I Tried 8 Cornbread Mixes—This Is the One I’m Buying From Now On

The first time I made cornbread was years ago and it was from a box mix. There weren’t many options back then, so I was hopeful that somehow combining the contents of the box with an egg and milk would result in the fluffy cornbread I’d enjoyed at restaurants. It didn’t come close. Perhaps it was user error, but my cornbread came out dry, crumbly, and bland. I vowed never to buy boxes after that, instead opting for a few extra steps to make my cornbread from scratch. That was a long time ago, and now, there are plenty of options when it comes to cornbread mixes. Even though I promised myself I wouldn’t do it, I set out to try a variety of store-bought mixes and, believe it or not, found a favorite.

How I Chose the Boxed Cornbread Mixes

To achieve the best sample size, I only selected cornbread mixes that were available in national chain grocery stores. I opted for all price points, but chose to test only non-organic varieties. All mixes could only require a few additional ingredients, which I limited to eggs, milk, butter, water, and oil.

How I Tested the Cornbread

I followed package instructions for both preparing and baking the cornbread mixes. I used the same brand of eggs, milk, butter, and oil for each to ensure the only(ish) variable was the mix. I let each one cool to room temperature before having my testers blindly review for visual appearance, texture, and flavor. Here are the results.

The Best Store-Bought Cornbread Mix, Ranked

8th Place: Marie Callender’s Original Corn Bread Mix

The price tag of this mix was nice, but that was about it. Unlike other cornbreads on this list, the finished product was pale and lacked that signature golden crust. The texture was also oddly smooth and testers complained that it “left a weird aftertaste.” It also didn’t taste much like cornbread, which is why this mix ended up in last place.

7th Place: Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

Testers loved the appearance of the corn muffins, but found the texture a bit too crumbly and dry. The flavor was reported as “decent,” but other than that, no one was ultimately impressed.

6th Place: Trader Joe’s Cornbread Mix (Gluten-Free)

I was only able to locate the gluten-free version of Trader Joe’s cornbread, but wanted to include it regardless. The exterior was crisp, but like Marie Callender’s, was pale and not visually appealing. The interior was moist, which was great, but testers found it a bit crumbly, making it hard to pick up without pieces of it falling off. You could feel the grittiness of the cornmeal, which testers liked, but it was unanimously “too sweet.” For those reasons, this cornbread mix landed in sixth place.

5th Place: Famous Dave’s Cornbread Mix

This cornbread cooked up beautifully with a perfect golden crust. It was tender and soft, which was nice, but that made it lean more “cake” than “cornbread.” That texture, combined with the sweetness, left one tester saying, “It tastes like vanilla cake.” We all agreed that the cornbread is good, but didn’t really feel or taste like cornbread, so we couldn’t rank it higher than fifth place.

4th Place: Betty Crocker Cornbread and Muffin Mix

We finally started to taste the corn with this mix, albeit very subtly. It had a light, airy texture but also felt a bit dry. One tester called it “basic,” which seemed to sum it up perfectly. Nothing about it was fantastic, but nothing about it was horrible either. It felt like your standard, average cornbread.

3rd Place: Betty Crocker Dolly Parton Sweet Cornbread and Muffin Mix

Dolly Parton’s version of cornbread is indeed sweet, but tolerable. It also produces a beautiful golden crust and a pleasing, moist interior. The corn flavor was there, but again, subtle. Testers liked this version and agreed it would be a perfect accompaniment to savory soups and stews.

2nd Place: Krusteaz Honey Cornbread and Muffin Mix

Testers had nothing but good things to say about this cornbread. Once baked, it was beautiful, with a buttery-golden top and light and fluffy interior. The cornmeal provided the perfect amount of grittiness, and one tester said this one was the best when it came to flavor, providing the right balance between sweet and salty. It only narrowly lost to our first-place winner. 

1st Place Winner: Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Cornbread Mix

This cornbread mix checked all of the boxes. It had the crisp, golden exterior we were after, matched with a delightfully soft and moist interior. There was an ample amount of grit to make it feel like true cornbread, and it tasted like cornbread, too, with the right amount of salt and sugar to amplify the flavor. This cornbread mix was the unanimous winner among my testers and we all agreed that it’s the one we’ll all be buying from now on!