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WW Recipe of the Day: Light and Healthy WW Cornbread
Today I’m sharing a collection of light and healthy corn bread recipes perfect for Weight Watchers.
I love warm-from-the oven cornbread with a bowl of chili or soup—belly-warming comfort food at its finest. I always make it a few times during the cooler months.
The trouble with lots of today’s cornbread recipes is that they’re full of sugar and fat making them high in calories and really high in WW Points. (WW Points go up the more sugar and/or saturated fat a recipe contains.)
So if you are looking for lighter healthier traditional classic cornbread made with less fat and sugar you have come to the right place.
Here’s a great recipe for a simple classic light and healthy cornbread from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (affiliate link), a great basic cookbook for people who want to lose weight and eat healthier. (I have a pretty big collection of Weight Watchers Cookbooks and they’re some of my favorites.)
This WW Skinny Corn Bread makes the perfect side dish for chili, soups and stews. Such a delicious treat! I also love it topped with low sugar preserves for breakfast.
WARNING: This is old-fashioned cornbread is hearty and crumbly, which might take some getting used to if you’ve only ever made the kind from a mix, which tends to be a lot more fluffy and sweet. Because this cornbread is low in sugar, each serving has just 3 WW Points! Woohoo!!
Table of Contents
- How Many Calories and WW Points in Lighter Classic Cornbread?
- Healthy Cornbread Variations and Substitutions
- Is cornbread healthy to eat?
- Can I substitute honey for sugar in cornbread?
- Can you substitute applesauce instead of oil in cornbread?
- WW Light and Healthy Classic Cornbread Recipe
- More Light and Healthy Cornbread Recipes for Weight Watchers
- Articles, Tips & Hints for WeightWatchers
How Many Calories and WW Points in Lighter Classic Cornbread?
According to my calculations, each serving has 102 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
Healthy Cornbread Variations and Substitutions
- Cornbread Muffins
Bake in regular or mini muffin tin (grease bottoms of muffin cups or line with paper baking cups). - WW Cornbread with Creamed Corn
Decrease buttermilk to 1/2 cup and add 1 (14 ounce) can creamed corn. - No Buttermilk
Substitute regular milk or your favorite non-dairy milk, omit the baking soda and increase baking powder to 3 teaspoons. - Moister Cornbread
Add 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. - Richer Corn Bread
Add 1/4 cup melted butter and an additional egg. - Skillet Corn Bread
Cook in a greased 8 or 9-inch cast iron skillet that you have preheated in the oven until hot. Being careful to use often mitts and not burn yourself, pour the batter into the hot skillet. (It will with bubble and sizzle and form a crispy crust as it bakes). - Spicy Cornbread
Stir in one can (4.5 ounce) diced mild green chiles, drained and 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat pepper Jack cheese before baking. - Sweeter Corn Bread
Increase sugar/sweetener to 1/2 cup. - Yankee Corn Bread Variation (Betty Crocker)
1 cup milk, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 large egg, 1-1/4 cups cornmeal, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Is cornbread healthy to eat?
Corn meal, the basic ingredient of corn bread, is a whole grain. Whole-grain foods contain the bran as well as the germ and endosperm of the fruited grain—and all of the nutrients they contain. Whole-grain cornmeal is a wonderful source of fiber that happens to also be gluten-free. Corn bread is a good source of several nutrients including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, folic acid, and vitamins A, B-6 and B-12.
Making healthy cornbread from scratch is so easy and allows you to control the ingredients. While convenient, many boxed cornbread mixes contain partially hydrogenated fat and/or oil, sugar and plenty of salt.
If you do opt for a prepared mix, be sure to read the label carefully. In addition to containing the same major nutrients as other whole grains, corn bread has a good taste that even picky kids love.
Can I substitute honey for sugar in cornbread?
Yes, though honey is generally sweeter than sugar you can use a one-to-one substitution of honey for sugar in most yeast breads, waffles, pancakes, muffins, and quick breads, including cornbread. You’ll want to choose a light-colored honey to keep the sweetness as neutral as possible. Honey is sticky, so when using measuring cups and spoons, coat them with water, oil, egg white or non-stick spray before dipping into the honey jar. Honey also burns faster than sugar, so to prevent your cornbread from burning, try reducing the oven temperature by 25F degrees.
Click here for more tips on replacing sugar with honey in your favorite recipe.
Can you substitute applesauce instead of oil in cornbread?
When baking cornbread, you can shave off a few calories and fat by using applesauce in place of the oil. The recommended replacement is 1:1—so if your recipe calls for 1/3 cup of oil, you can use 1/3 cup of applesauce instead. This substitution works well with most muffins and quick breads.
If you like this WW Cornbread Recipe you might also like:
If you’ve made this lightened up Traditional Cornbread, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
WW Light and Healthy Classic Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the center and heat your oven to 400F degrees. Spray an 8-inch square (or 9-inch round) baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a small bowl (affiliate link), beat together the buttermilk and egg until they’re well blended.
- Add the buttermilk mixture to the cornmeal mixture and stir just until everything is moistened. (Don’t overmix or your cornbread will be tough.)
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.
- Bake in the center of the oven until your cornbread is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
- Cut into 12 pieces.
- Serve warm.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 3 SmartPoints (Green plan)
3 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
3 PointsPlus (Old plan) Cornbread is best served warm and enjoyed the day it is eaten. If you have some leftover, you can heat it gently in the microwave (affiliate link). Creamed Corn Variation: decrease buttermilk to 1/2 cup and add 1 (14 ounce) can creamed corn. Pepper Jack and Green Chile Variation: stir in one (4.5 ounce) can diced mild green chiles, drained and 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat pepper Jack cheese before baking. Cornbread Muffins: bake in regular or mini muffin tin (grease bottoms of muffin cups or line with paper baking cups). No Buttermilk? substitute regular milk or your favorite non-dairy milk, omit the baking soda and increase baking powder to 3 teaspoons. Moister? add 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. Sweeter? increase sugar/sweetener to 1/2 cup. Richer? add 1/4 cup melted butter and an additional egg. In a Skillet? cook in a greased 8 or 9-inch cast iron skillet that you have preheated in the oven until hot. Being careful to use often mitts and not burn yourself, pour the batter into the hot skillet. (It will with bubble and sizzle and form a crispy crust as it bakes).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (affiliate link)
More Light and Healthy Cornbread Recipes for Weight Watchers
- Skinny Mexican Style Chicken and Cornbread Casserole – My husband and I love this main course casserole so much, we ended up eating it 3 days in a row! I hope you get a chance to try it. It’s a real cinch to make, freezes great and only needs a side salad to serve with it! Easy, right and did I mention that it’s absolutely DELICIOUS? (Skinny Kitchen)
- Oprah’s Skinny Corn Bread – from her Food, Health and Happiness (affiliate link) Cookbook, with great consistency, just the right amount of sweetness and corn taste plus a little kick from the jalapenos. Found at SouffleBombay.
- Excellent & Healthy Cornbread – made with nonfat yogurt, each piece of this light and healthy cornbread has just 117 calories, 1.4 g fat and 3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus value. Found at AllRecipes.
- Moist Mexican Corn Bread – This moist cornbread calls for ground flaxseed, which is a great source of omega 3 fats, antioxidants and fiber. It gets it’s Mexican inspiration from the addition of chopped sweet red pepper and and reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese.
- Parmesan Cornbread Muffins – Parmesan topped light and healthy cornbread baked in muffin tins. Each muffin has 151 calories, 4.9 g fat and 4 WW PointsPlus value. From For the Love of Cooking.
- Salsa Cornbread – a moist vegetable studded light and healthy cornbread with just 138 calories, 4 g fat and 4 PointsPlus found at Eating Well.
- Skinny Cornbread Casserole – decadent super rich, moist, creamy and loaded with flavor with only 5 WW PointsPlus found at Skinny Kitchen
- WW Quick and Easy Cornbread – This recipe is a play on a classic corn casserole, but using some alternate ingredients. I like that it gives me that cornbread flavor without the points and calories. Especially for paring with things like our favorite soups and chili recipes! Found at You Brew My Tea
- Maple Syrup Cornbread – A good-old New England cornbread recipe that’s sweetened with maple syrup and tastes great with spicy chili! Found at Taste of Home (affiliate link)
References
- Rules for Successfully Swapping Honey for Sugar
- Baking Fat Substitutes
- Nutritional Benefits of Cornbread
Articles, Tips & Hints for WeightWatchers
- A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding the WeightWatchers Program
- A Comprehensive List of Articles & Tips for WeightWatchers
- What Foods Should I Eat in a Day on WeightWatchers
- WeightWatchers Zero Points Foods List
- WeightWatchers Friendly Meal Plans
- Why We Are More Motivated the Closer We Get to Our Goals – Another powerful WW Weekly Workshop Topic.
I was looking for a corn bread to eat with my zero points turkey chili and settled on this recipe. Unfortunately, without any oil or butter, it is the driest and most flavorless corn bread I’ve ever made. The dryness is really unpleasant. I know I could have added applesauce, but wanted to use the recipe as is. I didn’t have buttermilk so I followed the substitution suggestion above. I even added a teaspoon of butter flavored extract for some flavor. I used monkfruit sweetener. I’m sorry, I wanted to at least like it, but I will stick to traditional cornbread and take the points hit.
This delivers on its promise; of course it’s not buttery and cheesy, but it tastes like cornbread. I substituted brown sugar and then added about 1/2 cup frozen corn, thinking that it would likely add zero points per slice, and baked it in a 9” pre-heated cast iron skillet. I’m very happy with what turned out; it satisfies that need for something to go with the zero-points vegetarian chili I served it with. Thanks!
So happy to hear that it worked for you. Love your substitutions. Thanks for taking the time to share them with us. ~Martha
In my previous post I forgot to mention in place of a whole egg I used egg whites. I got the benefit of the leavening and protein without the added cholesterol.
I did not use buttermilk, baking soda, nor all-purpose flour. Instead I used white whole wheat flour plus cornmeal, baking powder, honey, and applesauce. It came out well, except I did not spray the 9 inch cake pan so some got stuck.
This is a good WW recipe. I used sugar sub, some corn, and diced chilies last time we made it. We’re making this week again, and might sub the buttermilk with greek yogurt. Will see how that works. Thanks for sharing.
This was surprisingly delicious! It reminded me of my grandmother’s cornbread, which also used buttermilk and was savory, not sweet. Thanks for a great recipe!
The instructions never say to add the baking soda
Thanks for letting me know. I’ve fixed this omission.
I added one half cup of applesauce and the muffins were excellent! They were moist and tasty. Thanks for the suggestion to add applesauce.
For a lighter version of cornbread it very good. I added the apple sauce and it was very moist.