An easy vegan cornbread, baked in a cast iron skillet. This egg-free cornbread is slightly sweet, tender, and can be made gluten-free.
Photography by Sophie MacKenzie.
With a slightly crumbly, tender crumb and just-sweet taste, this is a truly dreamy vegan cornbread. Baking it up in a preheated cast iron skillet makes for a crunchy bottom crust and out of this world flavour.
Woody herbs and homemade vegan buttermilk boost the taste even more here, and there’s no need for eggs as the buttermilk and baking powder do all the lifting work. Stone-ground cornmeal is best for this recipe (see below).
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Ingredients
Method
Tips and Notes
You can bake this in a 10 inch pan (20 minutes) or an 8 inch (for 20-23 minutes). You can also bake it in an 8-9 inch square pan for about 20 minutes. Photos show a 8 inch pan which make for a nice and thick bread, whereas the 10 inch makes for a thinner bread.
Adding the butter and batter to a hot pan helps create a nice golden crust and adds a boost of flavour. Be sure the pan is properly seasoned so that it’s naturally non-stick.
The batter rests for 15 minutes so that the corneal can become hydrated. This makes for a more evenly moist vegan cornbread and no dry pockets of dough – don’t skip this step.
Butter flavoured vegan butter or margarine adds great flavour. We like Miyoko’s in North America and Naturli in Europe.
Use a creamy, fatty dairy-free milk. We like soy or oat milk because they best mimic buttermilk.
Use a stone ground corneal for cornbread, not semolina (fine cornmeal), or corn flour. We like Bob’s Red Mill. Stone ground cornmeal has more corn flavour, texture, and is adds more moisture than a standard fine cornmeal (which is better to use on a pizza stone, for example).
Substitutions
Use a good gluten-free flour blend to make this cornbread GF. We like the Bob’s Red Mill version. You can also use whole wheat flour if you want to increase the nutritional value.
If the cornbread doesn’t need to be vegan, you can of course sub dairy butter and milk.
Rosemary and thyme work well with the cornmeal, but you could use other herbs if preferred or leave them out altogether.
Try adding chili flakes, cracked black pepper, or 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast for extra flavour.
More Vegan Recipes
Vegan Soda Bread
Easiest Vegan Banana Bread
Vegan Carrot Cake
Vegan Bran Muffins
Chocolate Snack Cake
Recipe
Vegan Skillet Cornbread
An easy vegan cornbread, baked in a cast iron skillet. This egg-free cornbread is slightly sweet, tender, and can be made gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 ml) creamy non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup lightly packed (150 grams) stone-ground cornmeal
- 1 cup (150 grams) all-purpose white flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup (67 grams) white sugar
- 2 teaspoons rosemary or thyme, finely chopped
- 6 tablespoons (90 grams) melted vegan butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the pan
Instructions
- Begin by adding the vinegar to the non-dairy milk. Set aside for 10 minutes. This is your vegan buttermilk.
- Place an 8-inch (20cm) cast iron skillet into the oven. Preheat to 400°F (200°C).
- Add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and chopped herbs to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
- Add the vegan buttermilk and ¼ cup of melted butter to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. The batter will have the consistency of banana bread.
- Cover and set aside to rest for 10-15 minutes for the cornmeal to hydrate.
- After resting, take the preheated skillet out of the oven. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl it to cover the base of the pan.
- Add the batter, smoothing the top with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until golden and the centre springs back lightly when touched.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Vegan cornbread will keep for a few days in an airtight container, but it's best fresh.
Notes
You can bake this in a 10 inch pan (20 minutes) or an 8 inch (for 20-23 minutes). You can also bake it in an 8-9 inch square pan for about 20 minutes. Photos show a 8 inch pan which make for a nice and thick bread, whereas the 10 inch makes for a thinner bread.
Adding the butter and batter to a hot pan helps create a nice golden crust and adds a boost of flavour.
The batter rests for 15 minutes so that the corneal can become hydrated. This makes for a more evenly moist vegan cornbread and no dry pockets of dough – don’t skip this step.
Butter flavoured vegan butter or margarine adds great flavour. We like Miyoko’s in North America and Naturli in Europe.
Use a creamy, fatty dairy-free milk. We like soy or oat milk because they best mimic buttermilk.
Use a stone ground corneal for cornbread, not semolina (fine cornmeal), or corn flour. We like Bob’s Red Mill. Stone ground cornmeal has more corn flavour, texture, and is adds more moisture than a standard fine cornmeal (which is better to use on a pizza stone, for example).
Substitutions
Use a good gluten-free flour blend to make this cornbread GF. We like the Bob’s Red Mill version. You can also use whole wheat flour if you want to increase the nutritional value.
If the cornbread doesn’t need to be vegan, you can of course sub dairy butter and milk.
Rosemary and thyme work well with the cornmeal, but you could use other herbs if preferred or leave them out altogether.
Try adding chili flakes, cracked black pepper, or 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast for extra flavour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 209Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 336mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 4g
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator.
This post was first published in August 2018. It has been updated with improvements to the recipe as of March 2022.
Kelly Brisson says
Beauty!!
Ashley Colbourne says
Thanks Kelly!