High Altitude Cornbread Recipe
This High Altitude Cornbread Recipe is specifically for my high altitude readers. With a gazillion cornbread recipes already out there, I know the rest of you flatlander folks are covered. So please indulge us mountain bakers today as we can rejoice in the fact that we no longer need to eat dry cornbread!
This post has been a long time coming. And based on the multiple emails and Facebook requests I get for a high altitude cornbread recipe, it’s long overdue too. The thing is, I’ve made countless cornbread recipes, adjusting them all for high altitude, and I’ve yet to find one I love. Either their too sweet, too dry or makes a huge 9 x 13 pan which is too much cornbread for our family of four. BUT?!?!!?! I’ve finally found the cornbread. When I share it on the blog, you can guarantee it’s because I’ve made it multiple times- 3 in this case- and it’s passed the taste test from friends and family alike each time I’ve made it.
Cornbread is my favorite accompaniment to a bowl of chili and roast chicken respectively. I always slather my cornbread with butter and honey (would you expect anything otherwise?) and the contrast of the sweet cornbread mixed with the savory roast chicken juice or bowl of chili is so where it’s at for me. And seriously, does it get much better than holding cornbread in one hand using it to mop up all those savory morsels at the end of a bowl of chili or last bits of chicken? Me thinks not. A classic case of salty-sweet at the pinnacle of comfort food.
As much as I love cornbread, I haven’t been all that successful making it on my own at home. Until now. After umpteen failed recipes, I’ve finally found the one. It’s perfectly moist, makes an 8×8 square pan, and is just sweet enough. It’s absolutely crazy to me that neither of my boys like cornbread (I know, right???) but my hubby approved the recipe as did my folks and our awesome carpenter. I’d given him some to take home with this turkey chili and he texted me to say the cornbread bread was so good it didn’t even need butter. Huh? As if. I don’t care how good the cornbread is. It always needs butter. Always.
But I guess that means this cornbread is a winner!
You could easily double the recipe into a 9×13 to feed a crowd but for us this is the perfect amount. I’m fairly certain that this would make a great base recipe to add in whatever herbs, spices or a handful of cheese if you want to doctor it up!
Happy Monday- it’s snowing here- so you know I’m having a great day! Hope yours is treating you well wherever you are! xo, Kelley
PrintHigh Altitude Cornbread Recipe
Yield: 12 servings 1x
Yield:
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This recipe has been developed for high altitude. My kitchen sits just below 7000 feet where this recipe was tested.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup canned corn kernels, drained (I used a 10oz can)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Butter a 8×8 glass baking dish and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined taking care not to over mix. Fold in the corn kernels.
- Pour the cornbread batter into prepared pan. Bake cornbread for about 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean after inserted into the center. Remove cornbread from oven and let cool on a rack for 20 minutes before diving in.
- Cut into squares, slather with butter and honey and devour.
60 Comments
You made my day. Cornbread a success at 7400 feet. I am so happy to just bake and not worry about conversions. Thank you for taking the guess work out of something that up until now had only been disappointing experiments.
You are SO welcome!! xo
This was super delicious! I omitted the 10 oz can of corn but it was super moist, held it’s shape, had a beautiful crust and awesome flavor. Thank you for all your efforts and failures that lead you to this, and for sharing your work with us.
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This was perfect! I used creamed corn and baked it in a cast iron skillet for about 21 minutes. Very moist, fluffy, and not too sweet. Perfect companion for chili. Thanks for doing the leg work and sharing this great recipe!
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Bakes nice and tall at 6,035 ft. Needed about 40 min. in the oven to get the crust browned to my preference, but this didn’t affect the moistness at all. Perfect complement to green chile stew! Thanks so much for posting this keeper.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for your input and comment!!
Any adjustments needed to make mini muffins?
No ingredient adjustment though I’d cut the baking time. Maybe start with 15-18 minutes and go from there!
I made this last night and it was such a success that it disappeared in the blink of an eye. Next time I will double it! Your blog has been a lifesaver for me since I moved to nearly 8,000ft, a year and a half ago. High altitude cooking and baking is no joke, and I have had to re-learn so much. Thank you for lighting a path.
I’m so glad! It took me a year to perfect the recipe and I’m so happy to share it with you!!
Coconut oil works as a sub for butter. no corn for us and a tablespoon of real maple syrup was delicious.
Best recipe ever. No changes needed it wanted!
It’s one we make over and over again! Glad you enjoyed it.
I cannot wait to try this. Gloria 5000 feet Prescott Arizona
Love you high altitude hints. We live at 4,000 in the Sierras, but it is wreaking havoc on my bread making and cinnamon rolls! Just can’t get it right! Maybe it is time for a high altitude cookbook from you? Bernie in Twain Harte, CA
One of these days!!! Thanks for reading!
We are vacationing in Salt Lake City. I had planned to make corn muffins to bring to a BBQ. I have a go to recipe which I love. As I was gathering the ingredients I suddenly remembered that we were currently at 5000 feet not at 500 feet where I normally make this recipe. A quick Google search revealed your recipe. It was delicious and saved our corn muffins. Thanks so much
I’m glad they worked out for you and hope you had a great time in SL!
Being a Southern girl in Arizona, I just HAVE to have cornbread sometimes and I LOVE this one! It’s a hit every time I make it. Thank you so much for this!
About the corn – possible to use freshly grated corn right off the cob??? Thank you.
Of course!
I’ve already commented 3 years ago, but wanted to say this is still the recipe I use every time I make cornbread. I will add that I double the sugar, because I like it that way. More like a Johnny cake style. Also, I never have buttermilk so I use a substitute. 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice in 1 cup milk, let sit 5 minutes then use. Thanks again for this recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. I am still adjusting my cooking after moving to higher elevation last year. My first attempt at cornbread was very disappointing. Found your recipe and tried it. Turned out just perfect
My kitchen also sits just below 7000 feet and this turned out perfectly! I also needed it to be gluten free, so I substituted a 1:1 gluten free flour, no one seemed to notice. 🙂
This recipe is definitely a keeper, thank you!
Absolutely perfect cornbread! First time making cornbread at 7400 ft and this was wonderful. I didn’t have buttermilk so I subbed with 1 tbsp white vinegar in a cup of milk (let it sit for 5 minutes before adding to recipe). Corn kernels were a delicious touch as well. Next addition will be jalapenos 🙂 Thank you!
I live at 8500 feet, and this recipe works great here. I put only 2tblsp of sugar, just because I like it a little less sweet. Thanks for all your high altitude recipes.I’ve used a lot of them, and they always turn out great, even at my higher altitude. I’m making the corn bread today for NewYear’s to go with our hoppin’ John and greens. Yum!
Deb, Just made the high altitude cornbread, delicious but at 8350 feet the center, just very center was not cooked all the way through. Followed directions exactly. New stove which seems to be a gem. What do you think?
Every oven is different. You didn’t cook the cornbread long enough. Test it every 2-3 minutes after the recommended cooking time. Because you’re at 8350 feet, I’d say you’re going to need an extra 5 minutes. Please try again- this really is a tried and true recipe!
Worked perfectly at 6500 feet! This recipe used the basic ingredients that reminded me of the one I used to use in Indiana, which I very much appreciated! I’d never added corn before, though, but I’m very glad I did! Father-in-law visiting from the South requested that I make it again on his next visit ☺️
Found this recipe for my first try at making cornbread in our new hime over 6500 ft. Perfect! Held together well. Not too grainy. Excellent flavor. Will definitely make this my go to recipe.
I’m at 4,500 ft in Banff, Alberta, Canada & this recipe turned out great for me. Did make a couple mods to work with what I had on hand: [1] grits instead of cornmeal which made for fantastically crunchy edges; [2] instead of butter I used half ghee & half grapeseed oil; [3] thawed frozen corn which I tossed with the flour since I find this helps them them from sinking to the bottom during baking. (Works great for other standard baking mix-ins like chocolate chips, dried fruit or nuts.) Baked for the full amount of time and it was beautifully toasty. Waiting 20 for it to cool was hard but worth it. Thanks for the recipe! Learning to bake again at a high altitude has been quite the adventure.
I am so trying the polenta substitution!
Yay! Perfect cornbread! Since moving from sea level to 5000 ft in AZ 2 yrs ago, I have visited your site often. You have really help me adjust my own recipes to make them work here, so many thanks! For this recipe, instead of buttermilk, I used sour cream thinned a bit with half & half to make 1 cup & frozen sweet corn, thawed. Added just a dash of hot sauce as well. About 30 mins in the oven. This recipe is a keeper & will be my go to cornbread recipe from now on. Thank o’bunch!!
You’re so welcome! They make great muffins too and you can add just about anything and they’re delicious!
Thank you-thank you-thank you! Since moving from sea level to almost 9000 feet, I feel like I am learning to cook all over again. My trial and error results have been less than stellar (usually inedible). This cornbread was delicious and the texture was perfect. Just as good as my sea level cornbread! Thanks to your High Altitude Rules and Cheat Sheet, I am beginning to enjoy cooking again!
Great recipe! Thank you so much. At 8500 feet I’m never sure even with high altitude recipes. A slight sinking in the middle but not much. I would definitely make it again.
From my recipe, try adding a tablespoon of flour and decreasing the leavening by another 1/8th of teaspoon!
Your baking recipes have been such a lifesaver for me. I’ve lived in Denver for 4 years and could never reliably bake at altitude until I found your website!
Would omitting the canned corn mess up the entire rest of this recipe? Boyfriend isn’t too keen on corn bits in his bread.
I also live at over 8,000 ft in Cuenca Ecuador and LOVE this recipe. Recently I started experimenting with a local product- green plantains. Im trying to figure out how to do the proportions. It seems as if I can get away with about a cup of preboiled and mashed plantains without any changes. If you have any suggestions of experience with this combo of cornbread/plantain please let me know.
This is the only cornbread recipe I use(quite often!) Use a mix of plant butter/ applesauce,flax eggs,and almond milk(soured) for a yummy vegan version. Have not had an unpleasant batch yet at 5300 feet. I never used to like/eat cornbread til now! Thank you so much!!
We are at 6,600 feet near Denver. This recipe is fabulous. It turned out perfectly with no alterations necessary. Used some fresh corn we vacuum sealed this summer. Yum! Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds wonderful! Has anyone put the corn kernels through a blender before adding??? Would that change everything??? Becca
I have not. If you’re not a fan of the corn kernels, you can easily omit!
Thank you Kelley – I’ll let you know how my experiments with the corn kernels turn out…maybe a gentle pulsing in my food processor which would leave some smaller pieces of corn???? Stay tuned….Becca
This is the absolute best cornbread I’ve ever had. Complete game changer! I finally think I have a decent cornbread to use in my cornbread oyster stuffing (minus the canned corn) which makes me incredibly happy. I’m not even a fan of cornbread usually, but this is delicious. I can’t thank you enough for this and so many other recipes I’ve tried of yours. I’m an avid cook and have just been stymied by high altitude baking until I found your cite. Every recipe has worked beautifully. You’re a goddess!
OMG! This is heaven! I also cut the sugar to 2Tbsp because I don’t like sweet cornbread but I almost didn’t get it in the oven! But I did so everyone else could have some too. ; )
Baked the bread at 11,300 with an extra egg for good luck. It turned out a little drier than what I usually like my cornbread at but it was still very good. Little extra butter at the end on top went a long way. My husband and two room mates loved it. Make no mistake, this cornbread recipe is in my bookmarked recipes. Really love Mountain Mama recipes for figuring out this high altitude life.
I’ve always struggled ‘tweaking’ recipies for altitude as I live at just under 6000’…so glad I found your recipe, it was perfect! I left out the corn (picky husband), but saw that another reviewer did that with success. I made 12 regular-sized muffins, mine only took about 11 mins to bake at 400, so be sure to check your muffins early! : ) Moist and delicious and just the right amount of sweet for us. Thank you!
OMG! High altitude cornbread at last! We’re at 7,788’. It was glorious. We come from flatland and have been dead in the water without good cornbread! Beautiful, flavorful cornbread! Thank you
Turned out great. Just relocated back to Mile high and my Jiffy didn’t hold lol Thanks .
I live at 11,100′ in Breckenridge – do I need to make adjustments?
Nope. Should be fine!
Love this recipe and so does my 1 1/2 year old grandson. I used yogurt and polenta instrad of the buttermilk and cornmeal and cut back on the sugar. Delicious! Has anyone tried using whole wheat flour instead of the white?
My search for a great cornbread recipe is officially over! Thank you! I live in a Denver suburb and this cornbread not only turned out perfectly, but the entire family said it was the best cornbread they’ve ever had.
Oh, my goodness! I am SO glad to have discovered “Mountain Mama Cooks” high altitude recipes! Kelly is becoming my go-to for all things baked! This cornbread is to die for. This is now the defacto standard high altitude recipe in my file! I’ve considered the canned corn optional and have yet to throw it in; have reduced the sugar to 2T; and use “Bob’s Red Mill” medium grind cornmeal from our local grocery store. Can’t wait to get some “Southern” cornmeal from a grist mill on my next visit South! Thank you, Kelly–you rock!
FINALLY!!! A wonderful cornbread recipe! I tweaked it just a tad. I used a hot cast-iron skillet with bacon grease instead of butter! I sprinkled about 2tsp. sugar on top before sliding it into the oven! Took just 23 minutes to bake. I’m at an altitude of 7894 ft.
Any suggestions for converting this to GF? Grandson has Celiacs. I’ve made many of your recipes and love them all, especially your Brownies which I along again in a couple of days. I’m at 8200 ft, Valdez NM.
Replace the all-purpose flour with equal amount of your favorite all-purpose gf flour blend.