This is the best Vegan Gluten-free Cornbread and is only 8 ingredients! It is cooked right in the skillet and is magically moist and delicious and all while being completely oil-free.
VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CORNBREAD
One of the most beloved side dishes to serve is an awesome vegan cornbread. Not only is this cornbread vegan and gluten-free, it is also oil-free and low sugar! But I promise you there is nothing lacking in terms or taste or texture. It is absolutely the perfect texture and so delicious and moist! Additionally, it is refined sugar-free and all just 8 ingredients.
I love vegan gluten-free cornbread in all forms. These vegan cornbread muffins and vegan pumpkin cornbread are both so delicious and perfect to serve with chili, soup or anything you like
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(Only 8 main ingredients needed. Full details and measurements on the recipe card below.)
- Lite coconut milk: This is replacing oil and keeps the vegan cornbread moist and rich. It does not taste like coconut since we are using the light version. I recommend the Sprouts brand or the Thai Kitchen brand for best results. The Polar brand does not work well in my recipes.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Medium grind cornmeal: It is imperative to use this
- Maple syrup: Keeps this vegan gluten free cornbread naturally refined sugar-free! So much more healthy!
- Pecans
- Oat flour: Use a superfine one, so the texture is fluffy. I use Bob’s Red Mill.
- Tapioca starch: Replaces eggs and gives structure.
- Baking powder
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN GLUTEN FREE CORNBREAD
Step 1: Add the cornmeal to warmed coconut milk and apple cider in a bowl. Soak for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Grind the pecans in a food processor until finely ground into a flour.
Step 3: To a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients and add whisk in the pecan flour.
Step 4: Add the syrup to the wet cornmeal mixture and then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until smooth.
Step 5: Bake at 400°F in a preheated skilled for 15-17 minutes. Cool before eating.
VEGAN OIL-FREE CORNBREAD
Hard to believe this vegan oil-free cornbread has a buttery taste without any butter or oil. I used my favorite nut to impart a buttery flavor. Cornbread tends to be really dry, so using my regular go-to almond flour just wasn’t going to cut it.
I decided to create pecan “flour”. Pecans are very oily naturally and impart richness and moisture much more than any other nut. By combing pecan flour and cornmeal, it gave the texture I was after. Worked brilliantly.
It is tender, yet still firm. It holds together and doesn’t fall apart in your hands. My hubby who doesn’t like cornbread even thought this was yummy. My daughter of course loved it.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR CORNBREAD SWEET OR SAVORY?
Now, it seems everybody is in a different category…..the sweet cornbread lovers and the savory cornbread lovers. Well, I have great news, this best vegan cornbread will match either. I used just a tad maple syrup to give it flavor without it actually tasting sweet, but also the perfect backdrop to drizzle some maple syrup or whatever you like on top. It is delicious on it’s own, but I confess that I’m a bit of a weirdo, I like a little barbecue sauce on mine on occasion.
SUBSTITUTIONS
You could add jalapenos, corn kernels, etc. if you want to. I love a good jalapeno cornbread. If you want it sweeter, add a couple extra tablespoons of a dry sugar. Or simply drizzle some maple syrup on top when serving.
You could also sub walnuts in place of the pecans.
OR, make them as vegan cornbread muffins if you don’t have a skillet. Super fast and easy!
WHAT TO SERVE THIS CORNBREAD WITH
- 30 Minute Mexican Chili
- Vegan Cocoa Black Bean Chili
- Vegan BBQ Lentil Loaf
- Smoky Sweet Potato Black-Eyed Pea Soup
- Vegan Pumpkin Chipotle Chili
- Lazy Day Vegan Tomato Bisque
More vegan side dishes that readers love….
- Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
- Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Smashed Potatoes
- Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Ginger Sauce
- Easy Vegan Stuffing
Best Vegan Gluten-free Cornbread (Oil-free)
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (300g) canned lite coconut milk (shaken well first ) I recommend the Thai Kitchen or Sprouts brands
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (20g) apple cide vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups (234g) medium grind coarse cornmeal (NOT finely ground or it'll be DRY! ( I use this one by Bob's Red Mill Coarse Cornmeal)
- 3/4 cup (84g) raw pecan halves
- 1/4 cup (32g) oat flour
- 1/4 cup (32g) tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon double acting baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (30g) pure maple syrup
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl.
- I use this scale.
NOTE
- Please note that this is NOT a sweet cornbread. As seen, there is only a tiny amount of sweetener. This is because I don't like sweet cornbread since I like to pair it with savory recipes like chilis and soups. It is only very mildly sweet. So, if you'd like yours a bit sweeter, add 2-3 tablespoons of dry sweetener (not more syrup) to the dry ingredients.
Instructions
- First, add your coconut milk to a medium bowl and warm to lukewarm. Add the cornmeal and apple cider vinegar and stir until well mixed. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes. This step is crucial, so don't skip it. It helps to soften the grittiness of the cornmeal and make the cornbread more moist and flavorful.
- Meanwhile, you will need to add your pecans to a food processor and grind into a ground coarse meal. This will only take a few seconds, because if you go too long, it will very quickly turn to paste. Just go until it is ground and crumbly and no big pieces left. Add to a large bowl and set aside.
- Next, preheat an oven to 400 degrees and place a well-seasoned 10 inch iron skillet on the center oven rack to heat up. If you are unsure if your pan is well-seasoned, then make sure to spray it well with nonstick spray to ensure your cornbread doesn't stick.
- To the large bowl of pecan flour, add the oat flour, tapioca starch, baking powder and salt. Whisk until well incorporated.
- To the wet cornmeal mixture, after the 10 minute soak, stir in the syrup. Pour that over the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Scoop into 10 liners if making the muffins, or proceed with the skillet directions.
- Remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour the batter in it. Place back in the oven to bake for 15-17 minutes. Just 15 minutes for the muffins. It should be a light golden color, firm top and the edges have pulled away from the pan slightly. Do not overbake or it can turn dry. Note: If you don't want to bother with a skillet, then you can still make this in a regular 8x8 inch square pan, the cooking time should be similar. Make sure to spray the pan well with nonstick. The edges won't get as crispy as the skillet, but it will still be good.
- Let sit for 20 minutes before slicing, as it will firm up a lot while sitting. Slice and serve. It will still be wonderfully warm. Eat alone or top with a sweet syrup or whatever you like. I like it by itself (it's that good!) and also with a little barbecue sauce. Store at room temperature in a sealed bag or container to keep them moist.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can I sub wheat flour for oat, tapioca and pecan?
Hi Ginger! No, unfortunately that won’t work the same and will affect the texture a lot and make it really dry. The pecan flour is what makes the recipe buttery/moist, since there is no oil. I’ve only tested it with the above ingredients as well, so I can’t vouch for subs.
Hi Brandi
Looks delish. Wondered if I could sub double acting baking powder cor regular?
Best wishes for 2016!
Sure, I think that would work fine 🙂 Let me know how it turns out, I just made them into muffins last night myself!
Thank you for the recipe! Just wondering if there’s suppose to more liquid somewhere? Tried to make this today but did not get a “pour-able” consistency with the coconut milk+cornmeal combo or the finals mixture.
Hi Jen! No, not more liquid, the recipe is correct. It sounds like you have too finely ground of a cornmeal, which means it will soak up more liquid. It should be a medium grind coarse cornmeal like this one. This one will yield the right results. Did you sub any of the other ingredients? http://amzn.to/1NOzc1u
Holy cow Brandi! I’m not gluten-free, but I’ve been searching (for 3 years) for a really delicious, oil-free vegan cornbread. I’ve made several different recipes that were okay but none that were great, until now. This cornbread is fantastic! Thank you!
Yay! I am so happy to hear that this cornbread recipe has become the one! Thank you so much for the feedback, I truly appreciate it!
Hi Brandi, I’ve noticed you use lite coconut milk often. Is the reason to lower fat or is there a taste difference? I always use full fat. Think I need some lite!
Hi Kristen! It really depends on the recipe. For the majority of my baking, I use the lite because it has more fat than other plant milks and gives a richer taste, whereas the full-fat would be too rich in the baking (in most recipes). This recipe in particular has a lot of pecans, so they provide plenty of fat to the recipe and lots of “buttery” flavor. You could probably get away with using soy milk in this recipe because it is fairly thick.
As far as full-fat coconut milk, I always use that is most of my ice cream recipes, lite wouldn’t work at all and would make the ice cream too icy. So, for baking, I use “lite” and ice cream I use “full-fat”. 🙂
Oh, so basically, no it’s not simply because it’s lower fat, it is just based on the recipe’s needs. I use plenty of fat in ice cream and whipped cream. This recipe has a good amount of fat already from the nuts.
I’ve been on a cornbread kick lately, but I haven’t tried it with coconut milk. This looks delicious and I’m excited to try it out!
Thank you Laura, I hope you enjoy it!
My mom made this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit! So buttery and delicious. Willow ate all the leftovers the next day! Great recipe, Brandi <3
Thank you so much Mandy! I’m so glad to hear it was such a hit!!
Is that the stunning cornbread you are raving about earlier? I’m actually more than pooped, I love that you made it with raw pecans, they have a lovely texture! I love loads of maple syrup all over my cornbread…and tons of spicy jalapenos, too!
Hi Brandi, this looks delicious! You may already be working on this, but I would love a sample vegan/gluten free Thanksgiving menu. I don’t usually cook for my extended family because they don’t get our eating style, but this year I am. Wondering what everyone thinks. Thank you! Love your blog!
Hi Marsha! Absolutely! I’m posting Thanksgiving recipes up until Thanksgiving and will then do a roundup post with them all listed 🙂 Thank you so much for your comment! I appreciate the support!
Brandi, what if I substitute almond flour? Not the fine brand like Honeyville but something like Bob’s Red Mill?
Do you think that’s a good substitute for the cornmeal?
thanks,
Gail
Gail-no that won’t work. Almond flour will give too much moisture and it will be very wet. Your best best is doing a combo that I mentioned above to your 2nd comment. Hope you got that one! Using 1 1/2 cups of one whole other flour in place of the cornmeal will just be too strong, that’s why I suggested breaking it up. You can try all oat flour, but it will make it a completely different texture. Or You could try increasing the pecan flour to 1 cup and do 1 1/4 cups oat flour and keep the rest of the ingredients the same. It’ll make it more chewy, but at least oats don’t leave a nasty aftertaste. Let me know!
Brandi, I got so excited to see this post on cornbread! I’ve been testing a few gf cornbread recipes for Thanksgiving and just made one I like with cranberries and millet flour. I need to test out yours this weekend as it sounds really, really good!
Thank you Linda! It really is the best I’ve ever had! I hope you try it!
Oh my goodness! I cannot wait to try this recipe! How inventive to use pecan flour – I love it!! I can only imagine how buttery and delicious this tastes 🙂 Pinned!
Yep. You’re still amazing. Awesome recipe, awesome pics!
Umm I typed your site in wrong and it said it didn’t exist anymore and I about had a heart attack…then I realized I spelled is wrong hah. Phew!!
Haha! Yes, I’m still here! And thank you for the compliments!! You are the sweetest 🙂
ooooh, sounds so rich and delicious with the ground pecans in there.
I discovered cornbread a few years ago in New York and fell in love (It’s something else which isn’t common over here). Perfect with chili or black bean soup!
Oh, yes! I know you love your pecans just like I do Emma! You gotta try this one! I think this is probably the only cornbread ever to use pecans in it, but it also makes it the best I’ve ever had. Score!
Gorgeous color, Brandi! Looks so rich. I LOVE cornbread, but don’t make it too often because my husband isn’t a fan. But I think I’m going to have to try this and see what he thinks!
Thank you Annie! I love the different color the pecans gave it too 🙂
Your hubby sounds just like mine, he is not a big fan either, but happened to enjoy this cornbread. So, maybe there is hope for yours too? Haha! Please let me know if you try it 🙂
Brandi,
Thanks so much for responding!!
What I’m looking for is a bread with oat flour (with no yeast). Any ideas?
Maybe I’ll try your recipe with oat flour.
Will keep you posted 🙂
Gail
You can try it with the oat, but I honestly think it would dry it out and make it really dense because cornmeal is very loose. An even swap of 1 1/2 cups would be way too much oat flour. What I would do is try it this way…increase the pecan flour to 1 1/4 cups. Increase the oat flour to 1/2 cup and replace the cornmeal with 1/2 cup brown rice rice or sorghum flour. The batter should be kind of thick, but smooth and still pourable. I don’t know what exactly this will do to the texture/flavor, but that is what I would try first. The pecans should definitely help give it a smooth, rich flavor and make the brown rice or sorghum not stand out too much. Please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Wow! Those close up pictures make me think I can actually taste your cornbread. It looks phenomenal. I love your healthy recipe too because nowadays it seems like most cornbreads are more like “corn cake!” I would have never thought about adding BBQ sauce on there. I love BBQ sauce! I love the maple syrup idea too!
Awww thanks so much Melanie! Glad you like the photos! Best part is that it tastes even better than it looks, haha!
Oh, and I hear you on the “corn cake”! I don’t get the overly sweetened cornbread..makes no sense to me. By making it fairly nuetral, then you can use any topping you want that way! This one is very subtly sweet, making it perfect!
Hi Gail! Unfortunately, cornmeal is the main ingredient, so without it, it wouldn’t be the same recipe and subbing 1 1/2 cups of something else would yield a completely different taste and texture. I just wouldn’t know what else to sub it with since this is a classic cornbread type of recipe. If you still want to make a bread type of recipe, you could try subbing the cornmeal with buckwheat or brown rice flour, but honestly I haven’t tried it and am not a fan of those flavors in large amounts. Sorry! Are you just looking for a bread type of recipe?
Brandi, I know you are precise on ingredients and often recommend not to substitute BUT can I use potato starch or arrowroot starch instead of the tapioca starch? I don’t think I’ll be able to get to the store anytime soon to buy the tapioca starch and I want to make this tomorrow! And a cast iron pan is on my wish list from Santa!
Thanks!
Hi Diana! I would use arrowroot, not potato starch. If should still do the job to make it hold together, it just may make it drier. Hopefully the pecans will be moist enough to combat it. Also, maybe check it a minute earlier because of how arrowroot tends to dry things. Let me know how it turns out!! Next time try the tapioca because it really helps keep things moist and helps with browning 🙂 Thanks Diana!
Will corn starch work as a substitute for tapioca starch?
Hi David, I haven’t tried it personally, but cornstarch is the closest to tapioca, so I *think* it should!
Looks great Brandi! I vote for jalapeños in it! Because everything is better with some sort of Mexican twist, lol!
Haha! Yes, I love mexican food! Oddly, though I can’t hand too strong of jalapenos though…..I love them best on nachos, YUM!
This looks great! I love the idea of maple syrup poured over it too.
Thanks Cindy! I actually prefer it plain over using syrup, because I don’t like it too sweet, but I wanted to give the photo shots for both options. It is certainly good with the syrup, but it’s just delish on it’s own!
I used almonds (because I had them) and it came out great. I found the 1 1/4 cups coconut milk to not be sufficient. I improvised and it came out really good but I wonder if it is meant to be 1 1/4 cans coconut milk which would be closer to the amount of liquid I added. (I did not use “lite” but regular c. milk). Really enjoyed the recipe and am planning on making it again. Thanks.
Hi Mike! So glad you enjoyed it!! Wonderful! No, the 1 1/4 cups is correct, but since you used the regular full-fat coconut milk, that would be why yours was too thick. Full-fat coconut milk is much thicker and not as runny, therefore it will make the batter thicker. Additionally, using almonds will soak up more of the liquid. Pecans are very oily, so they will have a different effect when mixed in with the liquids. Regardless of all that, I’m so glad it still turned out great! Thank you for the feedback!