Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (2024)

HomeCooking MethodInstant Pot

Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (1)

Cheryl MalikPosted: 08/26/21Updated: 05/26/23

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Buttery, dense, melt-in-your-mouth Instant Pot cornbread is an easy, steamed version of a classic Southern side. Whether your oven’s on the fritz or you just don’t feel like heating up the kitchen, the Instant Pot gives you perfectly “baked” cornbread that goes great with BBQ, black-eyed peas, spaghetti, and more.

Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (2)

What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • No packaged cornbread mix here! No, no. If you’re used to store-bought mixes, I’m begging you to trust me and give this one a try. You’ll never go back to the packaged stuff again.
  • This cornbread comes out incredibly buttery and moist. If you’re used to oven-baked cornbread that’s dry and a little crumbly, this won’t be exactly the same. It won’t have those crunchy, crisp edges, either. If that’s the kind of cornbread you’re looking for, try our Broccoli Cornbread (you can leave out the broccoli if you want).
  • You might be thinking “It’s way faster to cook cornbread in the oven, why would I use an Instant Pot??” That’s true. Oven-baked cornbread has a shorter cook time than Instant Pot cornbread. The benefits to using the pressure cooker? It won’t heat up your kitchen. You can use it on the road (like in an RV or a camper). It frees up the oven so you can cook something else in it while the cornbread “bakes”. Plus, the cornbread itself is different. The Instant Pot version is almost cake-like since it’s steamed bread.

Key Ingredients

Cornmeal – This is a must-have ingredient for good cornbread. You can use coarse, medium, or finely ground cornmeal here. Each one will change the texture slightly. Fine and medium grinds will give you the best texture, in my opinion. Coarse can make your cornbread kind of gritty or chunky. You could also try combining fine and medium grind cornmeals for a light cornbread with just a little of that coarse texture.

Buttermilk – Feel free to swap this out for your favorite kind of milk. If you use another kind, though, you’ll want to add a little lemon juice or vinegar to make up for the lower acidity. The acid in butter milk reacts to the baking powder to give your Instant Pot cornbread the perfect rise. Note that this will change the flavor of the cornbread a little, though.

All-Purpose Flour – If you’re looking for a gluten-free cornbread, you can use gluten-free all-purpose flour here. For an oven-baked gluten-free cornbread, try this recipe from our sister site, 40 Aprons.

Sugar – I know, I know. This is sacrilege to some of my fellow Southerners. I love a little sweetness to my cornbread, though! You can replace the granulated sugar with monk fruit or granular Swerve if you’d like a no-sugar-added cornbread. You can also just leave it out completely for a totally savory cornbread.

Chef’s Tips

  • A springform pan would be a great option if you have one small enough to fit in your Instant Pot. If you don’t have a springform pan that will work, any small round baking pan will do the trick.
  • If the Instant Pot cornbread sticks to the sides of the pan after cooling, just run a butter knife around the inside edge of the cornbread to loosen it. Place the wire baking rack face-down on top of the pan, then flip them both over in one smooth motion, so the cake pan is upside-down and the wire rack is face-up. Now you should be able to wiggle and lift the pan away from the cornbread.
  • You can add corn kernels (fresh or thawed), diced jalapeños, cheese, or other ingredients to your Instant Pot cornbread batter if you want! And if you’ve got leftovers, you can turn them into a delicious cornbread salad.
Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (3)

Be Sure to Try These Instant Pot Recipes, Too!

I hope you love this recipe as much as we did! Be sure to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!

For more delicious, nutritious recipes, head over to our sister site, 40 Aprons.

Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (4)

5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Cornbread

Prep:15 minutes minutes

Cook:1 hour hour

Cool Time:5 minutes minutes

Total:1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Buttery, dense, melt-in-your-mouth Instant Pot cornbread is an easy, steamed version of a classic Southern side. Whether your oven's on the fritz or you just don't feel like heating up the kitchen, the Instant Pot gives you perfectly "baked" cornbread that goes great with BBQ, black-eyed peas, spaghetti, and more.

Print Save

8 pieces of cornbread

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk at room temperature
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour see Notes
  • 1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
  • ½ cup granulated sugar see Notes
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup water for the Instant Pot
  • honey optional, to serve
  • butter optional, to serve

Equipment

  • Instant Pot cake pan (or round baking pan that fits)

  • Cooking spray

  • Large bowl (2)

  • whisk

  • Aluminum foil

  • Instant Pot

  • Instant Pot trivet

  • Wire cooling rack

Instructions

  • Spray Instant Pot cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

  • In large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter, until combined. Set aside.

    Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (5)

  • In other large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Slowly pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients, whisking constantly to combine.

    Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (6)

  • Pour batter into greased cake pan. Cover pan with foil.

  • Pour water into Instant Pot. Place covered cake pan on Instant Pot trivet and lower trivet into Instant Pot.

    Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (7)

  • Secure lid with valve in Sealing position. Cook on Manual High Pressure for 50 minutes. When time is up, let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release to let out remaining pressure.

  • Carefully remove trivet and cake pan from Instant Pot. Place cake pan on wire cooling rack and let cool uncovered 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove cornbread from cake pan. Serve with honey and butter, if desired.

    Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (8)

Notes

  • Make it Added-Sugar Free: Use granular Swerve or monk fruit.
  • Make it Gluten Free: Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour.
  • Instant Pot: This recipe was tested and perfected using a 6-quart Instant Pot. If using a smaller or larger pressure cooker, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe or cook time. A smaller pressure cooker will mean less batter; less batter will need a shorter cook time.

Recipe yields approximately 8 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including honey or butter for serving. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 8. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1piece of cornbread | Calories: 317kcal | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Total Carbs: 49g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Net Carbs: 46g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 370mg | Potassium: 193mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 2mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed,notincluding any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (9)

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  1. Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (10)Vinnie says

    Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (11)
    hi Cheryl, made this yesterday and it was quite dense, my only add on was some thawed corn kernels (about half cup) however it didn’t crumble when cut and was very tasty so I would call “Success”

    Reply

    • Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (12)Megan | Easy Healthy Recipes Team says

      So happy you enjoyed the cornbread, Vinnie! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply

  2. Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (13)Vinnie says

    What size of pot in pot can I use or will a springform 7×3 inch pan be sufficient?

    Reply

    • Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (14)Megan | Easy Healthy Recipes Team says

      It just depends on the size of your Instant Pot!

      Reply

Moist & Buttery Instant Pot Cornbread - Easy Healthy Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How healthy is homemade cornbread? ›

Cornbread is a good source of phosphorus, an important mineral that your body needs for bone health, energy production, and DNA synthesis ( 3 ). It's also relatively high in sodium, a nutrient involved in regulating fluid balance and blood pressure levels ( 4 , 5 ).

Is cornbread good for your bowels? ›

Is cornbread hard to digest? A. Cornbread contains fibre, which is not easily digested or absorbed by the body and passes through the digestive system relatively intact. Fibre also controls bowel motions by softening and increasing the weight and size of the stool, all of which make it easier to pass stool.

Is cornbread good for your heart? ›

Regularly eating whole-grain corn has been linked to a lower risk of certain chronic diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and may help support digestive health. Cornmeal also delivers vitamins and minerals including phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, selenium, and thiamin.

What ingredients keep cornbread from being dry? ›

Just like the buttermilk, sour cream can be added to help cornbread stay moist. Just like buttermilk is fermented milk left over from making butter, sour cream is fermented cream. It is actually thicker than buttermilk and has more tang to it.

Is corn bread ok for diabetics? ›

Cornbread is delicious and a great accompaniment to any meal. However, it is not a good idea if you are a diabetic. The high starch and cornmeal contents are carbohydrates which are broken down into sugar in the body. Sugar is extremely dangerous for people with diabetes, so it is best to avoid it.

How healthy is cornmeal? ›

Cornmeal is a good source of carbohydrates and fiber and is fortified with a micronutrient premix containing iron, zinc, and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9 (folic acid), B12, and D3 per USDA Commodity Requirements.

What is the best food to make you have a bowel movement? ›

Some of the recommended foods for constipation include both types of fiber. For example, potatoes and apples have soluble fiber inside, and insoluble fiber in the outer skin.

What bread is best for bowels? ›

100% whole grain bread is high in dietary fiber, and fiber carries water straight to your stool to soften it. Watch that the bread you're buying starts with the word “whole”. Multigrain or seven-grain bread is not whole-grain; they're still made with enriched white flour and will worsen constipation.

Can people with IBS eat cornbread? ›

Even still, it is recommended to choose low FODMAP bread to prevent an IBS flare-up. Some examples of low FODMAP bread are sourdough bread, gluten-free/wheat-free bread, and cornbread.

Is cornmeal good for blood pressure? ›

Cornmeal is rich in potassium. Potassium helps smooth blood flow through the arteries, regulating muscle construction in the heart. Thus, it regulates your heart rate and blood pressure. High levels of bad cholesterol cause various cardiovascular diseases.

What is the best bread to eat for heart health? ›

100% Whole-Wheat Bread

Whole-wheat bread is another nutritious addition to a heart-healthy diet that can help manage blood pressure. It's made from whole-grain flour—meaning it's ground from wheat that has all three parts of the grain—resulting in a natural source of fiber and minerals.

Which is healthier, biscuits or cornbread? ›

In terms of which is “better” for you, that would depend on the exact recipe being used. When made commercially, both biscuits and cornbread tend to contain a generous amount of fat. Yum, love them both! In terms of which is “better” for you, that would depend on the exact recipe being used.

What to add to cornbread mix to make it better? ›

24 Things To Add to Jiffy Cornbread Mix to Make It Even Better
  1. ⅓ cup white sugar + ¼ cup brown sugar + ⅓ cup sour cream + 4 tablespoons melted butter + 1 tablespoon vanilla.
  2. 1 tablespoon oil, melted butter, or browned butter.
  3. ½ cup mayonnaise.
  4. ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt.
  5. 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup.
Dec 18, 2022

What causes cornbread to fall in the middle? ›

While not a professional chef, my experience with corn bread, be it packaged or made from scratch is if you over mix it, it's gonna fall! Also, let it sit for 4-5 minutes after gently scraping it into the pan and let the ingredients start their magic reactions. No peeking while baking!! That can make it fall too.

Why isn't my cornbread moist? ›

Extra Butter: To keep the cornbread moist and buttery, unwrap one end of a stick of butter and run it over the top of the baked cornbread while it is still hot. The butter will seep into the bread, adding extra moistness and flavor.

Is cornbread good for dieting? ›

While it's not a low-fat food, it's not particularly high in this nutrient either. Remember that no one food is bad or fattening by itself, but when eaten in excess or paired with other foods that are also high in fat, calories, and refined carbohydrates, it could contribute to fat or weight gain.

Which is better for you cornbread or wheat bread? ›

CORN BREAD

It has double the amount of polyunsaturated fats (the good kind) than wheat or barley, although not as much as oat bread. It's important to know that corn bread contains iodine, which is not found in many foods, but is vital for proper functioning of the thyroid gland.

How many calories are in one piece of homemade cornbread? ›

Common serving sizes
Serving SizeCalories
1 cubic inch20
1 oz80
1 piece183
100 g282
Aug 21, 2007

Why does cornbread have so much sugar? ›

White corn was generally more expensive than yellow corn. The difference in cornmeal also determines whether to put sugar into the mix or not. Yellow corn was usually harvested before it was ripe, so it was not as sweet, which required the added sugar into the list of ingredients when making cornbread.

References

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