Vegan cornbread is an easy, quick bread recipe that uses cornmeal, flour, sugar, almond milk, olive oil, and baking powder.

You’ll love this recipe because it’s delicious and perfect for holiday meals and cozy family dinners.

Flavorwise, there’s no difference with regular cornbread. You can bake cornbread in the oven for minimal effort.

vegan cornbread with corn kernels

Why you’ll love vegan cornbread!

Vegan cornbread is not that much different from regular cornbread, a staple of American, especially Southern, cuisine.

It’s perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas; you’ll love the soft, moist texture and bold corn flavor.

The same batter can be used to make cornbread muffins, and leftovers can be used for cornbread stuffing.

vegan cornbread on a white plate with corn kernels

Vegan cornbread goes so well with anything Tex-Mex, such as vegetarian chililentil chilisweet potato chilisweet potato hash, and refried beans.

But to be honest, you can have it with most of our easy soups (I personally recommend sweet potato and butternut squash soup) because it’s too comforting to resist.

Its distinct corn flavor will remind you of corn tortillas, tamales, and arepas, all Native American recipes made from corn.

Ingredients for cornbread

Ingredients for vegan cornbread

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

  • Cornmeal: Any will work. We tested P.A.N. Cornmeal, Bob’s Red Mill, or Goya. If you like a deep golden color, go for yellow cornmeal.
  • All-purpose flour
  • Sugar: You can use white or brown sugar. You can substitute maple syrup for sugar.
  • Milk: We use almond milk. You can substitute any other milk for almond milk.
  • Olive oil: You can substitute avocado oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, or melted vegan butter for olive oil.
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Add-ins: Add-ins are optional. We like to add corn kernels (canned or frozen) for more corn flavor and a nice texture. You can also add jalapeños, chopped pecans or walnuts, caramelized onions, chives, rosemary, or diced bell pepper.
vegan cornbread with butternut squash soup

How to make cornbread

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, or brush it with oil.

Combine cornmealall-purpose floursugarsalt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

cornmeal and all-purpose flour in a bowl

Pour in the milk and the olive oil and whisk until combined.

cornbread batter in a mixing bowl

Now, you can fold in the corn kernels or your favorite add-ins.

batter and corn kernels

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly dry.

Tip: Depending on your oven, it can take up to 35 minutes.

just baked cornbread in a baking pan

Let it cool down for at least 15 minutes before slicing it. We recommend cutting it into squares.

vegan cornbread sliced on a cutting board

Serving suggestions

Cornbread is excellent for barbecues and Thanksgiving.

It’s also delicious with anything Tex-Mex, with orange starchy vegetables, squashes, and soups.

THANKSGIVING SPREAD: Vegetarian lasagna, stuffed butternut squash, sautéed green beans, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprout salad, cauliflower mashed potatoes, green bean salad, red cabbage slaw, mushroom wellington and gravy.

TEX-MEX: vegetarian chili, sweet potato chili, lentil chili, pico de gallo, refried beans, black bean salad, and black bean soup.

SOUPS: Butternut squash soup, sweet potato soup, carrot ginger soup, lentil soup, chickpea soup, and broccoli soup.

Also, a common way of serving cornbread is with butter and honey. You can easily use non-dairy butter and maple syrup to keep it vegan. Delicious for a corny breakfast!

butternut squash soup with parsley and vegan cornbread in a white bowl

Variations

Think of cornbread as a blank canvas to which you can add your favorite flavors. Some of the most commons add ins are:

SAVORY ADD-INS

  • Caramelized onions
  • Corn kernels (fresh cut off a cob, canned, frozen)
  • Jalapeños (diced)
  • Bell peppers (diced)
  • Scallions (thinly sliced)
  • Creamed corn (it adds a ton of extra moisture)
  • Pecans or walnuts (chopped)
  • Taco seasoning, smoked paprika, cumin, and black pepper.
  • Chives
  • Rosemary

SWEET ADD-INS

Questions

What’s the difference between southern cornbread and regular cornbread?

Traditional Southern cornbread is usually made without all-purpose flour, sugar, and more fat, usually pork or bacon fat. It’s cooked in a hot, sizzling cast iron skillet that’s first preheated and then put back in the oven. The resulting cornbread is denser, crumblier, and has a thin crust at the bottom.

Norther cornbread is simpler to make, it has a lighter and more cohesive crumb thanks to the added wheat flour. It’s also on the sweeter side and more moist.

Is it better to use buttermilk or milk in cornbread?

You can use both. Milk makes a lighter cornbread; buttermilk makes it richer and a little heavier.

What ingredient keeps cornbread from crumbling?

Cornmeal doesn’t have gluten, so cornbread made with 100% cornmeal tends to crumble. Cutting cornmeal with all-purpose flour prevents the cornbread from crumbling and gives it a lighter and more cake-like texture.

Can you make cornbread in a cast iron skillet?

You can make traditional cornbread in a cast-iron skillet. To do so, preheat some fat in the skillet in the oven at 400°F. When the skillet is hot, pour in the cornbread batter and put it back in the oven for about 30 minutes.

You can use our recipe for skillet cornbread, but we recommend doubling the quantities.

Storage

Make ahead: Cornbread is excellent for meal prepping because it stays moist for several days.

Room temp: Store it in a plastic bag for a week.

Freezer: Cut it into single portions, transfer it to a freezer-friendly bag, and freeze for 3 months.

Thaw: Defrost it at room temperature. Reheat it for a few seconds in the microwave to make it moist again.

vegan cornbread slices on a white plate

Similar recipes

QUICK BREADS: Apple bread, healthy banana bread, vegan pumpkin bread, banana zucchini bread, vegan zucchini bread.

CORNMEAL: Tostadas and corn tortillas.

Vegan Cornbread

5 from 1 vote
Vegan cornbread is an easy, quick bread recipe that uses cornmeal, flour, sugar, almond milk, olive oil, and baking powder.
You’ll love this recipe because it’s delicious and perfect for holiday meals and cozy family dinners.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 small squares
Course: Breads, Side dish
Cuisine: American

Equipment

  • 1 baking pan 8×8-inches or 20×20 cm

Ingredients 

  • cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal use yellow cornmeal for golden color
  • ¼ cup sugar you can add as little as 1 tablespoon of sugar or as much as 3/4 cups.
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • cup almond milk unsweetened
  • cup olive oil
  • 1 cup corn kernels Optional. Canned, fresh, or frozen.

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, or brush it with oil.
    Combine 1¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup cornmeal, ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoons salt, and 1 tablespoon baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
    cornmeal and all-purpose flour in a bowl
  • Pour in 1¼ cup almond milk and ⅓ cup olive oil and whisk until combined.
    Fold in the 1 cup corn kernels or your favorite add-ins.
    batter and corn kernels
  • Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly dry.
    Let it cool down for at least 15 minutes before slicing it. We recommend cutting it into squares.
    vegan cornbread sliced on a cutting board

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 cornbread square out of 12. 
SUBSTITUTIONS
Cornmeal: We tested P.A.N. Cornmeal, Bob’s Red Mill, or Goya. If you like a deep golden color, go for yellow cornmeal.
All-purpose flour: Substitute 1-to-1 gluten-free flour for baking.
Sugar: You can use white or brown sugar. You can substitute maple syrup for sugar.
Milk: We use almond milk. You can substitute any other milk for almond milk.
Olive oil: You can substitute avocado oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, or melted vegan butter for olive oil.
Add-ins: Add-ins are optional. We like to add corn kernels (canned, fresh, or frozen) for more corn flavor and a nice texture. You can also add jalapeños, chopped pecans or walnuts, caramelized onions, chives, rosemary, or diced bell pepper.
STORAGE
Make ahead: Cornbread is excellent for meal prepping because it stays moist for several days.
Room temp: Store it in a plastic bag for a week.
Freezer: Cut it into single portions, transfer it to a freezer-friendly bag, and freeze for 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost it at room temperature. Reheat it for a few seconds in the microwave to make it moist again.

Nutrition

Calories: 188kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 255mg, Potassium: 175mg, Dietary Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 6IU, Vitamin B6: 0.1mg, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Vitamin E: 1mg, Vitamin K: 4µg, Calcium: 78mg, Folate: 38µg, Iron: 1mg, Manganese: 0.2mg, Magnesium: 19mg, Zinc: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or mention @nicoandlouise on Instagram. We are also on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.

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Nico and Louise in front of the Consolazione church in Todi

Hi! We are Nico & Louise

Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with vegetarian and vegan recipes.

5 from 1 vote

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4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Oh wow you guys! We just made this and it was ready in a jiffy. Love how moist the bread is and the added corn makes a big difference in flavor. My husband loved it.