Light, fluffy and moist, this lightly sweetened Gluten Free Cornbread recipe has a light gritty texture and tender crumb. It’s baked in a 10 inch cast iron skillet (or 9 inch pan) and ready in about 50 minutes. Enjoy simply or with a few flavor builders like corn, cheese and/or jalapeños! This recipe is vegetarian and easily dairy free. | Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Bob’s Red Mill.
Recipe Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I love this bread! I have made it so many times. I sub milk for lactose-free milk. We even used it for the dressing this year at Thanksgiving. It is such an easy recipe and it turns out great.” ~ Casey
Not Too Sweet Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe
Homemade cornbread has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, Mom made this Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread and she’d serve it with chili (seasoned like my Vegetarian Chili) or a big pot of Slow Cooker Pinto Beans. One of her favorite things, and it still is to this day, is to mix soft butter and honey together then slather it over warm cornbread.
I’ve Googled cornbread recipes and many would tell you that Southern cornbread isn’t sweet, rather it’s the Northern counterpart that is. But, I beg to differ. Being from Texas, I can tell you Texans love their sweet cornbread! Sometimes over the top sweet.
But I’ve toned it down in this recipe to where it’s subtly sweet – only there to add a bit of interest and to pay homage to my Texas roots. Go on, though… pour on the honey to take you to cornbread bliss!
About the Key Ingredients
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour – a blend of gluten-free flours, starches, and xanthan gum. It adds bulk and a neutral base to carry cornbread’s classic flavors.
- Medium Grind Cornmeal – offers classic cornbread flavor with the perfect texture. Look for gluten free – I use Bob’s Red Mill.
- Cane Sugar – offers just a bit of sweetness and interest.
- Olive Oil or Melted Butter – either works in this recipe. Use butter for buttery flavor or olive oil for a dairy free gluten free cornbread.
- Milk – you can use plant or whole dairy milk. I use half diluted with water, unsweetened Homemade Cashew Milk.
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How to Make Moist Gluten Free Cornbread
step by step
Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
It’s a no brainer that Bob’s Red Mill ingredients were my first choice when I was on a gluten free trial a few years ago. Bob’s gluten free ingredients made my transition to gluten free eating much easier and tastier than I imagined. While I’m eating gluten again, there are recipes I developed while on that trial, so I’m happy to share them with y’all.
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour is a blend of gluten-free flours, starches, and xanthan gum. It’s helped me create light and fluffy cupcakes, pastry for apple and pumpkin pie and absolutely fabulous Homemade Gluten Free Pizza and Gluten Free Sourdough Pizza Dough (woah!)!
Using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and Medium Grind Cornmeal in this recipe is a delicious way to enjoy fabulous cornbread sans gluten.
The texture is light, fluffy and moist. Using medium grind as opposed to fine cornmeal gives this recipe a lightly gritty texture without being too cake-like.
Traci’s Tips
- For a Gluten Free Dairy-Free Cornbread: As pictured and written, this recipe is dairy free. But I also make this gluten free cornbread with butter. Here are substitutions:
- Dairy-free cornbread, use 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Buttery cornbread use 1 stick or 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter. Plant or dairy butter can be used.
- Buttermilk Cornbread? I love the flavor of buttermilk in cornbread but I rarely have it on hand. It’s easy enough though to DIY by adding a bit of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or white vinegar to the milk mixture. For this recipe, I mix 1 3/4 cup milk + 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and let it set for five minutes to sour.
Moist Gluten Free Cornbread with Oil
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 3/4 cups (415 grams) Milk plant or dairy, I use homemade cashew milk, 1/2 diluted with water
- 3 Eggs large, pastured, organic
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (80g) Extra Virgin Olive Oil or 1/2 C unsalted butter (113g), melted
- 1 1/2 cups (220 grams) All Purpose 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour I use Bob's Red Mill
- 1 1/2 cups (215 grams) Cornmeal gluten free medium grind, I use Bob's Red Mill
- 4 tablespoons Organic Cane Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 3/4 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the milk and apple cider vinegar. Whisk. Set aside for 5 minutes to curdle slightly.
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C), set an oven rack in the center and grease a 10" skillet or 9" square pan with olive oil or butter. Set aside.
- To the milk mixture, crack the eggs into the bowl and pour in the olive oil or melted butter. Whisk until the ingredients are emulsified, about 30 seconds.
- To the liquid ingredients, add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated. The batter will be a little thicker then pancake batter.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared skillet or pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. The cornbread is done when puffy, golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and rest five minutes before cutting into wedges or squares.
- Store cornbread in a covered container for up to three days at room temperature or freeze for longer storage. Simply wrap the cornbread snugly in foil or reusable storage bag, place it in a storage container then freeze. When ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature and rewarm in a 350F (170C) oven for about 10-15 minutes. Keep the cornbread wrapped in foil to retain its moisture while reheating.
Great texture 💯 I did 350 for 35 min and covered the last 5 minutes……best gf cornbread recipe from scratch
Love hearing this, Carla! Thank you for your note and giving a new cornbread recipe a go!
What should the internal temp be when done baking please?
Hi Lezlie! When developing this recipe, I used the toothpick test and visual cues to test when the cornbread is done (reflected in the recipe). While I don’t have a temperature to offer, a quick Internet search led me to a range of 200-210 F with slight variations depending on type and preferred outcome of GF bread.
Hi there I made this recipe using the same BRM flour.i tweaked it a little .I added cinnamon/ raisins for a fall dessert cake ..mmmm
This was some of the best cornbread I’ve ever made! I made it in a 7 x 11 glass pan and followed the recipe to the letter, using butter. I’ve used the Bob’s 1:1 in my usual wheat flour recipe before and it was not nearly as good. Thank you!
Oh my gosh, best comment ever! Thank you for your note Dana and giving the cornbread a go! Hooray for a new favorite!
I love this bread! I have made it so many times. I sub milk for lactose-free milk. We even used it for the dressing this year at Thanksgiving. It is such an easy recipe and it turns out great.
Hi Casey! Thank you for your note, sharing your tips and giving the cornbread a go! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying it and it was delicious in your Thanksgiving dressing :D
The BEST GF cornbread I have ever made. One minor modification – I omitted the vinegar and replaced 1/4 cup of milk with 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt for some tang. Worked beautifully! I originally made it to use in my Thanksgiving stuffing, but family enjoyed it so much I have to make another for that purpose!
Hey Jeff! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! SO happy to hear you enjoyed it and thank you for sharing your tip. What a great idea!
Hi, Traci. We had this just the other night with your slow cooked black eyed peas which was out of this world! Yummy!!
Wooo! SO happy to hear Claudia! Thank you for your note and rating. I love this cornbread with black eyed peas! :D
Cornbread is a must with chili and I love eating the leftovers for breakfast with coffee. I’ve tried lots of different recipes and never felt like I’ve quite nailed it. Maybe this gluten free one will do the trick. Sounds like you had a great trip!