WW Recipe of the Day: Light and Healthy 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 SmartPoints. (WW SmartPoints 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.
Light & Healthy Cornbread Recipes
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 SmartPoints (blue, green, purple)! Woohoo!!
According to my calculations, each serving has 102 calories. To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
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Healthy Cornbread Variations and Substitutes
- 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 ½ cup and add 1 (14 ounce) can creamed corn (4SP)
- No buttermilk? substitute regular milk or your favorite non-dairy milk, omit the baking soda and increase baking powder to 3 teaspoons
- Moister? add ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- Richer corn bread? add ¼ 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 ½ cup shredded reduced fat pepper Jack cheese before baking. (4SP)
- Sweeter corn bread - increase sugar/sweetener to ½ cup
- Yankee Corn Bread Variation (Betty Crocker): 1 cup milk, ¼ cup melted butter, 1 large egg, 1-¼ cups cornmeal, 1 cup flour, ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ 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 ⅓ cup of oil, you can use ⅓ 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: Skinny Mini Corn Dog Muffins, Moist & Healthy Slow Cooker Cornbread
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.
Weight Watchers Light & Healthy Classic Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1-¼ cups yellow cornmeal
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1-¼ 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, 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.
Recipe Notes
Source: Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (affiliate link)
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
More Light and Healthy Cornbread Recipes for Weight Watchers
Photo Credit: Skinny Kitchen
- 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 Cooking Light found at MyRecipes.
- 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 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)
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
References:
- Rules for Successfully Swapping Honey for Sugar
- Baking Fat Substitutes
- Nutritional Benefits of Cornbread
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sangeeta khanna
Great post Martha.
I love making different recipes of cornbread with the (only)one type of corn meal available here in India. But i have to admit i do not like them all...may be i need to try a few more recipes to get a couple of perfect recipes.
It's great to see these many recipe suggestions in one place . Thank you.
Martha
Thanks, Sangeeta. So nice to hear from you!
Shirley
This is an okay recipe; I like that it has no oil and low in sugar. But it is not at all fluffy which is what I was looking for. I used Agave for sweetenr and sprinkled a small amount of white sugar on the top. My kids did eat it and enjoyed it though.
Kgluke
I loved this recipe!!! I don't like cornbread all that much but I can sit and eat the whole pan of this! Awesome!!!
marissa
I made this recipe. I used all of the ingredients and the right amounts. But it tasted horrible! Like inedible. It has no water, milk, butter, or oil? Even the uncooked batter didn't look right, it was very stiff. I would love to try the recipe again, especially since I already bought all of the ingredients, and haven't been successful in my light cornbread pursuit. HELP???
Martha McKinnon
Hi Marissa,
I'm sorry it didn't work for you. The recipe uses buttermilk instead of oil and milk and is very low in sugar so it's not going to taste like the cornbread you make from a mix! It's going to be heavier and more dense than the packaged kind too. You could try increasing the sugar to 1/2 cup but it will increase calories/points. I hate to have you try it again and be disappointed. You might be happier using a mix and then substituting yogurt, applesauce or buttermilk for the oil called for, which is what I sometimes do. Hope this helps.
Anna Wilson
Marie Callender's organic cornbread is to die for….I've used this mix for several years and everyone in my family loves it!! Now, it's sort of a tradition for me and the little ones to have weekly baking sessions with MC’s cornbreads and muffins. You should visit their website today http://www.mccornbread.com to purchase your mixes. I’m sure you will enjoy the great taste!
Martha McKinnon
Thanks, Anna! I'll check it out.
Karan
Absolutely delicious!
Karan
If too dense or hard you may have mixed it too much! Very light and fluffy. Will be my new go to recipe. So much better than processed mixes 😉
Paige
My husband and I started WW this week, so I was looking for a low point cornbread to have with our chili. I made this recipe tonight and it was really good! I did add the applesauce and some canned corn, but omitted the sugar. I baked it in a cast iron pan and it came out fluffy and light and neither one of us felt like we weren’t eating a high calorie cornbread. I’ll definitely use this recipe again. Thank you so much!!!
Martha McKinnon
So happy to hear it, Paige. Best of luck with your WW journey!! ~Martha
Martha McKinnon
Thanks, Karan!!
Doris
We love cornbread !! How would/ would the Smart Points change if we omit the sugar entirely ??? I just do not like sweet ( or even remotely sweet ) cornbread ..thanks so much !!
Anne S.P.
I love this recipe and I modified it by using 1/2 cup 0 fat greek yogurt as a partial substitute for the buttermilk. Used 2% milk for the balance. Added a small can of the green chiles (drained), a small can of cream corn and 1/2 cup low fat shredded Mexican cheese mix from Trader Joe's. Also used organic stevia rather than sugar to further lighten it up. The result was moist and really flavorful! Delicious with turkey chili and coleslaw for a lighter fall supper!
Martha McKinnon
Hi Anne, Thanks for sharing your changes. Sounds delicious!
Doris
hello .....this looks yummy.....would the Smart Points change if the sugar was omitted ? We do not like sweet cornbread..thanks
Maribeth M
I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out PERFECT!!! I wanted so
Etching with a little sweetness but not TOO sweet. This was just what I was looking for.
Cendeloo Calloway
For a lighter version of cornbread it very good. I added the apple sauce and it was very moist.
Karen
I added one half cup of applesauce and the muffins were excellent! They were moist and tasty. Thanks for the suggestion to add applesauce.
Taeryn
The instructions never say to add the baking soda
Martha McKinnon
Thanks for letting me know. I've fixed this omission.
Jenny
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!
K Jett
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.
Phillip
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.
Phillip
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.
Carl Wilson
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!
Martha McKinnon
So happy to hear that it worked for you. Love your substitutions. Thanks for taking the time to share them with us. ~Martha
Kaycee
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.