Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread
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Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread is sweet, moist and fluffy. Made with cornmeal, gluten-free flours, unsweetened applesauce, maple syrup, butter, and almond milk. So easy to make and the perfect side dish to compliment your Thanksgiving menu. Refined-sugar free and dairy-free options.
Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread
There’s no Thanksgiving feast complete without a good cornbread. This Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread is so sweet, moist and fluffy. Serve next to roasted turkey, roasted chicken, and even some chili. It’s super easy to make and pretty quick to prep. Refined-sugar free with dairy-free options.
Ingredients needed to make Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread:
- Yellow Cornmeal– Make sure it is gluten-free certified. Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free. However, there could be cross contamination where it was packed.
- Almond Flour– Use blanched almond flour.
- Tapioca Flour– Helps make the cornbread fluffy on the inside.
- Baking Powder– Helps cornbread rise and adds moisture.
- Baking Soda– Helps cornbread rise.
- Pink Sea Salt– Balances flavors.
- Eggs– Binding agent.
- Unsweetened Applesauce– Adds moisture to the cornbread.
- Maple Syrup– Adds sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract– Adds depth to the flavors.
- Apple Cider Vinegar– Helps cornbread rise adding fluffiness.
- Unsalted Butter– You can also use refined coconut oil.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk– Or any preferred milk.
Equipment needed to make Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread:
- 9×9 Inch Baking Pan– Make sure to use a baking pan or dish that is this size.
- Large Mixing Bowls– One for mixing dry ingredients and another for wet ones.
- Whisk– For whisking batter.
- Cooling Rack– To allow gluten-free homemade cornbread to cool-down evenly.
How to make Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread:
- Step 1– Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Melt butter and set aside to cool-down.
- Step 2– In a large mixing bowl, whisk together until well combined dry ingredients; cornmeal, almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pink sea salt. Set aside.
- Step 3– In another large mixing bowl, whisk together until well combined wet ingredients; eggs, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, melted butter, and almond milk.
- Step 4– Pour wet ingredients into dry ones and whisk until batter consistency is reached. Make sure there are no streaks of flour left.
- Step 5– Use any oil to grease a 9×9 inch baking pan (I like to use coconut oil or avocado oil for greasing). Make sure the pan is well coated with oil but not too much where it’s dripping. Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 35 minutes.
- Step 6– Remove cornbread from oven and place on cooling rack. Allow cornbread to cool-down for 10-15 minutes before removing it from the baking pan.
- Step 7– Flip baking sheet upside down on a flat surface such as a platter or cutting board. Cornbread should easily slip out. Flip back onto cooling rack and allow bread to cool-down for another 10 minutes. Slice bread vertically into four long pieces. Then horizontally again into another four ways creating a grid resulting in 12 even squares.
- Step 8– Serve cornbread right away. Store any leftover bread in any tupperware or zipper bag for 5-7 days in the fridge.
Tips and Substitutions:
- Make sure the cornmeal you use is gluten-free– Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free as corn is. However, cross contamination can always happen. When purchasing cornmeal for this recipe, make sure it’s gluten-free certified.
- Make sure the baking pan is well coated with oil– but not too much where it’s dripping. If it’s dripping it will create too much moisture and bread will not cook through on the bottom. The bread will then crumble once removed from the pan.
- Use fine grain cornmeal as supposed to medium grain– Medium grain is fine to use too in this recipe. However, it makes for a crumblier bread and slightly dryer than fine grain cornmeal.
- To make this bread dairy-free simply use coconut oil instead of butter.
- Any milk can also be used if you don’t have almond milk– Oat milk is great in this recipe.
What to serve Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread with:
- Serve with chili– Cornbread is so good with chili. Try it with this Crockpot Sriracha Turkey Chili, White Chicken Chili, or Pumpkin Chili.
- Thanksgiving side dish– Cornbread is a staple in any Thanksgiving menu and next to your turkey.
- Serve with chicken– We love cornbread with our favorite chicken recipes like these Baked BBQ Chicken Breasts, Instant Pot Roasted Whole Chicken, or Orange Rosemary Chicken.
- Serve with stews– I love serving this cornbread with Slow Cooker Chicken Stew and this Dutch Oven Homemade Beef Stew
- Make stuffing– Cornbread is great to make stuffing with.
- Serve for breakfast– Leftover cornbread? serve for breakfast with a side of milk or coffee.
Variations:
- Make it dairy-free– Simply swap butter for refined coconut oil.
- Make it vegan– Swap butter for refined coconut oil and the eggs for flax eggs.
- Turn it into corn muffins– Add the batter into a muffin tin pan to make gluten-free corn muffins.
- Make pumpkin cornbread– Swap the applesauce for pumpkin puree and add 2 tsp of pumpkin spice.
Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread FAQ’s:
What makes this Cornbread Gluten-Free?
Cornbread is made with cornmeal which is normally gluten-free as it does not contain wheat or any other gluten. However, cross contamination is always a concern. So make sure to use a corneal that is gluten-free certified and it’s labeled on the package. Aside from that, this cornbread recipe is made with almond four and tapioca flour. Which are both naturally gluten-free.
How do I know when my cornbread is done?
You know cornbread is done when it has a nice golden top and slightly brown around the edges. Your cornbread should be firm in the center. Use the toothpick method to test if your cornbread is done. Stick a toothpick in the center of your cornbread. If it comes out clean, your cornbread is done. If it comes out wet, then it needs more time.
Why is my cornbread crumbly?
If your cornbread is crumbly it could be because it didn’t completely cool-down before you cut into it. Make sure to not over mix your batter. This can also lead to a crumbly cornbread.
Storing Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread:
Place any leftover gluten-free homemade cornbread in an airtight container. Keep it refrigerated for up to 4-5 days. Reheat by placing back in the oven or in the microwave. You can also serve your cornbread cold.
Freezing Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread?
To freeze gluten-free homemade cornbread, allow for it to completely cool-off. Wrap in Saran Wrap, then in parchment paper. Place in a freezer bag and freeze. Keep frozen for 3-6 months. Thaw-out in the fridge and reheat back in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Did you like this Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread recipe? You may also like these other bread recipes:
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
- Best Homemade Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)
- Orange Cranberry Walnut Bread
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread
Gluten-Free Homemade Cornbread is sweet, moist and fluffy. Made with cornmeal, gluten-free flours, unsweetened applesauce, maple syrup, butter, and almond milk. So easy to make and the perfect side dish to compliment your Thanksgiving menu. Refined-sugar free and dairy-free options.
Ingredients
- 3 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp pink sea salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Melt butter and set aside to cool-down.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together until well combined dry ingredients; cornmeal, almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pink sea salt. Set aside.
In another large mixing bowl, whisk together until well combined wet ingredients; eggs, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, melted butter, and almond milk.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ones and whisk until batter consistency is reached. Make sure there are no streaks of flour left.
Use any oil to grease a 9×9 inch baking pan (I like to use coconut oil or avocado oil for greasing). Make sure the pan is well coated with oil but not too much where it's dripping. Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove cornbread from oven and place on cooling rack. Allow cornbread to cool-down for 10-15 minutes before removing it from the baking pan.
Flip baking sheet upside down on a flat surface such as a platter or cutting board. Cornbread should easily slip out. Flip back onto cooling rack and allow bread to cool-down for another 10 minutes. Slice bread vertically into four long pieces. Then horizontally again into another four ways creating a grid resulting in 12 even squares.
Serve cornbread right away. Store any leftover bread in any tupperware or zipper bag for 5-7 days in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Tips and Substitutions:
- Make sure the cornmeal you use is gluten-free– Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free as corn is. However, cross contamination can always happen. When purchasing cornmeal for this recipe, make sure it’s gluten-free certified.
- Make sure the baking pan is well coated with oil– but not too much where it’s dripping. If it’s dripping it will create too much moisture and bread will not cook through on the bottom. The bread will then crumble once removed from the pan.
- Use fine grain cornmeal as supposed to medium grain– Medium grain is fine to use too in this recipe. However, it makes for a crumblier bread and slightly dryer than fine grain cornmeal.
- To make this bread dairy-free simply use coconut oil instead of butter.
- Any milk can also be used if you don’t have almond milk– Oat milk is great in this recipe.
*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.
**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used.
**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.
