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    🏠Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

    Cornmeal Biscuits—Easy and Delicious

    Feb 8, 2023 · Modified: Feb 21, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 7 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.41 from 10 votes

    Cornmeal biscuits are a perfect combination of the crunchiness of cornbread with the ease and tenderness of buttermilk drop biscuits that come together in a jiffy.

    image of cornbread drop biscuits on orange plate
    Jump To:
    • 😊Why you will love these biscuits.
    • 🌽Ingredients
    • 👨‍🍳How to Make Cornmeal Biscuits
    • ✔️Tips
    • Troubleshooting
    • Storage
    • 📖Related Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • Recipe
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    😊Why you will love these biscuits.

    • Soft and flavorful biscuits with the nutty corn flavor and the tenderness of drop biscuits.
    • Like any drop biscuits, they are quick and super easy to make.
    • You get the great taste of cornbread with a few pantry ingredients.
    • Perfect for chili, soups, or other comfort foods. Just whip it up when you need them.

    The best model recipe was from Cooks Country (membership site). It had a 3 to 1 ratio of flour to cornmeal. I combined that with my usual biscuits with some great results.

    🌽Ingredients

    • Flour—all-purpose (AP) flour
    • Cornmeal—yellow or white
    • Honey
    • Buttermilk—make a buttermilk substitute (in the recipe)or you may use milk.
    • Pantry ingredients—baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter

    👨‍🍳How to Make Cornmeal Biscuits

    1. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut up cold butter.
    2. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk or warm honey with buttermilk. Mix well.
    3. Add wet with dry and mix until combined but don't over-mix.
    4. Make 8 drop biscuits about 1 ¼ inch each on a baking sheet coated with PAM baking spray.
    5. Bake until golden brown—12-14 minutes.

    ✔️Tips

    • Cornmeal can be white or yellow. This seems to be a regional/cultural thing. In the south, it appears that white cornmeal is the norm. But in the north and midwest, yellow is more common. The choice is yours; the taste and texture are essentially the same.
    • Flour is needed to maintain the structure of drop biscuits, so the ratio of cornmeal to flour can be important. But a one-to-one ratio will almost require a cut biscuit, which is fine but takes a bit more work. A ratio of 3 to 1 or 2 to 1 works well for drop biscuits and still has an excellent cornbread taste but still has that tender biscuit texture.
    • I suggest all-purpose flour, whole wheat increases the density of biscuits, and combined with the cornmeal, will become a texture issue.
    • Please don't skip the honey. It makes the corn taste pop.
    • Buttermilk is recommended, but plain milk may be used and still have very good results.
    • You can add about a tablespoon of either white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of fresh milk and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to make a buttermilk substitute.
    • If you happen to have dried buttermilk, it works great in baking.
    • To make cut biscuits, roll out the dough to 1 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter.
    • Optional ingredients—Anything you might add to cornbread will work here, like cheddar cheese, jalapeno pepper, chivesF

    Troubleshooting

    Why are my cornmeal biscuits flat?

    Several things are already in your favor to prevent this with this recipe, but it can still happen. The baking powder is maxed out. The baking soda gives you a quick pop at the beginning of the cooking. And the ratio of cornmeal to flour is good.

    1) Oven temperature
    It needs to be hot and fully preheated. Your oven may be running a little cool. Have you noticed that things take a little longer to cook than the recipes say?
    You can up the temperature by 25 degrees. Even if you are wrong, it will be ok, and just the cooking time will be shorter. Or you can check it with an oven thermometer.

    2) Too Moist or Too Dry of Dough
    Those balls of dough should be sticky but not too mushy. If they are too moist, they will start to fall a little just sitting there. Put them back in the bowl and add a tablespoon or two of flour.
    Too dry (not sticky) is bad also; they won't rise correctly. You need to get a feel for it.

    3) Bad baking powder
    Baking powder that is old or has had excessive air exposure may not work well.

    Storage

    Store in an airtight container. Good at room temperature for 1-2 days, refrigerated for up to 7 days, and frozen for 2-3 months.

    📖Related Recipes

    Old Fashioned Cornbread

    Cheddar Bay Biscuits a la Red Lobster

    Low-Fat Biscuits

    Beer Bread

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Bread Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    cornmeal with biscuit ingredients

    Preheat oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional.

    cutting butter into dry ingredients with fork

    Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ½ cup cornmeal, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt. Cut up or shred ½ stick (4 tablespoons) cold butter. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry blender..

    mixing honey into milk in measuring cup

    In a separate bowl, add 2 tablespoons of honey to ¾ cup of buttermilk. Mix well. The honey will dissolve better if warm. If you don't have buttermilk handy, add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk before dissolving the honey,

    pouring milk into the dry ingredients

    Add wet with dry and mix until combined but don't over-mix. Just get to the point that all the dry components are incorporated.

    raw biscuits on an oiled sheet

    Prep a smaller baking sheet with a good coating of PAM cooking spray or parchment paper. Make 8 drop biscuits. That will be balls of about 1 ¼ inch each.

    browned biscuits on a baking sheet

    Bake until golden brown. 12-14 minutes total.

    cornbread biscuits in orange bowl
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    Recipe

    cornmeal biscuit on an orange plate

    Cornmeal Biscuits—Easy and Delicious

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Cornmeal biscuits are a perfect combination of the crunchiness of cornbread with the ease and tenderness of buttermilk drop biscuits that come together in a jiffy.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.41 from 10 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 13 minutes
    Total Time: 23 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 8 biscuits

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 1 ½ cup flour
    • ½ cup cornmeal - yellow or white
    • 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 4 tablespoons butter
    • ¾ cup buttermilk
    • 2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice - if using regular milk
    • 2 tablespoons honey
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional.
      cornmeal with biscuit ingredients
    • Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ½ cup cornmeal, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt. Cut up or shred ½ stick (4 tablespoons) cold butter. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry blender..
      cutting butter into dry ingredients with fork
    • In a separate bowl, add 2 tablespoons of honey to ¾ cup of buttermilk. Mix well. The honey will dissolve better if warm. If you don't have buttermilk handy, add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk before dissolving the honey,
      mixing honey into milk in measuring cup
    • Add wet with dry and mix until combined but don't over-mix. Just get to the point that all the dry components are incorporated.
      pouring milk into the dry ingredients
    • Prep a smaller baking sheet with a good coating of PAM cooking spray or parchment paper. Make 8 drop biscuits. That will be balls of about 1 ¼ inch each.
      raw biscuits on an oiled sheet
    • Bake until golden brown. 12-14 minutes total.
      browned biscuits on a baking sheet
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips:

    1. You may use either yellow or white cornmeal.
    2. You need a little sugar to make the corn flavor "pop". That is usually honey but maybe other sugars.
    3. Use aluminum-free baking powder, or you may have an after taste.
    4. If your biscuits are flat, your oven temperature may be off. Also, you may need a bit more flour or milk. The dough should be sticky but not too mushy. See the troubleshooting discussion in the post.
    5. The endpoint of cooking is the browning of the biscuits.
    6. To store, wrap with plastic wrap or foil. Good at room temperature for 1-2 days, refrigerated for up to 7 days, and frozen for 2-3 months.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Cornmeal Biscuits—Easy and Delicious
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 198 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 4g20%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 16mg5%
    Sodium 359mg15%
    Potassium 97mg3%
    Carbohydrates 31g10%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 6g7%
    Protein 4g8%
    Vitamin A 222IU4%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 145mg15%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Bread
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally Published January 21, 2018. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    1. Laura

      January 23, 2023 at 9:20 am

      5 stars
      These were easy to make and turned out great. We make cornbread regularly and this was a nice change.

      Reply
    2. Michelle

      January 28, 2021 at 8:10 am

      I just have to applaud your listing the amount of the ingredient in the directions!!! I don't understand why more people don't do this. I like to measure and add at the same time. It just made my day that you did that! Also, I have a question. If I only have corn muffin mix, not cornmeal, how much should I use of it?

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        January 28, 2021 at 8:37 am

        Hi Michelle,

        Welcome to the blog.

        I like the measurements there, so they are they. I dislike pop-ups and video-don't have them. The list goes on. But the ads stay or the blog would die ;)

        About cornmeal vs corn muffin mix. Not the same, don't use it for this. It will probably have all the ingredients it needs to make muffins by itself-like flour, baking soda, etc.

        Dan

    3. ANon

      November 04, 2020 at 12:09 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! Delicious recipe and one that will hopefully be used for years to come!

      Reply
    4. Nikki

      February 28, 2018 at 1:00 pm

      Love it its my 2 go now and its easy to add different things like cheese green onions one of my favorites or a little Italian spice and garlic parmesan cheese

      Reply
    5. Lori

      January 21, 2018 at 5:24 pm

      This is the recipe I never knew I wanted but now I’ll use it often! Quick drop biscuits and cornbread, what’s not to love? Thanks!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        January 24, 2018 at 1:26 pm

        Hi Lori,
        Thanks for the note. It is an interesting change of pace.
        Dan

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