Fluffy, delicious gluten free vegan cornbread made with just 10 ingredients! This basic recipe is a perfect side for soups and chilis, holiday mains, or to use in stuffing. It's also refined sugar free and so easy to make!
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🍞 Why We Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy to make: just 10 ingredients and about 10 minutes of hands on work to throw together this gluten free vegan cornbread. Couldn't be any easier, and you can make it ahead of time!
- Versatile: not only can this vegan cornbread be served with just about anything, but you can also change it up with various add-ins. Think: vegan cheese + garlic + herbs, maple syrup + cranberries + pecans, jalapeños and corn....the options are endless!
- Great holiday side dish: this vegan cornbread is the ideal easy dish to add to your holiday menu. Plus, it's good enough that the non-vegans won't notice, which means less work for you!
- Allergy friendly: if your family is anything like ours (with multiple allergies/preferences), it's always nice to have a classic recipe that everyone can enjoy without sacrificing texture or flavor. This cornbread hits all of that – vegan, gluten free, nut free, refined sugar free and can be made soy free depending on the milk/vegan butter choice.
🌽 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this gluten free vegan cornbread:
📋 Ingredient Notes
- Cornmeal: be sure to use fine cornmeal in this vegan cornbread, not coarse cornmeal. Fine cornmeal has a texture more similar to regular flour, whereas coarse is more similar to polenta/grits texture.
- Gluten free flour: we almost always use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour – it works like a charm and you can find it at most grocery stores! Of course if you're not gluten free, you can also substitute with the same amount of regular all purpose flour.
- Flax: traditional cornbread is made with an egg. To keep this recipe vegan, we sub with a flax "egg", which consists of ground flax seed (aka flax meal – you can purchase this already ground) and water. It forms a gelatinous mixture that acts as a binder and it's essential for texture in this recipe. You can read up more on flax eggs and how to use them here.
- Vegan butter: any variety will do. You can also substitute with another oil, like vegetable or melted coconut oil (although coconut oil will add a subtle coconut flavor).
- Maple syrup: all good cornbread recipes need a hint of sweetness! We love the flavor of maple syrup and the fact that it keeps this vegan cornbread refined sugar free. You can also sub with regular sugar or another liquid sweetener of choice.
- Nondairy milk: for best results, let the milk sit out until it reaches room temperature before adding to this recipe. If it's too cold, it won't mix well with the melted butter. We typically use oat milk in this recipe, which has a neutral flavor and creamy texture.
- Lemon juice: don't leave it out! The acid interacts with baking soda to create a rise while this cornbread is baking, which is essential since gluten free vegan baking doesn't work quite like regular baking.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
PREP: Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of flax meal with 2 ½ tablespoons of water. Let sit for 10 minutes, until the flax absorbs the water.
(1) In a large mixing bowl, stir together cornmeal, gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining 1 tablespoon of flax meal.
(2) In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, maple syrup, flax "egg" (flax + water), lemon juice and melted butter.
(3) Using a spatula, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Don't overmix the batter – just whisk until there are no big lumps of flour. The less mixing, the fluffier your cornbread will be!
(4) Let the batter sit for 15 minutes, then pour into prepared baking dish.
(5) Bake for 33-36 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing. If you slice it too soon, it will be pretty crumbly. I know it's hard to wait (it smells amazing), but it's worth it!
💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
- Not gluten free? Sub the gluten free all purpose flour with an equal amount of regular all purpose flour!
- Variations: here are a few ingredients you can stir into your gluten free vegan cornbread for extra flavor:
- Jalapeño slices (fresh or pickled)
- Cranberries (fresh or dried)
- Fresh blueberries
- Vegan cheese
- Vegan bacon and scallions or chives
- Fresh corn kernels
- Fresh herbs
- Brown sugar & pecans
- Serving suggestions: I love serving a warm slice of cornbread with a sizable pat of (vegan) butter and a hefty drizzle of maple syrup. So. Good. It's also delicious with a little bit of jam or compote (even for breakfast!), or with a savory herb and garlic compound butter.
- Pan sizes: we typically use a 9x9 or 11x9 inch pan for this gluten free vegan cornbread, which results in a good-sized slice that's not too thick. I wouldn't suggest using a 13x9" dish, otherwise the cornbread will be pretty thin. Alternatively, you can use a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet to make this cornbread, or another circular cake pan.
- Let the batter sit: in the recipe instructions, we note to let the mixed batter to sit for 15 minutes before baking. This allows the flax meal to absorb the liquid in the batter, which results in a fluffier, less dense cornbread.
- Make ahead: you can make this vegan cornbread up to a day or two ahead of serving and reheat just before serving. For peak freshness, we suggest storing in the fridge.
Absolutely! Prepare the batter as listed in this recipe, then fill muffin tins about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
This cornbread will stay fresh for 1 to 2 days covered at room temperature. For longer storage, store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yes, you can freeze this cornbread for up to 6 months! Be sure to tightly wrap and seal the cornbread in a freezer safe container to prevent freezer burn.
For best results, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then microwave individual slices, or place the entire baking dish in a 350˚F oven until heated through.
Although cornmeal does not naturally contain gluten, most cornbread recipes are made with a mixture of cornmeal and regular flour for a fluffy final product. Our recipe is made with gluten free all purpose flour, but be sure to also use certified gluten free cornmeal if you have Celiac disease or a severe gluten allergy.
This cornbread is absolutely delicious as a side dish for homemade chili or a hearty soup or stew. It's also a great side dish to serve at the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc) alongside classics like cranberry sauce, brussels sprouts and green beans. To be honest, cornbread goes with so many main dishes – cauliflower steaks, bbq tofu, or anything else your heart desires!
Although we haven't yet tried it, we don't see why not! We're planning on creating a cornbread stuffing recipe for the blog soon, so stay tuned, but in the meantime, give your family recipe a try with this vegan cornbread and report back in the comment section!
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Print📖 Recipe
Vegan Cornbread
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Fluffy, delicious gluten free vegan cornbread made with just 10 ingredients! This basic recipe is a perfect side for soups and chilis, holiday mains, or to use in stuffing. It's also refined sugar free and so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flax meal, divided
- 1 cup fine ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour*
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup nondairy milk (room temperature)
- ½ cup vegan butter, melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
- In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of flax meal with 2 ½ tablespoons of water. Let sit for 10 minutes, until the flax absorbs the water.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together cornmeal, gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining 1 tablespoon of flax meal.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, maple syrup, flax "egg" (flax + water), lemon juice and melted butter.
- Using a spatula, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined (don't overmix). Let the batter sit for 15 minutes, then pour into prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 33-36 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing.
Notes
*Not gluten free? Sub the gluten free all purpose flour with an equal amount of regular all purpose flour!
Cornmeal: be sure to use fine cornmeal in this recipe, not coarse cornmeal. Fine cornmeal has a texture more similar to regular flour, whereas coarse is more similar to polenta/grits texture.
Nondairy milk: for best results, let the milk sit out until it reaches room temperature before adding to this recipe. If it's too cold, it won't mix well with the melted butter. We typically use oat milk in this recipe, which has a neutral flavor and creamy texture.
Lemon juice: don't leave it out! The acid interacts with baking soda to create a rise while this cornbread is baking, which is essential since gluten free vegan baking doesn't work quite like regular baking.
Pan sizes: we typically use a 9x9 or 11x9 inch pan, which results in a good-sized slice that's not too thick. I wouldn't suggest using a 13x9" dish, otherwise the cornbread will be pretty thin. Alternatively, you can use a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet to make this cornbread, or another circular cake pan.
Let the batter sit: in the recipe instructions, we note to let the mixed batter to sit for 15 minutes before baking. This allows the flax meal to absorb the liquid in the batter, which results in a fluffier, less dense cornbread.
Make into muffins: Prepare the batter as listed in this recipe, then fill muffin tins about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Storage: This cornbread will stay fresh for 1 to 2 days covered at room temperature. For longer storage, store in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave or oven.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 165
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 367.3 mg
- Fat: 8.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.1 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 1.9 g
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