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.
Amazing. Best recipe for vegan cornbread yet. I did replace the sugar with ¼ c maple syrup
Thank you for sharing your awesome review and cooking experience#! I’m so glad you loved the cornbread! Happy cooking!
Truly Wonder recipe..I appreciate you Nora
Perfect!
Thanks for your glowing 5 star review! I’m glad you loved the cornbread!
I ended up subbing 1/2 cup maple syrup for the sugar and avocado oil instead of canola. It is simply delicious! We will be making this again! Thank you so much. 😊
You are welcome, Terri! Thank you for sharing your stellar review and cooking experience – I’m glad your cornbread turned out delicious! Wishing you happy cooking!
How much syrup did you use?
Can you substitute maple syrup for the honey? I just hate to use refined sugar….
Hi Terri. I believe you already baked this, however, just in case! I have never tested this with maple syrup, however, others have and indicated that it worked. I recommend using half the amount of syrup if you try it.
I have tried this recipe so many times and it always taste amazing. I have lessen the sugar amount and it still taste great.
Thanks for sharing your great review and feedback, Tenisha! Happy cooking to you!
This recipe is a hit! I made a double batch and then mistakenly started to put 2 tablespoons baking soda, realizing what I did after the first one. I balanced it out with 1 Tbsp cream of tartar and it worked out just fine. I also cut the sweetness down quite a bit and used 1/4 cup Monk fruit granulated sweetener and 1/4 cup maple syrup. It was still plenty sweet!
Hi Jen. I’m glad the cornbread tuned out and was delicious for you! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review and comments! Happy cooking!
Has anyone tried subbing the oil with melted vegan butter?
Or what about a more flavorful oil, like olive oil? (I know sometimes olive oil doesn’t work as a substitute due to the shorter chain fatty acids)
Made this tonight to have with chili. It took 22 minutes in my oven and came out sweet, light, and perfect. My only changes were: oat milk instead of almond milk and I reduced the salt to 3/4 of a teaspoon because we have to watch sodium in this household. It was absolutely delightful.
Hi! I’ve made and love this recipe but now need to make it nut and soy free. Any almond milk replacement recommendations?
Hi Bella. I’m glad you are loving the cornbread recipe! Thank you for sharing your great review! Any plant based milk will work in this recipe. I hope this helps!
Just tonight I made it with oat milk and it turned out beautifully! Hope this helps.
I have used soya milk and I haven’t taste the difference. Taste just as good 😊
I just made this. Super easy but I was a little surprised as to how sweet it was. I love sweet cornbread but this one was a little too sweet for me, more like a corn cake.
Hi Lynne. I’m glad you found the recipe easy! This recipes adjusts well to different amounts of sugar. It can be adjusted to your liking! Happy cooking!
Hi Nora, do you think you could substitute coconut oil for the canola oil in this cornbread recipe? Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes!
Hi Lori. You can sub coconut oil. Keep in mind that if it’s not refined coconut oil, the cornbread will taste a bit coconut-like. Enjoy!
Has anyone thrown this in a bread machine?
Cornbread is a quick bread and doesn’t require kneading, just a quick stir in a bowl for the ingredients to come together and then a bake in the oven. You’d be better off using a bowl and a pan than a bread machine. Overworking the cornbread dough will make your results very flat and very tough.
I’ve made this recipe a few times. It’s a tad dry but if you add a little more oil it’s perfect
Hi Sarah. I’m glad you are enjoying the recipe! Thanks for your great review!
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious! Taste exactly like the boxed cornbread but much better !
Hi Shanese. Thanks for your great review! I’m glad you enjoyed the cornbread!
Delicious my go to recipe for cornbread
Thanks for your great review! Glad you love the cornbread!
Mine came out grainy. Can’t figure out what I did wrong outside of only having a larger dish. I baked it for less time and it was golden brown and toothpick dry. It’s medium grind. Is that the issue? It tastes great! Will try again with finer ground meal. The flavor is wonderful!
I have found that if cornbread comes out grainy it’s always due to the brand of cornmeal that you used. Yes if you use a medium grind that’s why it taste a bit grainy the cornmeal I usually use is fine. Sometimes I use medium or course and that’s okay too has a bit of a different texture.
This is really good cornbread! Made it today for Thanksgiving and can’t wait to serve it tomorrow. The taste is amazing!!
I’m so glad you love the cornbread, Vivian! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review and feedback! Happy Thanksgiving!
I have used many of your recipes and love them! I am looking forward to trying this recipe, but wonder if brown sugar can be used with the white sugar, and if so, in what proportion?
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Margaret. I am thrilled that you are loving my recipes! I appreciate you using them! Yes, brown sugar can be used along with the white sugar. I have never tried it, however, others have and commented it turned out great! Divide the total amount of sugar in half, using half white and half brown. Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!
These are super easy to make and come out perfect every time! I substituted almond milk for oat milk. Perfect for my food allergy kiddo and the whole family. Thanks for another amazing vegan recipe!
Hi Ashley. It is totally ok to substitute for another plant based milk, as you discovered! I’m so glad you all loved the cornbread! Thanks for your awesome review and feedback! Happy cooking!
I was initially skeptical when I tried this recipe last night. However, my cornbread turned out to be absolutely delicious and incredibly easy to make! The simplicity of using just one bowl made the cleanup a breeze, and the cornbread itself was moist, flavorful, and had the perfect texture. Nora’s recipes never disappoint, and this one is no exception. I wouldn’t say it’s the best vegan cornbread I have ever had, it is the best cornbread I’ve ever had and I made it from scratch!
Highly recommend giving it a try!
Hi Frances. What wonderful and encouraging feedback! Thank you! I’m thrilled you love the cornbread! I appreciate you using my recipes. Wishing you lots of happy cooking!