Fluffy homemade Pumpkin Cornbread kissed with a tasty blend of brown butter, pumpkin, and pumpkin spice.
I’ve been making my classic cornbread recipe for ages now. It’s SO GOOD and never let’s me down!
With Fall temps on the horizon (HURRY UP FLORIDA!) I decided to play mad scientist in the kitchen and add pumpkin to my cornbread.
Since it’s a lightly sweet cornbread recipe to begin with, a little pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice blend were all I needed to give some fall flavor to this fluffy cornbread!
Of course I didn’t stop there! Browning the butter first gave this cornbread a flavor boost that totally sets it over the top.
The moment we pulled it out of the oven it was ON.
My husband, daughter, and I could not stop shoving this pumpkin cornbread in our faces!
Saving a few slices to pair with a pot chili the following day took every ounce of self-control we had.
I can’t wait to make it again!
UPDATE: I have totally lost count of how many times I’ve made this cornbread since I first posted this! Every Fall I do a little happy dance and make a big pot of chili and keep this cornbread on repeat until the season is over.
★★★★★ “My new favorite fall cornbread! The taste and texture are perfect… moist, light texture with the perfect amount of spice. Definitely making this often.” – Julie H.
Pumpkin Cornbread
I’m so super excited for you to try this totally craveable cornbread! It’s one I find myself making again and again and hope it will be a repeat in your kitchen as well! xoxo
Pumpkin Cornbread
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- 1 TBSP vinegar
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal (156 grams)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 grams)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice blend
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter (113 grams)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (130 grams)
- ½ cup pumpkin puree (120 grams)
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
PREP
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prep an 8×8 inch square pan by rubbing with butter or coconut oil *OR* lining with parchment paper if preferred. I suggest skipping glass pans when baking cornbread for best results and instead use your favorite aluminum, nonstick steel, or even a disposable foil pan.
- Combine milk and vinegar. Mix and set aside.
- Combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice blend, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
BROWN THE BUTTER
- In a medium pot set to medium heat, brown the butter: Cut stick of butter into 8 slices and to the pot. Allow butter melt untouched, then once it starts to simmer with little brown flecks at the bottom, whisk constantly until butter is lightly golden and fragrant.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly for about 2 minutes.
MIX IT UP!
- Stir in sugar and whisk until well blended.
- Next whisk in and pumpkin puree.
- Next, add milk and eggs and beat with a whisk until well incorporated.
- Lastly, add your cornmeal mixture and mix until just a few lumps remain, without overmixing.
BAKE AND SERVE
- Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes on the center rack. (Mine is always done in 30) – Bake time will vary a bit based on darkness of pan used with light pans taking a little longer and dark pans baking up faster. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of the cornbread. If it comes out clean the cornbread is ready! Place on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Cornbread Freezer Instructions
Need to save some of this pumpkin spice cornbread for later? It’s totally freezer friendly!
Once bread has cooled to room temperature, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and cover with foil. I like to protect mine even further by popping it in a zipped freezer bag, writing the name and date on the front.
To defrost, allow bread (still wrapped) to come to room temperature for about 6 hours left out or thaw in the fridge overnight. Next remove the plastic wrap and return the foil to the bread. Bake in oven or toaster oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
If you get a chance to try this tasty pumpkin cornbread, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation!
Serving Suggestion: Chili and Cornbread
- NEW! Three Bean Chili
- Black Bean Quinoa Chili
- Healthy Turkey Chili (Stove Top and Slow Cooker)
- Vegan Lentil Chili (Instant Pot + Slow Cooker)
- Smoky Chipotle Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili (Instant Pot + Stove Top)
- Reader Favorite: Slow Cooker Lentil Taco Chili
I miiiiight have been bitten by the pumpkin spice bug this season, so keep an eye out for more pumpkin-kissed goodies here on the blog!
#PUMPKINSPICEALLTHETHINGS
Questions & Reviews
I would be making this for my daughter who is gluten free; could I sub almond flour for the all purpose and if I did would you suggest any other change?
Hi Miriam! Almond flour would not be a direct swap for all purpose flour; however, a cup for cup blend like Bob’s Red Mill’s all purpose GF blend should make a good swap to try! I have some in my pantry so I’ll test it out on cornbread myself next time we have soup/chili. In the meantime let me know if you get a chance to experiment first! xoxo
My new favorite fall cornbread! The taste and texture are perfect… moist, light texture with the perfect amount of spice. Definitely making this often.
Thank you Julie! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Woot woot! So happy to hear it!
Oh wow, the texture of this cornbread is amazing. It sounds incredibly delicious. I’m going to make this cornbread, for sure.
Sooooo stoked for you to try it! One of my favs this time of year and it’s beyond amazing with regular or veggie chili!
Wow this cornbread is amazing! I will be making it again for sure.
Could a boxed cornbread be used. I don’t think we could use up a whole bag of cornmeal. and I am not much of a baker!!
Hi Ruth! I bet you can! I wouldn’t know how much pumpkin to add to boxed cornbread since I haven’t measured it out with a mix but you can totally experiment with it as a shortcut recipe. Maybe swap half the milk the boxed mix requires with pumpkin and take it from there based on the look/taste/consistency of the batter? I’m actually experimenting with boxed cake mix right now haha
Hi Jenn! Do you think this would work well baked as mini-muffins? Can’t wait to try it with my chili this weekend.
Absolutely Colleen! I made minis yesterday and it worked great! Make sure you spray the pan with oil (I used an avocado oil spray) or grease with butter first. For easy filling of the muffin tin, add the batter to a spouted measuring cup and simply pour into each mini muffin hole til about 3/4 full. xoxo
Ooh! One more tip! To prevent the bottoms from getting too brown you can put a baking sheet under the mini muffin tray *or* use paper liners. I did that on half my muffins.
I made this early this morning and it’s everything you said about it.
Just changed sugar to brown sugar and a little less butter…gave a couple of pieces to a friend because I can’t stop eating it
This was over the TOP good! Thank you!!!
WOOT! Thank you Kim!
hey !
I can’t wait to make this recipe, although can I replace the pumpkin pie spice blend (I live in france) with a combination of spices myself ? Or is it a typical american flavour ^^ And thank you for your recipies !
Hi Carine! Yes 100% make the blend at home! I am actually going to be making my own soon as my blend has run out and I only need a few extra spices to make it from scratch.
Here is the ratio I’m going to use: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon ground clove. I plan on making it into a bigger batch and keeping it in a repurposed spice jar. For this recipe you’ll mix it all together and then just scoop out 1/2 tsp to season the cornbread.
Let me know if you get a chance to make the recipe. I’m in love with this cornbread! xoxo
Thank you very much Jenn, I’ll try to find pumpkin soon and I’ll try your recipe for sure (I have already all the spices I love them)
Hope you adore the cornbread, Carine! xoxo
This looks delish! Is it gluten free?
Thank you Beth! It’s made with all-purpose flour in addition to the corn meal so it isn’t gluten free. If you get a chance to experiment using a GF cup-for-cup all-purpose flour blend let me know – I feel like it may work!
Omg I totally missed the flour in the ingredient list! Thanks for your response
The Pumpkin Cornbread is absolutely delicious and totally screams FALL! It is incredibly light and fluffy. Adding pumpkin to cornbread is definitely a fun twist. This is going to grace my table this Thanksgiving. Thank you, Jenn! <3!
Yay!!! So stoked you enjoyed it and I’d be honored to make Thanksgiving table status!
Absolutely love corn bread!! Great addition of pumpkin. Gotta try this recipe super soon!!!
Thanks Sheenam! Let me know if you get a chance to try the pumpkin cornbread — we’re crazy obsessed with it!
Your recipe looks delish & I would love to make it. 🙂 The recipe does not say how many eggs are needed, nor the size of pan that you used to bake the Pumpkin Cornbread in, unless you were referring to use the skillet. 🙂 Please advise. 🙂 Thank you, so very much for your recipe, Jenn! 🙂
Ohmygosh this new recipe card is driving me bonkers!!! I’m terrible at using it – let me fix everything ASAP for you! Thanks boo!