Get ready to level up your cornbread game with our Sweet Potato Cornbread recipe. We're talking next-level flavor, moist perfection, and a touch of sweet potato!
This homemade cornbread is not your grandma's recipe — it's a modern twist that'll have your taste buds doing a happy dance. Easy to make and impossible to resist! The sweet flavor is enhanced with the vanilla extract and ground cinnamon.
When the Fall comes around, it's time to break out the sweet potatoes! Serve this dish during the holidays with sweet potato casserole too! If you haven't been baking with sweet potatoes, you are missing out! These 2 ingredient sweet potato rolls are a must make too!
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Why You'll Love This Sweet Potato Cornbread
- It's easy to make! This easy cornbread recipe is made in one bowl, baked, and ready to be enjoyed! You don't need any extra equipment to make this recipe!
- It's a twist on the traditional cornbread recipe! This recipe is a bit of a sweeter cornbread recipe than a cornbread like cornbread with self rising flour. Since we are using sweet potatoes and brown sugar, it's more of a sweet cornbread than a savory one.
- It can be made ahead of time! You can serve this cornbread hot or room temperature, so it's great to make ahead of time. Serve it with butter and honey for a delicious treat!
Ingredients to Gather
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this sweet potato cornbread recipe!
- Cornmeal. Use a fine or medium ground cornmeal. You can usually find it in the grocery store in the baking aisle.
- All purpose flour. The all purpose flour will lighten up the cornbread so it is not so heavy and crunchy from the cornmeal.
- Sweet potato. You'll need one cup of mashed sweet potato. That is about 1 medium sweet potato. An easy way to use some leftovers is to use one cup of a sweet potato mash that you may have in the refrigerator from leftovers. Today we are going to boil the sweet potatoes, but you can use Instant Pot sweet potatoes to easily cook the potatoes.
- Milk. Whole milk will give the tender texture of the cornbread. You can use buttermilk instead of whole milk if you prefer. Try to stay away from skim milk as that doesn't have the fat that we need in this recipe.
- Leavening agent. We will be using only baking powder. In a classic southern cornbread recipe, you usually use baking soda too, but in this recipe we will only be using baking powder to lighten the texture of the corn bread.
- Melted butter. This will also lighten up the cornbread and give it a nice, fluffy texture. You can use vegetable oil or olive oil if you don't want to use butter or don't have butter on hand.
- Cinnamon and vanilla extract. This brings out the flavor of the sweet potatoes, but also makes this more of a sweet cornbread instead of a savory once.
See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
Can I Use Canned Sweet Potatoes Instead of Fresh Sweet Potatoes?
You can use canned sweet potatoes instead of fresh sweet potatoes for an easy hack. Drain the canned sweet potatoes and mash 1 cup of the potatoes. Add it right to the cornbread batter instead of cooking your own sweet potatoes.
How To Make Sweet Potato Cornbread
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place it in the oven to preheat it. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into pieces. Place it in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft.
Step 2: Drain the sweet potatoes and mash them well. Set that aside.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients. Stir the milk, melted butter, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and sour cream until well combined.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl. Mix until just combined.
Step 5: Add the mashed sweet potatoes to the bowl and fold them in. Stop mixing once the sweet potatoes are combined.
Step 6: Carefully remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Pour the cornbread batter into the prepared skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use a box of jiffy corn muffin mix. To make your life even easier, use two boxes of jiffy cornbread mix. Add the eggs, sweet potato, milk, and sour cream and bake for 20-25 minutes. The jiffy mix saves some time and some ingredients!
- Make it vegan! This is an easy recipe to make vegan if you prefer. Use a vegan egg substitute, your favorite nondairy milk, and a nondairy sour cream. It will be just as delicious as your favorite classic cornbread recipe.
- Make them muffins! Scoop the batter into a muffin tin lined with muffin liners and bake them at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
- Mix add ins into the cornbread batter! Instead of vanilla and cinnamon, just use pumpkin spice! You can also omit the spices all together and mix in cheddar cheese, Colby jack cheese, or your favorite cheese.
- Use a 9x13 inch baking dish if you do not have a cast iron skillet.
What To Serve with Sweet Potato Cornbread
- As is! Serve this as a side dish with some high quality butter, pure maple syrup, or honey.
- With a big bowl of chili or chili. Cornbread and chili is a classic pair that you can't go wrong with! It's perfect with Cauliflower and Broccoli soup!
- With your favorite barbecue recipes! Serve this with Instant Pot German Potato Salad, Linguine pasta salad, Instant Pot barbecue chicken, and chicken and feta burgers.
- Alongside your favorite dinner! Serve this delicious cornbread alongside lamb breast, Smothered pork chops, or Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Enjoy it room temperature or heat it up in the toaster oven or air fryer.
How to Make Sweet Potato Cornbread Ahead of Time
Make this cornbread up to 48 hours before you are ready to serve it. Cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and keep it on the counter. Cut and serve when you are ready to enjoy it.
Can Sweet Potato Cornbread be Frozen?
Freezing this sweet potato cornbread is a breeze! Bake the cornbread completely and then let it cool to room temperature.
When it is cooled, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost the cornbread place it on the counter a few hours before you are ready to serve it.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is not, but if you use a gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour, you can easily make this recipe gluten free.
If you don't have brown sugar, you can use maple syrup, molasses, granulated sugar, or honey.
By preheating the cast iron skillet, you are ensuring that the edges will be nice and crisp when they are done baking. Usually it is hard to crisp the bottom and sides of the cornbread, but when you preheat the cast iron skillet, the batter starts cooking as soon as it hits the pan.
More Cornbread Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Sweet Potato Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Sweet Potato 1 cup mashed
- 1 cup Milk Whole Milk
- ½ cup Butter Melted
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- 1 cup Cornmeal
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Peel the potato and cut it into small chunks. Boil for 8-10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft. Drain the sweet potato chunks and mash them with a potato masher. Set that aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add the cast iron skillet to the oven to preheat it.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, brown sugar, milk, sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add the cornmeal, all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to the large bowl. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the sweet potato to the cornbread batter. Remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the cast iron skillet and then pour the batter into the skillet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges look crisp, the top is slightly rounded, and a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
Notes
- Use a box of jiffy corn muffin mix. To make your life even easier, use two boxes of jiffy cornbread mix. Add the eggs, sweet potato, milk, and sour cream and bake for 20-25 minutes. The jiffy mix saves some time and some ingredients!
- Make it vegan! This is an easy recipe to make vegan if you prefer. Use a vegan egg substitute, your favorite nondairy milk, and a nondairy sour cream. It will be just as delicious as your favorite classic cornbread recipe.
- Make them muffins! Scoop the batter into a muffin tin lined with muffin liners and bake them at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
- Mix add ins into the cornbread batter! Instead of vanilla and cinnamon, just use pumpkin spice! You can also omit the spices all together and mix in cheddar cheese, Colby jack cheese, or your favorite cheese.
- Use a 9x13 inch baking dish if you do not have a cast iron skillet.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Enjoy it room temperature or heat it up in the toaster oven or air fryer.
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