Cornmeal biscuits are a great savory or sweet side dish you can make drop style or cut into circles. If you loved our Bisquick Biscuits but want to make homemade from scratch this time with a bit more texture, these are delicious.
This cornmeal biscuit recipe is something new for dinner you never knew you were missing. Once again this is yet another way to use this Old Fashioned ingredient beyond just cornbread. Served fresh is best but they can be frozen and reheated later too.
Biscuits with Cornmeal Recipe
Cornmeal biscuit dough is a delicious way to introduce a slightly sweet, nutty flavor and a pleasant crunch. They won’t be quite as fluffy as it’s ingredient is heavier than just using flour but a great option for a fish fry side dish for sure.
Here we baked them in the oven but you could make as Dutch Oven Biscuits too if you’d rather. Baked will yield a fluffier texture for sure but it is great to always have options right? Biggest tip you need to remember is to handle the dough as little as possible or the end result will be more dense and tougher.
Keep them savory with a buttery flavor and a bit of salt or you can incorporate a bit of sweetness into the dough like our Honey Biscuits. Adjust even more when they are done baking with brushing melted butter and/or a sprinkle of brown sugar over the top before serving them.
Drop biscuits are a type of biscuit that is incredibly easy to make because the dough is simply dropped or spooned onto a baking sheet, eliminating the need for rolling or cutting. They are a popular choice for a quick bread side dish.
A bit fluffier like our Cornmeal Muffins. Keep in mind that the shape and texture will be different, I prefer rolled but wanted to add this option too.
Ingredient Notes
Dry ingredients are Yellow cornmeal, baking powder, all purpose flour, salt and baking soda. You will mix these together in a bowl until incorporated before adding wet to make the dough.
Instead of milk it is much better to use buttermilk instead. There is more fat in this which will make them more moist. If you don’t have any there is a link for how to make it in the recipe card below.
And there is a trick when it comes to adding butter to biscuit batter. It needs to be very cold (frozen is best) shredded on cheese grater. This step will make them as fluffy and airy as possible because as it defrosts it will create steam which will poof up the insides!
You can add a bit of honey and/or melted butter on the top for sweetness if you want even more godness. Or to keep these as savory aas our Bisquick Butter Swim Biscuits just microwave 1/2 stick of butter with a tsp of minced garlic together in a glass measuring cup to have when these are done. If you brush some on when they are warm it will seep in and be beyond wonderful.
You’ll need a lined baking sheet with parchment is needed to get this done. We have yet to experiment with Frozen Biscuits in Air Fryer but will add info. if and when we do.
Cornmeal Biscuits Recipe
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 Bowl
- 1 biscuit cutter
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal, yellow used
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 12 tbsp butter, cold (frozen is best) shredded on cheese grater
- 1 tbsp honey, optional for sweetness
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450, lightly spray baking sheet with non stick spray or line with parchment paper. Whisk cornmeal buttermilk and honey if you want sweetness in a bowl. In another bowl put in cold shredded butter, flour, baking soda and salt.
- Use pastry cutter to combine into a coarse meal texture. Add the buttermilk mixture into the bowl and gently stir just enough to form a ball. Over-mixing is not recommended as it will yield tough results. For best results use a food processor to pulse all ingredients together several times to get your ingredients into a smooth dough.
- On a cutting board pat your dough into 1 inch layer all the way across, trying not to handle it too much always for best results. Use a 2-3" biscuit cutter and lay on your prepared sheet pan. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower heat to 400 and bake another 9 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove and brush melted butter or honey on top if desired before serving.
Notes
Cornmeal Drop Biscuits
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour 2/3 cup cornmeal 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup butter, frozen, shredded 1 cup buttermilk In a bowl combine all ingredients together EXCEPT buttermilk. Use hands to combine so shredded cold butter (frozen is easier to shred on a grater) is incorporated, but do not overmix or biscuits will be tough. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add buttermilk and stir 2-3 times just until combined. Lightly spray sheet pan with non stick spray and use a tbsp. to scoop up some dough and drop on to pan with space in between them. Use fingers if needed to press scraggly dough into balls so they stay together. Bake 12 minutes, remove and we like to brush a bit of garlic butter (minus cajun seasoning in that) on top of each one.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use corn flour instead of cornmeal?
Yes and no. They are interchangeable but will give you a different result as far as texture goes. Flour version won’t have the grit. Preheat oven to 450, lightly spray baking sheet with non stick spray or line with parchment paper. Whisk cornmeal buttermilk and honey if you want sweetness in a bowl.
Air Fryer Directions
Another option to “bake” these is to follow the temperature and timing for our Air Fryer Biscuits.
