The Best Vegan Cornbread

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!

What do I need to make this?

• Yellow cornmeal. Not all cornmeal is the same. I prefer a finer yellow cornmeal for a cakier texture. I use tried and true Quaker cornmeal you can find at most supermarkets.
  
• Vegan sour cream. I usually use Tofutti brand but there are many others out there now that should work just fine like Follow Your Heart, Kite Hill, Violife, Elmhurst and more. A plain vegan yogurt should work fine as well.
  
• Agave or vegan “honey”. Although the glaze is optional, I think it makes this cornbread. You can use agave syrup or a vegan honey if you can find one and a vegan butter of your choice.

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!

The Best Vegan Cornbread

Recipe by Kreg

4.9 from 12 votes

Cuisine: Breakfast, bread, sidedish

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

This is the best rich, sweet & golden northern style vegan cornbread you’ll ever make!

Ingredients

• Dry ingredients

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup plus two tablespoons vegan or organic cane sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• Wet ingredients

• 1 cup vegan sour cream (I prefer Tofutti brand, but use your favorite)

• 1 cup vegan milk

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• “Honee” Glaze

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter

• 2 tablespoons vegan honey or agave syrup

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Grease or spray a 9×9 or 8×8 square baking pan.
• Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. In a large bowl whisk all the wet ingredients together. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients gently into the wet just until combined. You don’t want to see any streaks or clumps of flour but you also don’t want to over-mix.
• Pour the batter into the prepared greased pan (scraping it all from the bowl) and tap the pan on the counter firmly a few times to even out the batter and remove any large air bubbles then bake for about 18-22 minutes for a 9 inch pan or about 22-24 minutes for an 8 inch pan or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. The top should be golden brown but don’t over-bake!
• Is using the glaze, melt the vegan butter then whisk in the vegan honey or agave and brush over the warm cornbread letting it all soak in.
• Cool for a few minutes then cut into squares and enjoy. This is best served warm but you can freeze this or store in the fridge and warm up pieces as needed.

Recipe Video

Notes

• This recipe can be made as corn muffins, corn sticks or in a cast iron pan. Obviously, cooking time will need to be adjusted for different pan sizes. You can search online for standard baking times for different pan sizes.
  
• Use your favorite vegan milk. I prefer soy.
  
• Use your favorite vegan sour cream. You could probably use a thick plain unsweetened vegan yogurt as well but I haven’t tested it.
  
• I prefer fine yellow cornmeal for cornbread. You can find it in most supermarkets in the baking aisle. Can you use gluten-free flour? I’m not sure. You can try using a gluten-free flour mix but again, I have not tested it.

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