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 made it with applesauce and one tablespoon of olive oil, used 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour and I cut back the sugar to 1/4 cup, salt to 1/2 tsp. It was the best vegan cornbread I’ve tried so far. Delicious!
So yummy and simple to make
As a Brit, cornbread isn’t a big thing.
But the times I’ve tried it it’s been the more southern savoury kind.
So this recipe was a bit of a shock to me when I made it.
But wow, the result was amazing. It’s a little too sweet for me, but that’s easily changed next batch I make… Today 🙂
I also added a little lemon juice to the milk for an acidic kick like buttermilk (just even out your wet:dry and it’s all good)
Amazing!!! I made a batch that lasted two days and am already making another. It’s cooking and I write this. I do swap the corn meal for corn flour because it’s what I had on hand, as well as substituting the oil for coconut oil.. it’s my favorite, and I thought the little bit of sweetness in it would only add to the flavor. The second batch I decided to try using stevia instead of sugar.. and based off the texture and flavor of the batter, I don’t think there will be a difference except that my teeth with thank me.
This is an incredibly delicious recipe! Thank you so very much!!!
10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks for taking time to share your stellar review and feedback! I’m thrilled you are loving the cornbread!
I doubled the recipe but it seems watery. Should I add more cornmeal?
It’s not a super thick batter, so it’s hard for me to say if it’s correct or if it truly got watery for some reason. I suppose you could add a little more, but next time double check the amounts of ingredients to make sure they are right. It shouldn’t get watery from doubling unless something is off.
Excellent. Super simple and tasty. We made it with home grown Dakota Black corn ground fresh the same day. We used applesauce instead of oil and 1/3 the sugar and was excellent. Half sugar or sub would be delicious. We couldn’t stop eating it.
Hi Jon. Your cornbread sounds amazing! Thanks for taking time to share your wonderful review and feedback! Happy cooking to you!
The best cornbread ever! I used 1/3 cup of agave syrup instead of sugar! Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
You bet, Vanessa! I’m super glad you love the cornbread! Thanks for your fabulous review!
Could I use maple syrup instead of sugar or honey??
I’m sure you could, but I would not use the full amount, it will add too much liquid and throw off the recipe.
Made with gluten free flour and feash homemade soy milk. Covered the bottom of the pan with leftover squash and put the batter on top. It was quick and easy, not much to clean up after and everyone enjoyed it.
That sounds like a delicious idea! I’m glad you loved the cornbread! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!
Awesome recipe, thank you!! I just made these for my adult daughter who has just been put on a very restricted diet for allergies. I made the following adaptations to meet her dietary restrictions, and they turned out GREAT! These were also GF, nut free, and low sugar. I subbed: Bobs Red Mill GF flour (light blue bag kind) instead of all purpose flour, Bob’s Red Mill coarse organic corn meal (next time would use a regular grind corn meal), olive oil instead of vegetable oil, whole fat canned coconut milk instead of almond milk, plus I cut the sugar by half, to 1/3 cup and used a Krisda sugar blend with only 25% regular sugar. Super crumbly when hot, so I baked in baking cups and then let cool most of the way on a rack before serving. My daughter was was SO delighted!
So is it supposed to be 1 tablespoon baking powder I feel like I can taste the baking powder
It is. If you can taste it, get new baking powder. Yours could be old or just a bad batch. It happens to me sometimes and I have to throw the baking powder out.
Made this with gluten-free flour and added some honey (about 1/8 cup). So delicious!
Sweet and creamy tasting! Made me want to take big bites.
I love your feedback, Tina! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cornbread! Thanks for sharing your fun and wonderful review!
Would I be able to add actual corn to this recipe? I love cornbread, I grew up southern so it’s more of a dessert, my family eats it with syrup. Baking isn’t really my specialty but I’m not going to give up cornbread so easily.
This is a sweet cornbread and I think you’ll love it! Yes, you can add actual corn to this recipe if you want.
I just made these as corn muffins and put a drop of cherry jam in the center. OMG. They’re heavenly. The texture and taste is great! Nora does it again!!!
Oh wow! That sounds amazing! YOU did it! Thanks for sharing your awesome idea and review!
This was seriously amazing and so easy! I did it in my cast iron, used soy milk and added a cup of frozen corn. This will be my new go to recipe, thank you. <3
I LOVE this recipe! I use less sugar, it’s just perfect. Can these be made into muffins?
Thanks Nadine! Glad you are enjoying this recipe. Yes, you can make them as muffins. I’d actually bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes. Fill 3/4 of the way full in a muffin pan. Spray with oil or use liners as well.
The other reviews do not lie, this is a really excellent cornbread, vegan or otherwise. the only ingredient change I had to make was sub coconut milk (from a can) for almond milk, since all the other milk I get is sweetened. The result was definitely sweeter than what I usually like with chili, but it was a perfect “dessert” type cornbread for us. Perfect cornbread texture, flavor was great, keeps well in an airtight container for a couple of days.
The second time I made it I ended up baking it in a 10 in cast iron skillet preheated in the oven and swirled with a few tsp of coconut oil before dumping in the batter, becuase I like a crunchier crust, and it worked perfectly.
If I’m making it for a savory side, I’ll probably keep the coconut milk (since I always have some handy), but cut back on the sugar a bit.
Absolutely delicious. This is from now on my go-to cornbread.
She’s lying. This isn’t the best vegan corn bread, this is the best corn bread OVERALL!!! I have never had a vegan or non vegan corn bread stand up to how good this is. My family now begs me to bring it whenever we have a gathering and most of my family aren’t just omnivores but straight up carnists yet they LOVE this corn bread lol. Nora’s blog has the most reliable recipes so when I make something I know it’s gonna turn out good. I love that she actually makes stuff that tastes just like the non vegan versions a lot of us grew up with. Unlike a lot of vegan recipe blogs where the recipes are over restrictive, “healthified” versions that no matter how much they claim tastes authentic, we all know it doesn’t lol. Don’t get me wrong I can totally get down with some alternative healthy desserts most of the time but sometimes I just want some classic comfort food like this corn bread☺️ if you are thinking about making these, do yourself a favor do it, this is the easiest corn bread I’ve ever made and by far the best tasting!
Haha thank you so much Abby! It’s also been my experience that every kind of person loves this cornbread recipe! Thanks for loving my recipes; it means the world to me.
Used 1 cup einkorn flour and 1/4 cup regular flour and it came out good. Used less sugar and added cinnamon and nutmeg. A little crumbly but I didn’t let it cool long enough before I got a cup of coffee and a slice!
I always like this recipe, and today was the first time I tried making it in a muffin tin. I baked them at 350deg for 25min and they turned out great! I also always add frozen corn (around 3/4 to 1 cup) to the batter.
The best vegan corn bread I’ve ever tried!! I used less sugar and sometimes I add more cheese, corn, chili. It is so Versatile and always a crown pleaser! Thank you xx
Absolutely Delicious…
This my favorite cornbread recipe that I’ve tried without eggs! One of my children has an egg allergy and I am very happy to have come across this recipe. I also appreciate the layout and format style of your blog.