Hot water cornbread fried in a pan with a golden brown crisp on the outside is a fun new Southern side dish to serve up with our 5 ingredient chili or soup. We will show you how to make it homemade with cornmeal or Jiffy corn muffin mix.
This is a classic Southern treat made with cornmeal, boiling water, and a touch of magic. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Each Fried Cornbread cake is perfect alongside your favorite dishes. Use just a bit of oil to saute until golden brown or deep fry if you like.
Why is hot water cornbread called that?
Boiling water cornbread is a unique variation of cornbread that uses well…..boiling water. In this recipe, this is mixed with cornmeal and a few other ingredients to create a dough-like mixture. The dough is then shaped into patties and fried in hot oil, resulting in crispy, pan-fried cornbread cakes.
What oil is best to fry cornbread patties?
When choosing an oil for frying, consider the smoke point (the temperature at which the oil starts to break down and produce smoke) and the flavor profile that will enhance your dish. For instance peanut or coconut would be an odd flavor to add to this one, I’d choose vegetable, olive, or even some butter in this case.
Jiffy Hot Water Cornbread
Since there is already some sugar and salt into the blue and white box all you need is the water!! It is one of our fun Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix Recipes for sure. Now it isn’t exactly the same tasting as making it homemade, but quicker. Start with 1/4 cup boiled water and mix until you get a thick batter like you see above to form patties.
Ingredient Notes
The main item you need would be cornmeal. This is what you would use to make regular cornbread or corn tortillas, it is coarse. I like Albers the best but Quaker has one too
Salt will add a bit of flavor but in this case we are going to add a pinch of white granulated sugar into the batter mix too for a sweet and savory duo.
Boiling water, I mean you should put it on the stove until it boils or put into a mug in the microwave for 2 minutes or so before adding. This will moisten the coarse meal granules and “fluff them up” a bit in a sense so it isn’t as dry and chewy.
Vegetable oil is probably my favorite type for frying because there is little to no flavor to it. That means that the taste of your dish will shine thru without it being altered. Wait until it is very hot, 350F., before frying or it will be soaked up.
Variations and Substitutions
This is actually a great way to make Dairy Free Cornbread too. NO milk or butter necessary to make this one and is egg free too. If you have someone in your home who is lactose intolerant then yet another plus to this dish you didn’t even realize is here.
Want to add some heat like Mexican Cornbread? That is easy as you can dice up chiles and/or jalapenos into the mix. Just make sure you drain it if they were canned so you don’t add excess moisture into the batter.
I would say the main two reasons why I like this type of cornbread because it is that like our Air Fryer Cornbread, bringing a bit more fun to your meal, and the crispy outside texture we love.
The only real difference with Sweet Potato Cornbread and this one really is that the batter is thick vs. regular cornbread. Think of this one ideally being more like cake batter.
Hot Water Cornbread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet or pan
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a bowl add cornmeal and boiling water together, stir. Add in sugar and salt, stir. Let sit as you heat the pan and oil.
- Use your hands to form dough into patties, about 3 inches in diameter. The thicker they are the longer they will take to cook and middle may not get done to your liking. I prefer 3/4" thick for best results.
- Fill pan halfway thru with oil over medium high heat and wait until it reaches 350 F. before adding food to fry. You can deep fry too. Cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked thru into the center.
- I prefer to use bacon grease and saute over medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side until crispy and fluffy/moist in the center.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to save leftovers
If you don’t finish it all you should totally save and use again later. Wait until it is totally cool and store in an airtight bag in the fridge. We have a lot of Leftover Cornbread Recipes you can make with it, crumbled or left whole like our Jiffy Cornbread Salad is one of our favorites.
Wonder if you should use this same method when baking desserts too? Yep, hot liquid will help other ingredients like cocoa in our Cake with Hot Water too. Give that a try after you fall in love with this one. 😉
FAQ
Hot water cornbread and hoe cakes, while both cornmeal-based, are not the same, although they share some similarities. They are two distinct Southern-style cornbread preparations with different ingredients and cooking methods. Hoe cakes are made with a mixture of cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and liquid (thinner, more similar to pancake batter).
