13 Hacks For Making Boxed Cornbread Moist And Fluffy

No one should ever scoff at store-bought baking mixes. Not only do they save you so much time — because often all you need to do is add in the couple of extra ingredients that are called for on the box — but you also don't have to source out every leavening agent, flour, and ingredient, since it's already pre-measured in your dry mix. All you need to do is give it a quick stir, pop it into your pan, and bake. One type of baking mix that deserves a high five and a handshake is boxed cornbread. 

Now, I consider myself an avid home baker and someone who loves experimenting with recipes. But if you offer me two options — either to make my own cornbread from scratch or use a bag of my favorite cornbread mix — I'm going to pick the store-bought stuff every time. It's just so easy to make and it comes out tasting like a made-from-scratch version. 

Even though I can admit that while cornbread mix does indeed get the job done, the result may be a little too dry and torrid for my liking. Here are some of my favorite ingredients and techniques to zhuzh up boxed cornbread mix and to make it all the more moist and flavorful. And the best news is that you may already have many of these ingredients in your pantry or fridge! 

When the word "cornbread" comes to mind, most people think of cornmeal — which is the product made by dehydrating and grinding up the corn kernels into a coarse powder. The cornmeal, in tandem with a bit of "regular" wheat flour, creates the tender, yet crumbly bite that cornbread is known for. But that's not to say that you can't give your boxed cornbread mix an upgrade with another type of corn. 

If you want to make your cornbread extra juicy and soft — and impart a wonderfully diverse texture on it — you may want to consider adding a can of corn to it. Each bite will be interspersed with the corn kernels and the slightly-salty juice from the can will enrich your batter, too.

If whole kernels aren't your jam, you could also use a canned ingredient you may be unfamiliar with: creamed corn. Creamed corn is essentially whole corn kernels that have been cooked with leftover pulp. The pulp offers a milky, and dare I say "creamy" texture that will elevate any batch of cornbread. There's no dairy in it, which means that you can use it for your vegan cornbread, too. I would recommend adding no more than a can to your recipe, as you want the batter to be moist — but not soupy. 

Buttermilk is an ingredient that most home bakers are more than familiar with. The cultured dairy product is acidic and tangy, which means that it's usually not reserved for drinking straight from the container. But it is a common ingredient for quick breads, cornbread, and the like because of its chemical properties. 

The acidic component of the buttermilk will interact with several different components in the cornbread to give you a super moist and soft consistency. For one, it will shorten the gluten strands, which will give your recipe a bit more of a crumbly texture, rather than a bready bite. Moreover, the acidity of the buttermilk interacts with the alkaline baking soda and/or baking powder, thus giving your cornbread the proper rise. 

Some boxed cornbread mixes will call for buttermilk, but you can also add it into the recipe in addition to your other ingredients. You can add just under a cup of buttermilk to your batch of cornbread, though you may want to substitute it for some of the water or regular milk in your recipe to prevent it from coming out too watery. 

Mayonnaise ... in cornbread? It may seem a bit odd to add this sandwich spread to your next batch of cornbread, but it's not really that peculiar when you think of what it's made with. Mayonnaise is comprised of eggs, an acid, and oil. You already add the oil and eggs to most cornbread recipes, and acidity can come in the form of a splash of buttermilk. This means that mayonnaise is your one-stop-shop for all of your cornbread needs — making it the creamy hack that you absolutely need to try. 

The extra fat from the oil and the eggs will help ensure that your cornbread recipe stays soft and bouncy. Like adding other fats to your recipe, the mayonnaise will keep the gluten strands short, in turn imparting a soft, moist mouthfeel to every bite. 

Since mayonnaise isn't super liquidy, it won't alter the consistency of your cornbread batter too much. I'd recommend at capping out at a couple of tablespoons (no more than a ½ cup) of the spread to ensure that your batter still has the perfect consistency. 

Sometimes, the need for a quality, moist cornbread recipe will push you out of your comfort zone a little bit. While it might seem a bit peculiar to reach for a can of pumpkin purée for your cornbread, you are guaranteed to love how this autumnal-inspired cornbread tastes. 

Besides giving your store-bought cornbread a fall flair, the pumpkin purée is also packed with moisture that will enrich your recipe and add a ton of flavor. Moreover, you can easily amplify that autumnal factor by loading up your recipe with tons of warming spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, to give it a little bit of an edge. But you could also take a pumpkin purée cornbread to the next level by instead going the savory route and pairing your cornbread with ingredients like crumbled feta, sage, and thyme. 

Pumpkin has a very dominant flavor, so you need to be careful with how much you add to your recipe. A ½ cup of canned pumpkin will allow the nuttiness of the cornmeal to shine through, while still allowing you to reap the benefits of the pumpkin's moisture. 

Do you add sugar to your cornbread? I guess it really depends on who you ask. I think that there is a time and a place for the ingredient, as it can really complement and amplify the nutty qualities of the cornmeal. But if you add too much sugar, you'll override the slight complexity and flavor nuances of the cornmeal. 

If I'm adding sugar to my cornbread, it's never the granulated white sugar. It's always brown sugar. Not only does the brown sugar have a higher moisture content than the granulated white stuff, but it's also slightly more oaky and flavorful than the former. 

The key to adding brown sugar to your boxed cornbread recipe is to only add a little bit, as some boxes may be already sweetened. Stir just a few tablespoons into your recipe to shift the flavor into something a little more sweet and also reap the benefits of the extra moisture. 

Boxed cornbread recipes will differ on what ingredients they call for. Some simple mixes will just call for water (though, I've found that these tend to be mixes that should stay out of your shopping cart), while others will call for a litany of different ingredients, including milk, melted butter, and eggs. 

I personally prefer to add oil to my cornbread instead of butter. Butter, even the melted stuff, still has some water in it. The water will evaporate as the cornbread is baked, thus reducing its moisture content. In comparison, oil is all fat, which means it's better at keeping your cornbread moist than the butter. Granted, the oil won't do much in terms of flavor, but it will ensure that your cornbread comes out super soft (and that's what we're really after here, anyways). Moreover, you could also add a little bit of melted butter, but swap out some of the fat that your recipe calls for with regular oil. That way, you'll get the soft, plush texture that you want from your cornbread, as well as the divine buttery profile that makes it such a pleasure to eat. 

I strongly believe that honey is a grossly under-appreciated sweetener. When most people reach for a sweetener for their coffee or baked goods, it's usually plain ol' sugar. But honey has a more complex flavor profile, brimming with herbal and floral notes, that will elevate both the flavor and the texture of a food like cornbread. Since honey is a liquid, it will help keep your batter more moist than if you added sugar alone. 

This honey sage cornbread recipe will be your new go-to if you're making a batch of homemade cornbread, but the same elements can also be used for your trusty box of cornbread mix. You'll only need to add a couple of tablespoons of the liquid sweetener to your store-bought cornbread mix (as some are already pre-sweetened) and make your recipe as otherwise directed. It's important to note, though, that adding any sweetener to your cornbread may cause it to darken more quickly. Therefore, you'll need to keep a careful eye on your cornbread as it's baking to ensure that it doesn't burn. 

Your store-bought cornbread is craving some moisture, so why not give it what it wants? Instead of reaching for that oil, grab something that will pack on even more moisture, and help keep the gluten strands in your cornbread perfectly short. Sour cream and Greek yogurt can be used in your recipe to not only add extra fat, but also to introduce some acidity that will keep your cornbread tender. Plus, the acidity will interact with the leavening agents in the recipe to give your cornbread the perfect rise.

You don't need to add a whole container of yogurt or sour cream to your recipe. Spoon in a couple of tablespoons of either and watch your cornbread come out perfectly plush and soft. Moreover, it's important to use full-fat sour cream to upgrade your store-bought cornbread, rather than a reduced-fat or a non-fat version, as you want to magnify the ingredient's impact on your recipe. 

It can seem like some boxed cornbread mixes are really just out there to make your life more complicated. While some just call for added milk or water, others call for an array of different fats, eggs, and the entire kitchen sink (or so it seems). So much for simple. 

But eggs are the one ingredient that you really shouldn't neglect in a cornbread recipe, whether it's printed on a box or in your favorite recipe book. Eggs offer numerous benefits to your recipe, including protein (from the whites) and emulsifiers and fats in the yolk. The fat will help keep your cornbread moist and compact, rather than crumbly and easily breakable. Besides just making your cornbread more moist, the eggs will also help contribute to the cornbread's rise. This is because the proteins in the egg help trap the carbon dioxide bubbles released by the leavening agents. 

If you're serving a batch of cornbread alongside a Southern favorite, like spicy buttermilk fried chicken, you may want to try turning your bread more savory, rich, and flavorful by adding in your favorite cheese. Shredded cheese is not only an excellent stand-alone addition to cornbread, but it can also work well with other ingredient additions including crumbled bacon and jalapeños. 

Depending on the amount of cornbread that your box makes, you can add up to a cup of your favorite shredded cheese and watch it transform into something more gooey and savory. Cheddar cheese is a great addition to your cornbread because it not only melts relatively easily, but because it also has an approachable, but still sharp and edgy flavor to it. You could also substitute it with a pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese instead; these types of cheese have more complex flavors that can highlight the other savory additions you include in your cornbread. Regardless of the cheese, be sure to give it a good stir throughout your cornbread batter before you pour it into the tray so that it can spread its melty goodness into every bite. 

Canned fruit is one ingredient that has really made a resurgence in recent years. While it was often thought to be fresh fruit's cloying, syrupy, and cheap cousin, many people are now reflecting on the benefits of this shelf-stable ingredient and realizing that it really isn't that bad. 

While you may not want to eat an entire cup of peaches or pears that have been soaking in syrup or juice, this canned ingredient will be much more appealing if you chop it up and add it to your cornbread batter. The fruit will add moisture to your quick bread and will also infuse every bite with a subtle fruity flavor. The flavor combinations that you can harness with a simple ingredient like canned (or fresh) fruit can be quite complex, too. For one, you may want to add peaches to your cornbread to give it a peach cobbler-esque vibe. Or, you can instead add chopped apples (or even better, canned apple pie filling) to turn your cornbread into a twist on an autumnal dessert. 

Everything is better with bacon — it's just a fact. Leftover bacon grease is the liquid gold of your kitchen — and it's arguably more useful than the salty protein itself. This flavorful fat that can elevate any cornbread recipe, boxed or homemade, because it will impart a slightly savory impression on your side dish.

You can add a couple strips of chopped bacon to your recipe — or just utilize the leftover grease from some other application. Then, be sure to strain off any of the bacon particles in your recipe, as these can leave a bit of an acrid undertone, before cooling the grease and adding it into your mixing bowl. You'll want to avoid adding the sputtering grease straight from the pan, as the hot fat can cook and scramble the raw eggs on contact. You can use the same amount of bacon grease in your recipe as other liquid fats or melted butter, or mix it half-and-half with one of these other fats to quell some of the grease's porky flavor. 

Making an excellent boxed cornbread mix isn't just about what you add to your cornbread, but also how you cook it. The only acceptable vessel to cook your cornbread in is a cast iron skillet. Cast iron heats up relatively quickly and offers a consistent cook for your cornbread. 

Moreover, your cast iron skillet should always be sizzling hot when you pour the batter in. The reason for this is simple. When you pour in the batter, it crisps on contact, which will ensure that the center of your cornbread holds on to all of that precious moisture. It will also give your cornbread a satisfying "shell" that makes it super satisfying to bite into. 

Before you start mixing up your cornbread, pre-heat your well-seasoned cast iron skillet in the oven. Then, carefully remove it and pour your batter in before returning it to the oven to finish its cook. This hack works well for both store-bought boxed cornbread mix as well as your favorite trusty Southern cornbread recipe.