Vegan Gluten-Free Cornbread | Oil-Free

Crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, this vegan gluten-free cornbread uses whole food plant-based ingredients to create a healthy oil-free version. Serve alongside chili, soup, or top with a drizzle of maple syrup for breakfast!

Growing up Jiffy Cornbread mix was a staple in my house. The Jiffy factory was a few towns over from where I grew up, and I even remember visiting the factory as a second grader and coming home with my very own box of Jiffy Cornbread!

It was so easy to make, I could practically make it myself as an eight year old, with a little help from mom taking it in and of the oven. I felt a great deal of pride in making my own cornbread to serve with dinner.

If you love baking simple quick breads, try these vegan muffins!

This Vegan Gluten-Free Cornbread recipe reminds me of the famous Jiffy mix, and it’s a whole lot healthier, natural, animal product free, but just as easy to prepare!

A handful of simple ingredients, and 20 minutes in the oven, and you’ve got a warm, fluffy cornbread with a nice crispy crunch on the outside.

Why You’ll Love this Vegan Gluten-Free Cornbread…

• Whole Food Plant-Based Ingredients
• Oil-Free
• Vegan
• Gluten-Free
• Light and Fluffy
• Crunchy Outside
• 30 minutes start to finish
• Pairs well with chili and soups
• Serve for breakfast topped with a drizzle of maple syrup

Ingredients

• 1 cup Gluten-Free Baking Flour or whole wheat flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ⅓ cup aquafaba (chickpea brine)

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need

• Mixing Bowls
• Spatula
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• 8×8 baking pan

How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Cornbread – Step by Step

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, cornmeal, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt). Set aside.

Step 2: Measure and pour a ⅓ cup of unsweetened almond milk into glass measuring cup. Add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and set aside.

Step 3: In a medium bowl whip aquafaba until small peaks form.

Step 4: Add applesauce to almond milk and apple cider vinegar mixture. Whisking to combine.

Step 5: Pour almond milk into bowl with dry ingredients. Gently stir until combined. Add aquafaba, carefully folding into batter. Don’t over mix.

Step 6: Line 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper. Pour batter into pan spreading evenly. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Step 7: Allow to cool completely in pan. Gently pull edges of parchment paper to remove from pan. Cut into squares and serve!

Tips for Making Vegan Gluten-Free Cornbread

• Use a gluten-free flour blend. This helps ensure the bread will rise.
• Use fine ground cornmeal to retain a light and fluffy texture.
• I used coconut sugar to keep this recipe whole food plant-based. It provides a subtle sweetness which I like. If you prefer a sweeter bread add ¼ cup of maple syrup. Whip the maple syrup with the almond milk and apple cider vinegar before adding to the dry ingredients.
• Use parchment paper to line your pan to eliminate the need to grease or oil the pan and for easy removal.
• If you’re not gluten-free you can sub whole wheat flour or a mixture of ½ cup of whole wheat flour and ½ cup of white flour.
• Aquafaba or chickpea brine acts as an egg substitute in this recipe. When whipped it mimics egg whites. It also helps the cornbread rise which can be a challenge in vegan and gluten-free baking.
• The applesauce acts as a substitute for oil or butter in this recipe. Helping it to bind the ingredients together, and making this recipe virtually fat free.

Is this vegan gluten-free cornbread whole food plant-based?

Whole food plant-based recipes have a few requirements…

• Use whole and natural ingredients including flours.
• No processed sugars
• No Oil
• No dairy of animal products

In baking this can be a challenge, especially when you add in the added component of making a recipe gluten-free.

This recipe uses a natural gluten-free flour blend. Applesauce is subbed for oil, almond milk for dairy, and aquafaba for eggs. The result is a light, fluffy whole food plant-based cornbread that’s also gluten-free.

If you are not gluten-free you can sub whole wheat baking flour for the gluten-free flour and this will still be whole food plant-based recipe.

Does cornbread have gluten in it?

Most cornbread is also made with white flour which means that it does contain gluten. Only those recipes that use a gluten-free flour blend are truly gluten-free. While cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, typical flours made with wheat are not. Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat flour. It is in white, wheat, spelt, barley, rye. Gluten helps breads and baked goods to rise which is why gluten-free baking can be a bit tricky.

Using gluten-free flour blends are best for baking as different gluten-free flours can react in different ways. Having a combination of flours helps to mimic a wheat flour.

In addition, using other substitutes and often increasing the amount of baking powder or baking soda aids in rising. In this recipe the combination of baking powder and aquafaba act together to levin the cornbread and create a light and fluffy texture.

What do you serve with cornbread?

Cornbread is a delicious alongside hearty chilis such as this Easy Vegan Chili or with soups like this Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup. It’s also delicious all on it’s own as a snack or breakfast option with a bit of maple syrup drizzled on top.

Check out these other Vegan Gluten-Free Recipes!

• Vegan Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies
• No Bake Vegan Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies
• Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
• Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bars
• Vegan Focaccia with Lemon and Rosemary
• Gluten-Free Vegan Oatmeal Quick Bread by Sarah Bakes Gluten-Free

If you’ve tried this Vegan Gluten-Free Cornbread, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more vegan plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!