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 cornbread is perfect! So easy and just the right amount of sweetness. I used to use the bag of Marie Callendars cornbread but this is SO much better! You’re a good cook Nora and thank you for sharing your delicious vegan recipes with us.
Sincerely,
Denise
I was looking for a non dairy cornbread recipe and have to say THIS IS THE BEST EVER!
Thank you for posting.
You are welcome, Katie! Thank you for your fabulous review and feedback!
Hi Nora, just made your Best Vegan Cornbread recipe, it turned out lovely. The only changes I made was 1tbls apple cider vinegar added to the almond milk so it would cuddle, reduced the baking powder to 2tsp and used light tasting extra virgin olive oil. I like a little tang to the sweetness. All your recipes that I’ve tried so far are delicious and easy to follow. I’m new to cooking Vegan. So glad I found your website.
Thank you and I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Hi Jen, and welcome to Nora Cooks! I’m thrilled you loved the cornbread recipe! Thanks for your wonderful review! I hope you enjoy your journey through my recipes! Please reach out with any questions you may have. Wishing you happy cooking!
Do you use unsweetened applesauce?
Hi Ginni. If you don’t want to use oil in the recipe, applesauce is the best oil-free substitute.
OUTSTANDING !! We made it with King Arthurs Gluten Free measure for measure flour. My wife absolutely loved it. You now have a new follower Nora, thanks so much for this recipe.
I’m excited you loved the cornbread recipe! Thank you, Albert, for sharing your wonderful review and feedback!
Oh, I also used a gluten free flour blend and it worked wonderfully 🙂
Thank you for sharing, Diana!
I made this last week, and I’m about to make it again. So good! I used canned coconut milk and melted coconut oil, and added a can of drained/rinsed corn. We ate it hot like cake, topped with butter and agave nectar. Delicious!!!
Sounds delicious! I love your ideas! Thanks for your fabulous review!
This is an excellent recipe and has become a family favorite. Is it possible to eliminate processed sugar in the recipe and substitute something else? I see that some have substituted maple syrup, but syrup still has quite a bit of processed sugar. We are just trying to reduce or eliminate as much processed sugar as possible. Thanks for your thoughts.
This recipes adjusts well to different amounts of sugar. I’ve never baked it without sugar, however, would say to use a minimal amount of 1/4 cup, or less, if desired. I hope this helps. Let me know how it works for you with reduced sugar. Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Using 1/4 cup of sugar worked great as you suggested. The texture of the bread was excellent and we didn’t miss the sugar. I’ve tried this a couple of times using baking cups. The cornbread doesn’t dry out as quickly and the cups provide an easy way to serve leftovers. Although, this bread doesn’t last long in our home! Thanks for your suggestion.
Bob, I make this recipe frequently and use date sugar instead of processed sugars/syrup. Date sugar is a nutritious sweetener; it’s dried powdered whole dates so it’s actually quite good for you! You can substitute it 1:1 for the sugar in the recipe, though I usually adjust for how much sweetness I want.
Great suggestion Celine. Thank you. I will definitely give the date sugar a try.
Can I use honey instead of Sugar?
Other commenters have said maple syrup works instead of sugar, so honey should be fine. I recommend using half the amount of honey if you try it. Happy baking!
I make this around once or twice a week. Everyone loves it. I started by following the recipe exactly but now I make a few modifications, namely substituting soy milk for the almond, subbing in more cornmeal for 30g of the sugar, and subbing in sesame oil for 15g of the canola. Sometimes I add onion powder or curry powder depending on what I’m making. Again, all to my taste. The recipe is immaculate as is. Delicious and moist. Best cornbread I’ve ever made, and I send this recipe to everyone. This and Nora’s banana bread got the omnis throwing out their eggs, lol!!! Thank you!!!!
This has been my go-to cornbread recipe ever since I discovered it two years ago!
It makes absolutely PERFECT vegan cornbread dressing, and we love it on its own with chili or whenever we want a quick side.
I always double it and make it gluten-free, and it’s always moist and rich tasting. Because of my husband’s food sensitivities, I use soy milk and also cut the sugar in half and use coconut sugar rather than granulated. (In the gluten free flour mix I also use half a cup of coconut flour which helps add a little sweetness, too.) When I’m not using it for stuffing/dressing, I usually throw in some frozen corn. Tonight I added half a cup of wild blueberries (to my double recipe), and it was sooo good.
OMG, Nora – I have just been put on a vegan diet for my brain health As a corn bread lover, I am so grateful for this recipe. It is DELICIOUS. It is as DELICIOUS as any of the traditional recipes I have used in the past. So thank you. This gal with some southern roots needs her corn bread.
Love it!
hi! I’m excited to make this. Is it possible to make the batter a day ahead of time?
I’ve never tried it, but it might work.
Hi Nora! Will these work baked in a standard muffin tin? Any recommendations on adjustments to temp/cooking time? Thank you!
You can make them as muffins, no problem. They will take 18-20 minutes in a muffin pan. Enjoy!
I’m made this multiple times though usually as corn muffins instead of bread. Always comes out great. I add a flax egg to the recipe which I think helps make it a little more moist and does boost the nutrition. Also sub a little whole wheat flour for the white.
Hi AJ. Thanks for sharing your wonderful review and baking experiences with the cornbread recipe! I’m thrilled you are loving it!
Will oat milk work with this recipe?
Yes, oat milk works just fine.
Do you know the cholesterol amount per serving? I’m looking for a low cholesterol cornbread recipe, whether it’s vegan or not. Thank you.
It’s 0. There is no cholesterol found in plant foods, so if it’s vegan, there is no cholesterol. Not to say some vegan foods can’t affect your cholesterol levels, but I’m not a doctor or nutritionist and would not be the person to ask about that. But there is no cholesterol in this recipe anyhow. Hope that helps!
I made this a couple weeks ago and it was a huge it with everyone in my family! I did sub almond milk for oat milk and canola oil for avocado oil because that’s what I had on hand. I will probably half the sugar next time, it was really good but just a little too sweet for me. All in all this is a wonderful recipe and I definitely recommend it!
I appreciate your wonderful review and comments, Stacey! Thank you!
I made it for my brother and his family because they are vegan. They LOVED it! My children tore it up too. They couldn’t tell it was vegan. Great recipe. Thank you for sharing
You are welcome, Sylvia! Thanks for your awesome feedback!
I made this cornbread about a month ago and I love the flavor but it was extremely dry. I am not a baker so I assumed it was something I did wrong. I made it again yesterday following the recipe exactly and again, it is so dry- It crumbles apart. I hate to throw it away but I can’t bring myself to eat this! Any idea what could be causing this?
Hi Kelly, sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you. It’s hard to know exactly what went wrong but if it’s dry and crumbly, then the cornbread is likely being overbaked.
Delicious recipe! Best cornbread ever. So moist and fluffy. I cut back on the sugar in my batch (1/2 a cup) and I added a 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. It turned out beautifully! Thank you Nora!
You are welcome, Lisa! Thanks for your wonderful review!
Excited to try this! Unfortunately I only have regular whole wheat flour so a bit nervous what the texture will be. Hopefully I can make it again with the right flour. I’m new to vegan recipes, so I’ve bookmarked your blog. Everything looks SO good.
It should work quite well with whole wheat flour, just expect it to be more dense and wheaty tasting, of course. I hope you find many recipes to love here!
I wasn’t sure I’d like this version of cornbread. I usually opt for the Southern version without any sugar and bake it in a cast iron skillet. This time I decided to try this recipe even though the sugar content was scary. I followed the recipe exactly and baked it in an 8×8 glass dish. The texture was perfect, the taste was great, a little sweet but not too sweet. My 7-year-old granddaughter loved it too, and she’s picky. It’s a great cornbread recipe, easy to make and delicious. I will definitely make it again. (and again!)
I’m so glad you liked it, Michal! Thanks so much for giving it a try and for your feedback and review 🙂
Best cornbread I’ve ever had, vegan or otherwise. I did switch the almond milk to oat, no one in my house will drink almond milk so it’s a waste to buy.
Regardless, incredible.
Hi Kenzie. I’m glad everyone loved the cornbread! Any plant based milk is fine for the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!