This is literally the best vegan cornbread ever. No special egg replacers and mixed in (pretty much) one bowl! I originally posted a good cornbread recipe but it came in second in a cornbread contest at a chili cook off we had a few years back and it bothered me greatly that it didn’t win! It was tasty enough but it was missing a few components that I love in cornbread. I wanted it spongy and cake-like with a fine texture like the kind I remember from a bakery or good diner. I also wanted it to be firm but not dry and crumbly. It also had it be sweet, tender and moist but not stodgy. I always knew I had a better version in me and after many attempts, this my vegan friends is it!
I knew I wanted to try and make this without any special egg replacers but eggs add fat and flavor. My original recipe included sour cream that added that element of fat but I also used flax eggs originally and I wondered would just going with sour cream work? I was about to find out and spoiler alert – it totally does! I prefer a thick variety of vegan sour cream but I think a thicker plain vegan yogurt might work as well although I haven’t tested it. I also originally used cream of tartar and it worked well as a leavening agent but I know most didn’t have it in their pantry so I swapped it out to traditional baking powder but also added a pinch of baking soda to help with browning and to offset the acidic nature of the sour cream. After researching hundreds of recipes I also found out that vegetable oil and not melted butter would be the better choice to use because oil doesn’t contain water like vegan butter does. I also came to find that contrary to rational thought, more oil won’t make the cornbread moister it will just wind up making it greasier so only 1/4 cup was needed here since we also have fat from the sour cream for tenderness.
Since I wanted these cake-like and sweet I would have used cake flour for a more refined texture but since most don’t normally have that on hand we’re adding a little cornstarch to lighten things up and keep with the corn theme. This bakes in a hot oven and they all can vary. I use a convection oven so things tend to bake faster. You can bake this in a 9×9 baking pan and it will bake quicker or an 8×8 and it will take a little longer. You can also bake in a cast iron skillet if preferred or even bake these as muffins!
This is so easy to assemble. You just whisk the dry ingredients together then do the same with the wet then fold the dry in and mix just until combined. Then just pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake. So simple even kids will love to make this recipe. In fact, this would be the perfect recipe for kids to try who are interested in baking! I hope you enjoy this cornbread as much as we do. It’s great on its own slathered with vegan butter or as a side to vegan chili. I would imagine it would also be great with some vegan cheddar and jalapeños added! I’m so over the moon with the results. Enjoy!
Perfect cornbread!! With the cold weather, this is great with soups!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the corn bread! It really does have a perfect texture! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a kind review.
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Delicious! It was soft and sweet but not overly sweet. The best recipe. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! This one took me years to perfect so I’m glad it paid off!