Boxed Cornbread Mix, Ranked Worst To Best
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Are you a cornbread fan? Cornbread is one of our favorites to make and obviously one of our favorites to eat. While ideal to serve on the side of chili, barbecue, or stews, cornbread is a side dish we like to make often ... like once per week often. Although many regions of America (and the world) boast different tweaks and alterations to this dish, the one thing they all have in common is the reliance on a starchy vegetable: corn.
Interestingly, because cornbread is made from mostly cornmeal, many cornbread recipes or boxed mixes are available in a gluten-free form. As it seems like more and more of our family members and friends are avoiding gluten for one reason or another, having gluten-free options to please a crowd is always a good thing.
If you truly make cornbread as frequently as we do, maybe you aren't making it homemade each and every time but rather turning to some trusted boxed cornbread mixes available at your local grocery store. We've explored a ton of boxed cornbread mixes out there, scoured the reviews, and provided our personal insights to help you decide which boxed cornbread is right for you. Read on to discover our rankings of boxed cornbread mixes from worst to best.
16. Martha White
According to their website, Martha White is a brand that dates back to 1899, if you can believe it. Over the years, the brand has grown a product line to include baking mixes for muffins, cornbread, cupcakes, hushpuppies, pizza, and many flours. Within the cornbread boxed mix category alone, Martha White offers twelve varieties. Yes, we said twelve kinds of cornbread, including gluten-free yellow cornbread, yellow cornbread, white cornbread, sweet yellow cornbread, and so many other options. We were super excited to see the unique addition of a Mexican-style cornbread to the lineup. This one adds peppers and onions for a Southwestern flair.
However, many reviews of the yellow cornbread note that though this mix is not overly sweet, the flavor is not great. Reviewers note that it bakes up rather small, dry, and crumbly. While you may not enjoy this product as cornbread, you could use it for stuffing or dressing mix instead. If that's not your plan, though, you'll probably want to stay away from this brand.
15. Betty Crocker Cornbread & Muffin Mix
You've definitely heard of Betty Crocker and are likely well aware of the array of products this brand carries. From cookies to muffins to cake mixes and more, Betty Crocker is a household name for many of us. And the brand's cornbread is no exception. The Betty Crocker Cornbread and Muffin Mix is your classic cornbread mix requiring milk, butter, and an egg.
While this is a tried-and-true, respected baking brand, apparently this cornbread mix is not one of Betty Crocker's best. Reviews of this product, unfortunately, reveal that many people strongly dislike the cornbread mix. Some reviewers suggest that the formula must have changed recently, and they do not seem fond of the change. Many reviews note that the mix is gritty, dry, and the "worst ever." Because of these reviews, we have to put this cornbread mix in second to last place. Sorry, Betty!
14. Trader Joe's Cornbread
We love Trader Joe's because they often have amazing prices and unique speciality ingredients. Their cornbread mix is offered in regular and gluten-free forms (are you noticing a trend here?). This classic cornbread mix is made with milk, egg, and oil just like many other cornbread mix brands. One interesting quality about this cornbread mix is that it contains dried corn kernels. When the cornbread bakes, the corn kernels rehydrate and provide a nice hearty texture. We love the idea of this added texture and crunch.
Reviewers point out that this mix in both regular and gluten-free bakes up too sweet. Ugh! We hate when box mixes disguise cake as cornbread. While tasting slightly sweet is a welcome quality in a cornbread mix, an overly sweet, cake-like taste is not welcome here. What a way to ruin a good cornbread. Because of this reason, this mix is near the bottom of our rankings.
13. Stonewall Kitchen Cornbread
Stonewall Kitchen started back in 1991 by selling their jams and jellies at local farmer's markets in Maine, according to their website. Now, their brands sell all sorts of products.
The Stonewall Kitchen Cornbread mix is available for purchase on their website and at select specialty stores across the nation, including Orvis, Macy's, Costco, and AJ's Fine Foods. This cornbread mix is made with your other standard ingredients: oil, eggs, and milk. Stonewall Kitchen also carries a gluten-free cornbread mix too, if that's your thing.
Reviews of this cornbread mix vary widely. Some reviewers suggest that the cornbread mix is overly sweet and lacks firmness, crumbling too easily. However, many reviews alternatively mentioned that it is the "world's best cornbread." While we want a touch of sweetness in our cornbread, overly sweet cornbread is our biggest pet peeve. For that reason, this mix is still near the bottom of our rankings.
12. Williams Sonoma Cornbread
Williams Sonoma is a store that sells many kitchen products and home goods. While they sell many products other than food, Williams Sonoma also carries many specialty upscale food products including ice cream starters, cheese, charcuterie, pancake mixes, cocktail mixers, oils, vinegars, chocolates, and even meat. Within their baking mix section offering, they carry cookie mixes, brownie mixes, bread mixes, muffin mixes, and scone mixes. Of course, you can't forget about the cornbread.
The brand's cornbread mix is available in regular and gluten-free varieties and provides an easy solution to a weeknight dinner side dish. While this box of cornbread mix is a bit overpriced, it creates a savory cornbread that has a no-too-dense but not-too-crumbly texture. If you want to spend over twelve dollars on a cornbread mix, this is the one for you. But quite frankly, we make cornbread far too often for that price point, which is why this brand doesn't rank higher.
11. Marie Callender's Original Cornbread
Marie Callender's is another household name that you may know well. The brand is most well-known for its extensive and delicious pie selection, which ranges in options from Key lime to pecan to apple to peach. You name it, Marie Callender's does it, and they do it well. These pies are not just sold in restaurants but are also available in the freezer sections of most grocery stores.
In addition to pies, this brand also carries many baking mixes, one of which is for cornbread. Marie Callender's cornbread mix is unique in that it only requires you to mix with water and bake. No oil, milk, or eggs are needed here. That makes boxed cornbread even easier.
Reviews of this cornbread mix note that the mix can even be made in the microwave. While some praise the brand for its good texture, others mention that it is dry and overly sweet. Decide for yourself if that's something you want to risk.
10. Wholesome Sweet Blue Corn Cornbread
Wholesome is a brand that carries many high quality sweeteners including honey, agave, stevia and cane sugar. Their brand is devoted to harvesting fair trade sugar and supporting sustainable agriculture. While they are known for carrying a variety of different sweeteners, they also offer a line of baking mixes, including products such as oat muffin mix, golden cake mix, oatmeal chocolate chunk cookie mix, and dark chocolate chunk brownie mix.
The Wholesome Sweet Blue Corn Cornbread mix is unique in that it utilizes blue corn instead of yellow corn. Blue corn may not necessarily be more nutritious, but it does add an interesting touch to your dinner table that you're probably not going to get with any other cornbread brand. We love the bright color of this cornbread, even if it's not what we're used to when we sit down to enjoy a Southern-style meal.
So this cornbread is pretty, but how does it taste? We love this one! It's not too sweet, and this cornbread bakes up into a dense, hearty loaf. Plus, kids will love the fun color.
9. Pioneer Yellow Cornbread
According to their website, Pioneer was founded back in 1851, making it one of the oldest brands to make this list. Pioneer sells many food products including baking mixes, gravy mixes, pancake mixes, seasoning mixes, and flours. But what you're really here for is the cornbread.
Pioneer's cornbread mix can be used to make cornbread, muffins, hushpuppies and even cornsticks. Reviews note that this cornbread mix is best cooked in a cast iron skillet, which we happen to love as a true Southern-style technique. However, if you don't have a cast iron skillet, you will still enjoy this cornbread mix. With just a hint of sweetness, the taste of the cornbread is superb, but be careful not to over-bake, as it can easily burn if you don't keep your eyes peeled near the end of the cook time.
As long as you don't burn it, this is a solid cornbread mix, but we wouldn't go out of our way to pick this one up over some of the others on our list.
8. Fleischmann's Simply Homemade
Fleischmann's Simply Homemade is a brand that's somewhat less familiar than many others on this list. However, if you have ever dabbled in homemade from-scratch baking, you are likely very familiar with their parent brand. Fleischmann's is known for their yeast products, including rapid rise yeast, pizza dough yeast, active dry yeast, and bread machine instant yeast.
As far as their cornbread boxed mix goes, reviews reveal that it's a pretty popular option. Many reviewers note that it is not too sweet, which we love. It's also moist — not gritty at all. While some note that its texture is too similar to cake, others claim that it's perfect. While we know that it's challenging to please everyone and many will have contradicting opinions, we love that Fleischmann's is only focusing on cornbread. They don't have many other products to keep track of and perfect. This leads us to believe that since they are only doing one thing, they are doing it right. Try the brand out so you can see for yourself how well they mastered their cornbread.
7. Kodiak Cakes Cornbread
Kodiak Cakes is a brand that believes in whole grains and creating healthy food products. Their brand mission focuses on conservation and supporting healthy ecosystems. Kodiak Cakes carries a variety of food products, including pancake mixes, toaster waffles, oatmeal packets, microwaveable muffin cups, and more. While they are most well-known for their protein-packed pancake and waffle mixes, their cornbread mix is pretty great too.
According to reviews, many people love this cornbread mix. It's easy to make, contains just the right amount of sweetness, and is overall delicious. Bonus points for Kodiak Cakes! Many reviewers love the healthy ingredients and the inclusion of extra protein. A few reviewers mentioned that the suggestion to add an extra egg and milk for added protein results in the best texture, so we encourage you to try it out. If you are on the search for protein-packed baked goods that are as tasty as can be, this one is for you.
6. Famous Dave's Cornbread
Famous Dave's is best known as a barbecue restaurant. While it seems like the restaurant has been struggling in recent years, they've started selling many barbecue food products, including barbecue sauce, pickles, seasonings, marinades, and cornbread mix. These products are sold directly off their website, so they're easy to get your hands on if you're curious about them. While many of these products are tasty, we think that the cornbread mix takes the, uh ... cake.
Their delicious cornbread mix is reviewed highly, with many fans nationwide. Reviewers of this cornbread box mix note that this mix is easy to make and holds up well when baked without getting too crumbly. Additionally, some people mention that this cornbread is not too sweet, but it does have a slightly sweet corn taste. While some cornbread mixes can bake up too dry, this one bakes up very moist.
5. Miracle Maize Cornbread
Miracle Maize carries a Sweet Corn Bread and Muffin Mix that we love. While Miracle Maize may not be the most well-known brand out there, they certainly know what they're doing when it comes to cornbread. Many reviewers note that this cornbread mix tastes very similar to homemade, from-scratch cornbread, and we couldn't agree more. If you're going to make cornbread from a box, you don't want it to taste like it's from a box, right?
Many customers swear by this brand and are deeply loyal to it. With just the right amount of sweetness and moisture, we understand why. This cornbread comes out moist and full of flavor. And while many boxed cornbread mixes can pack in too many ingredients, this boxed mix only contains minimal ingredients with no lard or oils. For that reason, this cornbread is near the top of our ranking. Give it a try — we have a feeling that you may like it just as much as we do.
4. Bob's Red Mill Cornbread
Bob's Red Mill is known for their large variety of flours, including unique health-focused blends such as paleo baking flour, tapioca flour, cassava flour, and hazelnut flour, to name a few. If you are following a special diet or need to bake for someone with food allergies, Bob's Red Mill will have exactly what you are looking for.
Their cornbread mix comes in regular or gluten-free varieties, so everyone can enjoy your baking. Reviews of the regular cornbread mix show that most of their customers choose it for the supposed added health benefits. Bob's Red Mill Cornbread mix does not contain any artificial ingredients and is made from minimal ingredients. And isn't that what everyone wants? Reviewers note that this cornbread mix is quick, delicious, healthy, and the "best there is." With reviews like that, how could you complain? For this reason, it falls near the top of our ranking.
3. Krusteaz Honey Cornbread
Krusteaz is another brand that's been around for many year. It debuted back in 1932, according to their website. The Krusteaz brand carries many mixes for muffins, cookies, brownies, breads, cakes, and even oat bites. They carry many types of cornbread mixes as well, including gluten-free, Southern, and fat-free versions.
The classic Krusteaz Honey Cornbread mix is one of our absolute favorites of the bunch. The website suggests pouring in some easy add-ins for variety, including green onions and cheddar, Parmesan and herbs, pico de gallo and chili powder, or even corn, jalapeno, and cheddar. While these add-ins sound tasty, we think that this cornbread is amazing as is. It's nice and moist, and you get a pleasant, subtle sweetness from the inclusion of honey. Of course, take advantage of those extras, and you can make a dish that's really something special. In fact, your guests may not even realize that your cornbread isn't homemade when you decide to use this mix.
2. Zatarain's Cornbread
Zatarain's specializes in New Orleans-style products, including a large variety of flavored rice mixes, frozen entrees, breading and frying mixes, and more. But what we love most from the brand is their delicious cornbread mix.
Reviews of the Honey Butter Cornbread mix note that this boxed cornbread is the closest you will find to homemade cornbread, and we totally agree. That is high praise! With this brand, you get all of the taste with none of the effort. We're sold! Reviewers also mention that this cornbread has a cake-like consistency and even pleases those that don't like cornbread. What?! We are shocked those people even exist, but if they do, we're glad we can convince them otherwise with this cornbread mix.
Luckily, this brand is widely available at stores across the nation, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find. And don't worry — we won't tell anyone that you didn't make your cornbread from scratch.
1. Jiffy's Corn Muffin Mix
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix feels like an all-American staple to us. This packaging looks straight out of the 1950s and makes this mix look like a classic. Jiffy carries lots of different mixes, including several cornbread mixes: Corn Muffin Mix, Honey Corn Muffin Mix, and Vegetarian Corn Muffin Mix. Wait a minute? Vegetarian Corn Muffin Mix? Wouldn't they all be vegetarian? If you are confused as to why they needed to create a special vegetarian-marketed corn muffin mix like we were, listen up. The original Corn Muffin Mix contains lard. If you're weirded out by the inclusion of lard, we'd recommend choosing the Vegetarian Corn Muffin Mix.
Reviews of the classic Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix reveal that it is delicious and consistent. What's not to love about that? Consistency is what you want when you choose a boxed mix. This mix is easy to make, and many reviewers point out that it makes for an inexpensive addition to any meal.