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.
This is one of my favorite “ cornbread” . Most of cornbread recipes are so dry and this one is amazing . Love it
Thank you so much for your amazing feedback and review, Maria!
Can I substitute avocado oil or olive oil for the canola oil?
Hi Helen. Olive oil works!
I love this corn bread and my dad is vegan and he loves it to
Thank you for sharing your great feedback! I’m happy you and your dad love the cornbread!
We love this recipe! We are oil free so we sub applesauce for the oil with no issue. Even non vegans ask for the recipe and say this is the best cornbread they’ve ever had. Nora Cooks is our favorite vegan site. The vegan gravy and the marinated tofu are on regular rotation in multiple houses too.
Nora, I went into renal failure so after being vegan, I was asked to eat animal products to get my albumin levels up more. Despite being able to have milk, eggs, etc, I still will only make this cornbread and many of your other baked goods as written. This cornbread is a hit with my non-vegan family and friends. I often add chopped green chilis, frozen corn, and vegan cheddar cheese. It’s sooooo good! I make this cornbread in a mini loaf shape muffin pan. Your recipes are a hit and a winner in our home, vegan or not!! Thank you!
Hi Jill. Wishing you health as you deal with your new challenge. I’m glad to hear that you and and your family love the cornbread, and other recipes of mine! Thanks you for sharing this wonderful review and your delicious ideas! Wishing you happy cooking!
I just made this with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free blend and it turned out perfectly! It really hit the spot with a bowl of chili on a cool fall afternoon.
Thanks for all your fabulous recipes!
Hi Geralyn. Cornbread and chili – YUM! Thank you for your great feedback! I’m glad you love the cornbread!
Can it be made in a bread machine?
I haven’t tried making it in a bread machine, so I’m not sure if it will work. Sorry!
I made this for breakfast with Trader Joe’s gluten free flour and it came out perfect! I followed the recipe with minor tweaks: gluten free flour (the end result didn’t taste gluten free), soy milk, and half a cup of sugar to make it a little less sweet. 5 stars!
Could I use corn flour instead of all purpose flour?
I’m not sure if that would work or not, I haven’t tried it. Sorry!
Excellent!! Everyone loved it and couldn’t believe it was made from scratch! Such an easy recipe and absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing it!
Thank you so much for this!
This is my go to cornbread recipe. I use it every single time and it always turns out really well. One of my kids is vegan so this really comes in clutch. I’ve added plant cheese, roasted corn and jalapeños on occasion and it’s scrummy. 10/10.
We love this sweet cornbread!
If we wanted to add pineapple tidbits to this recipe, what would you recommend? How much pineapple, and I assume we would reduce the other liquids?
PS. Can you please publish a recipe book?? I make so many things from your website and would love to have a pretty book to add to my collection! 😉
Thank you so much, Dawn! I haven’t tried it but I’m sure drained pineapple chunks would be a great addition. You could add 1/4 to 1/2 cup and reduce the almond milk to 3/4 to 1 cup. Hope this helps!
Perfect cornbread. We absolutely LOVE it.
Thank you.
L.
I’m so glad you love the cornbread! Thank you, Laural, for sharing your great feedback!
This cornbread was a huge hit at the pool party I went to today. The hostess made chili and everybody absolutely loved the cornbread. I made a double batch for 9 people and they ate every last piece. After everyone was full and couldn’t eat another bite, they all had another piece of cornbread for dessert!
Hi Suz! Sounds like a very fun pool party! I’m thrilled the cornbread was a hit! Thanks for sharing your fun story and great feedback!
Needed a new cornbread recipe and this one fit the bill. Easy and sticky sweet. My old recipe was too gritty and dry. I replaced the oil with applesauce and my best friend didn’t even notice. He was too busy asking for seconds. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Hi Mel. You are welcome! I’m glad that you and your friend loved the cornbread! Thanks for taking time to share your wonderful feedback!
Hey, thank you for the recipe! Can oat or soy milk can be used instead of almond milk?
Hi Vic. You are welcome! Yes, any unsweetened non dairy milk can be used in this recipe! Happy baking!
This is a great recipe. I’m absolutely pleased with it.
Hi Gene. Thank you for sharing your great feedback. I’m glad you love the cornbread!
So unbelievably delicious!! My son begs me to make this all the time. Do you think it would be OK to add some thawed frozen corn? What about replacing some of the flour with cornmeal to give it a bit more of a gritty texture? Would that work?
Hi Christa. I’m so glad the cornbread is a hit and that your son is loving it! I have not tried adding corn, however, others have commented they have and that it turned out delicious! You may have to adjust the cooking time a bit. Let me know how it goes! Thank you for sharing your fantastic feedback!
Hello Nora,
Love your recipes! I was going to make this one and I have the Bob red mill cornmeal, which is a whole wheat cornmeal. Their recipe isn’t vegan, but doesn’t add another flour it just has their cornmeal being used. Am I able to do that and use the vegan parts of your recipe? I’m wondering why you decided to have cornmeal and add flour as well. Thanks!
The flour in this recipe is what makes the cornbread a soft and fluffy bread. Without it and I don’t think it would work!
These were surprisingly really good. Swapped the canola oil with coconut oil. So tasty! Just like jiffy but VEGAN. Thank you !!
i baked these at 350 for 15 minutes in a muffin tin and they turned out perfect!!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback! I’m glad the muffins turned out perfect for you!
I really like using your recipes well done
What do you replace the egg with?
Hi Symone. This particular recipe works just fine without any egg substitute. Same goes for my vegan pancakes!
This corn bread is AMAZING! It’s so easy to make and tastes incredible. Thank you Nora for another simply perfect recipe!
You are welcome! I’m so happy you love the cornbread! Thanks for sharing your fantastic feedback and review!
I’m just here to say that I did indeed try this with a gluten free cup for cup baking substitute (White Gold cup for cup) and it was a resounding success. I doubled the recipe but followed it exactly, though I used oat milk (my group has a few almond allergies), and made it in a 9 by 13. I needed to cook it a few minutes longer due to the larger pan (closer to 30 minutes, maybe 32?). It disappeared within minutes and got absolute rave reviews. Everyone is already asking when I will make it again. Most people commented that they couldn’t even tell it was gluten free. Nora, your recipes are all incredible. Thank you for this site!!
Hi Sarah. You are very welcome! I am so glad you are enjoying my recipes! I’m thrilled the gluten free cornbread turned out to be a hit! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback! Wishing lots of happy cooking!
Vegan success! As good as non vegan. One bowl recipe. Super easy to make. Came out nicely risen, fluffy and not too crumbly. Tasted great the next day too. Not too sweet so it went well with savory chili but enough sugar to work as a tea/coffee cake.