This sweet potato cornbread recipe is a heartier, richer version of classic cornbread. Tender, mashed sweet potatoes are mixed with a few simple ingredients and then baked in a hot skillet until a beautiful golden crust forms. Serve it warm with a slab of butter and you've got one addictive side!
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Sweet Potato Cornbread Recipe
It's safe to say that I'm a little obsessed with this recipe. I mean, it's so darn good!
The sweet potato mash makes this cornbread richer without weighing it down. The natural sugars and starch in sweet potatoes create a tender crumb that stays moist for days. Topped with butter or maple syrup to finish it off, and you have perfection. Seriously, it's so good!
Also, because it uses less flour and more yellow cornmeal and is baked in a hot cast iron skillet, this cornbread has an unbelievably crunchy crust.
Now, of course, this sweet potato pie cornbread is amazing on its own - with melted butter soaking into every nook and cranny. But it tastes even better paired with savory dishes, like these breaded Italian chicken cutlets or this ground turkey casserole.
By the way, this dish makes an awesome Thanksgiving side dish. We make it every year for the big day! In our house, we always pair it with this pioneer woman stuffing and these cheesy mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- 2 big sweet potatoes
- 1 ½ cup of yellow cornmeal
- ¾ cup of all purpose flour
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup of sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- Vegetable oil (for greasing the cast iron skillet)
- Salted butter, to serve
I actually use almost all of these to make this Martha White cornbread recipe. So if you want to give a classic Southern cornbread a try, that's a great recipe to make.
By the way, to switch things up, you can also add some pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon into this sweet potato cornbread. The warm spices make this sweet potato cornbread taste like fall!
Oh, and if you have to go to the store, I highly recommend grabbing some extra sweet potatoes. You can use them to make some of my other sweet potato recipes, like this sweet potato pound cake, sweet potato cobbler, sweet potato hash browns, and old fashioned sweet potato pie.
How To Make Sweet Potato Cornbread
Step 1: Boil the sweet potatoes
First things first, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Then, grease a cast iron skillet with oil and set it aside. If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, any round baking dish that is similar in size will work too.
Next, peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes. The smaller the cubes, the faster they'll cook, and the easier it will be to mash the sweet potatoes. I like to cut mine into about 1" pieces.
Now, add the potatoes to a pot of boiling water and let them cook until fork-tender. This usually takes about 20 minutes, but start checking them at 15 minutes, just in case.
Once they're cooked, drain them in a colander and then transfer them to a large bowl.
Step 2: Mash the potatoes
Next, mash the sweet potatoes in a large bowl just until they're broken up.
If you don't have a potato masher, you can use a fork or an immersion blender. I find that mashing by hand gives the cornbread a more rustic texture, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
Step 3: Finish the batter
Into the bowl with the sweet potato puree, add the dry and wet ingredients. Start with sour cream, milk, and eggs, then add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Next, combine the sweet potato mixture together with a rubber spatula until the ingredients thoroughly incorporate into one another.
Step 4: Bake the cornbread
Next, pour the sweet potato cornbread batter into your prepared skillet. Then, bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Also, if your cornbread starts to brown too quickly, tent it with a piece of aluminum foil. This will prevent the top of the sweet potato mixture from getting too dark while the center finishes cooking.
Step 5: Slice and serve
Once your cornbread is cooked through, remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before slicing into it.
Serve with butter or melted butter, honey, or maple syrup on top, and enjoy!
How I Recommend Storing and Reheating This Recipe
We never have any leftovers in our house, but if you don't finish all of it, you can store the cornbread slices at room temperature for about 5 days. To keep for longer, store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
I like to reheat individual slices in the microwave for about 10 seconds to warm them up a little bit. You can add more time or let the frozen leftovers thaw in the fridge overnight first.
More Recipes To Try Next
- Sweet potato biscuits
- Sweet potato bread
- Sweet potato patties
- Sweet potato casserole
- Outback mac and cheese
- Sweet corn cake
- Million dollar bacon
Sweet Potato Cornbread
This sweet potato cornbread recipe is a heartier, richer version of classic cornbread. Tender, mashed sweet potatoes are mixed with a few simple ingredients and then baked in a hot skillet until a beautiful golden crust forms. Serve it warm with a slab of butter and you've got one addictive side!
Ingredients
- 2 big sweet potatoes
- 1 ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- ¾ cup of all purpose flour
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup of sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- Salted butter, to serve
Instructions
- Place sweet potatoes in a pot and cover with water, add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC).
- In a bowl, mash the sweet potatoes with a fork and add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, sour cream, and milk.
- Grease a cast iron skillet with oil and transfer the mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until it puffs and it's golden brown.
- Serve with butter.
Notes
Store slices in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days. Store in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 5.3gSaturated Fat: 2.6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 50mgCarbohydrates: 42.5gFiber: 3gSugar: 9gProtein: 5.9g
Terry Lidio
We made this for dinner and had it with grilled chicken, so good!!
Megan
The texture of this is just so good. I am absolutely going to make it again!
Trent
Never making reg corn bread again!! This is the tits.
Patty
Looks yummy! I’m making this soon!
Brendan Cunningham
Awesome! We hope you like it 🙂