This sweet potato cornbread is completely, utterly delicious! It’s moist and packed with flavor, with a touch of sweetness and tangy buttermilk. You’ll want to pair this cornbread with all your favorite soups, stews, saucy gravy dishes, and more. I’ll bet on it!
If cornbread is your love language, try my cornbread casserole and these cornbread pancakes, too!
I’m all about a buttery slice of cornbread drizzled with honey. I have a classic cornbread recipe that I cook in a skillet, which I love. And when it comes to side dishes, it’s hard not to beat fluffy cornbread to soak up soups, stews, and leftover gravy from smothered pork chops. Thus, it’s safe to say that I am OBSESSED with today’s sweet potato cornbread!
This Sweet Potato Cornbread Recipe Is…
- Packed with sweet potato (ya-ha!). Sweet potato adds so much richness and crazy levels of flavor to cornbread. I’m a HUGE sweet potato fan in everything from shepherd’s pie to stuffing, and I love that I could incorporate it into one of my favorite sides in this recipe.
- Ultra-moist and SO flavorful. On top of the moisture from the sweet potatoes, this cornbread is super tender from sour cream and buttermilk. No dry, crumbly cornbread, here. It’s seriously too good!
- Southern-style fluffiness. I can’t get over how soft and fluffy this sweet potato cornbread is. It’s Southern-style, so it’s sweeter and almost cake-like.
What You’ll Need to Make This Recipe
- Sweet Potatoes – I like to use orange sweet potatoes like you’d use for candied yams. You’ll find common types like Beauregard, jewel, and garnet sweet potatoes (called red yams) in most US grocery stores. You can use whichever kind you have access to.
- Butter – Because cornbread needs butter, friends. Salted or unsalted butter doesn’t matter, melted.
- Cornmeal – I use yellow cornmeal. The only real difference between yellow and white cornmeal is the color, though, so feel free to substitute white cornmeal if that’s what you have. You can use fine or coarse-ground cornmeal depending on the texture you prefer.
- Dry Ingredients – These are your all-purpose flour, sugar (or light brown sugar), baking powder, and salt.
- Eggs – I like to bring the eggs to room temperature.
- Sour Cream – Plain Greek yogurt is a good substitute.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk in the fridge, make a homemade buttermilk substitute from 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice mixed with 1 scant cup of milk. Rest the mixture for 5 minutes, then stir, and it’s ready to use!
- Shredded Cheese – I love mixing in my favorite Sargento Mexican cheese blend, but you can use shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, or even give this cornbread a spicy kick with Pepper Jack cheese.
Spice It Up!
Add a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon to your sweet potato cornbread. The hint of warm spice gives it some cozy sweet potato casserole vibes.
Katerina’s Recipe Tips, Variations, and FAQs
- Can I use canned sweet potato purée? Yes! I’ll always recommend cooked and mashed sweet potato first, but canned sweet potato purée also works in this cornbread recipe.
- For crispier edges, bake this sweet potato cornbread in a cast-iron skillet. Make sure to grease it well first.
- Check expiration dates. The fresher the ingredients, the better your cornbread will be. Check the dates on your baking powder, cornmeal, etc. Now is not the time to scrounge forgotten goods from the back of the fridge and pantry.
- How to know when it’s done: I always rely on the toothpick test to determine when my baked goods are done. Stick a toothpick into the center of the cornbread. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If not, and the top of the bread is already a baked golden brown, loosely cover the pan with foil while it finishes baking.
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Prep your tools. Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Oil a 9×13 glass baking dish with PAM and set aside.
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Cook the sweet potatoes. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
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Mix dry ingredients. While the potatoes are cooking, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk and set aside.
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Mash the potatoes. Place the cooked sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and mash until you have a mashed potato consistency. Let the potatoes cool for about 5 minutes (this way, they are not too hot when you add the other ingredients).
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Add wet ingredients. Once the potatoes have cooled, add the eggs, sour cream, and milk. Stir well to combine.
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Add dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the mashed potato mixture and stir until no dry bits of batter are visible.
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Mix in cheese. Add the cheese and mix it in until just combined.
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Bake. Spoon the batter into your prepared baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cornbread has puffed, is golden, and slightly cracked. Insert a toothpick into the middle of the bread to make sure it comes out clean. If it does not and the bread is already golden, loosely cover it with aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes until the cornbread is finished baking.
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Finish and serve. Remove the sweet potato cornbread from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 399mg | Potassium: 355mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5606IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How To Make Sweet Potato Cornbread, Step-By-Step
I prefer to bake cornbread in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Metal pans tend to brown the bottom of the bread more quickly. Make sure to grease the dish well with cooking spray or butter, and let’s get started:
- Cook the potatoes. Peel and dice the potatoes into even-sized cubes to speed up the cooking time. Then, boil the potatoes over high heat for about 10 minutes, until they’re fork-tender. You could also roast the sweet potatoes in the oven or cook them in the microwave. Set the drained potatoes aside afterward.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Meanwhile, whisk the cornmeal with flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Mash the potatoes. Now, add the potatoes to a large bowl and add butter. Mash until they have the same consistency as mashed sweet potatoes. It’s important to mash potatoes while they’re hot; otherwise, they’ll turn out gluey or gummy instead of fluffy.
- Add the wet ingredients. Cool the mashed potatoes for a few minutes before stirring in the eggs, sour cream, and buttermilk.
- Combine. Lastly, stir the dry ingredients into the mashed sweet potato mixture, and fold in the cheese.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to your greased baking dish (I use a 9×13-inch), and bake the cornbread at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes until it’s puffed and golden. A few cracks on top are a good thing!
Storage and Freezing
- Keep it airtight. Store this sweet potato cornbread covered airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate it for up to a week.
- Freeze. You can freeze cornbread for up to 3 months and thaw it at room temperature when you’re ready to serve.
