Beat the Box: Homemade Cornbread vs. Cornbread Mix
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Welcome back for another post in my Beat the Box series! Chili is one of my favorite fall meals, but a bowl of chili isn’t complete without a delicious batch of cornbread. Today I’ll compare homemade cornbread to several boxed mixes. Both are quick and easy to prepare and inexpensive, but homemade cornbread tends to be much healthier because it contains fewer ingredients. Read on to learn why I prefer homemade cornbread!
Homemade
Nutrition
The cornbread I usually make contains the following ingredients:
Cornmeal - this is my favorite
Whole wheat flour (I’ve also used gluten-free 1:1 flour)
Egg
Milk (I’ve also used unsweetened almond or oat milk)
Butter
Baking powder
Salt
Nutritionally this is a good option because there are only 7 ingredients, which is far fewer than the boxed mixes listed below. The cornmeal and whole wheat flour provide fiber, while the egg and milk provide some protein.
Cost
I broke down the cost of this recipe and came up with:
1 cup whole grain cornmeal ($0.86 per pound in the bulk section at Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store) = $0.33
1 cup whole wheat flour ($2.69 for Kroger 5 pound bag) = $0.16
1 egg ($6 per dozen - see one of my previous posts to learn why Vital Farm eggs are my favorite) = $0.50
1 cup milk (Simple Truth whole milk at $5.49 per gallon) = $0.34
1/4 cup butter (Tillamook unsalted at $4.89 per pound) = $0.61
I didn’t add in the cost for the tiny amount of baking powder or salt, but the total for the entire recipe comes out to $1.94 or $0.22 per serving (recipe makes 9 servings)!
Cornbread Mixes
Jiffy
Nutrition
Ingredients include:
Degerminated yellow cornmeal - the nutritious germ is removed from the cornmeal so the product will last longer on the shelf
Sugar - the third ingredient listed!
Animal shortening (lard, hydrogenated lard, tocopherols preservative, BHT preservative, citric acid preservative) - hydrogen is added to the lard to make the product more shelf-stable. Hydrogenated oils, also known as trans fats, can raise “bad” LDL cholesterol and lower “good” HDL cholesterol, meaning this is not a great option in terms of heart health.
The recipe on the package also asks you to add:
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
Cost
$0.55 (Fred Meyer) + $0.50 (Vital Farms egg at $6 per dozen) + $0.13 (Simple Truth whole milk at $5.49 per gallon)
Total = $1.18 or $0.15-$0.20 per serving (6-8 servings per container)
Krusteaz
Nutrition
Ingredients include:
Sugar - the second ingredient!
Degermed yellow cornmeal - the nutritious germ is removed from the cornmeal so the product will last longer on the shelf
Soybean oil - one of the most common oils added to packaged foods and high in omega-6 fatty acids (stay tuned for a future blog post all about different types of fat!)
Natural flavor - present in many processed foods to make them taste better
The recipe on the package also asks you to add:
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 egg
Cost
$2.19 (Fred Meyer) + $0.50 (Vital Farms egg at $6 per dozen) + $0.26 (Simple Truth whole milk at $5.49 per gallon) + $0.41 (Tillamook unsalted at $4.89 per pound)
Total = $3.36 or $0.28-$0.37 per serving (9-12 servings per container)
Bob’s Red Mill
Nutrition
Ingredients in this gluten-free cornbread mix:
Whole grain cornmeal - whole grain is intact so this is higher in fiber than the degermed cornmeal seen in the mixes above
Potato starch - high carb alternative to flour used in gluten-free baking
Whole grain sorghum flour - another whole grain fully intact (high in fiber)
Cane sugar - 4th ingredient listed
Whole grain corn flour - third whole grain listed on this ingredient list
Tapioca flour - another high carb alternative to flour used in gluten-free baking
Xanthan gum - acts as a binder and gives volume to gluten-free baked goods
The recipe on the package also asks you to add:
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter or oil
Gluten-free baking mixes tend to contain more ingredients than mixes with gluten. Gluten is what gives grains its elasticity; without gluten, dough for bread and other baked goods doesn’t rise or stick together. A note about many gluten-free mixes: they often contain extra sugar, salt, and/or fat to improve flavor. They also tend to be higher in carbohydrates because of the mix of gluten-free grains and starches used.
If you want to try a homemade gluten-free cornbread with far fewer ingredients, this is one of my favorites!
Cost
$3.49 (Fred Meyer) + $0.60 (Simple Truth whole milk at $5.49 per gallon) + $1.00 (Vital Farms egg at $6 per dozen) + $0.60 (Tillamook unsalted at $4.89 per pound)
Total = $5.69 or $0.47-$0.63 per serving (9-12 servings per container)
Butternut Squash Instant Pot Chili + gluten-free corn muffins
Overall comparison
As you can see, boxed mixes of cornbread contain far more ingredients than homemade versions. Boxed mixes also are much more expensive, except for the Jiffy mix. In terms of prep time, mixing up a homemade batch of cornbread (or corn muffins) doesn’t take any longer than using a boxed mix. I also personally think homemade tastes a lot better!
Do you have a favorite cornbread recipe? I’d love to hear what it is! Thanks for reading and I’ll see you back here next week for another delicious recipe.
