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
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
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Spinach & Goat Cheese Cornbread Muffins
♥ Mini Cornbread & Black Bean Bites
♥ Quick Turkey Chili
♥ Spicy Black Bean Soup
♥ Roasted Bell Pepper Bread
♥ Rosemary & Garlic Bread
♥ Baked Spicy Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries
This cornbread recipe is great if you keep your expectations in check: don’t kid yourself into thinking you’ll end up with an uber-cakey, moist, decadent cornbread following this recipe. After all, the title does say “ultimate healthy.”
Based on flavor and nutrition alone, I’d give this cornbread five stars. After accounting for texture, I’d have to drop my ranking down to four stars. For me, it was just too dry (yes, I measured using the method suggested). To increase the moisture for next time, I might try using greek yogurt with a slightly higher fat content or adding an extra egg yolk. Will check back in when I try it!
Thanks for providing this cornbread alternative, Amy. I think I can *maybe* learn to sacrifice the butter and sugar and jump onboard the healthy cornbread bandwagon.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Grace! I’m sure we can modify this to better suit your tastes. 🙂 If you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring cornmeal (and flour, cocoa powder, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up cornmeal from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the cornmeal into it. Once there’s a small mound of cornmeal extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess cornmeal. Never “pat” the cornmeal down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less cornmeal to the batter, so you’ll end up with a more moist and tender cornbread. Does that make sense? 🙂 Also, you can add another 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons of milk to the batter! The cornbread will probably need a couple more minutes in the oven, but that should make it a bit more moist and tender as well. I hope that helps!
I made this recipe yesterday and am enjoying it so much! My husband said he likes this recipe more than the “regular” one I’d make from the back of the corn meal cannisters. I actually love that it’s a little more grainy than more cake-like versions. I think a corn bread should be more like yours. Your recipe clearly calls for more cornmeal than the cakier ones. I always put a very thin layer of butter on corn bread, regardless.
I definitely see the value of the vanilla in the recipe, but it doesn’t overwhelm in any way. I followed your recipe exactly, except I used regular whole wheat flour and low fat milk. Perhaps the regular whole wheat flour ever so slightly darkened the bread, but only very slightly. I give this recipe the full 5 stars. Thank you for sharing it!
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this cornbread, Elaine! I’m truly honored that you’d give it five stars and say cornbread recipes should taste more like this one. What a huge compliment — thank you!! 🙂 Yes, the regular whole wheat flour will make the cornbread a tiny bit darker in color. You’re exactly right!
Thank you for sharing! What is the nutritional value of potassium is in this recipe?
It’s my pleasure, Angie! This is the free nutrition calculator that I use, if you’d like to know the potassium. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try this cornbread!
Great site and recipes. I found two different cornbread recipes on your site and I was wondering how you would compare the two in terms of richness, flavor and texture. I see that one is lower calorie but they are both low enough that I’d rather choose the one that is higher on the satisfaction scale:
https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2016/11/17/the-ultimate-healthy-cornbread/
https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2018/05/10/healthy-buttermilk-cornbread/
Looking forward to your response.
-Tyler
I really appreciate your interest in my cornbread recipes, Tyler! I actually love both equally well, so I’d recommend using the recipe that matches the ingredients that are already in your cupboard so you don’t need to take an extra trip to the grocery store. 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cornbread that you make!
Hi, Thanks for the recipe! however I dont see the recommended cook time. It would be a big help.
It’s actually provided in Step 3! I know it can be easy to miss. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cornbread Anna!
This is my favorite cornbread recipe. I use full regular all purpose flour, full fat yogurt and regular milk because that’s what I always have on hand. I like that it’s slightly sweet and not oily like the other recipes I’ve tried. The addition of vanilla gives this cornbread another depth of flavor. Well done!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying this cornbread Jennifer! That means so much to me that you’d call it your favorite — I’m truly honored! 🙂
Should I double to make 12 regular size muffins?
Use this cornbread muffin recipe of mine instead! They have the same flavor, but you won’t need to make any modifications to the recipe in order to bake them as muffins. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them Carla!
Thank you! I made them this past weekend and messed up a bit. I need to measure the way you said to measure. My batter was too thick so I added 1/4 cup nonfat milk. The turned out ahhhhmazing! I will follow your instructions better next time and use the muffin recipe on your blog. Thanks again! Our family loves these with Amy’s low sodium lentil vegetable soup!! I was secretly hoping you were the same Amy ????
I’m so glad you enjoyed this cornbread Carla! That means a lot to me that you’d like to make it / the cornbread muffins again! That’s the best kind of compliment! 😉 I’ve had so many people ask if I’m the same Amy… Maybe Amy’s just like healthy food?? 😉 😉
Hey Amy, I am just confused on how you got 12.9 carbs with all the corn meal and flower that is used, is this a mistake in the ingredients? I am really trying to figure this out. The plan is to cook this today so a quick reply would be helpful thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Harry! This is the free nutrition calculator that I use, if you’d like to double check. Since this recipe yields 16 servings, that’s why the carbs looks lower than traditional recipes — the pieces are probably a little smaller! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cornbread!
Excellent! Made recipe as written. Would make again
I’m so glad you enjoyed this cornbread Susan! That means the world to me that you’d want to make it again — that’s the best kind of compliment! Thank you! 🙂
I made this tonight to go with Jambalaya. I’ve been lightening up my meals and was hoping I wouldn’t have to skip the cornbread. This fit perfectly into my plan! Everyone loved it! The vanilla was an interesting addition, I liked it. So did everyone else. I will admit I like the creamed corn sweetcake version of cornbread, but those days are past for me and I am enjoying less heavy food. So that’s saying a lot. It was perfect as it was firm enough to sop the juice in my Jambalaya. I’ll post to Instagram!
Oh! I used whole wheat pastry flour and nonfat evaporated milk.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed this cornbread Kris! That means the world to me — thank you for taking the time to share that with me! 🙂 I always love hearing what recipe modifications work, so I appreciate you sharing those tweaks too!