Just the best vegan cornbread, perfect for serving with chili. It’s wonderfully moist, perfectly sweet and only requires one bowl!
Every time we have chili, I have to make some cornbread to go along with it. The whole family loves it, and it makes a pot of chili go a lot further! My kids have recently decided that they love chili, and demand it often. I’ve tried several vegan cornbread recipes out there, and haven’t been perfectly happy until this one!
Now, I know people like to get all picky about their cornbread. So let me tell you what this one is all about.
It’s quite sweet, but not overly so. If you don’t like sweet cornbread, you may want to look elsewhere, or just lower the amount of sugar called for. It’s not a savory cornbread though, that’s not what I’m used to, and it’s not my preference!
It’s very moist, with the perfect amount of cornbread texture. I’ve made some cornbreads that have too much “grit” in them. I don’t like that. This one is just perfect in texture, in my opinion. Not totally cake like, but not super gritty either.
It’s made with just one bowl! This is a super easy recipe: dump, mix & bake! Perfect every time.
Serve cornbread with this Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili , Instant Pot Baked Beans, or Ultimate Vegan Chili for optimal results! 🙂
The Best Vegan Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup canola oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a 8 x 8 pan, or a 9 inch round cake pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder and stir.
- Now pour in the almond milk and canola oil. Stir until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Video
Notes
- Whole grain or gluten free - You may use white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour in place of all purpose flour if you wish. A quality gluten free flour mix works as well.
- For oil-free - replace the canola oil with applesauce.
- Make cornbread muffins - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a muffin pan with oil (or use liners) and fill 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Less sweet - This a sweet cornbread, but feel free to make it less sweet if you want. You can cut the sugar in half, or even use just a few tablespoons of sugar for a barely sweet cornbread.
- Adapted from allrecipes.
Reaching out to confirm the amount of sugar. The recipe indicates 2/3 cup granulated sugar. Is that correct?
That is correct. However, you can use less sugar for a less sweet cornbread if you prefer. Thanks.
I made this in the 9 inch round and it was amazing! Everyone in the family loved it and there were no slices left at the end of dinner.
I’m so glad the family loved the cornbread! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!
I have made this so many times and it’s always delicious. Friends now request it! Highly recommend
Simply the best, vegan and non vegan loved it!!! Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Thank you for sharing your great review and feedback!
Me and my kid’s ABSOLUTELY love this cornbread. My kid’s love my cooking, always have, but they have been a little skeptical after trying a few recipes I’ve tried since I started embracing a plant-based way of eating. This recipe gave me some redemtion. Thank you.
You are welcome! Thrilled to hear your family is loving the cornbread! Thanks for sharing your awesome feedback and review!
This recipe was delicious! It’s fluffy and very flavorful and we love it. Thank you!
Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback! I’m so glad you love the cornbread!
The best cornbread ever. I have tried dozens of cornbread recipes and none of them hit the mark. Too dry, too sweet, too crumbly the list goes on. To my surprise this was just perfect. The ratio of ingredients it spot on. The only change is I used monk fruit sweetener. I googled and found this recipe then when I wanted to make it again, I panicked because I forgot which recipe I used. All I had to do was type the best vegan cornbread recipe and boom there it was. Deserving of the top spot. Try toasted with a bit of honey butter – simply delicious.
My son cannot have baking powder – we typically use baking soda + vinegar. What would the conversion to this be?
I’ve never tried this so it’s hard to say for sure. You should be ok to use 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of vinegar as a substitute.
So so good! Also so easy! Thank you for your recipes! My kids have food allergies and your recipes allow my kids to have food we wouldn’t normally be able to enjoy! Thank you!
That just makes my heart warm! I’m so glad your family loves the cornbread, and that my recipes provide a variety of delicious foods your kids are able to enjoy! Thanks so much for sharing your fabulous review and feedback!
Taste good, but disappointing appearance. I cut the sugar to 1/3 c. and it was not too sweet so probably will leave the other third in next time. It barely rose, didn’t really brown and does not look at all like your picture. But like I said it does taste okay. I’ll keep working on it
Did you make any other substitutions? Was your baking powder expired? It’s hard to know what went wrong without being there but if it wasn’t a problem with the ingredients, then it’s likely that the batter was over-mixed.
Honestly, the best cornbread I have ever had. Vegan and Non-vegans all make the same compliment when I serve it. Great recipe Nora. Thank you
I totally agree! Best cornbread ever, vegan or non-vegan!!
Thanks so much for sharing your awesome review and feedback!
Delicious! Any thoughts on how to adapt this to a 13×9 pan… double the recipe and cook a bit longer?
Hi Henry. Yes, you could double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan. It will probably take around 30-35 minutes.
Made these several times. Good flavor but too dense and did not brown much.
So, made vegan “buttermilk” by adding 1/2- 3/4 tsp apple cider vinegar to the oat milk I used, stirred it and let it sit for 5 minutes.They were light and fluffy and a nice, light golden brown. Thank you.
THIS IS THE BEST VEGAN/NON VEGAN CORNBREAD I’VE EVER HAD!! Nora does not disappoint. Every recipe of hers is just mind-blowing. Thank you Nora!!
Thank you for your fantastic review and kind words! It’s very encouraging! I appreciate you using my recipes!
Hi, can this recipe be made on a Ninja Foodi?
Hi April. I am not sure, as I have never used a Ninja Foodi. If you try it, let me know how it worked for you!
The name says it all! Another one- bowl recipe that will be in regular rotation. I melt plant based butter in the glass dish before baking and use white cornmeal. Sweet and delicious 😋
Thanks for your wonderful review and special tip! I’m thrilled you are loving the cornbread!
I use half the sugar and half the salt and Nora’s Recipe turns out great everytime I make it!
Thank you for sharing your feedback on how you love the cornbread! I’m glad you are loving the recipe! I appreciate your awesome review!
This cornbread was delicious. I used olive oil due to not having what was stated. It still came out great. I also used a half cup of sugar due to liking it sweet. Two non vegan kids loved it and asked for seconds.
I’m thrilled the cornbread was a hit with your family! Thanks for your wonderful feedback and review!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I subbed the flour for cassava, oil for olive and sugar for coconut sugar – the batter was very thick and I added more milk yet did not want to add too much. I baked it in it’s thick consistency and it was chewy in the middle. Any tips with these alternatives?
Thank you
Hi Courtney, your main culprit here would be your cassava. If you look at a lot of cornbread recip containing cassava, you see that they usually have a much higher ratio of cornmeal to cassava than the cornmeal to AP flour ratio in Nora’s recipe, and almost all of them have eggs in them to provide structure. You may have some success playing around with the ratios in this recipe, but it’s likely that you will have a denser cornbread either way
I’ve made this recipe a hundred ties and it’s great every time! Everyone asks me for the recipe. I want to make this in mini muffins. How long would the baking time be? Thanks!
How great you are loving the cornbread. For mini muffins, bake them for 12-15 minutes. Thanks for your fabulous feedback and review!
I have made this multiple times. I love how simple the ingredients are. My family says that this is one dish where they think the vegan version is superior! Huzzah 🙂
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your uplifting feedback and review! Happy cooking!
This cornbread is super tasty and very easy to make. I’ve made it twice now. My only issue is it’s a bit crumbly. I’m not sure how to fix that. Other than that, it’s absolutely perfect!!
Hi Christie. Great to read that you are loving the cornbread! It’s more crumbly hot out of the oven, but much less so as it cools. Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!
Will using less sugar change the consistency of the bread? I don’t mind using the cane sugar, but I prefee my baked goods less sweet. If using less sugar is okay, what would be the minimum measurement?
This recipes adjusts well to different amounts of sugar. I’ve never baked it without sugar, however, would say to use a minimal amount of 1/4 cup, or less, if desired. Hope this helps!
I use 1/4 cup some times leveled off and sometimes not leveled depending on what I am will eat with the bread( If making chili I like not so sweet bread because I like a sweeter chili so I level off the sugar). The 4th cup not leveled gives a hint of sugar. Love both ways.
Hi Keisha. Thank you for your sharing your baking experience with the cornbread! I’m glad you are loving it! I appreciate you!
This was good! I woke up this morning craving cornbread since I had just seen it on a commercial the night before! It took me literally 10 minutes to throw together. I went back to sleep for 25 minutes while it baked, then had fresh cornbread to enjoy for breakfast! I liked how the ingredients were simple and I had everything on hand. Thanks!
This looks great! I recently tried another vegan recipe for cornbread muffins, and it totally bombed in that the crumb was so loose that the muffins fell apart (even after waiting the needed time to cool). 🙁
Since there is no flax egg, could you tell us more about how these yield a consistent muffin without collapsing? I really am desperate to find a go-to recipe.
I can’t tell you exactly why but this recipe just works! You really don’t need an egg substitute here, but if you want to add a flax egg I don’t think it will hurt anything. This cornbread does not collapse or fall apart. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Is there an alternative to the sugar? I am on a no sugar diet for health reasons.
Hi Debbie. Omitting the sugar may affect the overall texture of the cornbread, however, you could leave it out. Other bakers commented they have tried an alternative sweetener, and it turned out well. Hope this helps!
Hey Debbie, we used Swerve (sugar alternative) last night when making this. You can use the same measurements cup for cup but it may not be as sweet tasting as the original recipe. But it was still soft and moist. I would say that the cornbread seems lighter when using Swerve. I hope this helps!
Delicious recipe, will definitely make it again. Just a tad too sweet for me so will reduce the sugar next time.
This recipes adjusts well to different amounts of sugar. Thanks for your wonderful feedback and review!
Can I substitute a different flour for the white flour?
You can use white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour in place of all purpose flour. Other commenters have had luck using a good quality gluten free flour mix, and a blend of AP flour and whole wheat flour.
I absolutely love this recipe, and you are right it is the best cornbread recipe hands down.
Want to turn it up a notch? Add 1 cup fresh blueberries to the batter before baking…pure heaven.
Oh wow. I had blueberry cornbread from Whole Foods grocery once and it was so good! Never saw it there since. Will have to make this!
I hope you enjoy!
This is soo delicious thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe! Will 100% add this to the regular rotation 🙂
You are welcome, Rosie! I’m glad you love the cornbread! Thanks for your wonderful feedback!
Hi Nora. I’ve written to you before about how much I love and trust your recipes! I appreciate how you always respond to me! Thank you!
I’ve been making your cornbread for over a year, but recently have been making it at least 2 times a week. I love it, as well as others I share it with, including my Golden retriever.🙂
I’ve made it with almond or soy milk.
I make it in the toaster oven.
I make it with applesauce instead of oil.
I also cut back on the sugar to 1/2 cup.
How do you adjust cooking time if I make muffins?
Thank you!
Hi Maria. Thank you for your fabulous feedback and review, which brought such a smile to my heart! I love that your golden retriever shares the cornbread as well! Muffins will need to cook 18-20 minutes. Wishing you lots of happy cooking!