Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (2024)

HomeCooking MethodInstant Pot

Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (1)

Cheryl MalikPosted: 08/26/21Updated: 05/26/23

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Buttery, dense, melt-in-your-mouth Instant Pot cornbread is an easy, steamed version of a classic Southern side. Whether your oven’s on the fritz or you just don’t feel like heating up the kitchen, the Instant Pot gives you perfectly “baked” cornbread that goes great with BBQ, black-eyed peas, spaghetti, and more.

Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (2)

What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • No packaged cornbread mix here! No, no. If you’re used to store-bought mixes, I’m begging you to trust me and give this one a try. You’ll never go back to the packaged stuff again.
  • This cornbread comes out incredibly buttery and moist. If you’re used to oven-baked cornbread that’s dry and a little crumbly, this won’t be exactly the same. It won’t have those crunchy, crisp edges, either. If that’s the kind of cornbread you’re looking for, try our Broccoli Cornbread (you can leave out the broccoli if you want).
  • You might be thinking “It’s way faster to cook cornbread in the oven, why would I use an Instant Pot??” That’s true. Oven-baked cornbread has a shorter cook time than Instant Pot cornbread. The benefits to using the pressure cooker? It won’t heat up your kitchen. You can use it on the road (like in an RV or a camper). It frees up the oven so you can cook something else in it while the cornbread “bakes”. Plus, the cornbread itself is different. The Instant Pot version is almost cake-like since it’s steamed bread.

Key Ingredients

Cornmeal – This is a must-have ingredient for good cornbread. You can use coarse, medium, or finely ground cornmeal here. Each one will change the texture slightly. Fine and medium grinds will give you the best texture, in my opinion. Coarse can make your cornbread kind of gritty or chunky. You could also try combining fine and medium grind cornmeals for a light cornbread with just a little of that coarse texture.

Buttermilk – Feel free to swap this out for your favorite kind of milk. If you use another kind, though, you’ll want to add a little lemon juice or vinegar to make up for the lower acidity. The acid in butter milk reacts to the baking powder to give your Instant Pot cornbread the perfect rise. Note that this will change the flavor of the cornbread a little, though.

All-Purpose Flour – If you’re looking for a gluten-free cornbread, you can use gluten-free all-purpose flour here. For an oven-baked gluten-free cornbread, try this recipe from our sister site, 40 Aprons.

Sugar – I know, I know. This is sacrilege to some of my fellow Southerners. I love a little sweetness to my cornbread, though! You can replace the granulated sugar with monk fruit or granular Swerve if you’d like a no-sugar-added cornbread. You can also just leave it out completely for a totally savory cornbread.

Chef’s Tips

  • A springform pan would be a great option if you have one small enough to fit in your Instant Pot. If you don’t have a springform pan that will work, any small round baking pan will do the trick.
  • If the Instant Pot cornbread sticks to the sides of the pan after cooling, just run a butter knife around the inside edge of the cornbread to loosen it. Place the wire baking rack face-down on top of the pan, then flip them both over in one smooth motion, so the cake pan is upside-down and the wire rack is face-up. Now you should be able to wiggle and lift the pan away from the cornbread.
  • You can add corn kernels (fresh or thawed), diced jalapeños, cheese, or other ingredients to your Instant Pot cornbread batter if you want! And if you’ve got leftovers, you can turn them into a delicious cornbread salad.
Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (3)

Be Sure to Try These Instant Pot Recipes, Too!

I hope you love this recipe as much as we did! Be sure to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!

For more delicious, nutritious recipes, head over to our sister site, 40 Aprons.

Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (4)

5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Cornbread

Prep:15 minutes minutes

Cook:1 hour hour

Cool Time:5 minutes minutes

Total:1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Buttery, dense, melt-in-your-mouth Instant Pot cornbread is an easy, steamed version of a classic Southern side. Whether your oven's on the fritz or you just don't feel like heating up the kitchen, the Instant Pot gives you perfectly "baked" cornbread that goes great with BBQ, black-eyed peas, spaghetti, and more.

Print Save

8 pieces of cornbread

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk at room temperature
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour see Notes
  • 1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
  • ½ cup granulated sugar see Notes
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup water for the Instant Pot
  • honey optional, to serve
  • butter optional, to serve

Equipment

Instructions

  • Spray Instant Pot cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

  • In large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter, until combined. Set aside.

    Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (5)

  • In other large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Slowly pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients, whisking constantly to combine.

    Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (6)

  • Pour batter into greased cake pan. Cover pan with foil.

  • Pour water into Instant Pot. Place covered cake pan on Instant Pot trivet and lower trivet into Instant Pot.

    Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (7)

  • Secure lid with valve in Sealing position. Cook on Manual High Pressure for 50 minutes. When time is up, let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release to let out remaining pressure.

  • Carefully remove trivet and cake pan from Instant Pot. Place cake pan on wire cooling rack and let cool uncovered 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove cornbread from cake pan. Serve with honey and butter, if desired.

    Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (8)

Notes

  • Make it Added-Sugar Free: Use granular Swerve or monk fruit.
  • Make it Gluten Free: Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour.
  • Instant Pot: This recipe was tested and perfected using a 6-quart Instant Pot. If using a smaller or larger pressure cooker, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe or cook time. A smaller pressure cooker will mean less batter; less batter will need a shorter cook time.

Recipe yields approximately 8 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including honey or butter for serving. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 8. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1piece of cornbread | Calories: 317kcal | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Total Carbs: 49g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Net Carbs: 46g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 370mg | Potassium: 193mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 2mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed,notincluding any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (9)

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  1. Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (10)Vinnie says

    Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (11)
    hi Cheryl, made this yesterday and it was quite dense, my only add on was some thawed corn kernels (about half cup) however it didn’t crumble when cut and was very tasty so I would call “Success”

    Reply

    • Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (12)Megan | Easy Healthy Recipes Team says

      So happy you enjoyed the cornbread, Vinnie! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply

  2. Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (13)Vinnie says

    What size of pot in pot can I use or will a springform 7×3 inch pan be sufficient?

    Reply

    • Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (14)Megan | Easy Healthy Recipes Team says

      It just depends on the size of your Instant Pot!

      Reply

Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Yankee cornbread and Southern cornbread? ›

The thing that distinguishes Southern cornbread from, say Yankee cornbread, or any other cornbread one is likely to eat outside of the southern states, is that it is savory, not sweet, and it is made mostly with cornmeal.

What ingredient keeps cornbread from crumbling? ›

Cornmeal gives cornbread its classic color and flavor, but too much can make your bread crumbly. Try replacing a little bit of cornmeal with flour. The specific measurements will depend on how much cornmeal and flour is in your recipe, but you should try to have more flour than cornmeal in your batter.

What does adding an extra egg to Jiffy cornbread mix do? ›

The extra egg which is increased protein and binder makes the cornbread denser and heavier in texture.

Is cornbread good for your bowels? ›

A. Cornbread contains fibre, which is not easily digested or absorbed by the body and passes through the digestive system relatively intact. Fibre also controls bowel motions by softening and increasing the weight and size of the stool, all of which make it easier to pass stool.

Why do southerners not put sugar in cornbread? ›

It originated with British colonists who adapted their baking to use meal ground from white corn. But it wasn't sweet.” No matter who it was, those that lived in the south found sugar to be too valuable to put in cornbread, so they simply poured syrup or sorghum molasses over it.

Is cornbread more healthy than bread? ›

Corn bread contains carbohydrates and provides vitamins A, C, and E, as well as B-complex vitamins. It has double the amount of polyunsaturated fats (the good kind) than wheat or barley, although not as much as oat bread.

Should you let cornbread batter rest? ›

1Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). We recommend allowing cornbread batter to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before baking, so if you prefer, you can delay heating the oven until you make the batter. 2Melt the butter, and then set aside to cool slightly.

How do you make cornbread moist again? ›

MICROWAVE. When you're short on time, the microwave is a great option to warm up cornbread. Place the bread on a microwave-safe dish and cover it with a damp paper towel. This will help keep the cornbread moist.

How do you keep cornbread moist? ›

  1. Don't overcook it. Over-cooking cornbread is possibly the number one reason why your cornbread is dry. ...
  2. Don't over-mix it. ...
  3. Add in some Flour. ...
  4. Use Buttermilk instead of regular milk. ...
  5. Add in some oil. ...
  6. Add in some sour cream. ...
  7. Add in an extra egg. ...
  8. Add Corn to the batter.
Jul 6, 2022

What to add to cornbread mix to make it better? ›

One of the simplest ways is to bring in more flavor and depth is by adding ⅓ cup of sour cream to the batter, which makes the cornbread extra moist and a little tangy. Another tangy option: Add ⅔ cup of buttermilk, which also makes the cornbread super tender.

Can you over mix cornbread? ›

Pour batter into prepared pan. The batter will be lumpy. Overcome the urge to mix until smooth. Overmixing can cause the corn bread to peak and have tunnels, resulting in a tough texture.

What happens if you put too much milk in cornbread mix? ›

Final answer: If too much milk is added to Jiffy cornbread mix, you can balance it out by adding more dry ingredients to the batter such as additional mix or a blend of flour, cornmeal, and baking powder.

What is the best food to eat to make you have a bowel movement? ›

Some of the recommended foods for constipation include both types of fiber. For example, potatoes and apples have soluble fiber inside, and insoluble fiber in the outer skin.

Can diabetics eat cornbread? ›

Neither cornmeal, sugar or "flour" (which is non specified so am assuming its wheat flour) are suitable for type 2 diabetics. Use a natural sugar substitute and the recipe might work with buckwheat flour perhaps?

What bread is best for bowels? ›

Best Food for Constipation #1: Rye Bread

“Rye bread can help alleviate constipation because of its higher fiber content compared to white wheat bread, which has minimal fiber,” says Katie Dodd, M.S., R.D.N. Dodd is a blogger at The Geriatric Dietitian, based in Medford, Oregon.

What is southern cornbread called? ›

Hot water cornbread

This type of cornbread is often known as "hot water" or "scald meal" cornbread and is unique to the American South.

Is northern or southern cornbread better? ›

The verdict: Northern cornbread's cakey texture and sweetness allow it to be a stand-alone dish, complete without any mix-ins. It can still be used to soak up other foods, like cranberry sauce, but its sweetness makes it less versatile than Southern cornbread, and more suited to accompany other sweet foods.

Is Southern cornbread sweet or savory? ›

Real, traditional, Southern-style cornbread is savory, not sweet, and always has been.

What's the difference between white and yellow cornmeal? ›

Types of cornmeal: Cornmeal can be categorized primarily by two factors: color and grind size. Yellow cornmeal has the most prominent corn flavor, while white cornmeal has a more subtle, delicate flavor (it's especially nice in a ricotta cornmeal cake).

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