This Dairy-Free Cornbread is soft, moist, a little sweet, and so addicting. You can have it ready in about 20 minutes and serve it with just about anything: chili, soup, barbecue, fried chicken, and so much more!
This recipe was my husband's granny's. She passed it down to my mother-in-law and my MIL shared it with me years ago. It's the only cornbread recipe I've ever used since because it's THAT good. To make it dairy-free, I just swap the milk for my homemade cashew milk.
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❤️Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Quick and easy: It only takes a few minutes to prepare, and about 13 minutes to bake.
- It has the best texture: Dry cornbread can be a big turnoff, and this one is far from dry. It's perfectly moist and soft.
- Amazing flavor
- Pairs well with so many different meals
📝Ingredient Notes
- Cornmeal: You can use plain yellow cornmeal or self-rising yellow cornmeal mix(which contains flour). But they will yield different results. Plain yellow cornmeal is coarse and doesn't contain flour, so your cornbread will appear more "dry", but still delicious. Self-rising yellow cornmeal mix contains flour, so your cornbread will be more moist with a softer texture. I like the Martha White brand for the cornmeal mix.
- Flour: I use white all-purpose flour.
- Oil: This recipe uses quite a bit of oil. ⅓ cup to be exact. The extra oil in this recipe is what keeps the cornbread moist!
- Sugar: I don't indulge in cane sugar very often, but the sugar is also what makes this cornbread moist, and of course a LITTLE sweet. This is a family recipe, so I haven't tried substituting healthier options (such as honey) yet. I think honey would add a nice flavor and sweetness, but I don't think it will be as moist.
🥛Substitutions
- Flour: If you need a gluten-free option, use yellow cornmeal without flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour. I recommend using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. Bob's Red Mill also makes gluten-free cornmeal you can buy.
- Vegetable oil: Olive oil has a more distinct flavor, but it's often used in place of vegetable oil in cornbread recipes. Vegetable oil works best, though, because of its neutral flavor.
- Cashew milk: I like to use my cashew milk, but if you want the BEST results, use unsweetened soy milk. Soy milk is great for baked goods! It's high in protein (like cows milk) and will make your cornbread brown nicely and look like it was made with cows milk.
Equipment
- 10 inch cast iron skillet
- Medium-sized mixing bowl
🌽How to Make Dairy-Free Cornbread
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, heat the oil in a cast iron skillet on the stove.
2. Mix all ingredients except for the oil in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Carefully pour half of the hot oil into the batter and mix well.
4. Pour the batter into the skillet over the remaining hot oil and bake for about 13 minutes, or until fully cooked.
5. Allow the cornbread to cool, then slice, and serve. Enjoy!
🧊Storing
Store cornbread in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 to 3 days. It can get soggy the longer it's stored because of the high oil content. We usually store it in the cast iron in the oven, covered tightly with foil.
✅Pro Tips
- Use self-rising yellow cornmeal mix over plain yellow cornmeal: Both types will give you a delicious cornbread, but yellow cornmeal mix contains flour and will give you an even softer crumb.
- Let the eggs and milk come to room temperature: I don't believe my mother-in-law does this when making the cornbread, but any time I'm baking I let the wet ingredients come to room temperature. This helps with emulsification and produces a fluffier baked good. "Cold ingredients do not incorporate together as easily. Or even at all! This results in clumpy frosting, chunky cheesecake, dense cookies, flat breads and muffins, etc." -Sally's Baking Addiction.
- Make sure the oil is hot before pouring the batter in: Pouring the batter over hot oil will help make it crisp on the outside. You should hear it sizzle.
- If your cornbread doesn't appear toasted on top, you can optionally broil it for the last 30 seconds to 1 minute. This isn't necessary, but it does look pretty!
- Top with butter and/or honey for extra flavor.
⁉️Frequently Asked Question
Cornbread usually contains dairy because it uses ingredients like milk, butter, and buttermilk. This cornbread recipe is completely dairy-free because the milk is swapped for cashew milk, and it requires oil instead of butter.
Yes. You will need to use plain yellow cornmeal and an all-purpose gluten-free flour. I like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. Bob's Red Mill also makes gluten-free cornmeal. Make sure you get the one that says cornmeal NOT corn flour. You can get it at grocery stores like Walmart or Amazon.
Cornbread is typically high in carbs and sodium, but it does contain several important nutrients such as selenium, phosphorus, and B vitamins. According to healthline.com, it can be enjoyed in moderation as part of a healthy diet.
No. They are both made from dried and milled corn, but they differ in texture. Cornmeal is coarse and gritty, and corn flour is fine and smooth (like flour).
I do not recommend freezing this cornbread recipe because it will become crumbly once thawed.
🥣Serving Ideas
There are so many meals you can serve with cornbread, I won't be able to name them all! But here are several ideas to serve it with:
- Chili
- Ham and beans
- Beef stew
- Roast
- Fried chicken
- BBQ
- Creamed corn
- White bean stew
- Gordon Ramsay's Spicy Sausage Rice
- Air fryer chicken thighs
- Marinated Brussel sprouts
- Oat milk
- Honey
- Non-dairy butter
⭐️Before you go! If you enjoyed this recipe for Dairy-Free Cornbread, leave a review and share it with me!
📖 Recipe
Dairy-Free Cornbread
Equipment
- 10 inch cast iron skillet
- Medium-sized mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup self-rising yellow cornmeal mix not corn flour
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup cashew milk or soy milk, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, heat ⅓ cup of oil in a cast iron skillet on the stove.
- Mix all ingredients except for the oil in a medium-sized bowl.
- Carefully pour half of the hot oil into the batter and mix well.
- Pour the batter into the skillet over the remaining hot oil and bake for about 13 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
- Allow the cornbread to cool, then slice and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store cooled cornbread in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 to 3 days. It can get soggy the longer it's stored because of the high oil content. We usually store it in the cast iron in the oven, covered tightly with foil.
- I prefer to use self-rising yellow cornmeal mix (Martha White brand) over plain yellow cornmeal. But either can be used! If you need a gluten-free cornbread, use plain cornmeal (without flour) and an all-purpose gluten-free flour such as Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.
- Other milk alternatives: I like to use my cashew milk, but if you want the BEST results, use unsweetened soy milk. Soy milk is great for baked goods! It's high in protein (like cows milk) and will make your cornbread brown nicely and look like it was made with cows milk.
- Make sure the oil is hot before pouring the batter in: Pouring the batter over hot oil will help make it crisp on the outside. You should hear it sizzle.
Nutrition
Note: The nutrition label is only an estimate. Amounts may vary.
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