Dixie Cornbread With Buttermilk

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You may think this is a big call, but I’m here to tell you that this Dixie cornbread with buttermilk is the best cornbread recipe you’ll ever try. If you want the moistest classic Southern cornbread, you need this recipe.

Dixie cornbread with buttermilk

I got an email from a reader, Terri (who is originally from Georgia, go Dawgs!) telling me she made world-famous cornbread. I was intrigued. Then she told me that her husband said she made better cornbread than his Mama. I was stunned. Then she told me that her cornbread recipe included two cups of buttermilk. My jaw was hanging open.

Clearly, my life would not be complete without trying this Dixie buttermilk cornbread recipe. Fortunately, she graciously shared the recipe with me. Let me tell you my personal experience with this cornbread: everyone in my family gobbled it down.

That might not seem like a big deal until I tell you that before I made this, cornbread had not ever passed the lips of either of my children (they are weird). My husband (who has extremely strange aversions to staple Southern dishes despite being born and raised outside of Atlanta) even ate a rather large piece and came back for seconds.

I have never had cornbread so moist in all of my born days. I am flabbergasted and feel certain that no small amount of my existence has been wasted up until tasting this. Soft and unbelievably moist on the inside with that classic crunchy cornbread crust, I can’t wait for you to try and fall in love with this buttermilk cornbread recipe too.

So without further fuss (on account of the fact I don’t want to stand between you and this cornbread, because standing in between anyone and this moist cornbread is not a safe place to be), here is Terri’s Dixie cornbread recipe!

Ingredients for Dixie cornbread

Recipe Ingredients

  • White cornmeal
  • Buttermilk (or put a tablespoon of lemon juice in whole milk and just don’t tell anyone you did that!)
  • Egg
  • Baking soda
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Bacon grease (or melted butter if you don’t have bacon grease)

How to Make Dixie Cornbread With Buttermilk

Slather cast iron skillet with shortening.

Preheat the oven to 450. Slather a cast-iron skillet with vegetable shortening (Crisco). If you really want to make this and don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you can use a cake pan. Do the same thing with it.

Stick the skillet (or pan) in the oven while it preheats so it will be good and hot.

Add bacon grease to dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Whisk your cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Add melted bacon grease (or melted butter for the faint of heart).

Add egg to mixing bowl.

Add your egg…

Add buttermilk to mixing bowl.

And buttermilk.

Yes, I actually bought buttermilk for this instead of using my usual shortcut of lemon juice to whole milk. Shocking, I know.

Mix ingredients together.

Like so. Now we’re going to stir it all up.

Dixie cornbread batter.

Until it looks like this.

Pour batter into the hot skillet.

Now get your hot skillet from the oven (carefully) and pour in the batter. It should be hot enough that the batter sizzles when it comes into contact.

Cornbread baking in oven.

Place the delicious skillet buttermilk cornbread in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until you can’t stand the waiting any more!

Baked Dixie cornbread with buttermilk.

20 minutes was just agony!

To top it off, family members kept emerging from their respective holes and asking “What is that smell? When is it going to be ready?”

Remove your Dixie cornbread from the oven when you can’t take it anymore and turn it out onto a plate.

Eat it hot with butter.

Take a bite and see if you don’t yell out “Go Dawgs!”

Storage

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Reheat it quickly in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.
  • You can also freeze cornbread portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating as above.

Recipe Notes

  • Remember to not overmix the batter. You just want to mix the ingredients together until the dry ingredients are just moistened and there are no big lumps (about 1 minute of whisking will do it). Overmixing cornbread batter can lead it to be tough.
  • The key to Dixie cornbread is preheating the skillet or baking pan, as that’s what gives the cornbread its crunchy crust.
  • For sweet cornbread, you can add 1/4 cup of white sugar, brown sugar, or honey to the batter.

Recipe FAQs

What do you serve with Southern cornbread?

Skillet cornbread is such a deliciously versatile recipe!

Can I make Dixie cornbread in advance? 

Yes, you can definitely make cornbread up to 2 days ahead of time and store it, covered, at room temperature. I recommend serving it warm though, so quickly reheat it in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.

Check out these other scrumptious cornbread recipes:

Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie Made From Scratch

Jiffy Cornbread Casserole With Ham and Cheese

Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins with Cream Cheese

Homestyle Broccoli Cheese Cornbread

How To Make Hot Water Cornbread

Plate of dixie cornbread (Thanksgiving corn recipes).

Southern Cornbread

This Dixie cornbread with buttermilk is the moistest and best Southern cornbread recipe ever and pairs perfectly with Southern staples.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buttermilk, cornbread
Servings: 5
Calories: 172kcal

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups cornmeal enriched white
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter or bacon grease
  • 1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450.
  • In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, add a tablespoon of shortening and preheat.
    1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
  • Sift together the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients (buttermilk, egg, and bacon grease/melted butter). Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
    1.5 cups cornmeal, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 cups buttermilk, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • Pour the cornbread batter into the now-hot prepared pan or skillet. Bake in the preheated hot oven at 450 for 20-25 minutes.
  • Serve warm with butter.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

 

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368 Comments

  1. My mom has been gone almost 5 years now and with her went her cornbread recipe. Actually she didn’t use a recipe, just started mixing. This is the closest to hers that I have found. She always used white cornmeal and would never ever put sugar in her cornbread. This recipe just brought a little of my mama back. Thank You!! And thank you for all of your great recipes!

  2. This recipe is so close to how my mama taught me to cook cornbread growing up. Everyone loved her cornbread, even cold(if there was any left.) She always added a spoon of sugar to her cornbread and used lard to grease the skillet. Bacon grease and lard was kings in our southern home. That’s all she ever used to cook with. She has been gone now for many years but her skills at cooking is still missed. She never used a recipe that I know of and I cook the same way. My daughter asks me for recipe’s and I am trying to do them for her as I cook, stop, measure before I throw in the pot/bowl but I am working on it. I am happy to find your website and intend to have her look you up. I think it will be close to how I cook. Thanks for the great site!

  3. My husband has never been fond of cornbread, so I don’t make it, despite my love for it. I am definitely going to try this and use it in your slow cooker dressing. Thanks Christy & Terri! 🙂

  4. Since I’m doing your beef stew for supper tonight it seems only right that I try this cornbread along with it. With this meal to come home to my hubby may propose all over again!! I keep telling him that he’s a lucky man to have married me ;-).

  5. Christy, i have always thought that I made good cornbread, but made this today and it was sooooo good. thanks for posting

  6. This is the cornbread i’ve been looking for. We were living in the military community of vallejo california when one of my neighbor brought me a piece of cornbread with bacon taste. It was the best cornbread i’ve eaten. I’ve been eating my husbands cornbread ever since. I will try this recipe one day..thanks.

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