This best Vegan Cornbread Recipe with corn creates a delicious, dense cornbread perfect to serve with stews and chili. Egg free cornbread is made with minimal ingredients, and makes a great side dish for soups, chili, and stews. Vegetarian cornbread works great for stuffing recipes too! See post tips for making vegan corn muffins and gluten free cornbread too!
I love nights at home with Shawn…and Coco. Truth be told, I’m kind of a homebody. Of course, I like to get out too, because I’m right on that line between introvert and extrovert. So as long a I get some people time in during the day, then an evening at home feels like perfection.
And I’ve had so much going on lately, between finishing up the edits on my very first novel, and launching courses over at the Chopped Academy, we’ve had a lot on our plates lately.
It all feels like it’s winding down about the same time, and I’m relieved. That means it’s time for some delicious vegan corn bread served with a great big pot of chili!
Making a cornbread recipe vegan was one of my first priorities after going vegan over 10 years ago! I confess, homemade corn bread is best, and this Cornbread recipe without eggs does not disappoint!
How to Make Vegan Cornbread
So, if you’re wondering how to make cornbread without eggs, I’m ready to get started with the answer! I make this easy vegan cornbread in a cake pan, but you could also make it in a muffin pan. Making cornbread into muffins is sort of critical when I’ve thought of cornbread at the last minute and need to make a batch in a hurry!
Muffins take less time to cook, and when a person’s hungry, they don’t want to wait by the oven door, impatiently clicking on the💡 button.
This recipe calls for minimal ingredients:
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- Cornmeal
- Baking Soda and Powder
- Salt
- Vegan Butter
- Agave Nectar
- Plant-based Milk
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Corn
A note on sweetness: I feel like there’s something amiss in the the cornbread mix world. Some people seem to look at cornbread as if it were a cake, making it light and airy and super sweet!
Think of this as a Southern cornbread without eggs or milk. It’s more of a dense, crumbly bread that is minimally sweet. That’s what you’ll get out of this vegetarian corn bread recipe. We’ll talk more about adjusting this for your personal tastes below.
What is the Texture of Cornbread?
Cornbread has a delicious, golden brown crust and a soft, cake-like texture inside. Many will serve cornbread with hearty stews and chili recipes because the cornbread can be crumbled into the stew creating a thick, lightly sweet sensation in every bite.
Can I Substitute Eggs in Cornbread?
It’s easy to make cornbread without eggs. Here are some great egg substitutes for cornbread: chia seeds, ground flaxseed, whipped tofu, unsweetened applesauce, and even store-bought egg replacers such as Ener-G.
Do You Have to Incorporate Baking Powder in Vegan Cornbread?
Baking powder is a leavening agent and will help create rise both in cornbread and vegan cornbread muffins.
Of course, this means making cornbread from scratch, but it’s so simple! Yes, you can buy a vegan cornbread mix these days, but making cornbread from scratch is the best. It may seem foreign to make cornbread no eggs…no milk! But actually eggs or dairy are not necessary in most baking. The gluten in the wheat flour does the trick of binding the ingredients together.
Gluten Free Cornbread
To make this cornbread gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten free baking flour. I love using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour. Also, be sure and add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed, however, to act as a binder.
Believe it or not, gluten free dairy free cornbread is so good!
Is Cornbread Vegan?
Many store-bought cornbreads and cornbread mixes are not vegan because they use either eggs or dairy or both. Some may even use lard, making them not suitable for vegetarians either. You can find cornbread mixes made without animal products and then add plant-based milk and egg substitutes. Or make homemade cornbread using plant-based ingredients.
Another important question I’ve heard asked is this: is cornmeal vegan? The answer is yes. Corn is a plant and Cornmeal is basically dried, ground corn, making it vegan too.
I like adding whole kernel corn to my cornbread, because of the texture and flavor it adds. Also, if I remember correctly, it’s the way my grandma used to make her cornbread.
Although I cannot honestly say that is the case, because some memories drift between dreams and reality. Let’s just say I hope that’s how my grandma made her cornbread!
Also, for an interesting twist, I made a tasty Vegan Corn Casserole that combines some of the same ingredients with vegan cheese on top. It’s pretty tasty!
What do you eat cornbread with?
Cornbread is a perfect savory quick bread for many recipes, such as chili, soups, and stews.
For example, I love to serve cornbread with these recipes:
- Pinto Bean Soup — I like to crumble the cornbread right into the soup!
- Vegan Beef Stew – the vegan sweet cornbread is a perfect compliment to the savory stew recipe.
- Savory Vegan Minestrone.
- Vegan Lentil Stew.
I could even see slicing the tofu in half and serving it for breakfast with some Tofu Scramble with cheese on top! Also, adding some vegan cream cheese on top would be pretty tasty too!
Expert Tips for Moist Vegan Cornbread
Here are tips for making this no egg cornbread perfect every time:
- Make these into cornbread muffins to reduce the baking time
- Feel free to add a little more agave to make this recipe sweeter
- Make this dairy free cornbread recipe using your choice of plant-based milk, including — soy milk, almond milk, or even coconut milk
- You can make this without adding the whole kernel corn
- Optional: add fresh slices of jalapeños on the top before baking (remove the seeds to make it less spicy)
- You could also add some vegan cheddar shreds over the top
- Do not overmix the batter — stir until just combined
- Transform this into an oil free recipe by replacing the vegan butter with unsweetened applesauce
There it is — some ideas for adapting this eggless cornbread recipe. Now, you should think about what you will serve it with. I can totally see this cornbread sitting next to a big bowl of Vegan Chili Mac and Cheese. They would be so perfect together!
We hope you love this recipe for Vegan Cornbread as much as we do. If you decide to make it, snap a photo and share it with us using #namelymarly on Instagram or Twitter. We LOVE seeing your photos!
Perfect Vegan Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- 1 cup Cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Vegan Butter
- ⅓ cup Agave Nectar (or maple syrup or honey)
- 1 cup Plant-based Milk , not vanilla flavored
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 cup Corn kernels , optional
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 375F. Spray a small baking pan (like a 8″ square, or small rectangle pan) with vegetable spray.
- Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- In a separate, microwave-safe bowl, add the vegan butter. Microwave for about 20 seconds, until melted. Add the agave nectar, plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine.
- Make sure to drain the corn (if using canned). Add corn (if using) to the flour mixture and stir until the corn is coated. Pour in the milk mixture and stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, until the cornbread is golden on top.
- Serve warm. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate any unused portions. It should last 4 – 5 days in a the fridge; up to a month in the freezer.
Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I hope you enjoy vegan cornbread recipes to the very last bite!
I like that you listed a few different ways people can adapt this recipe to their preferences. I know there’s a lot of people who will skim a recipe and see something they don’t like in it, and not give it a chance, not realizing they can alter it to suit their needs. Very smart and helpful to those who need that! Also, I love that photo of the individual ingredients. I feel oddly hypnotized by it. Haha.
Thanks, Nicole! I want everyone to experience this tasty corn bread recipe! 🙂
Delicious sounding recipe- I’ve never wanted to make cornbread as much as I do now
My mission is complete! 🙂
I’ve never tried corn bread, but every time I see a recipe it intrigues me, will definitely have to try it!
Oh Cassidy! I’m so excited for you to try cornbread for the first time! I highly recommend corn bread muffins. I think you’ll love them!
Mmm cornbread is just the best! Looks delicious!
Thanks, Stephanie! So glad you like this cornbread recipe!
What a great recipe! I’ve never tried cornbread before – yours looks so delicious and so easy to make. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Tania! I hope you like it as much as we do! ❤️
This sounds really good, I’ve been looking for a good recipe and I’m sure I’ve found it! Is there a sub. for the vinegar?
Hi Lucia, so glad you like it! I would consider subbing something like lemon juice for the vinegar in this cornbread recipe.
Hi! I just made blueberry cornbread muffins tweaking by your recipe. Thank you so much!
Wow, Caroline! I love adding blueberries to cornbread. What a great idea!
I just made this and it is by far the best vegan cornbread I’ve made! I did omit the corn, but it turned out perfectly. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Also, I am so with you on cornbread not being sweet!
You and I are on the same page — cornbread has its own sweetness…doesn’t need to taste like a cake!