This easy gluten free cornbread recipe will give you the perfect balance of delicious sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth crumbly softness. It's the perfect side for nearly any meal, from soup to BBQ, and it's naturally gluten free if you use all cornmeal and no other flours.
Need your cornbread to be dairy free? Egg free? I can help with these too! Want to take your GF cornbread to go? Use my tasty recipe to make gluten free cornbread muffins that you can enjoy on the run.
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What makes this recipe for gluten free cornbread special?
This recipe was one of the earliest gluten free recipes I shared on the blog, and it's become a staple in so many readers' homes. The recipe has always been simple, and still remarkably adaptable.
Many of you have written to me of the years, telling me that you made it with granulated sugar instead of honey, milk instead of buttermilk or yogurt, shortening or coconut oil (or even vegetable oil!) instead of butter. The recipe has turned out every single time.
It bakes very quickly, especially if you're making it in a cast iron pan, since that conducts heat very well. The sides and bottom of the cornbread also brown very nicely in the oven.
Is cornbread gluten free?
Corn itself does not have gluten in it, so it’s naturally gluten free. Cornmeal is made by simply grinding yellow corn into a coarse or fine grind.
For complete information on which grains and other ingredients are naturally gluten free, please check out my Ultimate Guide to the Basic Rules of a Gluten Free Diet. It’s a great way to begin a gluten free lifestyle on the right foot.
By this logic, making cornbread gluten free requires no extra thought, right? Unfortunately, that's not the case. You first have to be careful about the cornmeal you buy to ensure that it isn’t contaminated with gluten-containing grains during manufacturing.
Bob’s Red Mill brand has a certified gluten free cornmeal variety, so if you buy that brand be sure to pick up the right package. Most cornbread is made from cornmeal and wheat flour, so it’s not actually gluten free.
The only flour in my original “old fashioned cornbread” recipe is coarsely ground yellow cornmeal. There's no wheat flour, so it’s naturally gluten free.
What's the best pan for making gluten free cornbread?
Cast iron skillet. Cake pan. Muffin tin.
These are all possibilities for making GF cornbread, but which is the best? I've made this easy gluten free cornbread recipe in nearly every container imaginable.
My favorite way by far is my cast iron skillet — I love my pan, and I find myself using it nearly every day. And as with many things, it does a superb job with this gluten free cornbread. I'm talking quick cook time, crunchy edges, and lovely color.
But if you don't have a cast iron pan, you have plenty of options. A round 9-inch cake pan works well too. The only difference I notice between my cast iron pan and cake pan is that bread doesn't get as crunchy around the edges when I use the cake pan. If you're not a fan of too much crunch, try a cake pan instead!
Believe it or not, I hadn’t tried this gluten free cornbread recipe in a standard 12-cup muffin tin — until recently. And no surprise, they turned out beautifully.
Making gluten free cornmeal muffins
To use this same recipe to make muffins, I lined the wells of the tin with greaseproof paper liners so the muffins didn’t stick, and distributed the batter evenly among the wells. In my muffin tin, the wells were nearly full of batter.
This isn’t a high-rising cornbread, so I wasn’t concerned that the gluten free corn muffins would overflow the pan. I made the variation with half coarsely ground yellow cornmeal and half corn flour, as discussed below.
The muffins rose evenly, and they baked perfectly at 350°F in 18 minutes. I was considering adding another egg, since the batter is looser than an ideal muffin batter, but I wanted to see if it worked as written. And it did!
Gluten free cornbread: all cornmeal recipe
This recipe has long been a staple of this blog for so many reasons, not the least of which are because it’s so incredibly simple—and strikingly adaptable.
The original gluten free cornbread recipe calls for 2 cups of coarsely ground yellow cornmeal as the only flour—without any added starches or more finely ground flours.
I call it “coarsely ground yellow cornmeal,” but that’s a bit redundant since cornmeal is simply corn that’s been dried and coarsely ground. All cornmeal is, by definition, coarsely ground.
Made this way, as the recipe was originally written, this classic cornbread recipe is moist and tender, but has a fair amount of “bite” from the cornmeal. The honey helps keep the cornbread tender and helps offset any bitterness from the cornmeal.
None of these variations contain cornstarch, which is a flavorless powder made from only the starch in the endosperm of the corn grain. You could probably replace a bit of the cornmeal with cornstarch and get a more tender cornbread, but I prefer the other variations listed in this recipe.
Gluten free cornbread: the cornmeal and corn flour recipe
Cornmeal is coarsely ground corn, and corn flour is finely ground corn. You can buy corn flour, but I generally take my coarsely ground yellow cornmeal and simply grind it again in a blender until it’s lighter.
I consider this variety, made with half coarsely ground yellow cornmeal and half corn flour, to be the best gluten free cornbread of all.
Replacing half of the coarsely ground cornmeal in this recipe with more finely ground corn flour makes for a less crumbly, more cohesive cornbread. It also has a smoother mouth feel, and tends to stay fresh another day longer when stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly.
Since I’ve started experimenting with changing up the flours in this recipe, this variation has become my favorite. I do sometimes buy corn flour if I’m placing an order for other things from nuts.com (where I buy gluten free corn flour), but more often grind my own.
U.K. terminology
To confuse things a bit, I’m afraid that these terms are used differently in the U.K.
In the UK, “corn flour” is actually what we call cornstarch in the U.S. (the starch only).
What you need to look for to make this gluten free cornbread is”coarsely ground cornmeal” (what we simply call “cornmeal” in the U.S.) and “finely ground cornmeal” (what we refer to as “corn flour”). You may also see the latter labeled as “maize flour” or “finely ground polenta”.
Gluten free cornbread: the cornmeal and all purpose gluten free flour blend recipe
I learned that this recipe could be made with half all purpose gluten free flour (I’ve only used Better Batter, but I’m sure any of my recommended blends would work) when I ran out of cornmeal after I had already prepared all the ingredients to make cornbread.
Since it was only for my family, and my husband will eat anything, especially if it’s warm when I serve it, I decided to try it with half all purpose gluten free flour. The recipe worked (although it took about another 5 minutes to bake fully)!
The all purpose gluten free flour version makes for a cornbread that has a much smaller crumb, and a lighter crumb color overall (although the top is just as yellow). The crust itself is also less crispy.
As you’d expect, it has little bite and is much less chewy than the other two versions. I would not recommend making the cornbread with a combination of all purpose gluten free flour and corn flour, though, as it would not have the right texture.
You’ll also notice that this gluten free cornbread tends to dome more in the center during baking. That’s likely because the combination of flours leads to less even baking, but of course, it doesn’t affect the flavor or texture any further.
How to serve gluten free cornbread
There are so many yummy ways to serve gluten free cornbread, whether you're serving the bread as an accompaniment to a meal or enjoying it on its own.
One of my favorite ways to snack on cornbread is to grab it when it's still hot from the oven and quickly top it with a bit of dairy-free butter. So decadent!
But when I'm craving a bit of sweetness, I drizzle my gluten free cornmeal muffins with extra honey. For a sweet and tangy twist, spread a little strawberry or raspberry jelly instead.
On those days when I need something extra sweet to end my day —hear me out — I warm my cornbread in the microwave for just a few seconds and then drop a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
When I'm serving my gluten free cornbread alongside soup, stew, gluten free chili, BBQ, and other meals, I generally offer my family and guests butter and honey, but I find they rarely use them. Instead, they top the cornbread with their meal or use it to soak up the last bits on their plate.
Using gluten free cornbread to make stuffing
If you couldn't already tell, I absolutely love this cornbread, both for its yummy taste and for how versatile it is.
When I need to make stuffing, I often turn to this recipe for a base, and make gluten free cornbread stuffing.
After baking a pan of gluten free cornbread, I let it dry out for a couple of days. Then, I chop it up and add rosemary, thyme, sage, vegetable broth, and a few more ingredients.
Seriously, give it a try at Thanksgiving or the next time you're making chicken or turkey.
Storing gluten free cornbread
I'll be honest, my gluten free cornbread doesn't tend to last long around my house. But when I'm really craving it, I'll make a couple of batches so I can enjoy it throughout the week.
Thankfully, storing this delicious GF cornbread is super easy — just wait until it has cooled completely, and then store it in an air-tight container. I have a plastic container that fits a whole batch beautifully, but zip-top storage bags work great in a pinch too.
If you'll eat your cornbread within two or three days, leaving it outside at room temperature is fine. Any longer than that, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator.
Is this GF cornbread recipe suitable for freezing?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze this gluten free cornbread (or corn muffins, if you go that route).
I've found that if you make this recipe with at least some all purpose gluten free flour, your baked goods will stay fresh for a bit longer and freeze a bit better.
If you make a naturally gluten free variety of the cornbread, without any rice-based flour blend, you should eat it soon after baking, or quickly freeze it for later use. When you're ready to eat it, defrost briefly in the microwave, as even a warm oven will dry out the cornbread.
While you can freeze many non-gluten free cornbread batter recipes, I wouldn't recommend it with mine. It may taste largely the same in the end, but it won't rise as much so it will be quite dense.
Gluten free cornbread ingredients and substitutions
This is such a simple recipe, which often makes substitutions more difficult, but somehow this gluten free cornbread recipe is magic ✨ and can take all sorts of modifications (dairy free, egg free, etc) in stride.
Some following suggestions are from personal experience with this recipe, others are just well-educated guesses.
How to make gluten free dairy-free cornbread
I have successfully transformed this into a gluten free, dairy-free cornbread recipe by using Earth Balance buttery sticks in place of unsalted butter (just reduce the salt by half) and dairy-free plain yogurt in place of yogurt.
You can also try a mix of half plain dairy-free yogurt and half unsweetened almond milk as a buttermilk replacement. That’s your best bet.
How to make gluten free egg free cornbread
As always, whenever there is one egg in a recipe, I recommend trying it with one “chia egg” in its place (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel).
I haven’t tried this egg-free, though, so you’ll have to experiment, but I feel pretty confident that you’ll get good results.
Gluten free cornbread — without corn?
Well, this is a super tough one, to make gluten free cornbread without, well, corn. The only reason I think this might be even remotely possible is because I’ve seen some Paleo recipes floating around the Internet that use ground millet in place of cornmeal to make a corn-free “cornbread.”
Perhaps the all purpose gluten free flour variation, which contains only 1 cup of coarsely ground cornmeal, can be made with ground millet in place of the cornmeal.
But note that replacing the cornmeal entirely is a big risk, so only try it if you’re feeling adventuresome
FAQs
Sometimes! If cornbread is made with only naturally gluten free ingredients, like with cornmeal alone, instead of with wheat flour as well, it may be naturally gluten free. Most conventional cornbread will contain some sort of wheat flour, though, and won't be gluten free. You'd need a specific, gluten free cornbread recipe like this one.
Did you let it cool completely before you sliced it? If not, it won't hold together as well when sliced. Did you overmix the batter? That can also create a crumbly, more dense cornbread.
When baked goods rise in the oven and then fall as they cool, they aren't baked all the way through so the center doesn't have the proper structure to support the rise as the steam escapes. Your oven is probably running hot, so the outside of the cornbread is getting overbaked before the center can bake fully.
When your cornbread is done, it will be lightly golden brown on top, golden brown around the edges, and firm to the touch in the center. You can also use the toothpick test by placing one in the center. If it comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter, it's done.
Cast iron retains heat very well, so less heat is lost during the baking process. In addition, the dark pan attracts more heat than a light-colored pan.
All corn is gluten free. There is something called u0022corn gluten,u0022 but it's not what we mean when we use the term u0022glutenu0022 in the world of u0022gluten free baking.u0022 Instead, when we say gluten, we mean the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.
If you underbaked your cornbread, it will be gummy in the middle. If you overmeasured baking powder and baking soda, the cornbread will rise too high and then fall, creating a denser, gummy center.
Check your baking powder and baking soda to make sure they're fresh! If not, your cornbread won't rise.
Old Fashioned Gluten Free Cornbread | the original best recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (264 g) coarsely ground yellow cornmeal (See Recipe Notes)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) plain yogurt at room temperature (can substitute an equal amount of buttermilk or half sour cream/half whole milk)
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- 4 tablespoons (84 g) honey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan or 9-inch cast iron skillet with unsalted butter and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to combine.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the yogurt, butter, egg and honey, and mix to combine well.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan or cast-iron pan. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- If you're baking in a cast iron pan, the cornbread will likely be done in about 20 minutes.
- Slice and serve warm.
Notes
Half of the cornmeal, by weight, can be replaced with an equal amount, by weight of corn flour, and the recipe is otherwise unchaged. You can also replace half the cornmeal, by weight, with all purpose gluten free flour. I like Better Batter as an all purpose gluten free flour here.
Nutrition
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Jill says
Can I substitute equal amounts of plain Greek yogurt for the regular whole milk yogurt?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Jill, I’m afraid not as there wouldn’t be enough moisture. Greek yogurt is basically regular yogurt with liquid drained out of it.
Phil Nichols says
I’ve made this several times both as a standalone cornbread and as a cornbread for stuffing on Thanksgiving. I went with the half corn meal and half corn flour version and used plain hole kefir instead of yogurt. It turned out amazing! I have substituted maple syrup as a sweetener and it tastes really good but I wouldn’t use that for the stuffing just for the standalone cornbread. Very versatile recipe that will be used often!
Nicole Hunn says
Thank you so much for sharing that experience, Phil. I’m really glad to know that you’ve had a lot of success with the different variations of the recipe and ingredients. That’s very helpful!
Kathy says
I have been trying gluten free cornbread mixes so that I can make my traditional family recipe cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving now that we have a diagnosed celiac. The mixes just haven’t been quite right, but THIS recipe is going to work perfectly!! And the cornbread is just delicious! I’m going to try it with buttermilk as well just to play with the flavor a bit, and I will also do a little grinding of the cornmeal just to play with texture! Just wondering what your thoughts might be on using heavy cream or half and half??? I am so grateful for this recipe! Thanks for sharing all your experience and expertise!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Kathy, so glad you enjoyed the cornbread. As I explain in the recipe, you can use plain whole milk yogurt, buttermilk, or half sour cream/half milk. I’ve never tried half and half, but it might work. I don’t recommend using heavy cream as there isn’t enough moisture and it could likely come out dry. I hope that helps, and you’re very welcome!
Denise says
The flavor seems good, but it’s hard to tell. I followed the dairy free instructions of half yogurt and half oat (not almond) milk, and it is so crumbly it can’t be eaten as a bread. I saw a tip about letting it cool completely, but the instructions say serve warm, not to cool fully. Any tips?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Denise, I understand it can be frustrating when a recipe doesn’t turn out as intended. I’m afraid I can’t really know what happened, but my first recommendation is always to make sure you measured by weight, not volume. Then, it does sound like there wasn’t enough liquid, so I wonder if your oat milk is an issue. As you know I recommend baking with almond milk and oat milk tends to be thick and have a texture to it, so I would recommend not using that. I hope that’s helpful!
Usch says
I baked the cornbread today and it turned out perfectly. I used half cornmeal and half corn flour. Very tasty, thank you.
Nicole Hunn says
You’re so welcome, Usch! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Christine says
Just made this and it was perfect! I did the half whole milk/half sour cream option and the corn bread is super moist. Someone mentioned it was too sweet. I didn’t find that to be the case at all. In fact, next time I may blend some honey butter to spread on it.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad you loved the cornbread, Christine! Too sweet/not sweet enough is never wrong or right. It’s just matter of taste, and no matter how much or how little sweetness the recipe calls for, someone will be upset. So glad it hit the spot for you. :)
Linda says
Amazing!
Turned out perfect 👍
Nicole Hunn says
So glad you enjoyed the cornbread, Linda!
Lena says
I need to make more than 8 servings
Nicole Hunn says
You can change the yield to increase the size of the recipe ingredients proportionately, Lena, right there in the recipe card. I recommend using multiple pans rather than baking a double recipe in a large pan, though.
Nancy says
I am making this again tonight to go with super spicy chili. So simple, so good! This time I added VERY thinly sliced jalapenos that I seeded. My mouth is watering.
Nicole Hunn says
Oooh that sounds delicious, Nancy!
Hannah says
I really love this recipe but my muffins came out so dry and so crumbly they were impossible to eat. The taste was lovely though! I substituted white sugar for honey and used whole milk and sour cream. Any advice to keep them more cake like and moist? Thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
You can’t use whole milk as a substitute for sour cream, or granulated sugar for a liquid sweetener, Hannah. I’m afraid your substitutions are where you went wrong!
Nancy says
I think you may just have overcooked it.
Rita says
I love the texture of this; doesn’t fall apart, which is common with gluten free. Excellent recipe, thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
You’re so welcome, Rita. So glad you enjoyed the cornbread.
Mona says
Hello, I’ve probably just missed this in the instructions, but could you tell me the cooking temperature and if I’m meant to grease my skillet before cooking. Thanks, Mona
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so sorry, Mona, I have no idea what happened but the instructions for this recipe just disappeared! I’ve added them back in and all the details for exactly how to make the recipe are there now.
Kelly says
I cut the recipe in half because I didn’t want that big of a loaf. I did use a cast iron skillet, a small one. I added, like three tablespoons of monk fruit sweetener. And I did use buttermilk instead of yogurt. Pretty aged buttermilk. This was the best cornbread I think I’ve ever had. This is pretty close to the same recipe my grandma used to make. My grandma was a good cook!
Nicole Hunn says
That’s so great to hear, Kelly! And I take the comment about your grandmother with the proper reverence. :)
Cat says
I really love this, although would prefer it a bit less sweet sometimes . If I reduce the honey would that affect the wet/dry ratio too much? (I appreciate it’s probably going to be a case of trial and error, but thought I would ask in case anyone has tried this already 😊)
Nicole Hunn says
You can try reducing the honey, but yes, it will affect the recipe not only in liquid balance but also because sugar is a tenderizer.
Margaret says
What brand of cornmeal did you use?
Nicole Hunn says
I usually use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free cornmeal, Margaret. If I can find it in store, I also buy Arrowhead Mills gluten free cornmeal.
Amy says
Hey I am from downunder
I want try this try this recipe. I have tried recipes with polenta and it doesn’t work so I am going to try with corn kernels and blended up to turn it Into cornmeal I was just wondering whether this will work and will do recipe work in the oven and I have never cooked this particular recipe before and I’m a bit nervous so any advice helpful information would be grateful not a great cook myself and want to learn more about cooking and my father used to live in America for a short time so I really need some easy gluten-free recipes or fun recipes that are American that my father will try.
Nicole Hunn says
Polenta is not the same as cornmeal, Amy. If you’re using polenta in place of cornmeal in recipes, that would account for your difficulty.