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.
This! It’s better than non-vegan cornbread. I’m using it in a dressing for Thanksgiving and it’s the best cornbread recipe! So good!
I’m so glad you love the cornbread, Susan! It will be delicious in dressing! Thanks for your great review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Mine tasted great, but didn’t rise much – came out kind of thin (8×8 glass baking dish). Any thoughts on that? Thank you!
That doesn’t sound right; did you use all the correct amounts of everything or make any substitutions? In an 8×8 dish the cornbread is about 3 inches tall or a bit more.
I am thinking about adding a half can of creamed corn to the batter. Do you think this would work?
Hi Cynthia. I do think this would work, and would be delicious! I recommend reducing the almond milk to about 3/4 cup. Enjoy!
Hi there, I was wondering how long should I bake them for if I use a mini muffin pan?
Hi Cherie. Mini muffins would probably only need 12 minutes or so! Enjoy!
I love this recipe!! Super good just as is, plus it works well with subs for oil and less sugar. The list of various additions is endless, like whole corn, green chile, cheese, olives … I’ve tried ’em all and it’s always great. Thanks for posting!
You are welcome, Izzi! Thank YOU for sharing your great review, ideas, and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I have a friend that can’t have eggs or dairy. We were both highly skeptical about this recipe, but it’s perfect. I added some extras from my regular cornbread recipe, like vanilla and honey. I also use oat milk and avocado oil. Regardless of being vegan, it’s good.
This is the best cornbread I’ve ever had, vegan or not. My husband has Alpha Gal, so no dairy for him. Everyone loved it. Thank you so much for the recipe.
I’m going to bake this tonight over my thick leftover chili!!!
We love this recipe!
Glad you are loving the cornbread, Bev! I appreciate you using my recipe!
Love this recipe! How do I store it and how long does it last for?
I keep it on the counter, covered, for up to 3 or 4 days. Refrigerate it for up to 5 days. Or freeze for longer. Thanks!
My family LOVES this recipe. My kids could eat a whole pan to themselves. We even beat grandmas recipe with this one.
I’m thrilled you guys are loving the cornbread recipe! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Made this last night to go with my vegan chili for some friends, who are not vegan, and they just loved it! This is the best cornbread recipe, and I will certainly be making it again. Thanks Nora for another hit!
You bet, Theresa! I’m so glad you and your friends loved the cornbread! Thanks for sharing your awesome feedback!
I am not vegan, but cannot have eggs or nuts. I was wondering if I could use regular milk instead of almond milk?
That will work just fine I think.
I used the unsweetened almond milk but the bread tasted very bitter. I had to mask it with honey butter on top. Any suggestion on why so bitter?
It probably had more to do with your baking powder I would guess. Is it possibly kinda old? You could have a bad batch that made it bitter.
This recipe is delicious!! And SO easy! I’ve used oat milk, and almond milk, both are great! Also have been using 1:1 gluten free flour, and cane sugar. I used a large cake pan by accident the second time and it still turned out delicious, just slightly thinner and a few minutes less cook time. I’m about to eat some with jam 😋
Hi Courtney. This is definitely a versatile recipe, and I’m thrilled you are loving it! Thanks for taking time to share your terrific review and feedback! Happy cooking!
So what baking powder do you suggest or recommend. I have a name brand.
I use a variety of brands, but you want to make sure it’s fresh and hasn’t been sitting in a pantry for a long time. It’s also possible to get a bad container sometimes, it’s happened to me before.
I had the same issue! AND doubling the recipe was EXTREMELY bitter. It tasted like baking powder! I ended up throwing it out. I was wondering if lessening the baking powder and adding Vinegar would do the trick.
I’m used oat milk and it was so delicious!!!
My family absolutely LOVED this recipe! I did use applesauce instead of oil. I will make it again!
Is there a good oil subsitute for Canola Oil?
Hi Dee. Applesauce is the best oil-free substitute. For oil substitutes, other oils such as vegetable oil and olive oil work as well. Enjoy!
All your recipes are excellent and this cornbread is perfection!
(I did not alter their recipe in any way)
Instead of applesauce, I like to use some pumpkin puree for about half of the oil. Turns out a really nice color. I also use half the sugar. It’s definitely a repeat for me. Thanks!
Great recipe! I use it every single time I make vegan chili. The only item I add to it are blueberries.
Thanks for your wonderful feedback and review! I am so glad you are loving the cornbread! Your blueberry addition sounds delicious! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Can I use coconut milk instead of almond milk?
That should work just fine, yes.
I want to make enough of your cornbread for 29 people. Can you please give me the measurements?
If you double it that will probably be enough, especially if the pieces are cut quite small. Otherwise, you could triple it.
This recipe is perfection!!!!
I did sub out applesauce for the oil.
So good!!
I am giving this 5 stars, even though I haven’t made it yet…I am very hopeful it will be great!
I have a question: how many muffins would the recipe make? I see it says an 8×8 or 9″ round pan or you can make muffins. How many muffins can I expect the recipe to make as it is? I need to know if I should double it or ?
Thank you!
I believe you will get 12 muffins out of the recipe, so double if you need more. I hope you love the recipe, thank you!
I made half the recipe this week and it was six muffins.
This is a great cornbread recipe. I used Stevia instead of sugar and it turned out swell! (Although I’m sure it would have been even better with real sugar!)
I’m glad you loved the cornbread recipe, and that it turned out well with the Stevia! Thanks for your wonderful review! Happy cooking!
My 6 year old granddaughter visited me recently so I made a pan of this cornbread to accompany my black bean soup. Goodness, gracious; I thought she’d eat the entire pan! Needless to say, this will be my go to for all of her future visits. I enjoyed it too. However, I limited the sugar to 1/3 c and I used a zero sodium baking powder to keep my blood pressure in a good range. Thanks a whole lot, will be looking up your other offerings. Be well!
You are welcome, Pam! I’m thrilled your granddaughter loved the cornbread! Thanks for sharing your great review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking as you journey through my recipes!
I used almond flour, grapeseed oil, and a mixed nut blend milk from Trader Joe’s. I will do as the other commenter said and use applesauce next time (1/3 cup = 1/3 cup oil). The recipe came out very moist. I used a 9″ square baking pan which I butted with vegan butter. No sticking, but it was also a nonstick pan. I think the other change I will make is increase the amount of cornmeal and decrease the amount of almond flour. I thank you for this recipe and will be using it again and again.
Enjoyed your muffin recipe very much. I used applesauce instead of oil. Thank you for your recipes.