Cranberry Pumpkin Cornbread

Classic cornbread gets an autumnal twist in this pumpkin cornbread with tart cranberries.

There are a few things my family is particularly serious about.

Pie is one of them. Pecan Raisin Pie, to be exact.

People singing on key would be another.

The proper use of there, their and they’re (as well as to, too and two) makes the list.

Letting our pets sleep on the bed with us is definitely a must.

And then there’s cornbread.

Yes, cornbread. In case you weren’t aware, there are two kinds of cornbread in this world: southern-style cornbread, which has very little to no sugar in it, and northern cornbread, which is sweet. 

Or, as my great-grandmother would have proudly told you, the right kind of cornbread and the wrong kind of cornbread.

Can you guess which kind my Mississippi-born-and-raised great-grandmother would call the “right kind”?

So…Ma-Ma is probably rolling in her grave with me messing with a solid Southern-style cornbread. I mean, there’s a whopping 5 tablespoons of sugar in this recipe. Five! 

But, in my defense, I ate half the pan of this cranberry pumpkin Cornbread before feeding the rest to my coworker in order to stop myself, so it was clearly a successful experiment.

Easy pumpkin cornbread with tart cranberries

In a lot of ways, this cornbread recipe is pretty close to the one that I grew up with, but with a couple of seasonal twists: chopped fresh cranberries and a good dollop of pumpkin puree.

The tart cranberries keep this from being an overly-sweet cornbread (the sugar is really just in the batter to help keep the cranberries from thinking too highly of themselves). And the pumpkin lends a boost of gorgeous color and moisture to the batter.

This is the kind of cornbread you could serve at Thanksgiving or even incorporate into a cornbread stuffing. But it’s also simple enough to whip up on a weeknight to serve alongside your favorite chili or tortellini and white bean soup.

Personally, I like it slathered with some butter and drizzled with a bit of honey, although some cinnamon honey butter would be a great option, too. 

How to make cranberry pumpkin cornbread

I know the boxes of Jiffy mix are super quick and convenient (we use them occasionally, too!), but I promise you that making homemade cornbread doesn’t take much extra effort.

Ingredients you’ll need

To make this cranberry pumpkin cornbread, you’ll need:

• 2/3 cup chopped fresh cranberries
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 cups cornmeal
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

When prepping the cranberries, chop them before measuring them. If you are using frozen cranberries, you don’t need to thaw them.

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, don’t panic. You can make an easy buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then adding enough milk to equal 1 cup. In my opinion, whole milk works best for this but any milk – even non-dairy options – will work.

I use canned pumpkin in this recipe. You’ll only use part of the can, so feel free to use the rest to make pumpkin sage biscuits, easy pumpkin muffins, or pumpkin rice krispie treats.

You can also use homemade pumpkin puree. Just keep in mind that it is not as bright orange as canned pumpkin, which is typically a mix of squash, so your cornbread might not look as orange as mine. It’ll still be delicious, though!

Making this recipe

Before you start making the cornbread batter, preheat the oven to 425℉. Liberally grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet with vegetable oil and set it in the oven while it preheats.

Stir together the chopped cranberries with the sugar. Set this aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal with the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Separately, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and pumpkin puree. Add this mixture, along with the sugared cranberries, to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour in the cornbread batter. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes; the cornbread is done when it is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Storage tips

One of the nice things about this cranberry pumpkin cornbread is that the fresh cranberries and the pumpkin puree in the batter help keep it from drying out as quickly as traditional cornbread does.

If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days. 

I typically enjoy leftover slices of this cornbread by topping them with butter and microwaving for about 30 seconds to warm them through. 

If you want to prep ahead for Thanksgiving, you can wrap the cooled cornbread in a layer of plastic wrap followed by heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to a month. Let the cornbread thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours.