This Homemade Blueberry Cornbread recipe is made using cornmeal, buttermilk, and fresh or frozen blueberries. This dish is served golden brown with a crispy crust and soft, moist center. You can turn these into muffins if you wish!
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Cornbread is basically my specialty! I have been making it all of my life and I love to come up with multiple variations. Making your own from scratch is so easy!
Toss out the Jiffy cornbread and treat yourself to an authentic Southern treat!
Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
Fresh blueberries work best in the recipe. If you add frozen blueberries to the batter, once they begin to thaw they will make the texture of the cornbread watery. If you do plan to use frozen, thaw them completely and dry them out first. It’s easier to use fresh.
How to Make Blueberry Cornbread
Detailed instructions and measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Pour melted butter throughout the cast iron skillet pan.
- Add yellow cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar or sweetener to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Next add in eggs, remaining butter, and buttermilk. Stir to combine. Fold in blueberries.
- Pour the mixture into the cast iron skillet.
- Bake.
Baking Temperature
The cornbread should be baked in the oven at 400 degrees.
How to Get Cornbread with Crispy Edges and Crust
To get a really crispy crust, be sure to add your batter to a piping hot, buttered skillet. This recipe will produce cornbread that has a crispy crust and a somewhat crumbly interior. Southern cornbread is typically a little crumbly, as it pairs well with chili, collard greens, stews, and more.
Do You Use Sugar or Sweetener?
This is totally up to you. The use of sugar in cornbread is a common debate, especially for traditional recipes. This is meant to be a sweet version with blueberries, so I recommend using the amount that is suggested in the recipe. Feel free to do as you wish.
Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix
One hack to making homemade cornbread is to use self-rising cornmeal. You can skip the cornmeal, flour, and baking powder. It’s completely optional! It’s available here on Amazon.
Do You Have to Use a Cast Iron Skillet?
Classic, traditional cornbread with a crispy crust is made using a cast iron. A cast iron will also cook the cornbread more evenly. I use this cast iron skillet from Amazon.
You can still use this recipe without a cast iron. You can use an 8×8 baking dish/cake pan. You may have to adjust your cook time. Keep a watchful eye and test using a toothpick.
Why Does My Cornbread Crumble?
Southern cornbread is meant to crumble some, period. However, you should be able to slice it and remove pieces from the pan. It should crumble, but it shouldn’t be crumbly. It will begin to crumble as you are eating it.
Be sure not to over mix the batter when you combine the dry and wet ingredients. This is a common baking rule of thumb. Over-mixing will lead to large cracks in the crust and a lot of crumble. Only mix well enough to combine the ingredients.
Can You Use Jiffy Mix?
You can if you want (that wouldn’t be homemade cornbread). Fold in the blueberries after the final step noted in the instructions.
How to Make Them into Muffins
Yes! Follow the instructions noted in my Cornbread Muffins recipe. Fold in the blueberries after the batter is mixed and prior to pouring it into the muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes on 400 degrees or until a toothpick returns clean.
How to Store it/Can You Make it Ahead
Cornbread is best served hot and fresh, but can be made up to 8 hours ahead of time (with the same fresh taste). I store leftover cornbread in the refrigerator (tightly sealed) for up to a week.
Freezer Tips
To freeze the cornbread, wrap it in foil or in plastic wrap for 2-3 months. Thaw on the counter at room temperature for a few hours.
Pair With These Main Dish Recipes
Cajun Roasted Turkey
Southern Baked Ham With Pineapple
Baked Turkey Wings
Smothered Chicken
Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Air Fryer Honey Glazed Ham
Pair With These Side Dish Recipes
Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
Southern Collard Greens
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
Southern Mustard Greens
Southern Green Beans
Southern Coleslaw Recipe
Southern Baked Beans
Southern Potato Salad
Easy Spaghetti Salad
Southern Green Beans
Classic Butter Beans Recipe
More Cornbread and Biscuit Recipes
Homemade Southern Cornbread
Cornbread Muffins
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Honey Cornbread
Air Fryer Cornbread
Keto Low Carb Cornbread
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Homemade Maple Butter
Pumpkin Cornbread
Cornbread Casserole
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Get a full listing of Soul Food Thanksgiving Recipes here.
Homemade Blueberry Cornbread
Ingredients
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sweetener or sugar Optional. Omit if you don't like sweetened cornbread.
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/2 stick, melted, measured solid.
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Used to grease the skillet/pan.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sweetener (or sugar), and salt to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Next, add in the eggs, 1/4 cup melted butter, and buttermilk. Stir to combine.Be sure not to over-mix the batter. Over-mixing will lead to large cracks in the crust and a lot of crumble. Only mix well enough to combine the ingredients.
- Fold in the blueberries. (You can reserve some blueberries to press into the top of the cornbread batter after the batter has baked for 10 minutes).
- Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. Allow it to melt and then grease the entire skillet including the edges.You can use any baking dish or skillet you wish that is oven safe.
- While the skillet is hot, pour the mixture into the cast iron skillet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Add the reserved blueberries to the top of the cornbread. If you add them to the fully wet batter, they will sink into the cornbread and won't stay on top.
- Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and return clean.
- I like to cool the cornbread completely prior to slicing and let it cool for at least 20 minutes.
Video
Notes
- You can use a cast-iron wedge pan or 10.25 cast-iron skillet for this recipe. When using the wedge pan I transfer the batter from the mixing bowl to a mixing cup with a spout to make it easier to pour into the wedge pan. There is enough batter to prepare 2 batches using the cast iron wedge pan.
- Fresh blueberries work best in the recipe. If you add frozen blueberries to the batter, once they begin to thaw they will make the texture of the cornbread watery. If you do plan to use frozen, thaw them completely and dry them out first. It’s easier to use fresh.
- To get a really crispy crust, be sure to add your batter to a piping hot, buttered skillet.
- This recipe will produce cornbread that has a crispy crust and a somewhat crumbly interior. Southern cornbread is typically a little crumbly, as it pairs well with chili, collard greens, stews, and more.
- The use of sugar or sweetener is OPTIONAL in this recipe. Using 1/2 cup will produce cornbread with a hint of sweetness. If you like really sweet cornbread, consider adding a cup of sugar or sweetener.
- You can use any oil instead of butter if you wish.
- If you are not using a cast iron skillet, simply grease an 8×8 pan using the melted butter and add the batter.
- You can substitute/make your own buttermilk if you wish by combining milk and vinegar (or lemon). Get instructions on How to Make a Buttermilk Substitute here.
- Cornbread is best served hot and fresh, but can be made up to 8 hours ahead of time.
- Macros assume zero calorie monkfruit is used. Feel free to use the macros calculator of your choice to calculate accurate macros utilizing the branded ingredients you use in the recipe.
Rose Kaufman
Sunday 23rd of May 2021
This was so delicious! It brings back childhood memories of when my mom would make cornbread with freshly picked blueberries from our backyard. I made this using yogurt and sweet milk instead of buttermilk. I want to point out that the video does not match the actual instructions; and had I not gotten distracted, I would have realized that before I put all the berries in the batter. All the berries ended up concentrated in the center. Still delicious, nonetheless, and I will be making this often.
staysnatched
Friday 28th of May 2021
The video does match, but it sounds like you missed it. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe.