Take a break from regular cornbread and try this fluffy Cornbread recipe. Trust me, it is the best cornbread recipe ever! This is pretty much just like your average cornbread recipe except it’s loaded with hidden veggies which add so much moisture to the bread! You won’t taste the veggies a single bit, but you will notice the difference they make.
WHAT IS CORNBREAD?
Cornbread is a bread that is made with a combination of regular flour and cornmeal or cornflour to give the bread a corn flavor and yellow tint. It also has a slightly different texture than regular bread. Cornbread can be sweet or unsweet, at the preference of the baker. It is often dressed up with peppers for heat or vegetables for flavor.
Some of my favorite corn recipe include these Spicy Corn Fritters, Best Cornbread Muffins and Corn Coleslaw Recipe!
WHY HOMEMADE CORNBREAD
- The batter can be whipped up within minutes and once baked, this cheesy cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to any bbq, soup, or stew!
- If you’ve tried many cornbread recipes and are still looking for the perfect one—here’s the best cornbread recipe I know! A cornbread that’s tender, fluffy, loaded with corn, and super moist from the zucchini.
- Cheddar cheese adds more tang and cheesy-ness to the bread which is totally optional, but so worth it! One bowl and one whisk are all the tools you’ll need to make this best cornbread recipe today!
Back when I just got married, I moved to Miami FL. I loved living there. Cornbread wasn’t a big thing in Miami —and yet I tasted the best cornbread ever at a local breakfast joint in Miami Beach! Ever since then, I changed my perception of good cornbread and I made plenty of versions to reach up to this one!
I know classically cornbread is chili’s best friend, and I find it to be a perfect side to soups—any soup, and salads. I also love it toasted slightly with a dab of butter or cream cheese or just plain tender fluffy bread on its own.
As a bonus, my little ones seem to agree that this is indeed the best cornbread recipe, despite being loaded up with zucchini and grated carrots! Lucky for me, there’s PLENTY of corn flavor to cover it up!
WHY THIS IS THE BEST CORNBREAD RECIPE EVER
What makes this the absolute BEST cornbread recipe, you ask? Let me tell you, it all starts with the right texture.
- This cornbread is fluffy, not dense, light—not oily, and moist as opposed to dry. I love the fact that this Cheddar Zucchini Cornbread is super tender – almost crumbly.
- I love a really nice butter flavor so I use melted butter in this cornbread recipe, but I add a little bit of oil to enhance the softness of the bread.
- When it comes to flavor—corn, corn, and more corn!!! No skimping on the corn here! Plenty of fresh corn, every single bite is loaded with fresh corn! And when it comes to sweetness— I prefer my cornbread to be on the sweet side, this is completely optional so feel free to go lighter on the sugar.
- When it comes to flour—I love using a 50:50 ratio or cornmeal and all-purpose flour for this cornbread recipe. With all cornmeal, I find the cornbread tends to lose some of its tender fluffy character—which I love! And when I use all flour, well it’s not cornbread anymore!
HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD RECIPE
This cornbread recipe is so easy, that I can summarize it in one sentence only! Mix dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine, stir in your add-ins and pour into a baking dish! E-A-S-Y!
INGREDIENTS FOR CORNBREAD RECIPE
- Flour. Make this a gluten-free cornbread by substituting with an all-purpose one-for-one gluten-free flour.
- Cornmeal. Use coarse cornmeal for best texture and a bit of bite. I used yellow cornmeal. The type of yellow cornmeal I use is coarse for extra bite and texture—as long as you don’t use cornstarch—you’re good with any type of cornmeal!
- Baking Powder.
- Baking Soda.
- Salt.
- Egg.
- Melted Butter. The butter is used for flavor.
- Oil. The oil keeps this cornbread soft for days. The combination of two fats is perfect!
- Sugar. Use just 3 tablespoons for less sweet cornbread.
- Buttermilk or Yogurt. I use yogurt to tenderize the bread.
- Shredded Zucchini. Zucchini adds a ton of moisture and soft texture to the cornbread while having a super neutral flavor, so it’s a win-win here.
- Shredded Carrots. Carrots, add a touch of sweetness and texture, again with barely any flavor because I don’t use that much.
- Corn Kernels. Fresh is preferred but canned or frozen are ok. Use what you have.
- Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Optional. Adds a tangy edge to the cornbread.
To start, preheat the oven to 425ºF to get it ready. This helps the bread bake more evenly and finish in the time allotted.
Next, In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, egg, yogurt (or buttermilk), sugar, butter, and oil until well blended.
Add in the dry ingredients, all veggies, and cheese, and then use a spatula to fold everything together until the batter looks mixed and blended. It doesn’t have to be smooth and perfect.
Pour the batter into a 9 inch round baking pan (lined with parchment) and bake for 50 mins until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- This sweet cornbread can be baked in a loaf pan, cast iron pan, a square pan or a sheet pan—just adjust baking times. It can even be skillet cornbread, baked in a 9″ cast iron skillet!
- Coarse Cornmeal is best for texture and flavor here!
- Use fresh corn when available –it’s always the best! Second best and very close to fresh would be frozen corn.
- Make sure to squeeze dry the zucchini and carrot if they are pre-grated or feel watery.
- Make sure you don’t overmix your batter.
- You can swap the cheddar cheese for Monterey Jack or your favorite!
- Watch the video for this recipe to see how super easy it is to make!
- Pair this cornbread with this Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup or this Cuban Black Beans Chicken with Rice!
- Also check these Best Cornbread Muffins, Spicy Corn Fritters and Corn Coleslaw Recipe
VARIATIONS ON THE CORNBREAD RECIPE
Make it A Jalapeno Cornbread. Add chopped jalapenos or drained jarred jalapenos and extra cheese.
Make it a Gluten-Free Cornbread. Literally, all you have to do is swap out the flour with your favorite gluten-free one-for-one blend.
Add More Vegetables. Feel free to add any vegetable (fresh or dried) to the cornbread batter, but practice moderation. Some of my other favorite additions to this fabulous cornbread recipe are finely diced sun-dried tomatoes, kale bits, herbs, bits of olives, and even jalapenos! Just watch out for the sizes of your veggies. The smaller the better—nothing larger than the size of a corn kernel to be safe and always use them in moderation!
FAQ
Can I freeze the cornbread recipe?
Yes. You can freeze whole or slices of this cheddar zucchini cornbread and reheat them in an oven, defrost in a microwave or warm up in a toaster.
How do I keep leftover cornbread?
It can be kept in a freezer-quality zipper bag at room temperature on the counter for several days and will dry out over time.
MORE BREAD RECIPES
- Pear Croissant Bread Pudding with Creme Anglaise
- Whole Wheat Banana Bread
- Persimmon Hazelnut Raisin Swirl Loaf
Cheddar Zucchini Best Cornbread Recipe
Take a break from regular cornbread and try this fluffy Cornbread recipe. The batter can be whipped up within minutes and once baked, this fluffy, cheesy cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to any bbq, soup or stew!
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1/3 cup sugar (use 3 tablespoons for less sweet cornbread)
- 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 cups corn kernels (fresh preferably, but canned or frozen are ok)
- 1/2 cup grated strong cheddar cheese (up to 1 cup)
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
-
In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
-
In another bowl, whisk the sugar, egg, yogurt (or buttermilk), sugar, butter and oil until well blended. Add in the dry ingredients, all veggies and cheese and then use a spatula fold everything together until the batter looks mixed and blended. It doesn’t have to be smooth and perfect.
-
Pour the batter into a 9 inch round cake pan (lined with parchment) and bake for 50 mins until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the bread comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins, slice and serve.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- This sweet cornbread can be baked in a loaf pan, cast iron pan, a square pan or a sheet pan—just adjust baking times. It can even be skillet cornbread, baked in a 9" cast iron skillet!
- Use fresh corn when available --it's always the best! Second best and very close to fresh would be frozen corn.
- Make sure to squeeze dry the zucchini and carrot if they are pre-grated or feel watery.
- Make sure you don’t overmix your batter.
- You can swap the cheddar cheese for Monterey Jack or your favorite!
- Watch the video for this recipe to see how super easy it is to make!
- Pair this cornbread with this Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup or this Cuban Black Beans Chicken with Rice!
- Also check these Best Cornbread Muffins, Spicy Corn Fritters and Corn Coleslaw Recipe
VARIATIONS ON THE CORNBREAD RECIPE
Make it A Jalapeno Cornbread. Add chopped jalapenos or drained jarred jalapenos and extra cheese.
Make it a Gluten-Free Cornbread. Literally, all you have to do is swap out the flour with your favorite gluten-free one-for-one blend.
Add More Vegetables. Feel free to add any vegetable (fresh or dried) to the cornbread batter, but practice moderation. Some of my other favorite additions to this fabulous cornbread recipe are finely diced sun-dried tomatoes, kale bits, herbs, bits of olives, and even jalapenos! Just watch out for the sizes of your veggies. The smaller the better—nothing larger than the size of a corn kernel to be safe and always use them in moderation!
FAQ
Can I freeze the cornbread recipe?
Yes. You can freeze whole or slices of this cheddar zucchini cornbread and reheat them in an oven, defrost in a microwave or warm up in a toaster.
How do I keep leftover cornbread?
It can be kept in a freezer-quality zipper bag at room temperature on the counter for several days and will dry out over time.
Beautiful cornbread. Texture is amazing. Such a treat. I’ll give your recipe a try for sure.
So fluffy and delicious. I love the hidden veggies in this recipe.
I’ve never had cornbread like this before with the added vegetables but I love it! Such a great variation on the classic recipe.
Such a delish and genius idea! The kids loved it and asked for it again!
This is absolutely delicious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family
Can you assemble in the pan, refrigerate and cook later?
Hi Beth, I prefer not to, because I’m using baking powder and if your baking powder is aluminum free, then it will start acting right away. You may assemble the wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk them, and assemble the dry ingredients separately, and also have the add-ons ready in a ziploc bag. The day off, simply mix everything together and bake away!
Another thing is you may bake the cornbread and once it cools completely, you can wrap the cornbread in plastic wrap and then freeze it right away. Defrost it for 2-3 hours the day you are serving it.
Just made this and my 4 year old picky eater LOVED it. I add some pickles to half of it and my other daughter loves pickles.
Cheddar in cornbread.. omg! Just yummy! That must be perfect. I love the addition of zucchinis too. I must give this a try! Like asap.!
This, first of all, looks delicious! I have to confess, I’ve only eaten cornbread once in my life – it’s really not a big thing here in Canada – but, I did eat it once during a visit to the south at a breakfast buffet of all places! I liked it a lot, but I’m sure it could be better, because as we all know, most buffet dishes are mediocre at best. I’m willing to give this a try – I can’t wait!
Cornbread is such a great side. I love the cheddar and zucchini addition, and I bet it gives a fantastic texture!
The addition of zucchini makes this cornbread irresistible. This is a must try recipe! Looks soo good!
What a soft, airy and fluffy corn bread that is. Love that you added veggies into it – making it so colorful and delicious. Would love to try this one out some time soon.
I love cornbread and this with the additions must be over the top fantastic! I will be making this one!
I made this, and it was quite good. I was confused about whether squeezing the water out of the zucchini or not. The recipe did not mention what ro do with the grated zucchini. In the end, I did lightly squeeze out some water. I would squeeze out more liquid next time since the cornbread was too moist/watery on the inside. I used 3 tablespoons of sugar and found it sweweet. Maybe I would use half as much sugar next time around. Besides that, this recipe is a winner. A great way to get my kids to eat their veggies. Thanks!
Thanks Coco!! So glad you enjoyed this 🙂 It’s absolutely our favorite too! I usually grate and fold the zucchini right away, but I’ll add a note to squeeze the zucchini if grated ahead of time. Thanks Coco!