Butter Vs Oil: Which Is The Better Choice For Cornbread Mix?

As a baker for most of my life, I'll admit that I often resist using baking mixes — with the exception of cornbread. I rarely have cornmeal in my kitchen, and many boxed mixes of the simple Southern staple come out as good or better than homemade. But when it comes to what ingredients to add to cornbread, of course, I have my opinions. For instance, when deciding whether to add butter vs oil to the mix, butter will always be my choice for one main reason: flavor.

Since cornbread mix involves a relatively simple ingredient list, including cornmeal, flour, sugar, leavening, and salt, butter is essential for adding flavor depth. Neutral-tasting cooking oils could allow the sweetness of the corn and sugar in the bread to come through. However, for me, this translates to one-dimensional, bland taste. Butter uplifts the corn's flavor and gives way to the bread's signature savory-sweetness. 

Sure, some prominent chefs like Duff Goldman bake their cornbread with vegetable oil instead of butter, citing textural reasons. Oil can help achieve a moist, fluffy cornbread since, unlike butter, it doesn't contain water, which can make bakes dense. But I find that butter still results in a moist cornbread when combined with milk or buttermilk, as boxed mixes often suggest. And I don't mind if the bread has a slightly tighter crumb structure than those made with oil, since it holds up better when dipping into chili — or slathering with more butter.

Baking ingredients can largely come down to personal preference. You may like your cornbread more light and cakey and choose to bake with oil. But if flavor is your main concern, break out the butter. 

It's likely for this reason that many traditional cornbread recipes — as well as boxed mixes — point to butter as a key ingredient. In fact, in Tasting Table's ranking of 10 store-bought cornbread mixes from worst to best, many of the brands we tried called for adding melted butter. Bob's Red Mill, the brand we ranked best, says to add oil or butter in its instructions, but notes that oil is also an option. For a skillet-style Southern cornbread, Fleischmann's Simply Homemade cornbread mix suggests adding melted butter or margarine. Zatarain's Honey Butter Cornbread mix? Yep, you guessed it: butter.

Even though butter gives cornbread the best taste, as with any baking mix, there are no hard and fast rules. If you're a butter skeptic, you could always try adding both melted butter and oil to your baking mix. If oil is all you have on hand, mix it with it. And of course, when baking a delicious vegan cornbread, go with oil or a plant-based margarine. Just try using a flavorful oil like olive oil or add tasty mix-ins like jalapeños for more depth.