The Ultimate Healthy Cornbread {Video Included!}

 
Although most of my family looks forward to the side dishes more than the turkey on Thanksgiving (especially this healthy sweet potato casserole—it tastes like pumpkin pie!), the exact opposite scenario occurs with our main entrée at Christmas. Nearly every year, we purchase a honey baked ham from a specialty shop in town, along with an assortment of chutneys and stone ground mustards.  

We typically cut a few slices to serve the day before as part of celebrating my grandparents’ wedding anniversary (yes, they were married on Christmas Eve!), but we save the majority of the ham for our regular Christmas dinner. Everyone reaches for those thick, juicy slices first, as well as the condiments, before turning their attention to the platters of sides.

Even with everyone sneaking into the fridge for a few extra nibbles in between meals throughout the next few days, licking the sweet honey evidence from their fingers to avoid getting caught, we still end up with leftovers. However, Mom always plans ahead and buys a special artisan package of dried beans from the store when she picks up the ham.
 

 
When everyone proclaims they’re done, she adds the rest of the ham to a big pot, along with the contents of the package and an ample amount of water, to make ham bone and bean soup. While it simmers, it fills the house with the coziest savory smell, causing everyone to ask, “Is it done yet?”

Occasionally, Mom whips up a batch of cornbread while the soup cooks. She usually follows the directions from one of our old well-worn cookbooks or on the back of the box of cornmeal, both of which depend on large amounts of oil and sugar for their moist texture. It’s a good thing we usually finish off the pan before New Year’s Eve… We need come up with resolutions to burn off all those calories!
 

 
With the holidays quickly approaching (how is it that Thanksgiving is right around the corner already??) and chilly fall weather fully upon us, I suggested that we make this Ultimate Healthy Cornbread instead this year. After their first bites, both of my parents’ eyes lit up, just like five-year-old children’s on Christmas morning, and they immediately agreed… While reaching for a second slice, with the crumbs of the first still lingering on their lips!

They quickly deemed it the best cornbread they’d ever had—and I definitely agree!
 

 
For the base of this healthy cornbread, you’ll use a combination of cornmeal and white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat, which has a lighter taste and texture very similar to that of all-purpose flour. This gives your cornbread the perfect tender texture, while still letting the comforting corn flavor shine!

Whereas the recipes my mom typically turned to all used oil, I actually prefer butter in this recipe! It gives the cornbread an extra cozy-comfort-food richness, especially when paired with vanilla extract. I know it sounds crazy… Vanilla extract? In cornbread?? Trust me—you do not want to skip it! Vanilla actually enhances butter’s flavor, so it makes this recipe taste just as indulgent as traditional ones!
 

 
However, unlike traditional recipes with around ½ cup of oil, you’ll only use 1 tablespoon of butter. (Or coconut oil… It also works, but it doesn’t have the same rich flavor!) Instead, the rest of this cornbread’s tender texture comes from Greek yogurt! It’s my favorite ingredient in healthier baking for a reason… It adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your cornbread a protein boost, too!

Finally, you’ll mix in just a hint of honey for sweetness. Because my family often eats their cornbread warm with a drizzle of honey (and a small pat of butter that melts into all of the crooks and crannies), we prefer our cornbread on the not-so-sweet side. You could easily substitute a little extra honey for some of the milk if you prefer!
 

 
And there you have it! The best healthy cornbread—perfect for serving with soups, chilis, game day spreads… Or any time you’re just craving comfort food—but not the guilt! 😉

And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy cornbread!

The Ultimate Healthy Cornbread

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 16 squares

This easy cornbread recipe tastes just like traditional ones—but with none of the guilt! It’s tender, lightly sweetened, and perfect for serving with soup, chili, game day spreads, or anytime you’re craving comfort food. Leftovers will keep for at least 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

4.97 from 79 votes

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Ingredients 

• 1 ¼ cups (150g) finely ground cornmeal (measured like this – and see Notes!)
• ½ cup (60g) white whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (see Notes!)
• ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp (30mL) honey (see Notes!)
• ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the honey. Alternate between adding the cornmeal mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the cornmeal mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the cornmeal mixture in 3 equal parts.)
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden and the center feels firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. (For the best texture, let it cool completely to room temperature.)

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s very important to measure both the cornmeal and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (I always use this kitchen scale because it ensures my baking recipes turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time. It’s less than $30!) Too much of either will dry out your cornbread, instead of yielding the moist and tender texture it should have.

 

IMPORTANT CORNMEAL NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Not all cornmeal is the same! You want finely ground or medium grind cornmeal (like this!) for this recipe.

 

Also, not all cornmeal brands weigh the same. Look at the side of your box or bag of cornmeal, and find where it displays the serving size in both cups and grams. If you’re measuring by CUPS (not grams) and ¼ cup of your cornmeal does NOT weigh 30g, then see the "Cornmeal Measurement Equivalent" Note below to determine how much of your cornmeal to use! (It’s really important to use the correct amount; too much will dry out your cornbread!)

 

If you ARE measuring by grams, then just use 150g of your finely ground or medium grind cornmeal – no additional steps (or math) required!

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

 

VANILLA NOTE: I know vanilla sounds like a strange ingredient for cornbread, but trust me! Vanilla enhances butter’s flavor, so it makes this cornbread taste just as indulgent as traditional recipes. (I highly recommend using butter instead of coconut oil, for that reason!)

 

HONEY NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted for the honey.

 

We prefer our cornbread on the not-so-sweet side since we usually serve it with a drizzle of honey (and a small pat of melted butter, if you’re feeling indulgent!). If you like sweeter cornbread, substitute additional honey, pure maple syrup, or agave in place of an equal amount of the milk.

 

For example, if you use an additional 2 tablespoons of honey (4 tablespoons total), then reduce the milk to 2 tablespoons instead.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

 

GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten free flour, I recommend as follows: ¼ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten free flour blends (I like this one by Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.

 

CORNMEAL MEASUREMENT EQUIVALENT: If your cornmeal does NOT weigh 30g per ¼ cup and you'd like to use cups to measure it (not a kitchen scale!), then follow the steps below to determine how many cups you'll need.

 

Step 1: Divide 150g by the number of grams in ¼ cup of your cornmeal. For example, if your cornmeal is 33g per ¼ cup, divide 150 by 33. That equals 4.545.

 

Step 2: Divide that number from Step 1 by 4. In our example, that would be 1.136. This is the number of cups of your cornmeal that you need.

 

Step 3: If your decimal places look a little funky, like in our example, multiply just the decimals by 16. For our example, that’s 0.136 x 16 = 2.18, and I would round down to just 2. This is the number of tablespoons, in addition to that 1 cup of cornmeal, that you need. So for our example of 33g per ¼ cup of cornmeal, you'd need 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of cornmeal.

 

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low sugar}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
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