Description
Sweet Potato Cornbread is a moist, lightly sweet twist on classic cornbread, infused with mashed sweet potatoes and warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as a cozy side dish. With its tender crumb, natural sweetness, and subtle spice, this recipe brings comfort and versatility to any table, and can be easily adapted to gluten-free, vegan, or dairy-free diets.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, boiled, and mashed (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup whole milk (room temperature)
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- Honey or maple syrup, for serving (optional)
Optional substitutions:
- Plant-based milk, coconut oil, or gluten-free flour for dietary adaptations
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease or spray a 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Boil sweet potato pieces in water until fork-tender (15–20 minutes). Drain and mash until smooth. Let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine milk and cornmeal. Let soak for 10 minutes to soften texture.
- Add flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, mashed sweet potato, egg, and oil to the soaked cornmeal mixture. Stir until combined, but do not overmix.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs but no wet batter.
- Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup before serving.
Notes
- Use freshly mashed sweet potatoes for the best flavor.
- Avoid overmixing to maintain a soft, tender crumb.
- Let cornmeal soak to reduce grittiness.
- Add warm spices like cardamom or orange zest for variation.
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for 5 days.
- Freeze slices for up to 3 months; thaw overnight before reheating.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Bread, Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Southern, American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 230 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg