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You may not have thought cornbread was life changing…until now. This tender, moist vegan cornbread tastes the Jiffy box, but 100 times tastier.
Did you know cornbread can be life changing? This vegan cornbread is the moistest, fluffiest, thickest recipe we’ve made, with the best sweet-savory tang. How Alex and I have lived this long without a go-to cornbread recipe, I’m not sure. But here’s our new standard, brought to you by the magic of cornmeal and coconut oil. It’s all the nostalgia of sneaking licks of the Jiffy corn muffin mix spoon, without the processed part. It’s a short list of ingredients—and 100% plant-based too. So what are you waiting for? Here are all the secrets to never needing the Jiffy box…again.
Want a variation? Try it in a cast iron skillet with Skillet Cornbread!
What makes this the best vegan cornbread?
Back 100 years or so, my sister and I would take turns sneaking bites from the Jiffy corn mix bowl. I’m pretty certain she once made herself a bowl of the batter to eat as a snack, with no intention of baking. There’s something about that batter: savory sweet, oddly tangy from the baking soda, and a little salty. As Alex and I were testing out this vegan cornbread recipe, I snuck some batter, for old times sake. It was JUST like the nostalgic taste, but even better. When I saw my son Larson going to town with a spatula, I knew we were on to something!
This recipe is very easy to make and pretty impossible to screw up. It’s a perfect vegan baked good for making with kids, or making an easy side dish for your chili. Here’s what makes this vegan cornbread recipe the best around:
- It’s got the optimal thickness (2 inches). Lots of cornbread recipes turn out too thin. Or they call for an 8″ square pan when most people we know use a 9″ pan. In a 9″ pan this vegan cornbread comes out at about 2 inches thick: which after all our recipe testing, is optimal.
- The texture? Perfectly tender and moist. This recipe relies on coconut oil for structure and moistness, as well as almond milk. Sugar also plays a role in the texture too, making it just the right tenderness but not gummy like many liquid sweeteners.
- It’s tangy, with the right sweetness. Apple cider vinegar brings a little tang: whisking it into the almond milk simulates buttermilk. Then there’s just the right sweetness from the sugar: it’s a little less than most recipes, but enough to be just the right amount. (You can reduce to ½ cup without affecting the recipe.)
What people are saying
We wanted to make sure this was the BEST vegan cornbread out there, so we sent it to a few recipe testers. Here’s what they had to say:
- “The cornbread was easy and delicious! It was sweet and tender and was the perfect balance with the salty, spicy chili I made. I would definitely make it again!” -Lisa
- “We thought it was really good and ate it with your sweet potato chili. I will definitely make it again. I liked how moist it was!” -Camille
Tips on how to make vegan cornbread
Because this recipe is a such an easy baking recipe, there aren’t too many tips to keep in mind. But here are a few things of note:
- You can use any type of cornmeal. We used yellow medium grind cornmeal, which we’d recommend. Fine grind can also work, though we prefer the chunky texture of medium grind. We also like using yellow cornmeal over white, just for color.
- Liberally spread coconut oil on the pan. One recipe tester had an issue getting the cornbread out of the pan, so we recommend liberally spreading the pan with coconut oil so that it easily slides out.
Storing leftovers
Another great thing about this vegan cornbread is that it saves well! It stays perfectly moist on a cutting board at room temperature with a towel on top for 3 days. It’s also stays well in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
You can refrigerate it, but this makes it dry and it loses a lot of moisture. So storage at room temperature is recommended! You also can freeze the cornbread for several months: make sure to thaw to room temperature before serving.
How to serve vegan cornbread
One of the reasons we love this vegan cornbread is because it goes with just about everything! Soups, stews, cookouts, and chili (naturally!) are all better with cornbread. And you can always slather it with maple syrup or strawberry jam. Here are a few of our recipes that would go well with this cornbread:
- Best Vegetarian Chili
- Quinoa Vegan Chili
- Mango Black Bean Chili
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil or Classic Shrimp Boil
- Famous Cajun Shrimp and Grits
- 10-Minute Baked Salmon or Broiled Salmon with Bourbon Glaze
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Creamy Wild Rice Soup
- Golden Cauliflower Soup Recipe
- Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
- Creamy Corn Chowder
- Potato Soup
- BBQ Soy Curls
- Jackfruit BBQ Sandwich
This vegan cornbread recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
BEST Easy Vegan Cornbread (Better than Jiffy!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
Description
You may not have thought cornbread was life changing…until now. This tender, moist vegan cornbread tastes the Jiffy box, but 100 times tastier.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup medium grind cornmeal (fine grind also works)
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 cups unsweetened soy or almond milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup refined coconut oil, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Use coconut oil to liberally grease a 9 x 9″ pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and sugar.
- Whisk together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a liquid measuring cup. Melt the coconut oil, then pour both the almond milk and coconut oil into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake about 30 minutes until the center has firmed up and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan completely, about 30 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges and invert. Cut into 16 squares and serve. Store any leftovers at room temperature covered with a towel for about 3 days, or in a sealed container at room temperature for about 5 days.
- Category: Baked
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
OMG! This is insanely good. Fluffy, sweet but not too sweet. Wow.
Make this as a side with Chili. A big hit with young and old. Substituted GF All- purpose flour, maple sugar, and unsweetened oat milk for a GF, DF, and white sugar free dinner. It was delicious, sweet and yummy. Will make it again.
When I made this, I substituted gluten-free baking flour for regular flour, and found that at least 40 minutes was a better baking time. My “prepared pan” for baking was a 2 qt. corning ware casserole dish, uncovered.
The resulting cornbread still had a very moist interior- not gooey per se, but heavy, sticky moist, leaving residue on the serrated edge knife that was used to slice it.
None of this detracted from the taste, and the cornbread held together well while being eaten from the hand, not crumbling as drier cornbreads do.
Can you substitute the all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 gluten-free flour?
Hi Sonja and Alex, Can you substitute the all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 gluten-free flour?
Yes, that should work.
Thank you! Made in 9 inch iron skillet with soy milk best recipe ever!
Can it be doubled and cooked in 13 x 9 and can a portion of the white flour be replaced with whole wheat? Thank you
Yes!
Do I need to make any changes to cooking temperature if made in muffin pan?
No! It should be about the same cooking time too.
I made it too! Turned out awesome! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe
I made this for the first time and it came out perfectly. No one knew it was vegan. I have been searching for a vegan cornbread and I think this is the winner. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed.
My son is very picky about ingredients, have you tried this with whole wheat flour instead of all purpose? Also as far, for him thought about using ghee instead of coconut oil? Thoughts, he is not only vegan but very conscious of healthier choices. Want to make sure I have ample variety of food for him for Thanksgiving
Hi there! Whole wheat flour results in a different texture than all purpose flour and it can end up very dense. You could try it, but we haven’t tested it here and might not recommend it. But, try it at your own risk! You can definitely use ghee instead of coconut oil. Hope you enjoy!!
I like replacing some of the white flour in baking for whole wheat. I find that using all whole wheat flour instead of white flour doesn’t work well for me. Probably a cook who is more knowledgeable about whole grain baking than I knows how to modify the recipe in other ways to compensate for using all whole grain.
I find that swapping out just half the white flour with whole wheat is more likely to be successful in most recipes. So you might try that.
This recipe looks wonderful, and I can’t wait to try it. I’ll let you know how it went with 50% white flour plus 50% whole wheat flour.
Great taste❤️. Corny, I used Bob’s Red Mill polenta. Sweet , although cut sugar in half just because. Buttery-cut oil in half just because . So good. I served with chili + now breakfast. . It’s finished. Until I make another batch. Thank you✌️🌽🌽🌽
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is the best vegan cornbread recipe I have tried! I used a little less sugar and baked in iron skillet – turned out amazing! We had it for dinner with spanakorizo (Greek spinach and rice dish) and was a perfect combo.
Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it.
Can you sub oat milk
We didn’t like the flavor with plain oat milk, but it will work.
Can I use can or frozen corn in it and jalapeno’s with out changing anything
We have not tested this before! You should be able to add about 1 cup chopped jalapenos or 1 cup frozen corn, but you’ll want to watch the bake time as it may be slightly different. Let us know if you try it!
My husband has end stage renal disease and must limit
potassium and phosphate so I cannot use baking powder. Do you know how a good substitute?
Can you still do baking soda? I’d try 2 teaspoon baking soda.
What adjustments would you make for high altitude?
I’m not sure, sorry!
Hi! I was so excited to try this recipe this evening alongside our chili. I followed the recipe to a T and after I let it sit for 30 minutes after baking it the middle of the cornbread was not cooked through. The pieces around the edge were but the center ones weren’t. Bummer.
So sorry it didn’t work out!
Looks wonderful! Can you sub vegetable oil or olive oil for coconut oil?
Yes you can! We’d recommend vegetable oil because it has a more neutral flavor. (Olive oil you can detect a sharp flavor.) Thanks for asking!
These look so delicious! I’ve never had cornbread but I’m so curious what it tastes like and they look amazing… Really happy I found a recipe with easy-to-find ingredients. I’m trying to eat less sugar, so would cutting it by half work? Or would it work if I substitute the sugar with Lakanto granulated monk fruit sweetener? Thanks so much!
Hi! You could definitely cut it back by half. I’ve not used the monk fruit, but it would probably work as well.
I want to make the traditional Jiffy mix corn casserole into a vegan recipe. I will use vegan sour cream. Can I use just the dry ingredients of this cornbread in place of the regular mix?
Yes, that should work!
Measure the coconut oil before or after melting?
You can do either, but the most accurate measurement is after melting. Thanks!
I try to stay away from white flour…would almond flour be ok, do you think…?
It wouldn’t work in this recipe, sorry!
You could try oat flour!
Hello Sonja, Thank you for this recipe. I am not true vegan, can not ingest dairy. Also love the chocolate pudding!raf
which type of sugar works best?
Just plain cane/granulated sugar works great!
ok, thanks! I’ll make sure to try it today :)
This cornbread is so moist and delicious! I did end up using half the sugar (1/3 cup) and swapped out the almond milk for coconut milk, and it still turned out great :) Thanks for this recipe!
This is the most delicious and moist cornbread I’ve ever had! I’ve been trying for so long to make a (non vegan) moist cornbread and couldn’t achieve it. Then I went WFPB and found this! Thank you!
So good! Not just good for vegan but just good all around. Substituted cashew milk for almond, olive oil spread for coconut oil and used 1/2 cup sugar. I made it into muffins, and wow! Really good.
Hello Sherri, Thank You for this alteration! This is just what I have been looking for!!
Best Healthy wishes for you and family/friends!raf
This is delicious! A new favorite! :) Can leftovers be stored in the freezer?
You can definitely freeze leftovers! Just let it thaw gradually at room temp before serving!
This is so good!! I did end up cutting the sugar to 1/3 cup and I think it still tastes sweet – plus my fam loves topping it with honey and butter ;) I’ve made it several times and always a hit!
8X8 pan-should I just make muffins?
8×8 should work — they’ll just be a little extra thick!
Just made it. It turned out perfect.
Awesome! Love to hear that :)
I have been looking for a vegan cornbread, this sounds wonderful! Can’t wait to try with some chili soon. Thanks for sharing!
Hi! This looks amazing! Can some of the sugar be substituted? I like to limit my sugar intake. Thank you!
You could definitely reduce it a bit! Not sure about subbing it all the way — it ads a nice balance to the overall flavor (though we rarely use much sugar as well!)
You can always reduce sugar down to a min8imum. Also, use cane sugar if using granulated, or use maple syrup – that’s what I use – I add just enough to have a vague taste of sweetness.