This Southern Cornbread Mix Outshines Jiffy In Taste And Texture

While Jiffy's Corn Muffin Mix has been a classic pantry staple since the company was founded in 1887, it doesn't beat Zatarain's Honey Butter Cornbread Mix. That's according to our ranking of 10 boxed cornbread mixes which put Zatarain's in the number three spot. Jiffy, though beloved by many, was placed sixth by our reviewer.

What stood out about Zatarain's mix was the texture, which was the right balance of light crumb and mealy cornmeal, something that other store-bought brands were not able to achieve. It made for buttery muffins that broke off cleanly without disintegrating. Our reviewer wrote that out of the oven, these muffins were "absolutely divine."

While our writer was impressed by the texture, the flavor left her wanting more "light floral notes" from the honey. Instead it was overly sweet with a sugary taste. Some reviewers on Amazon agree, with one saying they had to add honey separately in order to get the honey butter taste the box promised. Others, however, love the taste but complain about how dense the muffins came out of the oven, with more of a cookie texture.

While Zatarain's Honey Butter Cornbread Mix was able to crack the top three, two other brands ranked higher on our list. Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Cornbread Baking Mix came in second to Bob's Red Mill Golden Cornbread Mix. Though Fleischmann's is a brand known for yeast, our reviewer found that its cornbread mix resulted in a "subtle, soft buttermilk flavor" that was a major improvement from the sweetness of Zatarain's. We think this makes them the ideal companion for a bowl of chilli.

After pulling the muffins out of the oven, Bob's Red Mill cornbread was the clear winner out of all the store-bought mixes. From the flavor to the consistency, there were no complaints on the quality of this mix from our reviewer. She writes, "It had an impressive, domed rise and a beautiful yellow color." 

One thing to note with this mix is that the recipe calls for a longer baking time at a lower temperature than others, 40 minutes compared to 20-25 minutes, which could affect how convenient it is to get them on the table. And if you've got a lot of time on your side, you could always make some cornbread from scratch.