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.
BTW: This IS the best vegan cornbread. I have made it several times. We love it.
I use this recipe to make muffins for
my daughter who is allergic to cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts and wheat. I use oat flour, soy milk, and apple sauce, and bake for about 18 minutes. The muffins come out great every time! Really appreciate you!
Naja thank you for sharing! I have similar allergies as your daughter and your substitution comment is so helpful! It is so hard to find anything that works so it gives me hope that you’ve found it is still good with all of the changes to avoid allergens!
Nora, I loved this recipe. Simple and delicious. Something that stood out to me was just how good it smelled when baking. I read the reviews and noted you suggested using a finer grain cornmeal and all I had was medium grain. I added the step that I have done with other cornbread recipes to mix the milk and cornmeal first and let it sit for an extended time (10 min). I also mixed on low during that time but I believe the extended soak is sufficient. I was happy with the texture of the final product!
I use this recipe all the time! It fills 24 mini muffins, then I fill each muffin with a field roast sausage which I cut into 6 pieces. It’s always a big hit at parties too!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe idea, Meaghan! It sounds delicious! I appreciate your glowing review and wish you lots of happy cooking!
I made these using gluten-free flour, doubled the recipe and poured it into a 9×13 pan — they came out perfect!! So, so easy and so delicious!! I have yet to find a single recipe of yours that isn’t both easy to make and delicious!! Thank you!
This lives up to its name! This cornbread was so easy to make and was perfect!
Thanks for your glowing review and feedback, Natalie! I’m thrilled you loved the cornbread!
I love this recipe. I always double the batch and take it for potlucks. I like adding a can of corn to it so you get the little pop of the kernels.
Hi Alina. This recipe is so delicious with added corn! I’m glad you are loving the recipe! Thanks for sharing your glowing review and ideas! Happy cooking!
I don’t usually leave comments but this one really lives up to the name! Indeed best vegan cornbread! Thank you for the recipe!
My go-to corn bread recipe for the past year! Works great with oil or apple sauce but today I had neither and used equal parts melted margarine as a replacement and they came out great! I also made them in mini muffin tins this time for a huge 4th of July party – kept the temp at 400 but reduced the cook time to 10 minutes… 4 batches later and they all came out perfectly.
Nora, you continue to be my favorite Vegan Chef! Every recipe I have tried of yours becomes our favorite. And I have tried so many! Thank you for all you do to promote a vegan lifestyle. So many of my non vegan friends love the recipes I make that I get from you!
You are simply the best Nora, thank you for all of the time and research that you do. I love this vegan cornbread recipe.
Nora Cooks does not disappoint! She’s the Queen of vegan cooking!
Hi Laurie. Thanks for the love and support! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Another great recipe Nora!! This recipe was on the shelf for a bit but made it 3x now in past few weeks. I’ve always used applesauce instead of oil but used vegan yogurt recently and it also works well, and I think it’s slightly better as it’s a little more moist. Keep up the good work!!
Hi Bill. I’m glad you were able to cook up the cornbread! Thank for sharing your yogurt tip. I’m so glad you loved the recipe, and I appreciate your stellar review! Thanks for our encouraging words! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I used water instead of milk and added green chilies. Such an easy recipe, thank you Nora! I am making corn bread over chili in the oven and needed a vegan option. This worked perfectly. I will use it again.
Hi! Gosh, that sounds delicious! I am so glad the recipe was perfect for your cornbread over chili! Thanks for your stellar review, feedback and ideas! Happy cooking!
Can I use a cast iron pan for this? Preferably 9 – 10 inches.
Yes, you can! Cornbread is so good baked in a cast iron skillet! Enjoy!
Backing up that this is the easiest and tastiest cornbread! I used peanut butter and banana instead of oil, and turned out delicious. Will definitely be making it often!
I’m glad you are loving the cornbread, Elvis! Thanks for sharing your stellar review and oil replacement idea! Happy cooking!
I used apple sauce instead of oil and topped with honey! These were a big hit!!
Tasted great but mine turned out a bit crumbly. I used the 1tbs of baking powder. Not sure if there’s anything I did wrong.
Hi Maryann. Great to read that you are loving the cornbread! It’s more crumbly hot out of the oven, but much less so as it cools. Also, if overbaked it can become crumbly as well. Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and review! Happy cooking!
Do you have any recommendations if baking this for 100?
Take the 2x version and multiply 4x.
Does this cornbread freeze well? Thanks!
Yes, I freeze it all the time.
Love this recipe. I found that you could reduce the amount of baking powder to 2 teaspoons. Comes out the same and doesn’t leave an aftertaste! Love it and so does my non-vegan family!
Hi, I made this and it was great and so easy to just dump in my vitamix!
I have two questions for next time. Can I use GF flour? If I want to make it savory and add chilies, etc, how much sugar should I use instead? Thank you!
You can use gluten free flour, and yes you can lower the sugar by half or so and add whatever you like. Thanks!
Just tried this for the first time and it turned out great. Chili has long been a staple for us, and I used to just make the cornbread muffins from a box. Then I became vegan about 1.5 years ago, and was trying to substitute the egg in that old boxed mix, with less-than-stellar results. So I went to my go-to website for vegan cooking – Nora Cooks – and once again was not disappointed!
I needed a cornbread recipe and I knew coming to your website wouldn’t not fail me! I made this cornbread to go along with a vegan gumbo and it was a hit! Used half the sugar and it was sweet enough for me. Added a little pat of vegan butter or red pepper jelly to each slice paired so nicely. Will try adding some cheesy shreds or sliced jalapeno in the mix next time. Thanks again 🙂
Hi Golde. I am so glad you loved the cornbread recipe! It is fun to try the recipe to add other ingredients, and jalapeño and cheese shreds sound delicious! Thank you for sharing your stellar review and fun feedback! Happy cooking!
So good!!!
It really is the best!
Have you ever made this with any other milk alternatives? We ha e a nut allergy to accommodate but I don’t want the recipe to suffer.
Thanks 😊
Yes, I use soy milk or oat milk regularly, they both work great. You can use any milk you like, but make it unsweetened and unflavored.
Have you ever added add ins to your cornbread- like corn kernels or vegan cheese?
I have, and it works great!
My family loved this recipe. I m making it for the second time. I used apple sauce instead of oil and added jalapeños. I made my own corn meal from popcorn in my Blendtec. It was perfect. I look forward to having this in the winter with a bowl of chilli.
Thank you for making this so easy to follow.
Jan