This Pumpkin Cornbread is slightly sweet with a touch of warm spice. A cozy, fall-inspired take on classic cornbread that’s delicious served warm from the oven with cinnamon honey butter.

Serve it with a big pot of Turkey Chili on Halloween night. Or, add it to your Thanksgiving menu and warm up leftovers the next morning for breakfast!

A spatula lifts a slice of pumpkin cornbread from a white baking dish.

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The Best Pumpkin Cornbread Recipe
Ingredient Notes
What Can I Do with Half a Can of Pumpkin Puree?
How to Make Pumpkin Cornbread
How to Make Cinnamon Honey Butter
Storage Tips
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love

The Best Pumpkin Cornbread Recipe

This recipe falls into an interesting place between cake and quick bread. It’s is slightly sweeter than traditional cornbread, seasoned with classic fall spices, and easy as can be to make.

It bakes up big and beautiful with a nice rise. Take note of those rustic cracks in the surface – they’re the perfect place for the melted cinnamon honey butter to escape.

If you’re not feeling the fall vibe quite yet, a slice of this Pumpkin Cornbread warm from the oven smeared with cinnamon honey butter will do it for you.

A top down shot of slices of pumpkin cornbread on a piece of parchment paper.

I am a life long lover of cornbread from my Rustic Sweet Cornbread to my easy Mexican Cornbread and seriously delicious Buttermilk Cornbread Waffles.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for pumpkin cornbread with text.

All purpose flour – Properly measure your flour by using a spoon to scoop it into a dry measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
Yellow cornmeal – Did you know there is both yellow and white cornmeal? They can be used interchangeably but yellow adds richer color which is what we want for this cozy cornbread.
Baking powder – There is a good amount of baking powder in this recipe to ensure a good rise and help create a fluffier, cake-like texture.
Baking soda – It works with the acid in the buttermilk for even more rise.
Spices – Pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and salt.
Butter – Softened to room temperature.
Light brown sugar
Pumpkin puree – You’ll need half a can of canned pumpkin puree, not pie filling.
Eggs
Pure maple syrup – Always use 100% pure maple syrup when baking. You don’t want pancake syrup which is made up mostly of corn syrup with maple flavoring.
Pure vanilla extract
Buttermilk – Adds richness and texture. The acidic quality also helps with the rise. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, just combine milk with a little distilled white vinegar and voila! Buttermilk. See the recipe card for the details.
Cinnamon honey butter – Softened butter, honey, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.

What Can I Do with Half a Can of Pumpkin Puree?

You may come across a lot of recipes, like this one, that call for 1 cup of pumpkin. A 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree translates to 1 ⅞ cups, which is about 2 tablespoons shy of 2 cups. What to do? Here is your tip of the day! Use 1 tablespoon less in each recipe and there will be no noticeable difference. Just measure out 1 cup and return 1 tablespoon to the can. If you’d like, you can make up the difference with a little applesauce but it’s not necessary for a good result.

Refrigerate leftover pumpkin puree in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

To freeze pumpkin puree, place it in a small freezer-safe plastic storage bag, press out a much air as possible, and seal the bag. Freeze for up to 10 to 12 months.

A top down shot of pumpkin cornbread in a white baking dish.

How to Make Pumpkin Cornbread

This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Four images showing dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls and then combined in one bowl and a baking dish.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, beat the butter with the brown sugar until well combined. Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla and beat again, scraping the bowl as needed.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in half of the flour mixture just until moistened followed with half of the buttermilk, stirring just until just combined. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and buttermilk.
Pour the cornbread batter into a baking dish that you’ve coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cornbread rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

This recipe can be baked in an 8-inch or 9-inch baking dish. The baking time will vary depending on the size of your pan so watch it closely towards the end.

A top down shot of a slice of cinnamon honey butter spread over the top of a slice of pumpkin cornbread on a white plate.

How to Make Cinnamon Honey Butter

Optional but highly recommended!

Butter, honey, and cinnamon are combined and placed in a serving dish.

Place the softened butter, honey, powdered sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Use an electric hand mixer to beat until light and fluffy.
Transfer the honey butter to a small serving dish and refrigerate until ready to use.

The cinnamon honey butter can be made a day or two in advance, transferred to an airtight container, and refrigerated until needed.

A slice of pumpkin cornbread with melted cinnamon honey butter on a white plate.

Storage Tips

This cornbread does not last long in my house so I usually just cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature. To keep it super fresh for a longer period of time, follow the directions below.

Pantry or counter – Wrap leftovers in foil or plastic wrap and place in a zippered plastic storage bag. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator – For longer storage, pack as directed above and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Freezer – Pack as directed above, being sure you use a freezer-safe plastic storage bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

A stack of three slices of pumpkin cornbread on a white plate with a tile backsplash behind it.

More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love

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This post was originally published on October 10, 2014. It has been updated with new text and images.

5 from 7 votes (6 ratings without comment)