Get ready to level up your side dishes with this super easy Sweet Potato Cornbread Recipe! It's a fun twist on classic cornbread, packed with the cozy flavors of sweet potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Perfect for slathering with butter and honey, or even this whipped honey butter! It's fluffy and moist with a tender crumb, with just a few staple ingredients.

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We took a classic cornbread recipe and leveled it up a notch or two. This cornbread is full of luscious sweet potato flavor and aromatic spices with a moist crumb.
It's ideal for Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, or any time you're craving tasty cornbread with a unique flavor! It's an easy side dish that will become a part of your regular rotation! It's the perfect side dish for both weeknight dinners and the holiday season alike!
Serve this cornbread alongside a bowl of our ham beans and Collard greens soup, or this Dutch oven chili!
You may also like our honey cornbread muffins. Looking for more side dish recipes for the holidays? Try our old fashioned sweet potato casserole, this Southern baked mac and cheese, or this pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Made with simple ingredients. You only need a handful of pantry and kitchen staples that you probably have on hand to make this recipe, especially during the holiday season! Anything you don't already have can be found at any grocery store.
- Easy recipe. The recipe is straightforward and doesn't require any complex cooking techniques. Plus, we include step-by-step process photos, making it simple for bakers and home cooks of all skill levels to master.
- Unique flavor with festive appeal. The addition of sweet potato adds a lovely sweet flavor and moisture to the cornbread, making it stand out from traditional recipes. Add in brown sugar, plus a touch of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves evokes a sense of the holidays, making it a perfect fit for festive gatherings.
- Comforting and cozy. The combination of sweet potato and classic cornbread ingredients creates a comforting, cozy dish that's perfect for colder weather and cuddling up!
- Crowd-pleaser. Its unique twist on a classic side dish is likely to impress and satisfy guests at any gathering or family dinner.
🍠Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Large eggs. Make sure they're at room temperature.
- Sweet potato. Fresh sweet potatoes are going to be best here, but you can use canned sweet potatoes if you'd like or are short on time. The type doesn't matter as much.
- Corn meal. Make sure it's corn meal and not grits or polenta! They're the same ingredient, but polenta or grits have a much coarser consistency. You'll want a finer grind that you'll find with corn meal.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Swap the brown sugar. If you don't have brown sugar, swap it for white sugar. Please note - we don't recommend using honey or maple syrup as a replacement in this recipe, as it can really impact the final texture of the cornbread.
- Swap the apple cider vinegar. If you don't have apple cider vinegar, swap it for lemon juice or distilled white vinegar.
- Swap milk and apple cider vinegar. You can always use buttermilk in place of a homemade version! We personally like using the milk and vinegar combo, since it's more likely you have these items in your fridge already, and
- Spice mix. Feel free to add less or more of the spices we suggest. You can also use pumpkin pie spice instead of the blend we use!
- Sweet potato alternatives. If sweet potatoes aren't your thing, you can try using pure pumpkin puree or mashed butternut squash for a similar texture with a slightly different flavor.
✨Variations
- Gluten-free. Simply swap the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour. We like using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour.
- Low sugar. Swap the brown sugar for a 1:1 brown sugar replacement for those with dietary needs.
- Dairy-free. Swap the milk with your favorite dairy free milk, and use a vegan butter in place of regular butter.
- Crispier edges. For the crispiest edges, cook this cornbread in a 10 - 12-inch cast iron skillet!
*This recipe hasn't been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you change or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below.
🔪Prep work
- Allow the milk, vinegar, and eggs to sit out at room temperature for about an hour before making the cornbread so they can come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Grease a 9x9 inch pan very well with butter.
- Peel a medium sweet potato and cut it into large chunks.
- Measure out the rest of the ingredients using a food scale.
📋Instructions
Add the sweet potatoes to a large pot of water and boil until soft enough to stick a fork through, about 15 minutes. Remove from the pot and drain. (Image 1)
Mash in a bowl until very well mashed. (Image 2) Set aside to cool off. It can be warm, just not hot, or you risk scrambling the eggs.
Meanwhile, while the sweet potatoes cool, mix up the dry ingredients.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. (Image 3)
Whisk to incorporate the ingredients well. Set aside. (Image 4)
✨Pro Tip: Use a digital food scale for precise results when measuring your dry ingredients. You don't want to end up with too much flour! This will create a dense, dry cornbread!
In a separate large bowl, once the sweet potatoes have cooled, combine the sweet potato mash with the milk, vinegar, melted butter, and eggs. (Image 5)
Whisk until well combined. The mixture will be a little lumpy, but that's okay, it will all come together in the end. (Image 6)
Add in the dry ingredients about ⅓ at a time, mixing to incorporate before adding more dry ingredients. (Image 7)
Switch to a rubber spatula to continue folding in the rest of the ingredients really gently, being sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Once everything is incorporated, stop mixing! (Image 8)
✨Pro Tip: Don't continue mixing the cornbread once it's completely mixed! This can cause your cornbread to become dense and tough by overworking the gluten.
Transfer to the greased baking dish, and use a rubber spatula to spread the batter in an even layer. (Image 9)
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean with a few crumbs.
Immediately add some pats of butter over top to let it melt into the hot cornbread. (Image 10)
Cut into squares, and serve with more butter, flaky salt, and honey if desired. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Use a food scale to measure ingredients. It's much less messy - and more accurate than using cups! If you end up with too much flour in your cornbread, it can make it dense and dry. Nobody wants that!
- Use fresh baking powder and baking soda. Test your baking powder before using it if it's more than 30 days old. To make sure it's fresh, add boiling water to about 1 teaspoon of baking powder. For baking soda, add something acidic like lemon juice or vinegar. If they bubble a lot, it's good to go. If it doesn't, toss it and use a new one!
- Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure the eggs, milk, and apple cider vinegar are at room temperature so that they blend smoothly in the batter. On that note - make sure that the sweet potato and melted butter have enough time to cool down - or they can scramble your eggs!
- Don't overwork the batter. You want to stir until everything is combined, and then stop mixing! Overmixing can lead to dry, dense cornbread - YUCK!
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time. This helps ensure the cornmeal mixture gets completely incorporated without overmixing.
- Bake immediately. Once the batter is mixed, bake it immediately. Letting the batter sit can cause the baking powder to lose its effectiveness, resulting in less rise.
- Check for doneness. Insert a toothpick or a knife in the center of the cornbread towards the end of the baking time. It should come out clean or with a few crumbs attached.
- Avoid overbaking. Overbaked cornbread can be dry. Keep an eye on it as it nears the end of the recommended baking time.
- Rest before serving. Let the cornbread cool in the pan for a few minutes before slicing. This helps it set and makes for cleaner cuts.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. It can then be transferred to the fridge for an additional 3 days.
To freeze, allow the cornbread to cool completely, then wrap pieces tightly in plastic wrap. Store inside a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost on the countertop for a couple of hours, or gently reheat in the microwave.
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Equipment
- 9x9-inch square baking dish
- stockpot or dutch oven
- skimmer or strainer
- Whisk
- mixing bowls
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into pieces (about 315 grams of potato or 1 & ¼ cups when mashed)
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1- 2 teaspoons cinnamon (to taste, we used 2 teaspoons)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ¾ cups milk, room temperature (14 ounces)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (for greasing the pan and serving)
- more butter, honey, flaky salt for serving to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x9 inch pan very well with butter.
- Add the sweet potatoes to a large pot of water and boil until soft enough to stick a fork through, about 15 minutes. Remove from the pot and drain. Mash in a bowl until very well mashed. Set aside to cool off. It can be warm, just not hot, or you risk scrambling the eggs.
- Meanwhile, while the sweet potatoes cool, mix up the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 and ¼ cups of flour, 1 cup of cornmeal, ½ cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of cloves. Whisk to incorporate the ingredients well. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, once the sweet potatoes have cooled, combine the sweet potato mash with 1 and ¾ cups of milk, 3 tablespoons of vinegar, 6 tablespoons of melted butter, and 2 eggs. Whisk until well combined. The mixture will be a little lumpy, but that's okay, it will all come together in the end.
- Add in the dry ingredients about ⅓ at a time, mixing to incorporate before adding more dry ingredients. Switch to a rubber spatula to continue folding in the rest of the ingredients really gently, being sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Once everything is incorporated, stop mixing!
- Transfer to the greased baking dish, and use a rubber spatula to spread the batter in an even layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean with a few crumbs.
- Immediately add some pats of butter over top to let it melt into the hot cornbread. Cut into squares, and serve with more butter, flaky salt, and honey if desired. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. It can then be transferred to the fridge for an additional 3 days.
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Notes
-
- Use a food scale to measure ingredients. It's much less messy - and more accurate than using cups! If you end up with too much flour in your cornbread, it can make it dense and dry. Nobody wants that!
- Use fresh baking powder and baking soda. Test your baking powder before using it if it's more than 30 days old. To make sure it's fresh, add boiling water to about 1 teaspoon of baking powder. For baking soda, add something acidic like lemon juice or vinegar. If they bubble a lot, it's good to go. If it doesn't, toss it and use a new one!
- Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure the eggs, milk, and apple cider vinegar are at room temperature so that they blend smoothly in the batter. On that note - make sure that the sweet potato and melted butter have enough time to cool down - or they can scramble your eggs!
- Don't overwork the batter. You want to stir until everything is combined, and then stop mixing! Overmixing can lead to dry, dense cornbread - YUCK!
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time. This helps ensure the cornmeal mixture gets completely incorporated without overmixing.
- Bake immediately. Once the batter is mixed, bake it immediately. Letting the batter sit can cause the baking powder to lose its effectiveness, resulting in less rise.
- Check for doneness. Insert a toothpick or a knife in the center of the cornbread towards the end of the baking time. It should come out clean or with a few crumbs attached.
- Avoid overbaking. Overbaked cornbread can be dry. Keep an eye on it as it nears the end of the recommended baking time.
- Rest before serving. Let the cornbread cool in the pan for a few minutes before slicing. This helps it set and makes for cleaner cuts.
- To freeze. Allow the cornbread to cool completely, then wrap pieces tightly in plastic wrap. Store inside a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost on the countertop for a couple of hours, or gently reheat in the microwave.
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