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Sweet and Savory Cheddar Sage Cornbread

This Cheddar Sage Cornbread is a great sweet and savory twist on the classic cornbread. This recipe uses fresh corn, sharp cheddar cheese, and fresh sage for a mouthwatering flavor in every bite.

sliced cheddar sage cornbread

This recipe is brought to you by Rumiano Cheese, who provided me with cheese for this recipe, and I am super excited to share it with you!

As I mentioned earlier this week when I posted my Watermelon Salad with Honey Lime Dressing, I was inspired to make cornbread after having a delicious Southern/Cajun dinner recently.

I am a big fan of savory cornbread instead of a sugary cornbread. One of my favorite recipes is this savory cornbread with leeks and spicy cherry peppers. But this time I wanted a delicious sweet and salty combination in my cornbread. And what better way to do that than by adding cheese and fresh herbs to traditional cornbread??

Related recipe: Savory Chicken Crepes

cheddar sage cornbread

Special ingredients for the Cheddar Sage Cornbread:

I made the cornbread using sharp white cheddar cheese and fresh sage from my herb garden. The sharp cheddar cheese is key to give the cornbread a nice cheesy flavor that is not drowned out by the sweetness of the cornbread. You can use white or yellow cheddar cheese. I prefer the taste of white cheddar cheese, so I used that.

The fresh sage gives the cornbread such a lovely aromatic flavor. And as a bonus is makes the house smell AMAZING when the cornbread is baking. Definitely go for the fresh sage in this recipe, don't use the dried stuff. Fresh sage is available year-round in most grocery stores.

Serve this cornbread on the side with these baked beans with ground beef or with some Instant Pot No Bean Chili, and you've got an amazing meal! The baked beans are a little sweet while the cornbread is on the savory side... perfection!

Cornbread with fresh corn

My other special ingredient for this recipe is using fresh corn kernels! If you can get your hands on fresh seasonal corn in the summer, then you should definitely use that. If not, canned corn will do just fine. I love the freshness and the little pop of flavor that corn adds to this recipe. I don't know why corn is not a standard ingredient in corn bread! It definitely makes things better.

This is such an easy cornbread recipe, it makes me wonder why I don't make cornbread more often. It takes about five minutes to put all the ingredients together, and then BAM! delicious freshly baked cornbread for dinner. I will be making this more often, especially when corn is in season and I can use fresh corn.

More recipes with fresh corn: Creamy Honey Butter Corn

Looking for other savory recipes?

I hope you get to try out this recipe and like it just as much as I do! Don't forget to leave a comment and a rating below, and pin this recipe for later. 🙂

Cheddar Sage Cornbread
Print Recipe
4.69 from 16 votes

Cheddar Sage Cornbread

This Cheddar Sage Cornbread is a great sweet and savory twist on the classic cornbread. This recipe uses fresh corn and sage for a mouthwatering flavor in every bite.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Bread, Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Author: Kate

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 and ¼ teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 and ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 15 leaves fresh sage - , finely diced
  • 1 and ½ cups corn kernels - (about 2 small cobs)
  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400F and grease a 1.3 quart baking dish (either 8x8 inch or 12x5 inch, see notes).
     
  • In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and olive oil and stir until almost combined. Add the diced sage, corn kernels, and shredded cheddar cheese.
     
  • Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and bake at 400F for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the edges are starting to brown but the center is still uncooked, turn the heat down to 350F after 35 minutes and continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal (17%) | Carbohydrates: 26g (9%) | Protein: 5g (10%) | Fat: 9g (14%) | Saturated Fat: 2g (10%) | Cholesterol: 45mg (15%) | Sodium: 488mg (20%) | Potassium: 189mg (5%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 5g (6%) | Vitamin A: 120IU (2%) | Calcium: 71mg (7%) | Iron: 1.2mg (7%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.

Comments or questions about the recipe?
Recipe Rating




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Claire

Monday 27th of December 2021

This turned out lovely! It’s a very savory cornbread. Just the right amount of sage. Followed all instructions accurately, but added a generous amount of corn and it still turned out wonderful. Great recipe!

Kate

Tuesday 4th of January 2022

So glad to hear!! I love adding lots of fresh corn as well.

Little Cooking Tips

Sunday 13th of September 2015

It's been a long time since we had any cornbread! And your idea for making some with herbs and cheese is SUPERB! Thank you for another wonderful recipe dear Kate! And we agree 100% on your NON-GMO choice of ingredients!

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