Give Homemade Cornbread A Pop Of Color With One Sweet Addition

Cornbread is one of those dishes that's pretty perfect already, with its naturally sweet corn flavor and tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. But it's also a great canvas for so many additions and unique takes. You can easily find plenty of ways personalize your squares (or slices or slabs). You may have tried pumpkin for a fall forward approach to cornbread, but another way to give your cornbread a colorful, table-ready twist is to incorporate some sweet potato.

There are a few ways to make this magic happen. One option is to start with a packaged cornbread mix, which keeps things super simple. There are lots of other game-changing hacks for boxed cornbread, but in this case you can prepare the batter according to the producer's instructions and then simply stir in the flesh of one or two mashed sweet potatoes to the mix. 

If you're making a from-scratch cornbread, about one cup of mashed sweet potato to one cup of cornmeal in your recipe is a good starting ratio. Depending on the type of sweet potato you use, you may get varying shades of that recognizable orange hue. If you want to drive home a visual indication that there's something extra baked in, a few drops of red or orange food coloring will do the trick (and you can easily opt for plant-based options). Either way, this colorful cornbread interpretation is super simple to pull off and easy to customize even further.

If you're preparing your own sweet potatoes, you can roast, boil, or even nuke them in the microwave to get them ready. Alternately, you can pick up a can of sweet potato puree (just keep in mind that you may want to either strain the puree or reduce some of the other liquids in your recipe, as these canned versions tend to contain more moisture than what you prepare at home).

To incorporate some additional flavor to this already delicious twist, reach for go-to seasonal spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Honey and vanilla are both complementary flavors too, if you want to keep things on the sweeter side. On the other hand, a hit of cayenne or smoky adobo chili powder offers a contrasting kick.

It doesn't hurt to put together a tasty glaze by cooking down a combination of butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream, or whip up a compound butter with herbs like sage or rosemary to slather on your cornbread. You can even toss in some crumbled glazed bacon, which opens the door to a world of flavor — and delivers a little protein boost. Whether you serve your sweet potato cornbread straight up or with your own added signature, this idea makes for a unique and colorful addition to any meal.