Honey Butter Sweet Potato Cornbread is the kind of side dish that tastes like fall in every bite. It’s ultra‑moist from mashed sweet potatoes, lightly sweet from honey, and finished with a glossy honey‑butter topping that soaks into the warm crumb. This cornbread is perfect with chili, roasted chicken, or a holiday turkey, but it’s just as good eaten warm with a pat of butter all by itself.
What makes this version special is the way the sweet potato adds richness and color without making the bread heavy. A mix of flour, cornmeal, and baking powder keeps it soft but still slightly crumbly like classic cornbread, while honey butter brushed on top right out of the oven gives it a gorgeous sheen and a bakery‑style finish. It’s a simple batter, stirred together in minutes, that bakes into golden squares with a hint of natural sweetness.
Ingredients for Honey Butter Sweet Potato Cornbread
For the cornbread:
- 1 cup all‑purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes (about 1 medium, cooked and mashed)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup sugar (optional, for a sweeter bread)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk or buttermilk
For the honey‑butter topping:
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2–3 tablespoons honey
- Pinch of salt
How I Make Honey Butter Sweet Potato Cornbread
1. Prep the pan and oven
I preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Then I grease a 9×9‑inch baking dish or a well‑seasoned cast‑iron skillet with butter or nonstick spray. Using a hot skillet gives especially crisp edges, so I sometimes place the empty skillet in the oven to preheat while I mix the batter.
2. Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, I whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar if I’m using it. Whisking first helps the leavening and seasoning spread evenly throughout the batter.
3. Mix the wet ingredients
In another bowl, I combine the mashed sweet potatoes, honey, melted butter, eggs, and milk or buttermilk. I whisk until everything is smooth and the sweet potato is fully blended into the liquid mixture. This is where most of the moisture and flavor comes from, so I make sure it’s well mixed.
4. Bring the batter together
I pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and gently stir with a spatula just until everything is combined. The batter will be thick but pourable; a few small lumps are fine. Overmixing can make cornbread tough, so I stop as soon as there’s no dry flour visible.
If I’ve preheated a cast‑iron skillet, I carefully remove it from the oven, swirl a bit of extra butter in the bottom, then pour in the batter, smoothing the top with a spatula.
5. Bake until golden
I bake the cornbread for about 25–30 minutes, or until the top is deep golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The edges should look slightly crisp and pull away from the sides of the pan.
6. Brush with honey butter
While the cornbread bakes, I whisk together the melted butter, honey, and a pinch of salt for the topping. As soon as the hot cornbread comes out of the oven, I brush or pour the honey butter over the top, letting it soak in. This gives the crust a shiny, sticky glaze and infuses extra flavor right into the surface.
After a few minutes of cooling, I slice the Honey Butter Sweet Potato Cornbread into squares or wedges and serve it warm.
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