Cornbread is a quick bread made from cornmeal, flour, milk or buttermilk, eggs and fat, baked in a pan or a cast-iron skillet. A 2.3 oz (65 g) piece of homemade cornbread has about 187 calories, according to USDA data. A piece from a boxed mix has about 198, and a medium bakery corn muffin about 345, mostly because it is almost twice the size.
With Dietfit, one photo of your plate is enough: Deep Scan counts the cornbread and the butter or honey on it as separate parts, so the extras get logged too.
Key takeaways
A piece of homemade cornbread has about 187 calories, 4 g of protein and 28 g of carbs.
Boxed mixes are sweeter: about 10 g of sugar per piece, against about 4.5 g for homemade.
Size matters more than the recipe: a medium 4 oz corn muffin has about 345 calories.
A tablespoon of butter adds about 104 calories and a tablespoon of honey about 61, which nearly doubles a piece.
Cornbread has only about 1 g of fiber per piece, unless it is made with whole-grain cornmeal.
How many calories are in cornbread?
A piece of cornbread has about 187 to 210 calories, and a corn muffin 200 to 345, depending on size. Here is how the common types compare, from USDA data and one restaurant menu:
Cornbread | Serving | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Sugar | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Homemade | 1 piece, 2.3 oz (65 g) | 187 | 4.3 g | 27.9 g | 4.5 g | 315 mg |
From a boxed mix | 1 piece, 2.1 oz (60 g) | 198 | 4.0 g | 32.7 g | 9.6 g | 359 mg |
Cracker Barrel cornbread | 1 piece | 210 | 5 g | 24 g | 2 g | 510 mg |
Corn muffin, small | 2.3 oz (66 g) | 201 | 3.9 g | 33.7 g | 11.7 g | 254 mg |
Corn muffin, medium | 4 oz (113 g) | 345 | 6.7 g | 57.6 g | 20.1 g | 435 mg |
Hush puppies | 5 pieces, 3.9 oz (110 g) | 326 | 6.8 g | 44.2 g | 4.2 g | 894 mg |
Source: USDA FoodData Central; Cracker Barrel nutrition guide (March 2024).
Boxed mixes and bakery muffins have two to four times as much sugar as a homemade piece, which is why they taste closer to cake. Hush puppies, deep-fried balls of cornbread batter, carry the most sodium.
Calories in a whole pan of cornbread
An 8-inch square pan of homemade cornbread weighs about 22.8 oz (646 g) and has about 1,854 calories. How you cut it decides the number on your plate:
9 pieces: about 206 calories each
12 pieces: about 155 calories each
16 pieces: about 116 calories each
A cup of crumbled cornbread, the amount often used in dressing or chili toppings, has about 255 calories.
How much butter and honey add
The toppings can add almost as much as the cornbread. From USDA data:
Topping | Amount | Calories | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|
Butter | 1 pat (1 tsp, 7 g) | 52 | 0 g |
Butter | 1 tbsp (14 g) | 104 | 0.1 g |
Honey | 1 tbsp (20 g) | 61 | 16.4 g |
Honey butter | 1 tbsp (14 g) | 68 | 6.8 g |
A homemade piece with a pat of butter comes to about 239 calories. With a full tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of honey, the same piece reaches about 352 calories and 21 g of sugar.
Is cornbread OK for weight loss, and what should you eat with it?
Yes, as a side. A plain homemade piece has about 187 calories, which fits into a calorie deficit without much planning. Cornbread is mostly refined carbs, with about 4 g of protein and 1 g of fiber per piece, so it works best next to a protein and vegetables rather than as the main part of the meal.
A classic pairing shows how: a cup of beef and bean chili has about 301 calories and 25 g of protein (see is chili healthy). With a homemade piece of cornbread, the bowl comes to about 488 calories and 29 g of protein.
To keep cornbread lighter:
Cut smaller pieces. Sixteen pieces from an 8-inch pan are about 116 calories each.
Go easy on the toppings. A pat of butter instead of a tablespoon saves about 52 calories; skipping honey saves 61.
Bake it at home. Homemade cornbread has about half the sugar of a boxed mix.
Use whole-grain cornmeal. It keeps the bran and germ that milling removes from regular cornmeal, so it adds fiber.
Build the plate around protein. Chili, beans, grilled chicken or fish with greens make cornbread a side, not the meal.
Cornbread is easy to under-log, because the butter and honey melt into it. With an AI calorie tracker like Dietfit, you snap one photo and Deep Scan outlines the cornbread and what is on it, then Meal Score, a health score for each meal, shows whether the plate fits your goal.
FAQ
How many calories are in a piece of cornbread?
A 2.3 oz (65 g) piece of homemade cornbread has about 187 calories, according to USDA. A piece from a boxed mix has about 198 calories, and a piece of Cracker Barrel cornbread has 210.
How many calories are in a corn muffin?
A small 2.3 oz (66 g) corn muffin has about 201 calories, and a medium 4 oz (113 g) bakery muffin about 345. Bakery corn muffins also carry 12 to 20 g of sugar.
How many calories are in cornbread from a boxed mix?
Cornbread from a boxed mix, made with milk, margarine and eggs, has about 198 calories per 2.1 oz (60 g) piece and about 10 g of sugar. Check your box, since serving sizes and recipes differ by brand.
Is cornbread healthy?
Cornbread is a moderate side, not a health food. A homemade piece has about 187 calories, 4 g of protein and 1 g of fiber, and boxed versions add more sugar. Paired with chili, beans or greens, it fits a balanced meal.
How many carbs are in cornbread?
A piece of homemade cornbread has about 28 g of carbs, and a piece from a mix about 33 g. A medium corn muffin has about 58 g.
Is cornbread gluten-free?
Most cornbread is not gluten-free, because recipes and mixes combine cornmeal with wheat flour. Cornbread made only with cornmeal can be gluten-free, but people with celiac disease should check that the cornmeal is labeled gluten-free.
References
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707811/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Cornbread, made from home recipe", FDC ID 2707811
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707810/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Cornbread, prepared from mix", FDC ID 2707810
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/174909/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Bread, cornbread, dry mix, prepared with 2% milk, 80% margarine, and eggs", FDC ID 174909
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707813/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Cornbread muffin, stick, round", FDC ID 2707813
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707819/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Hush puppy", FDC ID 2707819
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2710155/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Butter, stick", FDC ID 2710155
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2710281/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Honey", FDC ID 2710281
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2710179/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Honey butter", FDC ID 2710179
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706375/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Chili with meat and beans", FDC ID 2706375
https://www.crackerbarrel.com/-/media/Project/cb-brandsite/brandsite/pdfs/Nutrition-Guide.pdf, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, "Nutritional Facts n' Figures", March 2024
https://www.myplate.gov/grains, U.S. Department of Agriculture, "Grains", MyPlate
https://www.medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002443.htm, MedlinePlus, "Celiac disease: nutritional considerations", U.S. National Library of Medicine
By Ngoc Hoang