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.
Hi,
Do you think date sugar would work in this recipe instead of white sugar?
Yes, it will work okay but the cornbread will have a different flavor and it will be a little brown in color instead of just yellow.
how long do we let it cool for?
You can enjoy it right away warm, or let it cool. Whatever you prefer. Enjoy!
BEST cornbread recipe! My whole family loves it. We love all of your recipes and your cookbook is excellent! Thank you!
Hi Joni. Thank you for your fantastic review! I’m thrilled that your family loves the cornbread! I appreciate you loving my recipes, and for your support! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Does this cornbread freeze well? If not, how long will it last and should it be refrigerated? Thanks, Nora! Love all your recipes!
Hi Donna. Thank you for loving my recipes! Yes, the cornbread freezes very well. I freeze it often! Enjoy!
Made this cornbread to go with the Ultimate Vegan Chili. Love both recipes so much that this was my second time making them. Gets rave reviews by both my daughters, one vegand and one not!
Thanks, Nora! You’re my go-to for all recipes.
You are very welcome, Donna! I appreciate you using my recipes, and am thrilled that you are loving them! Thanks for your stellar review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Everyone in my family loves this cornbread!
Thank you for sharing your awesome review, Heather! I’m glad you guys are all enjoying the cornbread recipe! Happy cooking!
Thanks, Nora, for this recipe! Makes cornbread so easy to make. This is the 3rd time making it and I can’t believe I haven’t left a review! So good.
You are welcome, Ann! I’m so glad you are loving the cornbread recipe! Thanks for taking time to share your amazing review! Wishing you happy cooking!
Would Coconut milk work?
Yes, coconut milk should work just fine.
Thanks so much! Making it today for the Big Game!
Thanks Nora. Everyone at the SB party last month loved the cornbread. They were surprised to hear it was vegan! Today I made flat muffins. I used applesauce (no oil) and extra creamy oatmilk. Will let you know how it turned out!
This is the most delicious and moist cornbread! My family raves over it!
So good! I used avocado oil and soy milk, and just 1/3 cup of sugar. Great recipe!
I was glad to see that your version of cornbread worked fine with 1/2 the amount of sugar, as I do not want a too-sweet cornbread. I also intend to use avocado (or walnut) oil and soybean milk (EdenSoy). Thanks for your comment, you saved me the trouble of asking Nora. – Betty.
Delicious sweet cornbread recipe! The texture was more fluffy and cake-like than I expected, but very moist and delicious! I will try to replace the oil with applesauce next time!
Don’t let the word vegan scare you off!! I’m not vegan, and I’ve made cornbread a few times- this is my favorite recipe out of all of them. Usually I make the recipe as is, and it is amazing. Oat milk and soy milk both work fine. And I love a dash of vanilla in corn muffins with a chili honey butter (cinnamon honey butter for my husband who doesn’t like spice) and always recommend that 🙂
Hello, I want to make this tomorrow for my beautiful vegan wife. I was wondering if I could use avocado oil instead of Canola oil?
Yes, avocado works well in place of canola oil in practically every recipe. Enjoy!
This is a family favorite. We eat it once a week either with our vegan two bean chili or vegan collards. Sometimes I add pieces of corn. We love it!! Quick and easy
Thank you for sharing your terrific review and comments! I’m thrilled that you are enjoying the cornbread recipe!
Thanks, Nora, for thus recipe! Makes cornbread so easy to make. This is the 3rd time making it and I can’t believe I haven’t left a review! So good.
Poured this into a muffin tray! Turned out amazing! 😉
This is the best cornbread recipe, period. We have a split household of vegans and non-vegans. I typically do not like the taste of non-dairy milks and end up making two versions of dishes–but not with this one! This is my go-to recipe for cornbread from now on. Thank you for making my life easier when cornbread is on the menu 😁
Can I add cream corn to it?
I think you could, yes. I haven’t tried it myself with creamed corn but I have added corn before and it was great.
Yes, just reduce the amount of amount milk by about a 1/4. It’s amazing! The only downside is i usually only use half the 15 oz can so I end up wasting the remainder. We don’t have small cans where I live.
Made this tonight yo have with chili. It is delicious! I used 1/2 of the amount of sugar (1/3 cup), and a splash of maple syrup. Sprinkled grated vegan cheddar cheese. Terrific.
Hi Ann. What a cozy meal, chili and cornbread! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the cornbread recipe! Thank you for sharing your recipe experience, as well as your stellar review!
Any chance you’ve got a sourdough discard adapted version of this up your sleeve?
I don’t, sorry! Sounds good though. 🙂
Sooo good and so easy! I made this when I was vegan 2 or 3 years ago and didn’t bookmark the recipe. I am back to pescatarianism which I’d been since 2007. I used dairy milk. Couldn’t find my canola oil so I used what I could find which was olive oil. So yummy! Thank you! Bookmarking!
I made your delicious cornbread tonight to serve with my vegan chili I made. Your cornbread was the perfect addition. I did reduce the sugar by half and I think it was perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank YOU, Monique, for sharing your terrific review and comments! I’m so thrilled that you enjoyed the cornbread recipe!
As we say in the South… if it has sugar in it, it isn’t cornbread. It’s cake 😏
😂 it does taste like corn cake 😂
This was by far the best cornbread vegan or otherwise. Great texture, sweetness and just really really good! So quick and easy to make. I had it with a southern tradition of black eyed peas and rice!!! Put some vegan butter on it and Yummy! Yummy! If there is any left tomorrow, I will have with strawberry jam! Thank you!
You bet! I’m so glad you loved the cornbread, Melanie! I appreciate your glowing review and comments! Happy cooking!
Can you use oat milk instead of almond?
Yes, oat milk works well. You can use any plant milk you like actually. 🙂
I have a nut allergy. Do you think substituting goat milk for the almond milk would work?
I’m not sure about goat milk as I don’t use animal products, but soy milk or oat milk are great alternatives to nut milk.
There is also Rice milk. Not sure how that works in baked goods, though.
Hi Nora,
You’re my go to for all my recipes because they always turn out amazing!! I want to make this cornbread for my husband’s bday but I don’t know the first thing about cornmeal. Do you have a particular brand you like?
I don’t use a particular brand really, just look for fine yellow cornmeal for best results. I often use Albers brand just because I can find it at stores near me. I’m so happy I’m your go-to for recipes, thank you so much! I’m honored. I hope you love the cornbread as much as I do!
Do you have the flour and cornmeal measurements in grams?
Hi Crissy. Just below the ingredients list, you will see a metric tab. If you click on this tab, it will show the measurements in grams. Wishing you happy cooking!