbread recipe.

Paige Bennett


Hall’s Southern cornbread recipe is a classic. Her grandmother’s recipeThis is a more savory version of the sweeter Northern varieties.

This recipe requires only seven ingredients. You can make your creamed corn from scratch or use a canned one. I chose the latter to save some time and money.

My skillet was not hot enough for me, but I tried my best.

combining ingredients for Carla Hall's cornbread in metal bowl with whisk

I combined the dry and the wet ingredients, and then combined them.

Paige Bennett


Making this cornbread was easy. I combined the dry and liquid ingredients in two bowls. Then, I mixed them together to create a thick batter.

mixing batter for Carla Hall's cornbread in metal bowl with whisk

The batter was thick once it was combined.

Paige Bennett


I warmed a cast iron skillet in the oven while I was making the batter. Once the oven was at the temperature I removed the skillet and added canola oils. I then poured in my batter.

The recipe explains that the batter should sizzle in the oil when it’s first poured — mine did not. I believe I didn’t test the oil to make sure it was hot enough.

The oil pooled at the top of my cornbread, but it turned out okay.

This cornbread was delicious and fluffy.

slice of Carla Hall cornbread on white plate

Carla Hall’s cornbread turned out golden and cracked.

Paige Bennett


After 25 minutes, the cornbread was ready to be toasted.

The top of the bread was golden and crackled in places where oil had pooled. The bread also gained much height during baking.

The flavor was incredible — despite there being no butter in this recipe, the cornbread was buttery and the flavor of the sweet corn really came through. It was light and fluffy.

The easy-to-follow directions, the texture and the variety of this recipe were all great.

Although it is not a very savory bread, it can be paired with honey, butter, and my favorite chili.

Yearwood’s buttermilk Cornbread recipe is made with just 3 ingredients

ingredients for Trisha Yearwood's cornbread on wooden cutting board

Trisha Yearwood used only three ingredients in her recipe.

Paige Bennett


Yearwood has by far the easiest of all of them These are the recipes.

Self-rising cornmeal is the only ingredient required. It was not readily available at my local grocery, but I did find it online. To make my own self rising base, I added about 1 teaspoon of baking powder to each cup of cornmeal.

You can also use corn oil or bacon grease in the recipe. I can’t eat bacon so I went with the first option.

In no time, the recipe was ready.

Adding wet ingredients to dry ingredients to make Trisha Yearwood's cornbread

Combining these three ingredients was simple.

Paige Bennett


The batter was easy to prepare.

The recipe calls for 2 to 3 cups of buttermilk and says the consistency should be quite thick but still easily pourable — my only challenge was trying to strike that right balance.

I used 2 1/2 cups buttermilk, and the mixture looked a little too thin in my bowl.

Mixing batter for Trisha Yearwood's cornbread in metal bowl

Trisha Yearwood once mixed her batter.

Paige Bennett


But when I poured it into the hot cast-iron skillet, I quickly realized it was too thick … but it was also too late to do anything about it since the batter was already sizzling in the pan.

Putting Trisha Yearwood's cornbread batter in cast iron pan

It seemed thicker as I poured it.

Paige Bennett


I cooked the cornbread batter over the stove for about one minute, then transferred it to the oven for 22 additional minutes.

It turns out that looks can deceive,

Trisha Yearwood's cornbread in cast iron pan

Trisha Yearwood’s cornbread looks delicious after it comes out of the oven.

Paige Bennett


It smelled great and looked amazing when I took it out of oven.

The top was slightly golden with a few darker brown spots and crisp edges. When I took a bite, however, I was overwhelmed.

slice of Trisha Yearwood's cornbread on white plate

The final product was too dry and dense.

Paige Bennett


This cornbread came out dry and dense. It tasted almost like eating cornmeal.

To pinpoint the problem, I reviewed the recipes. But, the majority of people who tried this recipe felt it needed eggs to enhance the texture. It might be worth adding a little sugar to enhance the flavor.

Guarnaschelli’s cornbread calls instead for butter

ingredients for Alex Guarnaschelli's cornbread laid out on wooden cutting board

Here are the ingredients to Alex Guarnaschelli’s cornbread recipe.

Paige Bennett


Nearly every recipe I tested required oil. Guarnaschelli’s cornbreadButter is required

The swap was nerve-wracking for me. Butter has a lower smoking point that oilI didn’t want to end with burnt cornbread.

Apart from the possible butter disaster, I couldn’t find the coarsely-ground cornmeal that this recipe required at the grocery store so I used regular yellow Cornmeal.

I nearly burnt my cornbread with the butter, even though I didn’t actually burn it.

mixing batter for Alex Guarnaschelli's cornbread with whisk in metal bowl

Alex Guarnaschelli’s cornbread recipe should be simple to pour.

Paige Bennett


Like the other recipes, it was quite simple. I added 1 tablespoon butter to the bowl. Next, I combined the dry and wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

The mixture was slightly thickened and could be poured easily.

Pouring Alex Guarnaschelli's cornbread batter in castiron pan

The butter bubbled and sizzled when I added it to the mixture.

Paige Bennett


However, the biggest problem was the way the butter began to pop and sizzle when I put it in the cast iron skillet I had just heated in the oven.

To avoid getting splattered by the butter, I had to work fast and keep my distance.

I followed the recipe and then reduced the oven temperature to 375° Fahrenheit. The cornbread was baked for 25 minutes.

This cornbread was, unsurprisingly, super buttery

Alex Guarnaschelli's cornbread cooked in cast iron pan

Alex Guarnaschelli’s cornbread was perfectly golden on the top and well browned on its bottom.

Paige Bennett


The cornbread was golden on the top and crisp on the bottom.

slice of Alex Guarnaschelli's cornbread on white plate

Alex Guarnaschelli’s cornbread was delicious! The butter added a wonderful flavor.

Paige Bennett


The texture was soft and spongy while the center was buttery. It was not surprising, considering that the entire recipe called for butter.

This cornbread can be made even more delicious with some honey.

Brown’s recipe was simple and used pantry staples.

ingredients for Alton Brown's cornbread laid out on wooden cutting board

Alton Brown’s cornbread recipe.

Paige Bennett


Brown is well-known due to his curiosity and knowledge of the science of cooking. Brown’s recipes can sometimes be complicated, but he is a skilled cook. His cornbread recipeIt was quite simple.

Most of the ingredients required are pantry staples, such as canned creamed popcorn.

This was another simple recipe you could make.

Mixing dry ingredients into wet ones for Alton Brown's cornbread

I combined the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Then, I combined them.

Paige Bennett


Brown’s cornbread recipe: I mixed the dry ingredients separately and then combined the wet with the dry.

mixing batter for Alton Brown's cornbread in metal bowl

The ingredients are combined into a batter that is moderately thick.

Paige Bennett


After warming the skillet in a preheating oven I carefully swirled the canola oils in the pan before pouring in the batter. It was ready to go in the oven for 23 minutes.

putting batter for Alton Brown's cornbread in castiron pan

It smelted immediately when I poured the batter in the skillet

Paige Bennett


As I did with all the recipes, the pan was not turned while it baked. It didn’t really matter for most recipes. However, this one made me notice that one side was more golden than another.

Brown’s cornbread balances sweetness and savory perfectly

cooked Alton Brown cornbread in castiron pan

Alton Brown’s recipe was more brown than the other.

Paige Bennett


Except for the uneven topping, the cornbread turned out great. The bottom was well browned, but not burned. The texture was light and fluffy, but it held together well due to the crispy bottom.

slice of Alton Brown cornbread on white plate

Alton Brown’s cornbread was light and fluffy, and held its shape well.

Paige Bennett


I found the cornmeal to have more savory flavors that complimented the sweetness of the creamed sugar and creamed corn.

Fuller’s recipe spices things up with a bit of jalapeño

ingredients for Nancy Fuller's cornbread laid out out on wooden cutting board

Nancy Fuller’s recipe called for a jalapeño.

Paige Bennett


That was a great idea! Fuller’s recipe added jalapeño to the mix. It required 10 ingredients total, which included frozen corn and lots of sour cream.

For this recipe, my best friend was a food processor

mixing ingredients for Nancy Fuller's cornbread in blender

This recipe was made easier with a food processor.

Paige Bennett


Without a food processor, this recipe would probably be tricky — but with one, making this batter was easy.

I blended the corn and eggs together, added in the rest of the ingredients (minus the butter and jalapeño), and warmed the butter in the cast-iron skillet.

Once the butter had melted, I carefully poured it into the batter and folded in the chopped jalapeño.

adding scallions to batter for Nancy Fuller's cornbread in metal bowl

Once the batter was combined, I folded in the chopped jalapeño.

Paige Bennett


This recipe was simple, even though there were more steps than others. The cornbread was baked in the oven for approximately 25 minutes.

Fuller’s jalapeño cornbread tasted better than it looked

cooked Nancy Fuller cornbread in cast iron pan

Although Nancy Fuller’s cornbread did not turn golden like other recipes, it was delicious.

Paige Bennett


While the cornbread was not as golden on top, it smelled delicious when it came out from the oven.

slice of Nancy Fuller's cornbread on white plate

Nancy Fuller’s cornbread was dense but it was soft and moist.

Paige Bennett


Fuller’s recipe came out great. Although the texture was a bit dense, it was still very soft and moist.

There was a pretty strong corn flavor, but the jalapeño added a nice contrast and just a slight amount of heat.

This cornbread would be great with some butter and hot honey.

Nearly all these recipes I would make again.

celebrity chef cornbread slices on black plate with post it notes with the chef name

My book included many of the winning celebrity-chef cornbread recipe.

Paige Bennett


It was hard to choose one favorite as most recipes were simple and quick.

Hall’s cornbread won my heart by a narrow margin. It was light and fluffy with a slightly savory texture that could be topped with honey, butter or some soup or chili.

For me, Yearwood’s recipe was just OK — it needed something else to help soften the texture and give it a little more flavor. Other than that, I’d happily make any of the other recipes again.

Click to view the other celebrity-chef recipe we’ve compared.

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