Cornbread is not only a southern staple that is known for its rich and soft texture, but it is also a remarkably versatile side dish that you can enjoy along with a huge variety of meals!
You can make cornbread either sweet or plain, which makes it ideal for both sweet and savory dishes.
You can enjoy it for breakfast and dinner and you can easily store and reheat it if you make a large batch!
If you want to know what to eat with cornbread, you’re in for a treat! Today, we’ll walk you through some of the best options to enjoy this moist goodness. Let’s dive right in!
What to Eat With Cornbread for Breakfast
Whether you like your breakfast sweet or savory, the light and rich texture of cornbread allows it to sync in perfectly with a huge variety of breakfast meals. Let’s have a quick look at some of these options:
1 – Eggs
Kicking off the list with one of the most popular breakfast combinations to start out your day!
One of the best things about eggs is remarkably versatile, you can enjoy eggs soft boiled, hard boiled, fried, poached, or even deviled.
The best part here is that cornbread can be an excellent side to just about any one of these options, and you can also combine them with cheese and cured/processed meat like sausages and bacon for a classic breakfast!
2 – Honey or Maple Syrup
The slight hint of sweetness of cornbread makes it a brilliant companion to honey, especially if you want to avoid refined white sugar that is found in cereals and pancake mixes.
Alternatively, you can use maple syrup, which keeps the cornbread fluffy and light. If you’re serious about sweetness, you can even add some molasses to the batter for an extra special and sweet flavor!
3 – Hash Browns
The deep fried potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with a delicious taste that pairs excellently with a huge variety of food.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that it also goes very well with cornbread, whether it is savory or slightly sweet. You can also add some tahini or sour cream as a side dip.
4 – Peanut Butter
Everything is better with a little brush of melted butter on it, but you know what’s even better when it comes to cornbread? Good ol’ peanut butter!
This incredibly rich texture and flavor of peanut butter complements the soft texture of cornbread and makes for an incredibly hearty treat.
Not only that, but you can also go with just about any kind of nut butter you like if you like to try something completely new!
5 – Cold Cuts
If you’re into lunch meat, you can definitely enjoy them with cornbread. You can go wrong with cold cuts, so options like pepperoni, mortadella, pancetta, and salami are all great choices here!
Some people might even shred the cold cuts into small pieces and add them to the cornbread batter to add a unique flavor to the cornbread.
Alternatively, you can enjoy your cornbread with other types of cured and deli meat, such as bacon, sausages, smoked turkey and ham, Bologna, roast beef, and much more!
6 – Cheese
Cheese is a solid choice if you want to enjoy a delicious and hearty breakfast. The best thing here is that cheese comes in an incredibly wide range of choices, so you can always find the best one.
Among the most popular options here are parmesan and cheddar, but you can also go for some grilled cheese if you want something crunchy on the outside with some delightful melted goodness on the inside!
7 – Jam
Whether you like store bought or homemade jam, you should definitely try them with some cornbread.
The combination works well with a huge variety of fruit jams, such as berries, apricot, and peach.
However, a nice tip here is to go for diet options with lower sugar content because cornbread is already somewhat sweet.
If you like cornbread with jam, you might also want to try it with fruit compotes!
8 – Hummus
Combining hummus and cornbread is becoming surprisingly popular nowadays!
The creamy and rich texture of hummus with extra virgin olive oil makes for an excellent cornbread dip for anyone who likes a quick breakfast, especially if you like the savory taste of garlic and lemon in food.
9 – Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream
This one might seem a bit odd, but a lot of people are actually in love with this unique combination.
Since ice cream and frozen yogurt are both not too sweet when compared to other sweet food, they actually get along pretty well.
You can also try cornbread with regular yogurt or greek yogurt if you want to cut down on added sugars.
10 – Coleslaw
Another great suggestion if you like creamy and tangy flavors is to enjoy a few cornbread slices with your coleslaw.
The subtle sweetness of traditional coleslaw is balanced by the cornbread, making for a remarkably delicious combination that also doubles as a quick snack throughout the day!
What Goes With Cornbread for Dinner
In addition to breakfast, you can also enjoy a side of cornbread along with your main dinner course. In this section, we’ll take a closer look at the dinner meal options to keep in mind if you have some fresh cornbread for dinner!
1 – Chili
One of the most popular foods to eat with cornbread is chili. You can enjoy chili for dinner as well as breakfast.
You can even try out several variations of homemade chili along with some fresh cornbread, such as chili con carne, vegetarian chili, or Mexican style chili with jalapeno add-ins.
2 – Tomato Soup
Tomato soup is another versatile and delicious comfort food that works incredibly well with cornbread’s crumbly and soft texture.
You can enjoy tomato soup cold or warm, and the subtle sweetness of the bread makes for a perfect counterbalance to the tangy flavor of the soup.
3 – Baked Beans
This one is another popular combination that you can consider if you’re looking for a nutritious and delicious dinner all the while keeping it relatively light.
You can enjoy baked beans in a variety of ways alongside cornbread, such as baked bean add-in where you spread a can of baked beans into cornmeal batter to enjoy a hearty casserole.
4 – Fried Chicken
Eating fried chicken with some slices of cornbread on the side is fairly common in Southern cuisine.
If you want to go traditional all the way, make sure that you use buttermilk while preparing the chicken and drizzle some maple syrup if you like hints of sweet and sour in your food!
5 – Stews
Stews are very close to tomato soups and chilis in terms of texture and flavor, so they’re also great choices for a cornbread based dinner if you like to mix things up.
There are plenty of options here and you can’t go wrong with your choice, although we highly recommend that you try them with beef stews!
6 – BBQ
Smoky and sweet is another department where the unique taste and texture of cornbread shine brightly.
You can try this combination with just about any type of meat, whether it’s beef, chicken, pork, etc.
7 – Pork Chops
If you enjoy roasted lean meat, you might want to try cornbread with some pork chops. This one is actually quite popular in the south, especially if you drizzle some tasty gravy on top for added flavor!
8 – Meatloaf
If you want to enjoy a relatively lean meal that has fewer carbs but is still hearty and filling, you should try cornbread with meatloaf.
In fact, you can even use cornbread leftovers to make cornbread stuffed meatloaf with jalapenos and mustard!
9 – Roast Duck
Another type of meat that actually tastes great with cornmeal based food is roast duck.
Although this combination isn’t quite as popular as some options on the list, there are many people who really like it.
The hint of sweetness in cornbread makes the extra savory and gamey flavor surprisingly balanced!
10 – Steamed Veggies and Greens
Cornbread is also an excellent choice if you’re vegetarian and there are plenty of vegan and egg-free recipes out there to make it.
You can enjoy it with an incredibly wide range of vegetables and greens, whether they’re steamed, sauteed, or grilled.
Among the most popular option here are broccoli, spinach, kales, carrots, and zucchini, but you can try cornbread with just about any veggies or greens you like!
11 – Noodle Soup
Last but not least, if you’re into noodle soup, you can actually make them a lot more filling while keeping the meal light by adding a slice or two of cornbread on the side!
Does Cornbread Go with Chili?
Although chili has tons of popular side dishes, such as fries, coleslaw, onion rings, and Mexican rice, cornbread remains chili’s perfect companion.
In fact, you can combine different varieties of chili and cornbread together. For example, the Jiffy Jalapeno Cornbread is a remarkably popular ground beef chili, especially if you like spicy food.
If you’re into sweet and sour food, you can also enjoy a side of easy buttermilk cornbread alongside your chili!
Why Does Cornbread Go with Chili?
Both cornbread and chili are traditional dishes that are deeply associated with the Southern States.
In fact, cornbread’s origin stems from Native American cuisine while chili is deeply influenced by the thriving Hispanic culture at that time!
In addition to getting along very well in terms of taste, the ingredients of both chili and cornbread were readily available the American Southwest.
For example, cornmeal (the main ingredient of cornbread) is much cheaper and more common when compared to flour that was used to make regular bread.
Similarly, beef and peppers necessary for chili were quite affordable and readily available due to the abundance of cattle and agricultural land in the region.
This made cornbread and chili highly sustainable and affordable resources of healthy nutrition for decades. Since it’s also quite delicious, the hearty combo lived on to this day!
Does Cornbread Go with Spaghetti?
Spaghetti and meatballs are often synonymous with garlic bread as a side dish, which is quite tasty and delicious.
However, if you want to mix things up and try something a little richer than garlic break, you can easily serve your spaghetti with garlic cheesy cornbread on the side!
Does Cornbread Go with Beef Stew?
Cornbread is ideal for just about anything with a rich flavor, especially thicker types of soups and stew.
Beef stew is also pretty close to chili in terms of consistency, so it’s no wonder that a savory variety of cornbread will do wonders with beef stews as well!
What to Make with Beans and Cornbread?
Baked beans and cornbread is another super popular combo. If you want to lift up the flavor, you might want to consider a generous dollop of sour cream or guacamole along with some basil for garnish.
Final Thoughts
There you have it! A brief guide that walks you through a huge variety of options to consider alongside cornbread.
As you can see, cornbread is pretty versatile and can be a great side dish to a variety of sweet and savory dishes!
It’s also very easy to prepare with very few ingredients and without kneading or beating. Not only that but, its rich texture will also keep you full for a long time!
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.