During the fall, when the urge to bake with a can of pumpkin is strongest, whip up this fall-spiced and subtly sweet pumpkin cornbread recipe. It’s the perfect accompaniment to that first batch of fall chili, the slow-cooker stew you’ve spent all day making or the pumpkin butter you just bought at the farmers market. Our pumpkin cornbread has only a subtle pumpkin flavor—just enough to swirl the smell of fall into your home and warm your autumnal craving.
Pumpkin Cornbread Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: We use a blend of all-purpose flour and cornmeal to give this recipe for pumpkin cornbread its structure. Cornmeal is fairly gritty, and all-purpose flour adds some softness back into the cornbread.
- Cornmeal: Be sure to grab a bag of cornmeal and not corn flour. Corn flour is light and dusty and will yield different results.
- Brown sugar: This cornbread with pumpkin recipe is filled with fall flavors. Brown sugar matches and amplifies those deep, cozy flavors with its molasses and caramel notes.
- Baking powder: You’ll need 2 teaspoons baking powder to fluff up this pumpkin cornbread recipe.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves add warmth and a blooming scent of autumn to this recipe for pumpkin cornbread. I highly recommend grating the nutmeg fresh if you have a whole clove of nutmeg at home. The flavor is outstanding compared to pre-ground nutmeg.
- Eggs: It’s best to bake with room-temperature eggs as the eggs emulsify into the batter much more easily than cold eggs. Cold eggs will seize up the milk and butter, causing a lumpy batter.
- Canned pumpkin: We’re looking for canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. They’re not the same product, and the latter will leave you with an overly sweet and spiced cornbread.
- Milk: Use 2% or whole milk here. Heavy cream or buttermilk work too.
- Butter: Melt 3 tablespoons butter for this cornbread with pumpkin.
- Pumpkin butter: Once your pan of pumpkin cornbread is baked, serve each slice alongside a velvety pumpkin butter.
Directions
Step 1: Mix the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, milk and melted butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
Step 2: Bake the cornbread
Pour the batter into a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Bake the pumpkin cornbread until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
Step 3: Slice and serve
Serve the cornbread while it’s still warm. Spread a generous helping of pumpkin butter on each slice just before serving if desired.
Recipe Variations
- Sprinkle in cheese: It may seem out of place, but cheese with pumpkin is delicious! Grate a semi-hard or hard cheese like Gruyere, cheddar, Parmesan or Gouda into the cornbread batter.
- Bake in a different pan: If you don’t have a 13×9-inch pan in your home, don’t worry! Instead, use a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, two 9-inch round pans or two 8-inch square pans.
- Add herbs and spices: Enhance the flavor with additional fall spices like ginger and cardamom, or dried herbs like sage, thyme or rosemary.
- Make it gluten-free: It’s easy to make this pumpkin cornbread recipe gluten-free. Simply swap in one of the best gluten-free flour blends from the store for the all-purpose flour, and make sure that all your packaged goods are certified gluten-free.
How to Store Pumpkin Cornbread
Once the pumpkin cornbread has cooled to room temperature, transfer the slices to an airtight container or simply cover the pan in storage wrap. The cornbread can be kept at room temperature for three days or in the fridge for five days.
Can you freeze pumpkin cornbread?
Absolutely! After the pumpkin cornbread recipe has been baked and cooled to room temperature, cover the pan with a layer of storage wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. The cornbread can be kept in the freezer for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature, or remove the wrappings and rewarm the cornbread in the oven at 350° for about 10 minutes.
Pumpkin Cornbread Tips
Can you substitute pumpkin pie spice instead?
Yes, feel free to substitute pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Use 2-1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice to make up for those spices.
What do you serve with pumpkin cornbread?
Besides pumpkin butter, whipped honey cinnamon butter or a good maple syrup brand would be incredible on this cornbread with pumpkin.
Serve the recipe for pumpkin cornbread alongside our best fall recipes to really solidify the coziness. These apple cider pork chops are a must for fall dinners. We also love this sweet-and-savory sausage-stuffed acorn squash recipe, and you should always serve cornbread when there’s chili around.
