Name: Pumpkin Cornbread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 people
Ingredients: 1.5 cups yellow cornmeal; 1/3 cup flour; 1/4 cup sugar; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; 1 large egg; 1 cup pumpkin puree; 1.5 cups milk; 1/4 cup butter (melted and slightly cooled)

Are you ready for some serious fall coziness? Because there is a lot of autumn happening in this pumpkin cornbread.

It will fill your house with wafts of cinnamon-y fall (no fake-smelly candle required), with joy and with happiness and this fuzzy feeling in your stomach only a very good moment can bring. ♡

Pumpkin Cornbread is a sweet and delicious fall treat!

I love the harvest season with all of my heart. Pumpkin Waffles, Slow Cooker Apple Cider and Pumpkin Cornbread? Bring it on.

This cornbread is a favorite with chili around here, but we also love it with our holiday dinners. The best part: It’s incredibly easy to make!

How to Make Pumpkin Cornbread:

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Read on for the detailed step-by-step instructions, or scroll down for tips and the printable recipe card.

I have to put a couple of huge disclaimer on this recipe, right here and right now:

First off: It is not in-your-face pumpkin. It’s nicely spiced and has gorgeous flavors going on, but it’s not Pumpkin Pie, if you know what I mean.

FYI: I have Healthy Pumpkin Muffins if you want to go all out.

Understated pumpkin pros: The pumpkin keeps the bread nice and moist, gives it a beautiful color and just gussies up regular cornbread for golden autumn days. But it is still super fluffy and tender – no density to be found here!

And secondly, you will eat it all. By yourself. In one sitting. Just so you can’t come back here and say I didn’t warn you. But in case you decide to restrain yourself and not devour the entire pan by yourself (you champ, you!) – this is wonderful for sharing.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Cornbread:

yellow cornmeal
flour
sugar
baking powder
salt
cinnamon
pumpkin pie spice
egg
pumpkin puree
milk
melted butter

There isn’t a lot of sugar in this cornbread recipe, so if you’re a fan of a very sweet cornbread, feel free to double or triple it.

If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice on hand, you can just use more cinnamon, plus some ground nutmeg and ginger (whatever you have).

This recipe works both with canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree. If using homemade pumpkin puree, make sure it’s thick and not watery – drain it or blot it with paper towels if needed.

You can use a neutral oil in place of the melted butter to make this dairy free.

Key Steps to the Best Pumpkin Cornbread:

This recipe is so easy! It comes together in just a few minutes, then bakes up into a beautifully soft cornbread:

preheat the oven
make the batter
bake

1 Prep:

The prep here is really simple: Preheat the oven and grease/line a 7×11 inch baking dish.

If you want to cool the cornbread completely before serving, I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper so you can lift the baked cornbread out of the pan to cool.

But do not forget to preheat the oven – baked goods with baking powder as the rising agent need heat quickly once they’re combined, so do make sure your oven is hot once the cornbread is ready to be baked.

2 Make the batter:

First, whisk the dry ingredients together very well in a medium bowl. This is important, because you want to distribute the baking powder evenly – otherwise your cornbread will not rise everywhere and look/taste pretty strange in places.

Add all wet ingredients to a separate bowl or measuring jug and whisk them together until smooth.

Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and fold together JUST until combined – do not use a whisk here, use a spoon or a spatula! Otherwise you’ll have dense and gummy cornbread.

3 Bake:

Finally, pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cornbread until it’s lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out just clean.

I like to cool this in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then I serve it warm with whipped honey butter. The best!

If you want to cool your pumpkin cornbread completely before serving, I recommend lifting it out of the pan after 10-15 minutes, then placing it back on the wire rack to cool completely.

What goes with pumpkin cornbread:

We love this with hearty comfort foods during fall. Here are some of our favorites:

instant pot pumpkin chili in a white bowl

Instant Pot Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Crock pot chili being served with a ladle.

Healthy Slow Cooker Chili Recipe

Instant Pot Beef Stew

Get the printable pumpkin cornbread recipe here:

Pumpkin Cornbread

4.67 from 3 votes

Recipe Reviews Rate this

Servings: people

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Total: 30 mins

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1.5 cups yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Wet Ingredients

1 large egg
1 cup pumpkin puree
1.5 cups milk
1/4 cup butter melted and slightly cooled

US Customary – Metric

Equipment

Instructions

Prep: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 7×11 rectangular baking dish.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl or measuring jug.
Combine batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spoon or spatula, fold together JUST until combined – do not overmix.
Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool 10-15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack and serve warm cut into squares.