OMG, y’all. Stop everything. This is important. I knew I loved cornbread, but I didn’t know I could love it this much. I decided to add some sweet potato mash to my Everyday Cornbread, plus a couple of spices and sour cream for richness and… WHOA. It took everything in me not to eat the entire pan of this Sweet Potato Cornbread.
This recipe is a hybrid between my Everyday Cornbread and these amazing Sweet Potato Corn Bread Muffins from the New York Times. The NYT’s addition of cinnamon and nutmeg was absolutely spot on and gave the cornbread an amazing aroma. Since I had already bought some sour cream to top my chili, I decided to incorporate that into the batter, like this recipe from Leite’s Culinaria. Neither of those recipes used nearly enough sweet potato for me, though, so I upped mine to 1.5 cups. I didn’t want to waste that lovely sweet potato!
What Does Sweet Potato Cornbread Taste Like?
This cornbread is definitely on the sweeter side as far as cornbread goes, but it also has a good amount of warm, aromatic spices to keep it from being too dessert-like. It pairs well with both sweet and savory flavors. The texture is rich and thick, so one piece will definitely add a lot to your meal!
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Cornbread
The subtle sweetness of this sweet potato cornbread pairs absolutely perfectly with the warm spices of a bowl of chili, pumpkin soup, chorizo stuffed bell peppers, or anything BBQ, like this BBQ Cheddar Baked Chicken, but I also have to say, it’s awesome with coffee. I’ve also been eating it for breakfast with a thick pat of butter and with a fried egg on the side.
How to Store the Leftovers
Make sure you allow the cornbread to cool completely to room temperature before placing the leftover pieces in a resealable container and storing in the refrigerator. This cornbread also freezes quite well! I suggest wrapping each piece in plastic or waxed paper, then storing all of them in an air-tight freezer bag or freezer-safe container. You can thaw them at room temperature or with a quick zap in the microwave.
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Servings 8Ingredients
- 1 lb. sweet potato ($1.56)
- 1.5 cups yellow cornmeal ($0.36)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.13)
- 1/2 cup sugar ($0.40)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder ($0.12)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg ($0.05)
- 2 large eggs ($0.52)
- 1/2 cup sour cream ($0.47)
- 3/4 cup milk ($0.23)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil for the skillet ($0.02)
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potato and cut it into one-inch cubes. Place the cubes in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil the potatoes until they’re tender and fall apart with pierced with a fork (about ten minutes). Drain the potatoes and set aside.
- Coat the inside of a 10" cast iron skillet with cooking oil. Place the skillet in the oven and begin to preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well mixed.
- Mash the drained sweet potatoes until fairly smooth. Transfer 1.5 cups of the mashed potatoes to a large bowl. Add the sour cream, milk, and 2 Tbsp oil, and whisk until combined. Add the eggs and whisk until combined again.
- Pour the sweet potato mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir the two together just until combined and no dry mix remains on the bottom of the bowl. It’s okay if the mixture is a little lumpy, just be sure not to over mix.
- Carefully take the hot skillet out of the preheated oven and scoop the batter into the skillet. Smooth out the top of the batter until it's even, then return it to the oven. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the center is puffed, the top is golden brown, and it's slightly cracked around the edges. Remove the cornbread from the oven, cut into eight pieces, and serve (preferably with butter).
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Nutrition
Video
How to Make Sweet Potato Cornbread – Step by Step Photos
Peel a 1 lb. sweet potato and cut it into one-inch cubes. Place the cubes in a pot, cover them with water, and bring the pot up to a boil over high heat. Let the sweet potatoes boil until they’re soft and fall apart when pierced with a fork (about 10 minutes). Drain the sweet potatoes and set them aside.
Once the sweet potatoes are done boiling, get the skillet ready and begin to preheat the oven. Rub about 1/2 Tbsp of oil inside a 10″ cast iron skillet, place it in the oven, then set it to preheat to 425ºF.
While the potatoes are boiling (or after they’ve drained), combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together 1.5 cups yellow cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Stir them together until they are very well combined.
Mash the sweet potatoes until they’re fairly smooth. Transfer 1.5 cups of the sweet potato mash to a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup sour cream, 3/4 cup milk, 2 large eggs, and 2 Tbsp cooking oil.
Whisk the ingredients together until fairly smooth. You may still have a few small chunks of sweet potato, but that’s okay.
Pour the sweet potato mixture into the bowl with the mixed dry ingredients and stir them together just until mixed. It’s okay if it’s a bit lumpy, just don’t over mix it. The sweet potato cornbread batter will be fairly thick.
Carefully take the preheated skillet out of the oven, scoop the batter into it, then spread it around until it’s smooth on top. Return it to the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes.
Or until it’s puffed in the center, golden brown on top, and cracked around the edges. Cut the sweet potato cornbread into eight pieces and enjoy!
A little melted butter takes sweet potato cornbread to the next level.
Yes. Just yes.
I did not add the extra oil- I just made sure the skillet was well coated, and mine turned out perfectly. So it may be possible!
Would a can of sweet potato puree work instead of the sweet potatoes? I like shortcuts. =)
Yes, absolutely! :) Pumpkin, too!
Eating it right now with honey and butter and a cup of tea. Yum! (But, mine took longer than 25 minutes in the oven and got a bit more golden brown.)
And can you freeze cornbread and/or chili?
Yes to both! :)
Beth, do you think a thick pumpkin puree would work all right in place of the sweet potato mash?
Yep, absolutely! :)
This didn’t turn out well…I think that missing 2tbsp oil might have been important!
I do not have a cast iron skillet, but I do have several stainless steel skillets. Would that still work?
I think you’re better off using a glass or ceramic casserole dish. It can be a square 8×8 or 9×9 inch size.
Used a glass 4×9″. Coated it with coconut oil. Worked out great! So yummy! Would add 1 additional tbsp of oil so it stays moist for next day. Can you use corn flour instead of corn meal?
I’m not sure. I’ve never tried to use regular corn flour in cornbread instead of corn meal. You may need to decrease the quantity a bit since it’s milled more and therefore is probably more dense and may absorb moisture more readily.
I have this in the oven right now. I too missed where the 2 Tbls. of oil are in the recipe. I put it in with the wet ingredients. Is it necessary to the recipe?
Thanks for catching that! I just fixed it. Without the oil the bread will be just a bit more dry and crumbly, but it should still work fine. There is a good amount of fat in the sour cream and eggs to help keep the bread moist.
I have a vintage cast iron skillet that is my “go-to” skillet. It heats very evenly, and cooks foods perfectly when I use it on top of the stove, and I can pop it into the oven with no worries–such as when I make Apple Upside-Down Skillet Cake.
If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, can you use a non-stick cake pan?
Yes, that should work, but the baking time may be slightly different because the walls of the baking pan are much more thin. Just keep an eye on it and take it out when it’s puffed in the center and golden brown on top. :)
Yes, definitely with butter! This looks amazing. I bet it would freeze well too (if I somehow end up with leftovers, which is unlikely). :)
Looks great – question though, the recipe calls for 2.5 tbsp of oil, but I only see use of .5? Is that a typo or am I missing something?
Thanks for catching that! I just fixed it. :P The other 2 Tbsp goes in with the milk and sour cream. :) Sorry about that!
What a fabulous way to get veggies for breakfast! A WW leader once challenged us to have veggies at every meal not sure this was what she had in mind, though. ;)
Ok, I have no cast iron skillet but I am NOT waiting to get one. I am making this today.
Regular or low-fat sour cream?
And the only cast-iron skillet here is an abomination with a no-stick lining. Would I be asking for trouble using it in the oven?
I’d use regular sour cream because the fat helps keep the cornbread tender and moist. And yes, I’d avoid using that non-stick skillet in the oven if you’re not completely sure it’s oven safe. :) If you have a glass or ceramic casserole dish, you can use that instead.
I ended up being brave and using the non-stick skillet. I also figured maybe the mystery 2 tbsp of oil were to go into the mix, so I fudged it with more like 1 tbsp. It came out great.