This is seriously the Best Vegan Cornbread! It’s wonderfully moist, perfectly sweet, and easy to make in one bowl. Perfect for pairing with chili!
If you love serving bread with dinner, then you’ll also want to check out my Vegan Dinner Rolls, Vegan Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and Vegan Garlic Bread recipes!
“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!” – Susan
I simply cannot make a batch of my Ultimate Vegan Chili without a side of this Easy Vegan Cornbread. The whole family loves it, and it makes a pot of chili go a lot further!
I’ve tried a bunch of vegan cornbread recipes over the years, and none have made my kids smile quite as much as this one. It’s on the sweeter side, but if you’re a savory cornbread fan, feel free to reduce the sugar or fold corn kernels or vegan cheese into the batter. Most importantly, it’s very moist, as classic cornbread should be.
And the best part? It’s super easy to make with 7 ingredients in only 1 bowl! Just dump, mix, bake, and enjoy your perfect cornbread.
Why this is the best vegan cornbread
- Chili’s best friend – Sweet, fluffy, and soft, there’s nothing better than dunking a big slice of vegan cornbread into a steaming hot bowl of this Veggie Chili or this Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili.
- Better than boxed cornbread – This cornbread will remind you of the cornbread that comes from the boxed mix, except it tastes sooo much better! Plus, it’s easy to make with less than 10 ingredients and in one bowl.
- Over 600 reviews – Don’t just take my word for it. This recipe has over 600 reviews from happy readers! Give it a try yourself and you’ll understand why it’s the best.
If you end up loving this vegan cornbread as much as I do, then you’ll want to save my Vegan Cornbread Stuffing recipe for the holiday season. It’s a perfect Thanksgiving side dish!
How to make vegan cornbread
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Stir the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Pour in the almond milk and canola oil and stir until well combined.
Pour the smooth batter into your prepared pan. Bake the cornbread until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Set the bread aside to cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve with vegan butter, red pepper jelly, maple syrup, or vegan honey on top.
Frequently asked questions
You can fold up to 1/2 cup of corn kernels, canned green chilis, diced jalapenos, or shredded vegan cheddar cheese into the batter. I’ll even sprinkle extras over the top of the batter before baking the cornbread for extra pops of color and flavor.
After testing this recipe countless times, I found that using fine-ground cornmeal always gave me the best, never-gritty results. Medium and coarse cornmeal sometimes work, but they make the cornbread more grainy.
Absolutely! Make the batter as normal, pour it into a lined muffin tin (3/4 of the way full), and bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes at 350ºF.
Yes, a quality gluten-free flour mix will work as a replacement for the all-purpose flour here.
Yes, you can cut the sugar in half for less-sweet cornbread or use just a few tablespoons of sugar for a barely sweet cornbread.
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.
Wow! This recipe is the bomb, a quick easy recipe that results in moist, not too fluffy cornbread. Thank you!
I’m glad you love the cornbread, Nicole! Thank you for taking time to share your review!
Thanks so much for this recipe! It was absolutely superb – better, may I say, than my normal non-vegan recipe. Thank you!
Diana
P.S. I did successfully cut the sugar in half, adding a bit of xantham gum in case that caused it to be too crumbly.
So happy you enjoyed it Diana!
Delicious, and easy! I made a double batch in a 9×13, and baked it as recommended in another comment for 35 minutes.
The double batch in the bigger pan made nice thick pieces (like restaurant style).
For the oil, I did half apple sauce and half oil which worked great. I just used one of the individual sized apple sauce cups and topped off the rest with canola oil.
I used medium grind Bob’s Red Mill cornmeal, which added a little heartiness, texture and good corn flavor.
Really good, will make again! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing your comments and review! I”m glad you loved the cornbread!
Have you tried this with monkfruit sugar instead? Do you think it could work?
No I don’t use monkfruit sugar so I’m not sure. It would probably work but the taste will be different.
what is the meaurement for the applesause and what is it replacing. IM going to try thsd today. My daughter is vegan and loves this recipe !
You can sub applesauce for the oil, it’s a 1:1 sub. Hope you enjoy it!
Can I double and use 13×9 or would it be better to 1.5x it for a 13.×9 Thanks!
Hi Amanda. To double, simply double all of the ingredients, including the baking powder, and bake in a 9×13 inch pan. It will take a bit longer to be done, probably around 30-35 minutes. Hope that helps!
So good! Took it out of the oven about five minutes ago and had a piece. So moist and delicious. Will be my go to recipe for cornbread! Thanks.
Hi Susan. I’m glad you loved the cornbread, and love that this will be your go to cornbread recipe! Thank you for sharing you comments!
Wow!! Was soooo impressed by this cornbread!! Would totally make again and again. I want to try and make it with applesauce next time for an oil free version.
I’m so glad you loved the cornbread, Kaylee! Thank you for sharing your review, and happy cooking!
The best! I’ve also made it using all ir partial whole wheat flour. I use avocado oil.
Thanks for sharing you review, Janet. I’m glad you love the cornbread!
I’ve just gone from vegetarian to vegan and this is the first time I’ve ever baked anything vegan. It was fantastic! I love it. I made a savory version with hot red pepper flakes and pimenton. Delicious. Next time I’ll try a sweeter version with blueberries, if you think that will work. This has allowed me to completely get over being intimidated by vegan baking. Thanks.
I’m glad you loved the cornbread, Glenn! Your savory version sounds delicious! I have never used blueberries, however, many other people have with success. Let me know how it works out for you! Thank you for sharing your review! Happy cooking!
Can oat milk be substituted for almond milk in this recipe?
Hi Glenn. Any non-dairy milk should work, as long as it’s unsweetened and unflavored. Hope you enjoy!
That you!
You are welcome!
Absolutely AMAZING recipe :]
Fell in love immediately and used it several times – only slight adjustment I made was reducing the sugar.
Now I’m trying gluten free for a while and wonder if anyone has tried it with subbing out GF flour? If so, did it work/still taste great?
I have made it subbing a gluten free mix and it worked fine. I think I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. Thanks!
Hi Brad,
Yes I have used Bobs rice flour and brown rice flour on two separate occasions and both work great! I use brown sugar and regular sugar together (equal parts) and I also use coconut oil and rice milk or coconut milk to make really yummy little muffins. The tops came back nice and crunchy on this last brown rice flour batch. Thanks Nora!
The Reluctant Vegan
The recipe is the best.
Perfect ‘salty’ treat ?
Thanks Mirta! I’m so glad you like the cornbread!
Can I use vegan butter instead of canola oil?
Yes, I would melt it first. Enjoy!
Can you use coconut flour in vegan cornbread recipe
Sorry, that will not work.
I’m sure this a good recipe, but mine turned out too crumbly and dry. Did I not add enough oil? I thought I added the 1/3 cup. I cut back on the sugar a bit too much so I’ll use more next time, but it’s almost inedible because it just falls apart. I mixed up my own baking powder to avoid the phosphates, maybe that was the problem. ugh.
Hi Robyn! I make this all the time and it’s not crumbly, it should hold together very well. Unless you used a different flour. I’m guessing since you somehow made your own baking powder, that would be the problem, but I’m not positive.
How much sugar did you put in? It could be crumbly because you used less sugar — sugar makes baked goods moist.
Nora, I have never left an internet review before, but these are absolutely the world’s best muffins. I used applesauce instead of oil, so not only are these the fastest, easiest, perfect muffins I’ve ever made, they are also pretty much cholesterol free, low calorie, and vegan. My daughter owns her own professional bakery, and these are exquisite. Thank you sooooo much!
Hi Marilyn. Thanks so much for taking your time to share these wonderful comments. It means a lot to me! Thank you for using my recipes!
This is it! This is the cornbread recipe I use now all the time! It truly is just ‘dump, mix, and bake!’ If I have canned corn on hand, I will add some to the recipe.
Hi Janet. I’m thrilled you use my cornbread recipe as your go to! Thank you very much for sharing your great review!
Perfect!
This was incredible! So moist and delicious, much better texture than any top rated non-vegan cornbread recipes I’ve made in the past. I did cut down on the sugar a bit but it was still plenty sweet.
Glad you loved the cornbread, Vanessa! Thank you!
Hi Nora can I use bobs red mills medium grind corn meal flour?
I think that should work though I prefer fine cornmeal. It can be a little gritty using medium grind.
This cornbread is absolutely amazing! I’m lactose intolerant and can enjoy cornbread again! This is the only cornbread made in my house now.
I’m glad you are able to enjoy the cornbread! Thank you for using my recipe, and for sharing!
One of “my” signature favorites! So moist and good.
This really is THE best. I’ve shared the recipe with friends and they love it too! I’ve made this several times already. I even added fresh cranberries once and it was a hit.
Hi Ally. Cranberries are an interesting addition. I’ll have to try that! Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you love the cornbread! Thank you!
Would this recipe work by using whole wheat flour instead of AP flour? This recipe looks wonderful! 🙂
Yes, it will work but the cornbread will taste like whole wheat and be a bit dense instead of fluffy. I have used whole wheat pastry flour and that works great!