Easy Vegan Cornbread 🌽 A lightly sweet, fluffy and moist classic quick bread made with all plant-based ingredients. Enjoy this easy and delicious vegan recipe made with pure maple syrup & whole corn.
Cornbread is the perfect fusion of a quick bread and cake. Subtly sweet, soft and chewy with a slightly coarse crumb, it is a staple side dish served in homes and restaurants - like Marie Callender's - across the United States. Cornbread is particularly popular in the South and Southwest and is often eaten with chili, barbecue, Thanksgiving meals (and stuffings), and even for breakfast.
Traditionally, cornbread is made with dairy butter, buttermilk, eggs and sugar. In this elevated vegan version of a classic cornbread, we have replaced the animal products with plant-based ingredients and swapped the processed sugar with pure maple syrup, making it better and scrumptiously delicious. This simple recipe is a wonderful side dish to enjoy with soups and stews, like my favorite rustic veggie soup, vegan lentil soup, and Congressional bean soup.
A slice of this yummy vegan cornbread is the perfect partner with a bowl of my quick and easy 20 minute vegan chili or this delicious vegan cream of tomato soup. You can create this hearty, satisfying and budget-friendly meal in less than an hour, start to finish!
Table of Contents
🌽 Why you'll love this recipe
This delicious and easy cornbread may very likely become one of your go-to recipes anytime you want to prepare a cozy & satisfying something extra to go with a bowl of soup, stew or chili. Most of the ingredients are items you probably keep in your kitchen.
- Quick & easy. Prepared with just a few basic ingredients
- Everything you want in a cornbread. Fluffy, moist & delish!
- No processed sugar. Sweetened with pure maple syrup & sweet corn
- No eggs or dairy. 100 % vegan
- Kids love it. You will too!
Doesn't this look delicious? Short on time? No worries, with this recipe, you can whip up a quick and easy pan of the best homemade vegan cornbread sweetened with maple syrup in just a few minutes! A single batch serves up to 12 people. If you don't eat it all in one day, simply store leftovers in an airtight container and it will stay soft and fresh at least another day or two.
Ingredient Notes
🥕See the printable recipe card below for quantities & details
- Cornmeal - I prefer using fine or medium ground yellow cornmeal.
- Flour - Unbleached all-purpose flour is my first choice because it adds to the fluffy texture of the cornbread. You can substitute with whole wheat, which will likely create a denser, heavier bread. See below for gluten-free suggestions.
- Egg replacer - You'll need the equivalent of one egg. Use a packaged egg replacer or make your own by combining ground flax meal with water.
- Baking powder - The fresher the better. Baking powder can lose its rising oomph over time, so keeping an extra box on hand is a good idea.
- Salt
- Non-dairy milk - Rice, oat, almond, cashew, soy (your choice)
- Non-dairy butter
- Maple syrup
- Sweet corn - Fresh, frozen, or canned
Instructions
1.Begin by preheating your oven to 400°F
6. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
7. Stir (by hand) until ingredients are combined. Don't over-stir.
8. Prepare a baking dish by lining with parchment paper or greasing with vegan butter and dust with flour.
9. Pour batter into baking dish, using a spatula or large spoon to spread into corners. Bake at 400℉ for 25-27 minutes.
10. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.
11. Enjoy!
And there you have it - a fresh batch of easy vegan cornbread sweetened with maple syrup, warm from the oven. Simply scrumptious!
Variations
Variety is the spice of life! You can use this basic recipe to create savory and sweet versions of the best vegan cornbread! For savory cornbread, you might want to reduce the amount of maple syrup in the recipe. Here are a few ideas:
- Southwestern Style Cornbread - Toss in some diced jalapeño pepper & a handful of shredded vegan cheddar or pepper jack cheese for a bit of heat & zesty flavor! Perfect with my vegan Texas Tamale Pie.
- Mediterranean Style Cornbread - A sprinkle of sliced olives, sun dried tomatoes, chopped fresh basil and vegan feta would be delish! Serve with a bowl of Mediterranean Lemon Orzo Soup for a full meal.
- Thanksgiving or Holiday Cornbread - How about a sweet and savory fall-inspired combination of dried cranberries with a pinch of fresh herbs like parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (sorry - couldn't resist!)
Equipment you'll need
This recipe is so simple, just a few basic kitchen tools are all you need to whip a fast batch of this easy vegan cornbread with maple syrup. Here you go:
- Medium mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- Silicone spatula or large spoon
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- 8" square baking pan or cupcake pan (and liners - or not)
- Parchment paper (optional)
- Wire cooling rack (optional)
🥕Top Tips For Better Baking
Tip #1 - Read the recipe thoroughly before starting. Familiarize yourself with each step before you begin baking. Make sure you have all the ingredients you'll need.
Tip #2 - Use fresh ingredients, including flour and leavening agents (which help baked goods rise) like baking powder. All-purpose white flour has a shelf life of about 3-8 months. Gluten-free and whole wheat flours may become stale sooner. Unless you bake a lot, it's better to purchase flour in small quantities. Baking powder can lose its rising oomph after a few months. I like to keep an extra unopened container on hand just in case.
Tip #3 - Measure accurately. Baking is equal parts science and art. Unlike some cooking methods where you can guess-timate quantities by adding a handful of this or a pinch of that - too much or too little of an ingredient can mean the difference between ooh and aah or uh-oh. Pre-measuring your ingredients with everything prepped in advance can be a game-changer. Many professional and home bakers use digital kitchen scales for accurate measuring. That's why I put together this handy printable ingredient weight & measurement guide to help make all your baked goods perfectly delicious!
Tip #4 - Set a timer and keep an eye on the oven. Temperature accuracy can differ with some ovens. You may find the baking times will need to be adjusted depending on your oven. I like to check whatever I'm baking at least 5-10 minutes before the timer rings. If you have an older oven, using an oven thermometer can be a helpful tool.
Tip #5 - Baking in high altitudes over 3,500 feet above sea level requires a few adjustments for baked goods to rise properly. You may need to increase your oven temperature and decrease the baking time as well as adjust the quantities of certain ingredients. This article from King Arthur Baking offers a lot of great tips on successful high-altitude baking.
How to store cornbread?
I find the easiest way to store it is by covering the baking dish with food safe plastic wrap and keeping it refrigerated up to 3 days. If you want it warm, place the cornbread in a microwave-safe dish and heat it in short 15-second increments in a microwave. You can heat it for about 15 minutes in a low oven at <300℉. I suggest covering it in foil (I like to add a layer of parchment between the food and the foil).
If you love this recipe ★★★★★ please be sure to rate it below! Sharing your experience lets me know that you enjoyed it and will help other readers decide if they should give the recipe a try too. Thanks a bunch!🥕
Recipe
Easy Vegan Cornbread with Maple Syrup
Equipment
- Medium mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- 8" square baking pan or cupcake pan
- Large spoon or silicone spatula for stirring
Ingredients
- 1 C corn meal
- 1 C all purpose flour
- ¼ C maple syrup scant cup
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 C vegan milk rice, oat, almond, cashew, your choice
- ⅓ C vegan butter melted
- 1 vegan egg replacer* equivalent of 1 egg using vegan egg replacer
- ⅓ C sweet corn fresh, frozen, or canned
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Prepare baking dish by lining with parchment or greasing with butter or oil. If using a muffin pan, use paper liners or oil.
- In medium bowl, combine corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt.
- In small bowl, mix milk, melted butter, maple syrup, prepared egg replacer, and corn.
- Add wet ingredients to dry. Combine until just blended. Don't over-mix.
- Pour into prepared baking dish or muffin tin.
- Bake for 25 - 27 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Nancy Andres says
Yummy recipe. I'd like to use olive oil instead of butter. How do you think that would work?
Connie says
Hi Nancy - I haven't tried it with olive oil but I imagine it would be delicious! Thank you for the suggestion. Love to hear if you give it a try - I'll be happy to include olive oil as a substitute.
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
You won't miss the eggs or dairy butter in this perfectly moist & marvelous homemade cornbread!