Air Fryer Cornbread Recipe
, Published Nov 27, 2024
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This easy Air Fryer cornbread recipe creates the most delicious cornbread or muffins. Full of delicious buttermilk flavor, it’s the perfect side dish for all kinds of dishes – soups, stews, chili…you name it!
The joy of cornbread is it’s so quick and easy that you can make it anytime. It’s the perfect side dish for all kinds of meals, from your favorite chili to fried chicken – even barbecues. There’s nothing this won’t go with!
You can even have it on its own, drizzled with honey or maple syrup. But I promise you’ll finish every last crumb of this, especially if you try it when it’s still warm. There’s never any left in our house – it just seems to vanish!
Air fryers always make life easier, and guess what – they’re perfect for baking cornbread! It’s a great way to get that lovely crunchy crust, while keeping that soft and crumbly moistness that makes this so moreish.
Cornbread Origins
Cornbread is a classic Southern US recipe, adored as a side dish with chili, soups and chicken, or on its own with butter or honey. It’s made with yellow cornmeal giving it that gorgeous sunshiny golden color and moist, crumbly deliciousness.
It’s such an ancient recipe that (a type of) cornbread was being made in America long before Europeans arrived. Wheat wouldn’t grow in the humid south, so cornbread became the favorite accompaniment for all kinds of Southern cuisine, and it’s served with almost every meal.
Air Fryer Cornbread Ingredients
- All purpose flour (plain flour) with added baking powder, baking soda and a little sweet paprika for a hint of smoky sweetness
- Fine yellow cornmeal gives cornbread its wonderful texture. Please avoid coarsely ground cornmeal (it makes the bread too crunchy!) and definitely don’t use cornflour by mistake – it is a totally different ingredient commonly used to thicken sauces and stews. And while polenta technically is a type of cornmeal it is also not the best choice for cornbread recipes.
- Large eggs at room temperature (UK readers will need to use medium eggs).
- Honey or maple syrup and sriracha for a balance of sweetness and spice.
- Melted butter or sunflower oil.
- Buttermilk – you can use buttermilk, or make your own by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to whole milk.
- Cheese – grated strong cheddar is optional but yummy!
How to make Air Fryer Cornbread
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F / 180°C. Mist a muffin pan with cooking spray (depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to bake the cornbread in batches). See recipe notes if making in a baking pan.
- Put the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda, baking powder and paprika in a mixing bowl and stir together to combine the dry ingredients.
- Add buttermilk, oil, eggs, sriracha and honey to a measuring jug and lightly beat together to combine.
- Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and fold together gently until just combined. Fold in the cheese (and try not to think of the “fold the cheese!” Schitt’s Creek scene). As with all quick breads and muffins you will need to use a light touch!
- Allow the cornbread batter to rest for five minutes then use a cookie scoop or spoon to divide the batter into the prepared pan filling until 3/4 of the way. Reduce the air fryer temperature to 320°F / 160°C and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Always check the cornbread five minutes before the end of the cooking time. If a tester comes out with wet batter add five minutes and check again.
- Leave the muffins in the basket for a few minutes then remove from the pan. Drizzle with a little honey or agave syrup and serve with chili, soup or just on its own with a little butter – heavenly!
Lucy’s Pro Tip
BAKING IN A PAN
A square 7 or 8 inch baking pan should fit most air fryers, but always check first! You can use any bread or baking pan that fits, or even use a disposable foil tin. Spoon the batter into a greased and lined pan, level and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. The internal temperature of cornbread should be between 195°F and 209°F (93°C and 98°C) when fully baked. Take the basket out of the air fryer but leave the pan in it for 5-10 minutes to allow the residual heat to continue cooking the cornbread.
Recipe Notes, Tips & FAQs
- DON’T FORGET make sure your muffin or loaf pan fits easily into the air fryer. Larger air fryers can accommodate a six hole muffin tin but smaller ones will only fit a four hole. You can also use silicone muffin cases or paper cases.
- CORNBREAD VARIATIONS there are so many variations on cornbread – you can add anything from chopped jalapeños (yum!) to fresh herbs, corn or even chorizo crumbs and bacon.
- STORING AND FREEZING allow the cornbread to cool down completely then store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also freeze for up to three months, thawing in the refrigerator and reheating in the air fryer to refresh.
- LEFTOVER CORNBREAD makes excellent croutons. Slice into small pieces and toss with olive oil. Add to a preheated air fryer at 350°F (180°C) and cook for 10 minutes or until the croutons are crunchy and golden, shaking a the basket a few times.
- GOOD TO KNOW if your muffins are cooked but look very pale underneath, tip them out of the pan directly into the basket and cook for 5 minutes or until golden. the cooking time by a couple of minutes.
Serving suggestions
If you loved this Air Fryer Cornbread recipe, please give it a star rating! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #supergoldenbakes – don’t forget to tag me @supergolden88
Air Fryer Cornbread Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (200g) flour all purpose / plain
- ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (100g) yellow cornmeal fine
- ½ tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda (= bicarbonate of soda)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp paprika sweet, smoked
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (350ml) buttermilk
- ⅓ cup (80ml) sunflower oil or melted unsalted butter
- 2 ½ tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 large eggs (UK readers need to use medium eggs)
- 2 tsp Sriracha optional
- ½ cup (55g) cheddar , grated
To serve
- butter
- honey
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F / 180°C for three minutes. Mist a muffin pan with cake release spray (depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to bake the cornbread in batches). See notes if you want to bake your cornbread in a baking pan.
- Put the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and paprika in a mixing bowl and stir together to combine the dry ingredients.1 ¼ cups (200g) flour, ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (100g) yellow cornmeal, ½ tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp paprika
- Add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, honey and sriracha to a measuring jug and lightly beat to combine.1 ¼ cups (350ml) buttermilk, ⅓ cup (80ml) sunflower oil, 2 ½ tbsp honey, 2 tsp Sriracha, 2 large eggs
- Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and fold together gently until just combined. Fold in the cheese.½ cup (55g) cheddar
- Allow the cornbread batter to rest for five minutes then use a cookie scoop or spoon to divide the batter into the prepared pan filling until 3/4 of the way. Reduce the air fryer temperature to 320°F / 160°C and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Drizzle with a little honey or agave syrup and serve with chili, soup or just on its own with a little butter – heavenly!butter, honey
Notes
- A square 7 or 8 inch baking pan should fit most air fryers. Spoon the batter into a greased and lined pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. The internal temperature of cornbread should be between 195°F and 209°F (93°C and 98°C) when fully baked. Take the basket out of the air fryer but leave the pan in it for 5-10 minutes to allow the residual heat to continue cooking the cornbread.
- Air fryer heat comes from the top. If your muffins are cooked but look very pale you can tip them out of the muffin pan directly into the basket and cook for 5 minutes or until golden.
- If you are cooking cornbread muffins in batches you may need need to reduce the cooking time by a couple of minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
Yum…my kids love cornbread and so do I! We went through a kitchen addition 14 years ago when I was pregnant with my youngest and it was quite trying. I cooked on a hot plate in our great room for like 8 or 9 months…talk about a nightmare. But it was worth it…I still love my kitchen. I never want to go through it again though. I hope you get the kitchen of your dreams!! Can't wait to see it when it's done! Thanks so much for sharing this fabulous recipe with us at Foodie Fridays…hope we will see you again this Thursday night. Pinning and I'll be sharing on my Facebook page tomorrow!
I'd love to be at your home for a dinner that doesn't involve last-minute additions if this is what those look like! Delicious! Thanks for stopping by #FoodieFridays!
looks great and tasty. I like corn bread simple but with corinder and chilly have an unique tastes.
Beautiful photos and simple but quite innovative recipe…
Wow this cornbread looks delicious.. love the flavours.. 🙂
In the words of the littlest girl from Despicable Me – "this is so fluffy!" – and so tasty
Designing your kitchen must be the most stressful but absolutely fun project ever! I can't imagine where I would even begin! Good luck with everything, and can't wait to see the finished product!!!!
You know I have never had a nice kitchen before. I always put up with whatever the previous tenants or house owners put in… I can't even imagine cooking somewhere with actual counterspace. I may go into shock!
I shockingly have never made cornbread before. Your coriander and chilli version looks delicious Lucy and definitely something I need to try!
Oh you must! It is so delicious and so easy.
Looks amazing Lucy…. Golden and delicious. Cornbread is so wonderfully comforting. The chilli and cheese addition must definitely make it more so with a perfectly warm glow!
I'm so in love with cornbread at the moment and I love the addition of coriander in here.. looks gorgeous!