My First Sweet Potato Cornbread Made from Scratch
I love cornbread, but until recently I'd never made it from scratch.
For years, if cornbread was on the menu, I reached for a box of Jiffy mix and called it a day. It was easy, familiar, and honestly, I never felt much need to change it.
Recently, though, my husband and I decided to add a few fully plant-based days back into our routine. While neither of us is vegetarian or vegan these days, I spent years eating both ways and have always enjoyed meals built around fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole foods. We already eat plenty of those foods now, but we wanted to be a little more intentional about creating complete meals centered around plants.
While planning a Southern-inspired dinner of black-eyed peas and collard greens, I found myself staring at several sweet potatoes that needed to be used and wondering whether they might work in a homemade cornbread.
As it turns out, they worked beautifully.
The finished cornbread was moist, tender, and lightly sweet without feeling like dessert. The sweet potato gave it a beautiful golden color and helped create a texture that was much softer than I expected from cornbread made from scratch.
The biggest surprise, though, was how much my husband liked it. He isn't nearly as enthusiastic about cornbread as I am, so when he went back for another piece, I knew this recipe was a winner. By the end of the meal, the cornbread had almost stolen the spotlight from the black-eyed peas and collard greens I had spent so much time preparing.
I also had to laugh when I realized that my "completely plant-based" dinner wasn't quite as plant-based as I intended. The black-eyed peas and collard greens were, but I had absentmindedly included an egg in the cornbread recipe.
Oh well. Our goal isn't to follow a strict vegan lifestyle but simply to incorporate more plant-based meals into our routine. Still, if you're looking for a completely plant-based version, an egg substitute such as unsweetened applesauce or a flax egg may work well here, though I haven't personally tested either option.
One thing I appreciated about this recipe is that it felt approachable. I'm far from a professional baker, and this was my first attempt at homemade cornbread. The ingredients were simple, the process was straightforward, and the results were better than I expected.
It also reminded me that sometimes trying something new in the kitchen is worth the effort. After years of relying on boxed cornbread mixes, I'm not sure I'll be going back.
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Ingredients
1 cup mashed baked sweet potato
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
1 cup milk (I used oat milk)
1 egg
¼ cup melted coconut oil
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Bake a sweet potato until very soft. Allow it to cool until it's comfortable to handle, then remove the flesh and mash until mostly smooth.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Add the mashed sweet potato, milk, egg, and melted coconut oil. Stir until everything is well combined.
Pour the batter into a greased 8x8-inch baking dish.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cornbread to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Whether you're looking for a side dish for a Southern-inspired meal or simply want a different way to use sweet potatoes, this recipe is well worth trying. It earned two enthusiastic thumbs up in our house, which may be the highest recommendation I can give.
