Really Good Vegan Cornbread
Ever since I was little, I’ve had an affinity for cornbread. There’s something so comforting about a thick piece of really good vegan cornbread served with a hearty bowl of veggie chili, or simply all by itself as a snack—but I’m not talking about the dry, gritty cornbread variety. You know the kind that’s often sold at the grocery store that’s probably been sitting out for too long? Yeah, I’ll pass on that. I like my cornbread to be light and almost cake-like, with a hint of sweetness and a little vegan butter and maple syrup. Or, depending on my mood, a lot of butter and maple syrup.
This vegan cornbread recipe is super simple (you probably have all 7 ingredients on hand) and it has a great, cake-like texture. It takes 25 minutes to make and could easily be used as a base for fun add-ins, like fresh corn, jalapeño peppers, or maybe even pumpkin?!
P.S. You might also enjoy my vegan and gluten-free skillet cornbread recipe.
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons freshly ground flax, 6 tablespoons warm water)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup finely ground cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup melted (but not hot) coconut oil, plus extra for greasing the pan
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch-square baking dish with coconut oil.
- Combine the ground flax and water to make ‘flax eggs’. Stir and set aside for a couple of minutes to thicken.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Add the ‘flax eggs’, maple syrup, and almond milk. Stir until smooth, being careful not to over-mix. Slowly pour in the melted coconut oil while you mix to keep it from solidifying. Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into pieces. Serve warm.
Hi Amanda,
This is a great post and a great website! I am happy to add it to my favorites.
Congratulations,
Ann
Thanks, Ann!
beautiful website!
are these on the sweet/ savory site? i can’t find a good vegan corn MUFFIN recipe and was hoping these would be sweet.
Thanks, Natalie! The cornbread is on the sweeter side (my personal preference). I think it would be great for muffins!
side* sweet/ savory side i meant
I actually made this last night. Best. Cornbread. Ever. Thank you.
That’s so good to hear! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for this easy, delicious recipe. I made it this afternoon for my hubby and I. We wanted some cornbread that was less dry and dense than the one I made over the weekend. When we sunk our teeth into this soft, cakey, moist treat, we both just sighed with utter contentment. I added maple syrup drizzle to the top and, oh mey gawd, we were in HEAVEN!!
THANKS SOOO MUCH! THIS ONES A KEEPER IN MY RECIPE BOOK!
Lisa
Thank you, Lisa! Your comment just made my day. I’m so happy you and your hubby loved the cornbread! (it’s one of my favorites too!)
I just made this to go with my Veg-Head Chili for tonight’s dinner. You know it’s a great recipe when you can sub out a few ingredients and still get a very yummy result (used spelt flour for the whole wheat and coconut milk for almond and grapeseed for the canola)…added fesh corn off the cob and a couple of grindings of black pepper. Love the pepper with the maple syrup!…it straddles the sweet/savory fabulously!
Thanks so very much for the inspiration ;D
Your substitutions sound awesome! I am definitely going to try adding black pepper next time – I love the whole sweet/savory thing. 🙂
Forgot to rate this recipe…this deserves 5+ stars…making another batch right now for stepson…he looooves cornbread, and now he’s found his way to healthier eating, he’ll adore this one just as much as my old one.
Thanks so much again ;D
Thank you, Lizzy! That’s great that your stepson is health-ifying his diet! 🙂
Just wanted to take a second to thank you so much, what a wonderfully simple recipe. I agree with Lizzy, when I ran out of canola oil I was able to up the maple syrup and put a tiny bit of olive oil, it was different to be sure, but worked out all the same, what a versatile recipe. Thank you Thank you
That’s great! I’m so glad it turned out well with the maple syrup and olive oil. 🙂
THanks so much for a terrific cornbread recipe. I’m wrapping up day 4 of a month long ( and maybe longer!) commitment to eat vegan to control my insulin levels. I am finding that blogging about it really helps. I’m getting great support and tips.
Yay! That’s so great that you’re giving a vegan diet a try! I’m obviously a big fan, and I hope it helps with your insulin levels and just generally makes you feel great. 🙂
http://veganmaine.blogspot.com/2012/10/day-4-thankful-for-small-things.html
thank you!
I’m w ya, Amanda on hating the gritty cornbread.
Great recipe, esp now that I’m out of eggs. Thanks!
I made this cornbread yesterday and must have eaten 4 pieces (not all at one time)! This was sooo tasty. I used almond coconut milk (with vanilla) and also put coconut spread on the top. THANK YOU for this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! Your version sounds really good! I am obsessed with all things coconut.
Have these been tried subbing applesauce in place of the oil? Just wondering, trying them tonight with vegan chili. Try to avoid using oils, for hubby.
Looks good and is easy!
I haven’t tried them using applesauce, but I bet that will work! I often replace the oil with applesauce when I bake, but if you’re worried about changing the texture too much, you could always try half oil, half applesauce (that would be just 2 Tbs. of oil in the entire recipe).
Thank you, This is really good cornbread. On my second batch I sub’d 1/3 c molasses for the maple syrup and then sprinkled the top with raw sugar. Very good.
That sounds great! I’ll have to try it with molasses next time.
Hey this seems like a great recipe! I’m just wondering if the flax eggs are necessary? Is it possible to leave them out?
Hey Sara! I haven’t tried making it without the flax eggs, but it might work. You may need to adjust the almond milk to account for less liquid in the recipe. Alternatively, you could use a chia egg or something like Ener-G egg replacer.
Let me know how it turns out!
The recipe sounds yummy..I am going to give it a try .Can you freeze this cornbread?
Hi Jackie, I haven’t tried freezing it (I’m lucky if it lasts a couple of days!), but it should freeze well so long as you wrap it to prevent freezer burn. Enjoy!
Did you try to freeze this? I am trying to figure out when I need to make everything for Thanksgiving. What is the shelf life of the cornbread if I can’t freeze it?
Hi Lauren! You should be able to freeze your cornbread just fine. 🙂 I would wrap it in plastic freezer wrap and then put it in a freezer bag (it should keep for about 2 months, possibly longer this way). Alternatively, it will keep at room temperature for a couple of days, or in the fridge for about a week (again, I’d recommend wrapping it in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out). I tend to store mine in the fridge. Hope this helps and happy Thanksgiving!
Absolutely delicious! No need to try any other cornbread recipe!
Thank you, Judy! That means a lot. 🙂
This sounds like my favorite kind of cornbread! The only change I’ll probably make is to add some creamed corn to the mix 😀
Thanks for the simple recipe, I can’t wait to try it.
Creamed corn sounds good (I haven’t had that in forever)! I hope you like it!
The best cornbread ever!!!!
This is a GREAT recipe! I’ve been attempting vegan cornbread for awhile now and nothing beat my old egg-cornbread version until now.. I used spelt flour instead of wheat flour and rice milk instead of the almond/soy variety. Will do this again…..tomorrow!! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so happy to hear that you loved the recipe, Renee! I also really like spelt flour in place of wheat, and your rice milk substitution sounds wonderful too.
This morning I tried your ‘simple vegan cornbread’ recipe, and it tastes great! Since I have chosen not to eat meat, dairy or synthetic food for the month of January, the only thing that I had been missing was cornbread! Jiffy cornbread was my favorite, but your ‘simple vegan cornbread’ recipe has replaced it! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I look forward to trying some of your other recipes!
I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Best of luck with your January challenge! Seems like a great way to start the year. 🙂
My kids asked if I could make extra to give to their teachers. You know it’s a hit when it replaces fudge as a gift! Thanks for a great recipe! P.s I am going to add caramelized onions and parsley next time, just for fun!
Wow, that is quite the compliment! 🙂 Caramelized onions and parsley sounds divine.
What would you suggest I do for temp and time to make this in muffin or mini muffin pans?
I haven’t tried baking the cornbread as muffins, but I would think 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes for muffins, or 8-10 minutes for mini muffins. That tends to be what works for other recipes. Keep an eye on them though! 🙂
Thank You for this post! The recipe was perfect. It is a great complement to my Swiss Chard and I will also add this to holiday menu.
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the cornbread, Stephanie! Cornbread + swiss chard sounds delicious!
is there a sub for the coconut oil? my college student pockets have holes in them.. cant afford it 🙁 possibly melted earth balance would be a good sub? thank you!
Hi Brandy! No worries. Melted Earth Balance should work just fine, or canola oil (organic if possible so it’s non-GMO, although I know this too adds to the cost).
just wanted to give you feedback that these were awesome! i added a jalapeno, some cheddar daiya, fresh corn off the cob, and used a mix of 1.25C cornmeal, .25C all purpose flour and 1/2C whole wheat white flour. amaaaaazing recipe, thank you so much!
Yay! That’s GREAT to hear!
Wow, I just made this and it is DELICIOUS. Nice to know I’ll never have to look for another cornbread recipe! Thank you so much so sharing!
That’s so great to hear, Lucy!
Can I substitute another oil for the coconut oil? I don’t want to buy any more specialty-items – getting too expensive!
Oh, I see that you can substitute canola oil and maybe try applesauce. I will give this recipe a try as I a missing corn bread since going vegan April 2013. I LOVE ALL YOUR RECIPES!
Thanks, Mary! Yes, canola oil will work!
I was drawn to this recipe because of the ingredients (so many vegan corn breads involve AP flour, for example) and it did not disappoint.
The recipe even stood up to the (odd?) improvisations I made, by adding some nutritional yeast for cheese flavor, two tiny cloves of minced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and char-roasted broccoli chopped small, pepper (inspired by a comment here), a pinch of cumin, and chili flakes. My only comment about using this as a base recipe is that perhaps the syrup will make it too sweet for some if savory additions are used. I also subbed spelt flour for the whole wheat, and used rice milk and olive oil (which I noted from other comments were possibilities).
This is a wonderful recipe – and I can imagine it in other more typical variations. Who would ever use a boxed mix with an easy recipe like this? Thank you!
Thank you! That’s wonderful to hear! Your mix-ins sound really good. Pretty genius to add nutritional yeast…that’s totally up my alley.
Can I sub the whole wheat flower with an all purpose flour blend? My husband has a wheat allergy. Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi Aiden! I have a gluten-free and vegan cornbread you might want to try instead (it’s based on this original recipe): https://picklesnhoney.com/2012/06/06/gluten-free-vegan-cornbread/