The BEST Gluten-Free Vegan Cornbread Recipe
Nov 08, 2020 • Updated Sep 11, 2023
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Fall is coming, and this Healthy Vegan Cornbread recipe is on repeat in my house all season long. Moist, tender, and crumby muffins with a hint of sweetness from maple syrup. The perfect accompaniment to vegan chili, stews, soup, and more!
What is Cornbread?
Now, if you’ve never heard of cornbread before, it’s a bread made primarily of cornmeal with a lot of rich history behind it. Cornbread is said to have originated in the South, where temperatures were too hot for wheat to flourish, and corn was a much more weather-adjacent crop. Back in the day, cornbread was really just made of cornmeal and water, like a corn-based alternative to bread. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to see variations of cornbread with sugar, in bakery-style muffin form, or baked with maple syrup, for example.
So is cornbread sweet or savoury? The answer will vary depending on who you ask, and the argument is actually a lot deeper than it may seem. The type of cornmeal you could afford back in the day and whether you had access to additional ingredients like eggs, buttermilk, etc., would, of course, determine how you took your cornbread too. Yellow cornmeal was more affordable than white cornmeal, which had a naturally sweeter taste, for example.
Side note: racial issues and slavery are important parts of the conversation regarding cornbread and Southern food history in general, and I highly recommend reading more into the topic if you’re interested in understanding its roots. Here is a great article.
What Makes This Recipe Great
I’m doing my best to pay tribute to this Southern staple. Still, I did want to share my method for making classic cornbread, both vegan and gluten-free, so this recipe will be fairly neutral in flavor, and you can use it as a base to take the flavour in whatever direction you choose.
Personally, I like my cornbread with just a touch of sweetness but prefer to slather it in vegan butter and a drizzle of maple syrup too. Sweet and salty!
The muffin shape is really for convenience, as I find it’s much easier to transport and bring to family meals, but you can also make this cornbread in a pan if you prefer. I’ll share some suggestions in the notes below for flavour variations, as this recipe is quite simple on its own. Feel free to share in the comments if you put a twist on the base!
This Vegan Cornbread recipe is vegan, as the name suggests, but also gluten-free, nut-free, and oil-free.
Ingredient Notes
- Cornmeal (you can use either white or yellow cornmeal) → This is the base of our cornmeal, and you can use either fine ground or coarse.
- Oat flour → To lighten things up and give our muffins a little more body, I’m using oat flour as my gluten-free flour alternative. Feel free to use regular all-purpose flour if gluten is not an issue for you.
- Tapioca starch, or cornstarch/arrowroot starch → When baking gluten-free, a starch is essential to prevent gumminess. Cornbread is denser, but you don’t want something so tough it’ll crack your tooth!
- Light coconut milk → To add moisture, but also a healthy source of fat to the bread. I strongly recommend coconut milk over other plant milk as this recipe doesn’t require added oils. In a pinch, feel free to use almond milk.
- Apple cider vinegar → For some rise and fluff in this recipe, we’ll combine ACV with the plant milk to create a vegan “buttermilk.”
- Maple syrup → A touch of sweetness, optional.
- Baking powder & Baking soda → You know what these do!
- Pumpkin purée or Unsweetened applesauce → For additional moisture, I like adding a purée in place of oil for something a little more whole-food based. Trust me, it won’t make your cornbread taste like pumpkin or apples!
- Salt → Also, add in a pinch of sea salt and any additional ingredients you’d like to flavour your cornbread.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F (for 20 min) degrees and line or grease a muffin tin.
- Prepare your batter by whisking together the dry ingredients: cornmeal, oat flour, tapioca starch, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
- In a separate small bowl, add the apple cider vinegar to coconut milk and let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Whisk in pumpkin purée or apple sauce and maple syrup until smooth.
- Create a small well in the center of the dry ingredient bowl and add your wet ingredients, using a spatula to mix until combined.
- Pour batter into your muffin tins and bake for 15-18 minutes, until tops are golden brown and muffins are cooked through.
Secrets to Success
- If you’d prefer to make a pan of cornbread rather than muffins, I recommend using an 8 x 8-inch baking dish lined with parchment paper or greased. Keep in mind that the cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pan. I recommend baking for 22-25 minutes at 375 F. Check the center with a toothpick and add additional time if needed.
- You can use yellow or white cornmeal and fine ground or medium-grind cornmeal. I’ve tried with several cornmeal types, and the outcomes vary slightly in texture, but you shouldn’t have any issues with the actual recipe. I find that the medium grind cornmeal is my favourite end-result texture, but use what you have available!
- If preferred, you can substitute the pumpkin or applesauce for your favourite neutral oil. ⅓ cup will do.
- Substitute ⅓ cup granulated cane sugar instead of the maple syrup if desired.
Recipe Variations
- To make a spicy, savoury cornbread, consider a cheezy jalapeño cornbread. Add a shredded vegan cheese of choice and sliced or pickled jalapeño peppers into the batter.
- An herbed cornbread can be made by adding your favourite fresh or dried herbs of choice into the batter. Chives also make an amazing addition.
- Maple is a lovely addition to cornbread, in my opinion, and you could sweeten the batter as you would a sweet muffin. If you want to play up the savoury sweet, consider plant-based bacon AND maple.
Serving Tips
- Serve warm with vegan butter and maple syrup if desired.
- This delicious vegan cornbread recipe is the perfect side dish for my vegan chili or any Fall/Holiday dishes!
Storage Tips
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- To freeze, store leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe container or ziptop bag and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and serve!
Recipe FAQs
A common substitute for eggs in baked goods is flax egg. However, my recipe doesn’t call for eggs, so there’s no need for a substitute!
More Fall Recipes
Peanut Butter Cornmeal Cookies
20 Vegan & Gluten Free Thanksgiving Recipes
If you try this vegan cornbread recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too.
The BEST Gluten-Free Vegan Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 3/4 cup gluten free oat flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar or use maple syrup
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/3 cups light coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or use lemon juice
- 1/3 cup apple sauce or pumpkin puree or oil
Optional
- 1 cup charred corn frozen
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F (for 20 min) degrees and line or grease a muffin tin.
- Prepare your batter by whisking together cornmeal, oat flour, tapioca starch and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
- In a separate small bowl, add apple cider vinegar to coconut milk and let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Whisk in pumpkin purée or apple sauce and maple syrup until smooth.
- Create a small well in the center of the dry ingredient bowl and add your wet ingredients, using a spatula to mix until combined.
- Pour batter into your muffin tins and bake for 15-18 minutes, until tops are golden brown and muffins are cooked through.
Notes
Secrets to Success
- If you’d prefer to make a pan of cornbread rather than muffins, I recommend using an 8 x 8-inch baking dish lined with parchment paper or greased. Keep in mind that the cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pan. I recommend baking for 22-25 minutes at 375 F. Check the center with a toothpick and add additional time if needed.
- You can use yellow or white cornmeal and fine ground or medium-grind cornmeal. I’ve tried with several cornmeal types, and the outcomes vary slightly in texture, but you shouldn’t have any issues with the actual recipe. I find that the medium grind cornmeal is my favourite end-result texture, but use what you have available!
- If preferred, you can substitute the pumpkin or applesauce for your favourite neutral oil. ⅓ cup will do.
- Substitute ⅓ cup granulated cane sugar instead of the maple syrup if desired.
Recipe Variations
- To make a spicy, savoury cornbread, consider a cheezy jalapeño cornbread. Add a shredded vegan cheese of choice and sliced or pickled jalapeño peppers into the batter.
- An herbed cornbread can be made by adding your favourite fresh or dried herbs of choice into the batter. Chives also make an amazing addition.
- Maple is a lovely addition to cornbread, in my opinion, and you could sweeten the batter as you would a sweet muffin. If you want to play up the savoury sweet, consider plant-based bacon AND maple.
Serving Tips
- Serve warm with vegan butter and maple syrup if desired.
- This delicious vegan cornbread recipe is the perfect side dish for my vegan chili or any Fall/Holiday dishes!
Storage Tips
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- To freeze, store leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe container or ziptop bag and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and serve!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links.
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