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.
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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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Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Liquid Measuring Cup
Nutrition
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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.
GREAT!!!!!!
I used fig preserves instead of sugar ( aka – cleaned out my fridge) and it was life-affirming good. Good job, Beth!
Will this cook up okay in an enameled cast iron dutch oven without the lid?
That sounds like it would work, but I’ve never tried it myself. :)
It does! Tried it and perfect!
Great with chili! Also delicious toasted/broiled and topped with butter and maple syrup.
Cut back the sugar a bit (to about 1/3c). I make it in an 8” or 9” cast iron and it takes quite a bit more time because of the smaller size – up to 45min – or the centre is underbaked.
Do you think I can substitute the milk with unsweetened almond milk and vegan sour cream for sour cream?
That’s really tough to say without testing, unfortunately. Baking involves a lot of complex chemical reactions and both of those ingredients are quite different in composition than the original ingredients, so it will likely change the outcome.
I want to try this it is great
This is the beeessssttt corn bread. I always get asked for the recipe when I make it for a group. The only change I make is to cut back on the nutmeg (personal preference). I usually have a container of “pumpkin pie spice” mix on hand so I use 1 tsp of that instead of the individual spices.
Looks good…Will make it soon…
I forgot to buy milk and ended up using Greek yogurt and water instead of sour cream and milk as that’s what I had. Still super delicious and very easy to make!
This was amazing, thanks. And I made all kinds of careless mistakes. (Made it in a toaster oven and had left it on broil for the first 8 minutes, then set the temperature to 350 instead of 425 for another 10 minutes, and used an 8 inch skillet instead of 10 so the center never got completely done). To correct the last issue I sliced the top half off, cut each half into pieces, and heated it in the toaster before serving. Still fabulous!! I’m looking forward to making this again and following the directions.
Would it work if you baked the sweet potato first (rather than boiling)? Is there any reason not to do it that way?
They are a little more moist when you boil them, so it might change the texture of the bread just slightly if you bake them. That can always be adjusted by adding a splash more milk, though.
I added a splash more milk and it was perfect… more than perfect. Absolutely great recipe from you as always! Trying not to go back for thirds now.
I want to bake this in a muffin pan! What are your thoughts on that? Do you think it’ll work?
I think it will work, but the baking time will be shorter for sure. I don’t know exactly how long without trying it, but I’m sure you can just keep an eye on them and take them out when they are puffed up and cracked open on top, or use a toothpick to make sure the inside is baked (it should come out clean).
I’ve made this recipe 3 times and I am making it a 4th time for thanksgiving. I love cornbread and this is like the perfect recipe. Its crusty and I don’t feel like I’m eating cake, which is how cornbread should be. I do add 6 tbsp of melted butter instead of cooking oil.
You add 6 tablespoons of butter to the mix instead of the 2 tablespoons of oil that’s called for? I’m amazed that much more works well.
Thank you for the suggestion!
Could you cook this in a bread pan rather than a cast iron skillet?
I would opt for something wider and shallower than a bread pan, like a 9×9 inch casserole dish or pie plate. Because bread pans are narrow and deep, it might not bake properly.
I’m always looking for new recipes that help us cut back on the processed alternatives. Thanks for putting all of these in one place.