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

How do I make sure my cornbread is moist? ›

10 Easy Ways to Keep Cornbread Moist
  1. Don't overcook it.
  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 in some cheese.
Jul 6, 2022

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.

Is butter better than oil for cornbread? ›

While oil can make cakes and quick breads luxuriously tender, I find the cornbread lacks flavor if butter isn't present. Because butter doesn't make the bread as moist as oil does, I pair it with buttermilk. Buttermilk: Buttermilk makes cakes, muffins, and breads extra moist.

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 does adding an extra egg to cornbread do? ›

So, as a whole, the texture will be airier in the sense of having larger holes in the crumb (which is consistent with you saying that the one time it rose higher), but the solid walls of these holes will be somewhat denser.

What ingredients keep cornbread from being dry? ›

Now, if you want to get fancy, add buttermilk, sour cream, creamed corn, sour cream, add a liquid like oil, butter, corn syrup. (not all at once, mind, just enough to keep it moist.)

Is corn bread OK for diabetics? ›

Cornbread is delicious and a great accompaniment to any meal. However, it is not a good idea if you are a diabetic. The high starch and cornmeal contents are carbohydrates which are broken down into sugar in the body. Sugar is extremely dangerous for people with diabetes, so it is best to avoid it.

What does cornbread do to your body? ›

Cornbread is a good source of phosphorus, an important mineral that your body needs for bone health, energy production, and DNA synthesis ( 3 ). It's also relatively high in sodium, a nutrient involved in regulating fluid balance and blood pressure levels ( 4 , 5 ).

Does cornbread spike blood sugar? ›

Cornbread is made from cornmeal, which is a carbohydrate, and carbohydrates can raise blood sugar levels. However, choosing whole grain cornmeal and controlling portion sizes may help mitigate the impact on blood sugar.

What is a substitute for butter in cornbread? ›

WHAT ARE BUTTER ALTERNATIVES FOR BAKING?
  1. MARGARINE. Margarine is a fat that is made mostly from vegetable oil that's flavored to taste like butter. ...
  2. SHORTENING. Shortening is 100% fat, made from hydrogenated vegetable oils. ...
  3. OLIVE OIL & VEGETABLE OIL. ...
  4. COCONUT OIL. ...
  5. PUMPKIN PURÉE. ...
  6. APPLESAUCE. ...
  7. GREEK YOGURT. ...
  8. BANANAS.

What is the healthiest oil to cook with than butter? ›

Both of these fats have health risks. Some guidelines for healthier cooking: Use olive or canola oil instead of butter or margarine. Choose soft margarine (tub or liquid) over harder stick forms.

What is a healthy substitute for vegetable oil in cornbread? ›

Applesauce and mashed bananas

Both of these fruits can be used as a partial substitute for vegetable oil in baked goods. We don't recommend a full swap — try half fruit and half oil or butter — for the best results. (Fat is still needed to create moistness.)

What did Native Americans call cornbread? ›

Among them was a version of Indian bread made of cornmeal, salt and water called pone or corn pone. The name came from the Algonquin word apan, meaning "baked." The Narragansett word for cornbread, nokechick, became no-cake and then hoe-cake.

What is cornbread called in the South? ›

It is commonly called "cornbread" in the Southern United States and is not known by a different name in this region. Cornbread is a simple bread that is made by mixing cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and milk to form a batter, which is then baked in the oven.

What do Southerners eat cornbread with? ›

In the Southern Appalachian Mountains, people are crazy for their Cornbread and Milk, a concoction made by crumbling leftover cornbread into a tall drinking glass and topping it with milk. It's usually buttermilk, although some people prefer "sweet milk", a vernacular term for regular fresh milk.

Is cornbread better with milk or water? ›

Can I substitute water for milk in cornbread mix? Yes, you can, but it may result in a less rich flavor. If you're out of milk, try using cream or half-and-half, evaporated or powdered milk, or even plain yogurt. If you have dietary restrictions, try soy milk or oat milk.

Is cornbread batter supposed to be thick or runny? ›

The batter should be thick, but still pourable. Add more milk or buttermilk if necessary. Remove the skillet from the oven and tilt the pan so the butter coats the bottom and sides of pan.

How long does cornbread take to dry out? ›

You can achieve the perfect crunch by letting crumbled cornbread go stale on the counter in open, zip-top bags, but you'll need at least 24 hours. If you don't have time to spare, toasting cornbread in the oven can create the ideal texture too.

Is cornbread mix supposed to be thick or watery? ›

Cornbread batter is typically supposed to be thick, but still pourable. It should have a consistency similar to pancake batter. The thickness of the batter ensures that the cornbread holds its shape while baking and results in a moist and crumbly texture [1].

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