Sweet Potato Cornbread (Soft, Lightly Sweet, One Pan)

Name: Sweet Potato Cornbread
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 cup sweet potato (mashed (1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes)); 1¼ cups yellow cornmeal (medium grind); ¾ cup all-purpose flour; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 large eggs (room temperature); ⅔ cup evaporated milk (one 5-ounce can); ½ cup butter (melted and cooled slightly)

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Sweet Potato Cornbread is a soft, lightly sweet cornbread made with mashed sweet potato and evaporated milk. It goes with a bowl of chili as easily as it does with butter and honey.

Mashed sweet potato and yellow cornmeal, baked with evaporated milk, melted butter, and a little brown sugar.

Honey pouring over two stacked squares of Sweet Potato Cornbread.

Table of Contents

I make a pan of this every time Chili is on the stove. The squares with butter and honey go first, and whatever is left gets packed up for lunch the next day.

Recipe Highlights

Ready for the oven in 15 minutes
Two bowls and one 8×8 pan
Canned sweet potato puree works too
Goes sweet or savory at the table
Freezes well for up to 2 months

Ingredient Notes

Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.

Ingredients needed to make Sweet Potato Cornbread.

SWEET POTATO – One large or two medium sweet potatoes give you the 1 cup of mash you need. Bake them the way I do for my Mashed Sweet Potatoes and scoop out the flesh. Or use the microwave shortcut in the tips below. Baked or microwaved gives you the fluffiest mash. If you boil, drain well and let the pieces steam dry for a few minutes.

Sweet Potato Options	Time	What to know
Baked or microwaved (this recipe)	6 to 8 minutes in the microwave, 45 to 55 in the oven	Fluffiest, driest mash. Baked has the sweetest flavor.
Boiled	15 to 20 minutes	Drain well and let the pieces steam dry before mashing.
Canned sweet potato puree	0 minutes	Measure out 1 cup from a 15-ounce can.
Canned yams in syrup	0 minutes	Drain well and mash with a fork. Slightly sweeter result.

CORNMEAL – Medium-grind yellow cornmeal gives the best bite, so look for “medium grind” on the bag. Regular yellow cornmeal works too and bakes up a little smoother.

EVAPORATED MILK – One 5-ounce can is the amount you need, so there is nothing to measure. Shake the can before you open it so the cream mixes back in. Check the label for “evaporated,” since sweetened condensed milk sits right next to it on the shelf.

BUTTER – I bake with unsalted butter. Salted works just as well. Cut the salt to ¾ teaspoon.

BROWN SUGAR – Three tablespoons lands this lightly sweet, the way most of us like cornbread next to chili. For a more savory pan, use 1 tablespoon. For a sweeter one, go up to ¼ cup. Light or dark both work.

BAKING POWDER AND BAKING SODA – Both go in. Check the date on the baking powder can. It loses its lift about six months after opening, and fresh powder is what gives you the tall, even rise.

How To Make Sweet Potato Cornbread

Please check the printable recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

Cornmeal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Mashed sweet potato, eggs, melted butter, and evaporated milk in a bowl.

Sweet potato batter poured over the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Sweet Potato Cornbread batter spread in a square glass baking dish.

Baked Sweet Potato Cornbread in a square glass baking dish, golden on top.

Baked Sweet Potato Cornbread cut into nine squares in the baking dish.

Whisk the cornmeal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
Whisk the mashed sweet potato with the eggs, evaporated milk, and melted butter.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until no dry pockets remain.
Spread the batter in the pan, bake, and cool before cutting.

A slice of Sweet Potato Cornbread with a bite missing and melting butter on top.

Leftovers and Storage

STORE – Cover the pan or move the squares to an airtight container. They keep 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

FREEZE – Wrap squares individually in plastic wrap, then bag them. They keep up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter or warm them straight from frozen.

REHEAT – Oven: wrap in foil and warm at 300º Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes. Toaster oven: split a square and toast it cut side up for 3 to 4 minutes. Air fryer: 320º Fahrenheit for 3 to 4 minutes. Microwave: 15 to 20 seconds per square.

MAKE AHEAD – Cook and mash the sweet potato up to 3 days ahead and keep it in the refrigerator. The whole pan can bake a day ahead, too. Warm it before serving and it tastes fresh from the oven.

More Bread Recipes

Serving Suggestions

CHILI NIGHT – This is the pan I make for Crockpot White Chicken Chili or a pot of Slow Cooker Chili without Beans. A square on the side of the bowl is the whole dinner.

BARBECUE PLATE – Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, Crock Pot Baked Beans, and a square of this cornbread make a backyard plate. It works any month of the year.

SOUP SUPPER – Serve it next to Ham and Bean Soup or Chicken and White Bean Soup. The sweetness plays nicely against a savory broth.

HOLIDAY TABLE – Cut it into 12 smaller pieces and set it next to Collard Greens and the turkey. It makes a nice change from dinner rolls.

BREAKFAST – A warm square with butter and honey next to Egg Muffins is my kind of weekend breakfast.

A gold fork pressing into the buttered top of a square of Sweet Potato Cornbread.

Recipe Success Tips

MICROWAVE THE SWEET POTATO – Pierce it 5 or 6 times with a fork and microwave on high for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. When a knife slides in easily, it is done. The North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission uses the same quick method. Scoop out the flesh and mash it with a fork. One large sweet potato gives you right around 1 cup.

ROOM-TEMPERATURE EGGS AND MILK – Set the eggs and the can of evaporated milk on the counter while the sweet potato cooks. The melted butter blends in smoothly when everything is close to the same temperature.

GENTLE FOLD – A few streaks of flour are fine. The batter is thick and spoonable, more like a soft dough than a pour. Spread it with a spatula and smooth the top.

TOOTHPICK CHECK – Start checking at 30 minutes. A toothpick with a few moist crumbs means it is done. The edges will have pulled slightly from the pan, too. Ovens vary, so the first time, trust the toothpick over the clock.

Expert Tip – Give the pan 10 to 15 minutes before you cut. The crumb finishes setting as it cools and the squares lift out clean. A thin metal spatula slides under the first square with no trouble.

A forkful removed from a square of Sweet Potato Cornbread, showing the orange crumb under melting butter and honey.

Commonly Asked Questions

Can I Use Canned Sweet Potato in Sweet Potato Cornbread?

Yes, canned sweet potato puree works, and you need 1 cup of it. Measure it out of a 15-ounce can and save the rest for pancakes or oatmeal. Canned yams packed in syrup work too. Drain them well, mash with a fork, and expect a slightly sweeter cornbread.

What Can I Use Instead of Evaporated Milk?

Whole milk or half-and-half, measured cup for cup, is the easiest swap. Half-and-half comes closest to the richness of the original. Buttermilk works too and gives the baking soda something to react with. The cornbread rises a touch higher with a slight tang.

Can I Bake Sweet Potato Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet?

Sweet Potato Cornbread bakes just as well in a buttered 9-inch cast iron skillet. Keep the oven at 375º Fahrenheit and start checking at 25 minutes, since the batter sits a little thinner. A 9×9 pan works the same way. For a 9×13 pan, double the recipe and add about 5 minutes.

Can I Make This as Muffins?

Yes, the batter makes about 12 standard muffins. Grease the tin or use paper liners and fill each cup about three-quarters full. Bake at 375º Fahrenheit for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes before lifting them out.

How Do I Make It Sweeter or More Savory?

A small change to the brown sugar swings this cornbread either way. For sweeter, use ¼ cup and add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. For savory, drop the sugar to 1 tablespoon. Then stir in ½ cup of shredded sharp Cheddar, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, or 2 tablespoons of sliced green onions.

What Keeps Sweet Potato Cornbread Soft and Sliceable?

Measuring the flour lightly and pulling the pan on time are the two things that matter most. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it off, the way King Arthur Baking recommends. Then take the pan out at the first clean toothpick and give it a 10-minute rest before cutting.

More Sweet Potato Recipes

Sweet potatoes earn their spot on my table well past Thanksgiving. These are the ones I make most.

Sweet Potato Casserole – Brown sugar sweet potatoes under a pecan topping and toasted marshmallows.

Candied Sweet Potatoes – Roasted in brown sugar, butter, and balsamic until the edges turn sticky.

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes – Crispy edges, soft centers, and a honey lemon butter, ready in 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Bread – A spiced loaf with raisins and pecans under a simple glaze.

Sweet Potato Gratin – Thin sweet potato slices baked with Gouda and Parmesan.

Sweet Potato Cornbread squares on a wood board, one stack topped with butter.

Maike Corbett

Maike Corbett grew up in German kitchens learning to cook and bake alongside her Omas before spending over a decade running full-service restaurants in the US. She founded Cheerful Cook in 2017 to share practical, tested comfort food recipes that actually work on busy weeknights, drawing on both her American restaurant experience and her German home-cooking roots. Her work has been featured on MSN, Yahoo, the Associated Press, and other major media outlets.