Ever since I was little, I’ve had an affinity for cornbread. There’s something so comforting about a thick piece of cornbread served with a hearty bowl of veggie chili, or simply all by itself as a snack.
But I’m not talking about the dry, gritty cornbread variety. You know the kind that’s often sold at the grocery store that’s probably been sitting out for too long? Yeah, I’ll pass on that. I like mine to be light and almost cake-like, with a hint of sweetness and a little buttery spread and honey. Or, depending on my mood, a lot of honey. Although, the honey could easily be swapped out for pure maple syrup or a little agave to make this 100% vegan.
This recipe is super simple (you probably have all of the ingredients on hand), vegan, and has a great dense cake-like texture. It takes less than 30 minutes to come together and could easily be used as a base for fun add-ins, like fresh corn, jalapeño peppers, or maybe even pumpkin.
And in case you’re wondering which side of the pumpkin debate I’m on – I plan on cleaning out Trader Joe’s shelves just as soon as they start carrying it.
But back to that cornbread…
- 2 flax eggs (2 Tbs ground flax, 6 Tbs water)
- 1 C whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose would also work)
- 1 C finely ground cornmeal
- 1 Tbs baking powder
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ C maple syrup (I used a maple/agave blend)
- 1 C almond milk (soy milk would also work)
- ¼ C melted coconut oil
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray an 8-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray.
- Combine ground flax seeds and water to make ‘flax eggs’. Stir and set aside for a couple of minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the ‘flax eggs’, maple syrup, and almond milk, to the dry ingredients. Beat just until smooth (do not over-mix).
- Slowly pour in the melted coconut oil while you mix to keep it from turning into a solid and clumping.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow to cool slightly, cut into pieces, and serve!
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Amanda,
This is a great post and a great website! I am happy to add it to my favorites.
Congratulations,
Ann
Thanks, Ann!
beautiful website!
are these on the sweet/ savory site? i can’t find a good vegan corn MUFFIN recipe and was hoping these would be sweet.
Thanks, Natalie! The cornbread is on the sweeter side (my personal preference). I think it would be great for muffins!
side* sweet/ savory side i meant
I actually made this last night. Best. Cornbread. Ever. Thank you.
That’s so good to hear! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
I just made this to go with my Veg-Head Chili for tonight’s dinner. You know it’s a great recipe when you can sub out a few ingredients and still get a very yummy result (used spelt flour for the whole wheat and coconut milk for almond and grapeseed for the canola)…added fesh corn off the cob and a couple of grindings of black pepper. Love the pepper with the maple syrup!…it straddles the sweet/savory fabulously!
Thanks so very much for the inspiration ;D
Your substitutions sound awesome! I am definitely going to try adding black pepper next time – I love the whole sweet/savory thing.
Forgot to rate this recipe…this deserves 5+ stars…making another batch right now for stepson…he looooves cornbread, and now he’s found his way to healthier eating, he’ll adore this one just as much as my old one.
Thanks so much again ;D
Thank you, Lizzy! That’s great that your stepson is health-ifying his diet!
Just wanted to take a second to thank you so much, what a wonderfully simple recipe. I agree with Lizzy, when I ran out of canola oil I was able to up the maple syrup and put a tiny bit of olive oil, it was different to be sure, but worked out all the same, what a versatile recipe. Thank you Thank you
That’s great! I’m so glad it turned out well with the maple syrup and olive oil.
THanks so much for a terrific cornbread recipe. I’m wrapping up day 4 of a month long ( and maybe longer!) commitment to eat vegan to control my insulin levels. I am finding that blogging about it really helps. I’m getting great support and tips.
Yay! That’s so great that you’re giving a vegan diet a try! I’m obviously a big fan, and I hope it helps with your insulin levels and just generally makes you feel great.
http://veganmaine.blogspot.com/2012/10/day-4-thankful-for-small-things.html
thank you!
I’m w ya, Amanda on hating the gritty cornbread.
Great recipe, esp now that I’m out of eggs. Thanks!
I made this cornbread yesterday and must have eaten 4 pieces (not all at one time)! This was sooo tasty. I used almond coconut milk (with vanilla) and also put coconut spread on the top. THANK YOU for this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! Your version sounds really good! I am obsessed with all things coconut.
Have these been tried subbing applesauce in place of the oil? Just wondering, trying them tonight with vegan chili. Try to avoid using oils, for hubby.
Looks good and is easy!
I haven’t tried them using applesauce, but I bet that will work! I often replace the oil with applesauce when I bake, but if you’re worried about changing the texture too much, you could always try half oil, half applesauce (that would be just 2 Tbs. of oil in the entire recipe).
Thank you, This is really good cornbread. On my second batch I sub’d 1/3 c molasses for the maple syrup and then sprinkled the top with raw sugar. Very good.
That sounds great! I’ll have to try it with molasses next time.
Hey this seems like a great recipe! I’m just wondering if the flax eggs are necessary? Is it possible to leave them out?
Hey Sara! I haven’t tried making it without the flax eggs, but it might work. You may need to adjust the almond milk to account for less liquid in the recipe. Alternatively, you could use a chia egg or something like Ener-G egg replacer.
Let me know how it turns out!
The recipe sounds yummy..I am going to give it a try .Can you freeze this cornbread?
Hi Jackie, I haven’t tried freezing it (I’m lucky if it lasts a couple of days!), but it should freeze well so long as you wrap it to prevent freezer burn. Enjoy!
Absolutely delicious! No need to try any other cornbread recipe!
Thank you, Judy! That means a lot.
This sounds like my favorite kind of cornbread! The only change I’ll probably make is to add some creamed corn to the mix
Thanks for the simple recipe, I can’t wait to try it.
Creamed corn sounds good (I haven’t had that in forever)! I hope you like it!
The best cornbread ever!!!!
This is a GREAT recipe! I’ve been attempting vegan cornbread for awhile now and nothing beat my old egg-cornbread version until now.. I used spelt flour instead of wheat flour and rice milk instead of the almond/soy variety. Will do this again…..tomorrow!! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so happy to hear that you loved the recipe, Renee! I also really like spelt flour in place of wheat, and your rice milk substitution sounds wonderful too.
This morning I tried your ‘simple vegan cornbread’ recipe, and it tastes great! Since I have chosen not to eat meat, dairy or synthetic food for the month of January, the only thing that I had been missing was cornbread! Jiffy cornbread was my favorite, but your ‘simple vegan cornbread’ recipe has replaced it! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I look forward to trying some of your other recipes!
I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Best of luck with your January challenge! Seems like a great way to start the year.
My kids asked if I could make extra to give to their teachers. You know it’s a hit when it replaces fudge as a gift! Thanks for a great recipe! P.s I am going to add caramelized onions and parsley next time, just for fun!
Wow, that is quite the compliment!
Caramelized onions and parsley sounds divine.
What would you suggest I do for temp and time to make this in muffin or mini muffin pans?
I haven’t tried baking the cornbread as muffins, but I would think 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes for muffins, or 8-10 minutes for mini muffins. That tends to be what works for other recipes. Keep an eye on them though!
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