With simple ingredients and an easy prep, this gluten free cornbread recipe comes together in no time! You'll have everyone asking you where you found such a delicious cornbread (they won't even know it's gluten free!).
Searching for a great tasting gluten free cornbread mix can be frustrating. Either they're dry and dull or full of all kinds of preservatives that the actual amount of cornmeal is so small it hardly qualifies as cornbread!
But along the same lines, even with recipes, sometimes the smallest thing can make a big impact. For instance, did you know if you let your batter rest for a few minutes before pouring it into the pan, it will bake up more tender and with a better texture? And you don't even need a mixer to mix up this batter? It's things like that that can take your cornbread from ho-hum to Wow!
And even if you've never been successful making gluten free cornbread before, you will now. Check out these tips to create the best, most springy gluten free cornbread in the world – and no one will even know its gluten free!
What flour blend works best in this recipe?
The flour blend used in this recipe (and in all of my recipes calling for a flour blend) is my gluten free flour mix. The recipe for it is here. It's a well balanced mix that makes amazing quick breads.
What kind of cornmeal is best?
A finer ground of cornmeal will produce a cornbread with less grit to it. A coarser cornmeal will be a bit more substantial. Experimenting with the different types might be the best thing when it comes to creating the perfect gluten free cornbread for your tastes. This recipe uses regular, yellow cornmeal – not fine, not coarse.
How to make dairy free buttermilk
The buttermilk used in this recipe is actually almond milk and the souring agent is distilled white vinegar. Those two together make for some great (and easy!) buttermilk.
Here's how to make it:
- In a 1 cup measuring cup, pour 2 Tablespoons of distilled white vinegar.
- To the vinegar, and filling the rest of the cup up to the 1-cup mark, pour in the almond milk. No stirring needed. Just set it aside for about 5 minutes to 'sour'.
- Then use as you would store bought buttermilk.
I'm looking for cornbread dressing too - can I make that out of this recipe?
Yes absolutely! My cornbread dressing recipe was created using this cornbread recipe. After a day or so, it's the perfect crumbly texture for cornbread dressing!
Step by Step to the Best Gluten Free Cornbread
Make sure ingredients are at room temperature
Cornbread batter can be picky, If the eggs are too cold or the buttermilk is cold, it won't bake up light and tender and the texture will be flat. Just let the ingredients sit on your counter for about 20 minutes and you'll get that high rising, lovely bread you're imagining.
Mix with a whisk
Even though your gluten free recipes can’t get tough due to overworking the gluten, this one needs a kick to make sure the batter is fully mixed and there are no lumps remaining. A whisk will do the job - mix until fully blended and then let it rest.
Rest time
Giving the mixed batter time to rest is an important part of gluten free baking. Especially with this recipe, you'll see the batter expand a little and that helps produce the lightest, most tender cornbread.
Baking Prep
While the batter is resting, preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare the pan. Spray an 8" x 8" pan well with cooking spray. Slowly pour the batter into the pan, smoothing the top.
Baking
Bake the pan of cornbread for 22 - 25 minutes (test it with a toothpick). Allow it to cool, in the pan, on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve straight from the pan or portion into slices out of the pan.
Gluten Free Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk made with almond milk for dairy free version
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 Egg
- 160 grams gluten free flour mix about 1 ¼ cup
- 125 grams Cornmeal about ¾ cup
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and oil. Mix well and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the flour mix, cornmeal, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. Stir with a whisk until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir with a spoon until no lumps remain.
- Allow the batter to rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Grease an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake the cornbread for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cornbread cool for 10 - 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares to serve.
Notes
- Use a whisk to mix the batter to remove any lumps.
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before baking.
- Cornbread may take anywhere from 20 - 25 minutes to bake.
Nutrition
While you're here, check out these tasty gluten free recipes:
Linda A Tanzini
Christine: can you make muffins with this mix? If so how long to bake? Just love your site by the way! Linda
C.J. Brady
Hi Linda,
Thank you for the kind words!
And yes, absolutely. Muffins would be great. Up the oven temp to 400 and start checking at 17 minutes.
Thanks again!
Carol Lange
I don’t love the grittiness of corn MEAL and much prefer to use corn FLOUR to make corn bread or corn muffins. I’m pretty sure I’d need to use more corn flour (since the textures are so different). I’d like to try this recipe if it’s possible to sub one for the other. Any suggestions?
C.J. Brady
Hi Carol,
Thanks for asking - great question.
With the difference in consistency, you are right - you'd probably need more corn flour. I'd suggest trying it with 1 cup.
Let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂
Linda L Polk
This recipe is almost identical to my cornbread I've made for years! My husband says it's the best he's ever had, even better than his mother's and grandmother's, and that's saying something! Main difference is that the flour/cornmeal amounts are reversed: 1&1/4 cup cornmeal, 3/4 cup flour. I also add 1/2 t. baking soda, because of the buttermilk.
However, regarding cornmeal/corn flour: I would think you might need slightly LESS cornflour, since cornflour is finer and will likely absorb more of the liquid.
Christine
Hi Linda,
Oh sounds equally delicious!
Definitely a favorite to whip up on a weekday!
~Christine
Marilyn Toney
I love buttermilk cornbread! Is there a way to substitute buttermilk for the regular milk in this recipe?
Christine
Hi Marilyn,
I haven't made it that way, but subbing the milk for the buttermilk shouldn't be a problem.
Hope that helps!
Christine
Kim
Could you make this with an egg replacer or unsweetened applesauce/baking soda?
Christine
Hi Kim,
I haven't tested it with an egg replacer but it should work just fine.
~Christine