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.
I plan to make these in large silicone muffin cups. The more crust, the better. And I like a nice “cap” on my muffins! 🙂
How much batter should I put in each cup … 2/3 full, 3/4 full, just below the rim? Thanks in advance.
I’d fill them 3/4 of the way full if you want a nice cap on them! Thanks and enjoy.
You would never know this cornbread is vegan; it’s That good!! Quick and easy to make; delicious to eat!
Great recipe! I used soy milk instead, super easy and quick recipe. Came out delicious
The first time I made this cornbread it was a little too sweet for my liking. The second time around I reduced the sugar and it turned out perfect. I use spelt flour instead of all purpose flour, cane sugar over white sugar, and Himalayan pink salt. I love this recipe.
Is it a 1/4 cup of flour or 1 1/4 cup?
1 and 1/4 cups.
This is the best vegan cornbread!! Thank you! I made this for non vegans as well and they loved it!
Made this for lunch today. It was delicious and kiddo approved. The only thing was I baked for 25 minutes but after cutting three slices, I made in a loaf pan, the middle was undercooked. It’s back in the oven. Definitely a keeper. Thanks!!
I haven’t made it yet but I read the recipe and was surprised to not see an egg substitute. It’s almost the same recipe I use but with eggs for my mom. I want to make some that are vegan tomorrow and let her taste the difference. I made her corn muffins today. She said they were not sweet enough. I only used 1/3 c. So I’m going to try your recipe. I’m going to buy the ingredients tomorrow and make it exactly like you did. I can’t wait!! I’m making Boston baked beans to go with it but after reading your story I’ve decided to make some vegan chili too. Yum! I’m so glad I found your recipe! I know it’s going to be delicious. Lots of great comments too. I’d like to try a few of their ideas too but first yours. That is what I am craving! ?
It’s kind of amazing that it doesn’t need eggs and really didn’t even need a replacement to speak of. I hope you love the cornbread, I personally make it all the time! Thank you!
I would like to use Soy Milk. How do you think it will taste and how much would I use? Same as Almond Milk? I have an allergy to nuts. Thank you!! 🙂
Yes, you can use the same amount of soy milk with no problem. Enjoy!
I’ve made this twice in two weeks for two omnivores, and we are all addicted!
Thanks Emily! So happy you’re enjoying the cornbread.
Has anyone ever made this using muffin tins?
I have made them as muffins many times, actually! They only take 15-20 minutes baked in a muffin tin. Thanks!
Could coconut flour and coconut milk be used?
Coconut milk would be fine but I don’t think coconut flour would work, sorry!
I replaced about a 1/4 of the regular flour with mesquite flour and it was fine. I imagine if you replace too much of the gluten based flour it will not hold together well. You might be able to add some additional binder like flaxseed to compensate.
This was absolutely delicious! And so easy to make.
Absolutely love this recipe! I want to double it for a large crowd. Anything I should do differently? Thinking of putting it in a 13×9 pan. Thanks!
Thanks, Diane! It may need to cook a little longer, so just watch and make sure it is cooked in the middle before taking it out of the oven. Might take an extra 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!
Yummy recipe, I added corn and used coconut oil.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
My family loved it! This one is a definite keeper. I really want to try it with the aqua faba instead of oil substitution – will this change it in any way? because we love it the way it is but no fat would be awesome!
This with chili is great hurricane prep for the next few days of no power.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe 🙂
I’m so glad your family loved the cornbread! It works pretty well with aquafaba or applesauce in place of oil. I mean, I can tell it has no fat but it’s still quite good especially with chili. Hang in there with that hurricane, be safe!
Lovely simple recipe! Thanks for sharing! I used gluten-free all purpose flour with no problem. I also subbed aquafaba for the oil like some others had done and instead of sugar I stirred in a 1/4C of maple syrup.
Perfect for Chili! Thanks again!
Thank you for letting me know about the gluten free all purpose flour, I’m so glad it worked, as well as the aquafaba and maple syrup! So glad you enjoyed it.
Recipe came out well for my first time making cornbread from scratch. Glad that I had all of the ingredients on hand and that the recipe was quick and easy to follow. Cook time was a little bit longer for me 30+ mins. Will definitely be using this recipe to go with soups or beans or just on it’s own or with some coffee. Thank you Nora! Will be trying some of your other recipes soon.
Glad you enjoyed the cornbread! Thank you so much.
Made this with soy milk, 1/2 the sugar, and topped it with chia seeds. Delicious!! Even a raving review from my VERY picky, non-vegan partner. Thank you for this recipe!
I’ve made so many of your recipes time and time and time again keep up the good work I love these recipes ?❤️
This is the best cornbread I’ve ever made! Before I went vegan I used eggs and milk and butter in my recipes and none were as good as this. I cut the sugar just a bit to more like 1/2 cup.
Served it to non-vegan company and everyone loved it!
Can I use maple syrup instead? I don’t have granulated sugar, how about brown sugar? I’ve made it before with coconut sugar and omg it was so good! Best cornbread I’ve had!
I think brown sugar is a better option than maple syrup, as using a liquid sweetener will affect the dry to wet ratio. So glad you have enjoyed the cornbread before, and I hope you do again!
Okay, great! Thank you, making it now!
Hi! I’ve tried the cornbread recipe twice and it is absolutely delicious. The first try, I only had sweetened almond milk, but it was still delicious. I should have cut the sugar portion. However, the family loved it! Today, I have unsweetened almond milk. Once done, my family went to work on it. it was absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
I made this to go with some vegan cajun beans, and even though it is a sweet cornbread I was surprised by how well I liked it! I paired the leftovers with some vegan pinto posole and it was terrific the second day too!
This was an awesome recipe. Thanks!
I made this with soy milk and raw sugar and it was great. Sweet, and just gritty enough. Sometimes the simple things are best.