A hot skillet of cornbread belongs to the everyday food history of the American South, and Elvis Presley’s longtime cook Mary Jenkins Langston left behind an especially valuable version. Her recipe for Elvis’s favorite cornbread was published in connection with her obituary and later appeared in accounts of Presley family cooking.

Unlike many dishes in this collection, this recipe has a directly attributed ingredient list: cornmeal, flour, baking powder, a modest amount of sugar, buttermilk, eggs, and oil. The original published directions are brief. The method below preserves the documented proportions while adding oven temperature, timing, and doneness guidance for today’s home cooks.

Explore the complete Elvis Presley recipe collection.

Recipe Information

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 22 to 28 minutes
Total Time: 32 to 38 minutes
Servings: 8
Difficulty: Beginner (1 of 5)
Cost: Budget ($ of $$$$$)
Region/Ethnic Origin: Southern United States

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, for the skillet
• 2 cups plain cornmeal, divided as directed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Place a 10-inch oven-safe skillet on the center rack and preheat the oven to 425°F. Use care when handling the hot skillet.
2. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the cornmeal for the skillet. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and sugar.
3. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and 1/4 cup vegetable oil until blended.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. The batter will be relatively loose; do not overmix.
5. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and tilt to coat the bottom, then sprinkle with the reserved cornmeal.
6. Pour the batter into the hot skillet. Return it to the oven and bake for approximately 22 to 28 minutes, until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.
7. Rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges. Serve warm.

Kitchen Notes

Mary Jenkins Langston’s published ingredient formula contains no butter in the batter. The surviving directions call for heating a skillet with a little oil and cornmeal, adding the mixed batter, and cooking until golden. They do not identify an oven temperature, a baking time, or whether the final cooking was done on the stovetop or in an oven. The 425°F oven method and 22-to-28-minute range in this version are modern editorial choices for consistent home baking, not instructions authenticated as Mary’s own. Use plain cornmeal, not self-rising cornmeal, because the formula already contains baking powder.

A Little Graceland History

The Easter egg is the absence of butter from the batter. For a cook remembered for the richness of Elvis’s favorite foods, Mary Jenkins Langston’s cornbread recipe relies on buttermilk and vegetable oil instead. It is a small, unexpected detail preserved in a recipe she actually shared.

Historical Recipe Disclaimer: This collection celebrates foods documented as favorites of Elvis Presley through historical accounts, interviews, family recollections, and published materials. Unless specifically identified as an authenticated historical recipe, the preparations presented here are carefully researched interpretations rather than exact reproductions of dishes served at Graceland. Carter Family Recipes is an independent culinary publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Graceland, or the Presley estate.