Quick Comparison
| Product | Best For | Est. Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobs Red Mill Medium Cornmeal | Best Overall | ~$5-$9 | 4.7/5 |
| Quaker Yellow Cornmeal | Best Budget | ~$3-$6 | 4.6/5 |
| Anson Mills Antebellum Coarse Cornmeal | Best Premium | ~$9-$15 | 4.7/5 |
| Palmetto Farms White Cornmeal | Best for Southern Cooking | ~$5-$9 | 4.5/5 |
| Arrowhead Mills Organic Yellow Cornmeal | Best Compact | ~$4-$8 | 4.6/5 |
Why Most Cornmeal Tastes Like Nothing
Commercial cornmeal is almost always made from degerminated commodity yellow dent corn, milled months before it hits the shelf, and stripped of its germ and oils specifically to extend shelf life. The germ is where the flavor lives. Stone-ground cornmeal from whole dried kernels. especially heirloom varieties. tastes dramatically different: genuinely sweet and complex with a nuttiness that makes cornbread, polenta, and grits worth eating on their own. If you have a grain mill or blender and access to good dried corn, you can produce a far superior product at home. These are the corn varieties worth seeking out.
Top 5 Corn Varieties for Cornmeal
1. Bloody Butcher (Red Flint/Dent). One of the most sought-after heirloom grinding corns in the US, Bloody Butcher produces a deep red, coarsely textured meal with a rich, complex corn flavor. It is a dent-flint cross, meaning it grinds into a meal that has both body and depth. Available as whole dried ears from specialty grain suppliers and seed companies. The meal produces stunning cornbread with a purple-speckled crumb.
2. Jimmy Red Corn. A Southern heirloom red dent corn that nearly went extinct and was revived by preservation efforts. Jimmy Red produces a dense, deeply flavored meal with natural sweetness and earthy complexity that has made it a favorite of Charleston-area chefs and artisan mills. Anson Mills sells Jimmy Red grits and meal; buying dried corn directly allows you to mill it fresh at home.
3. Glass Gem Corn. Primarily known for its striking rainbow appearance, Glass Gem is a flint corn that produces a fine, slightly sweet cornmeal. The multicolored kernels grind into a pale yellow to peach-colored meal with mild flavor. An excellent choice for anyone who wants both decorative and culinary value from a single variety.
4. Bloody Flint (Gaspe Flint). One of the shortest-season flint corns, Gaspe Flint can be grown in northern climates where most dent corn fails to mature. The kernels are hard and produce a fine, slightly sweet meal that is excellent for polenta. Seed libraries and heritage grain suppliers carry it regularly.
5. Reid’s Yellow Dent. The classic American yellow cornmeal corn. Reid’s Yellow Dent is what most pre-industrial Southern cornmeal was made from, and growing or sourcing it as whole dried kernels and milling fresh produces a flavor world apart from commodity yellow meal. Stoneground Reid’s Yellow Dent is what Anson Mills and other artisan mills use for their benchmark yellow grits. The flavor is the gold standard for cornbread and traditional Southern cooking.
What to Look for When Buying
Dent vs. flint. Dent corn grinds softer and produces finer meal suited to cornbread and muffins. Flint corn grinds harder and coarser, producing the best polenta and stone-ground grits. Choose based on your primary use case, or keep both types on hand.
Heirloom sourcing. Commodity yellow dent corn bred for agricultural yield, not flavor. Seek out seed companies and grain suppliers (Anson Mills, Barton Springs Mill, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange) that specifically stock heritage varieties for culinary grinding.
Moisture content. Dried corn for milling should be at 12-14% moisture or below. Too much moisture causes mold in storage and inconsistent grinding. Reputable suppliers test moisture levels. Corn that rattles freely when shaken in its bag is a good sign.
Kernel size consistency. Uniform kernel size leads to more even milling. Large irregular kernels can jam hand mills or stone burr mills. Check supplier notes on variety characteristics before ordering large quantities.
Final Thoughts
If you mill only one corn this year, make it Jimmy Red or Bloody Butcher. both produce cornmeal so flavorful it changes what you think cornbread can taste like. Start with a pound of dried kernels, a countertop grain mill or Vitamix, and a basic skillet cornbread recipe. The result is immediately convincing.
Frequently asked questions
What type of corn is best for making cornmeal?+
Dent corn and flint corn are the two primary types used for cornmeal. Dent corn (like Reid's Yellow Dent) has high starch content and grinds easily into a soft, fine meal. common in Southern-style cornbread. Flint corn (like Bloody Butcher or Jimmy Red) has a harder endosperm that produces a coarser, more flavorful meal with better texture for polenta and stone-ground products. Heirloom varieties of both outperform commodity corn significantly.
Can I grind popcorn into cornmeal?+
Yes. popcorn is a type of flint corn and grinds into a fine, slightly sweet cornmeal. It works particularly well in a home grain mill or high-powered blender. The meal produced is typically finer and lighter than dent corn meal. It is not the traditional choice for Southern cornbread but produces excellent results in pancakes, muffins, and polenta where a lighter texture is preferred.
How do I store dried corn for milling?+
Dried corn kernels store extremely well in airtight containers in a cool, dark location. properly dried corn at low humidity keeps for several years without significant quality loss. Avoid storing in areas with temperature fluctuations, which causes condensation. Once ground into cornmeal, the shelf life drops dramatically: stone-ground cornmeal retains the germ and oils, which go rancid within 2-4 weeks at room temperature. Store ground meal in the freezer.