Looking for a fool-proof, everybody loves this gluten free cornbread recipe? Read on!
After years of publishing cornbread recipes, sampling cornbread at gluten free shows and teaching how to make cornbread at my cooking classes, I’m convinced that people are passionate about their particular cornbread “styles.”
In my house, we grew up with sugar in our cornbread – making it in to a deliciously light and fluffy corn cake that has become one of the most beloved recipes I take to friends’ houses for meals.
Many others swear that the sugar ruins the cornbread, and instead leave it plain and unadulterated, or add savory elements to the bread to complement many soups and stews.
In this recipe, I tried to take the best of both styles of cornbread. The result is a savory, light and fluffy corn cake with a kick that enhances wonderful foods like stews and chili!
I used chipotle peppers that I picked up in the Latin food section of my local grocery store (be sure to buy one without wheat as a thickener), canned in a wonderful smoky adobo sauce. If you prefer to use a different kind of chile or pepper, give it a whirl! Chances are, if you like the taste of those peppers before you put them in the cornbread, you’ll love the cornbread too!
As always, feel free to ignore my mix-ins like peppers and corn kernels – this won’t upset the finished product, it will only change the taste and texture.
This delicious gluten free cornbread stands on its own without any additions and is a worthy side dish for many-a-meal.
And if you want something even easier (the hardest part about making gluten-free cornbread is finding certified gluten free corn meal and corn flour or other gluten free flours) – use my award-winning gfJules™ Gluten Free Cornbread Mix — just dump in a bowl, stir the wet ingredients in with a fork and voilá!
No fuss, and delicious, certified gluten free cornbread can be yours! Mmmmm … I can smell it already!
Easy Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe
Easy, one bowl gluten free cornbread that pleases all palates!
Ingredients
OR
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal, gluten-free (Arrowhead Mills GF Organic Yellow Corn Meal®)
- 1 cup gfJules™ All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2-4 Tablespoons granulated cane sugar, to taste
PLUS
- 3 Tbs. butter or non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 1 cup sour cream (dairy or soy – like Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream® or Vegan Gourmet®) OR plain yogurt, dairy or non-dairy (like So Delicious® Coconut Yogurt)
- 3/4 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy alternative)
- 1 large egg (or egg replacer equivalent like flax seed meal + water or aquafaba)
- 3-4 chipotle peppers, chopped – optional (gluten-free brand like Goya® or La Costeña®)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup corn kernels – optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the 3 Tbs. butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet or one 8- or 9-inch square baking pan; place in the oven to melt and warm the pan.
Whisk together the sour cream, milk and egg. If baking from scratch, in a separate bowl, combine the cornmeal, gfJules Flour™, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar (if using).
Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients or gfJules Gluten Free Cornbread Mix. Fold in the chopped peppers and corn kernels, if using. Spread in the hot greased skillet or baking pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until set and crispy brown around the edges. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack; cut into squares or wedges, depending on the shape of your pan.
You can also bake these as corn muffins – fill 12 oiled muffin tins and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
Serves 8.
For this and 149 other awesome gluten-free and allergy-friendly recipes, grab my newest book, Free for All Cooking!
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 192Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 38mgSodium 504mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 2gSugar 12gProtein 5g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients, optional ingredients, and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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Very good!
Wonderful to hear that you loved the gluten free cornbread, Cindy!!
~jules
What can I use in place of gluten free flour? Rice flour? Cornstarch?
Hi Bonnie, rice flour or corn starch don’t work as a stand-alone flours in recipes like this. Here’s some more information on gluten free flours to help you find a blend that will work for you.
~jules
Am going to try this.
However, I do not understand why you are adding sugar – and so much!
I want a savoury bread so will leave out the sugar and see how it turns out.
Hi Margaret – no need to add the sugar, or you can feel free to dial it back. It’s a beautiful recipe for that reason because it works well as a savory cornbread (I’ve even added hot peppers to it before!) and as a sweeter cake. Tailor it to your tastes and enjoy!
~jules
Best cornbread I have ever made, though of necessity a few changes were made. Used full fat plain Greek yogurt and whole milk. Two eggs instead of one and coconut oil in the pie pan instead of butter. Seemed done at 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Beautiful color, rose well, crispy edges, not too crumbley, and great flavor!
Thanks for sharing your changes, Billy. So glad you loved it! I imagine that coconut oil flavor was delicious in this recipe!
~jules
I have made your GF Cornbread mix a few times and everyone that tries it absolutely loves it. It goes pretty fast in this house. Thank you for making a mix that is so easy and delicious!
Hi Kim, SO glad you all love it! I make it again a couple days ago to go with stew and it’s really the perfect complement and SO easy to make! Thanks for letting me know how much your family is enjoying the mix!
~jules
I love to bake but I am single so I often end up making a larger quantity of goodies than one person could or I shall say should eat before it should be tossed. I haven’t made homemade gluten free cornbread before but it’s one of my favorite things to eat. I bought your GF Cornbread mix to make things easier which I am making today but I was wondering how long it will last in the fridge after baking and if it can be frozen and reheated as needed and if so how long it would be good in the freezer for. I have had good luck freezing certain gluten free things in the past like GF pumpkin muffins and mock French toast egg cups but I didn’t know if cornbread would freeze well or not. Thanks!
Hi Erica, I wouldn’t recommend putting any baked goods in the refrigerator, as it just tends to dry them out. I cover them and leave them on the counter for a few days and then freeze, or freeze a portion as soon as it’s cooled if I know it won’t all get eaten first. It does thaw well when wrapped and gently microwaved or put into the oven. Enjoy!
~jules
Hi,
I’m hosting a gluten-free Thanksgiving, and would like to use a cornbread stuffing. Thing is, I have never made toasted bread crumbs (for stuffing) out of ANYthing before. Will your recipe work for this? What do I need to do? Will it cut up into little cubes? Should I bake it in a jelly-roll pan? I am planning to add spices and fruits (apples,pears, craisins) to the dressing. Should I add the spices to the cornbread before baking it?
I am a novice cook, but have just begun experimenting, so should I just give up and buy already-made GF bread stuffing crumbs?
Any help you can give me is appreciated! Thank you!
Hi Mary Jo – you’re doing the right thing to start thinking about the stuffing options now! You can use this recipe or my Cornbread Mix (even easier) and then follow the instructions in my gluten free stuffing recipe which details how to toast the bread cubes. You’ve got this!!!!
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
~jules
Jules is there anything else to use besides sour cream or yogart? Just got your cornbread mix and my sour cream has mold! I have some coconut yogart but it got frozen in our other frig! Arg!
Bad timing, Sue!! You can use all milk instead, but I would cut back a little on it so that there’s not too much liquid. The yogurt or sour cream helps to give the cornbread a little more body so it’s not too dense and wet. Although … I will happily eat cornbread with a spoon! LOL!
~jules
Love this mix! I have a quick question… how do I make this in a cast iron skillet?
Hi Jo – you should be able to bake it in a cast iron skillet exactly as you would a regular 8×8 pan. I like to put some butter or vegan butter in the bottom and heat the cast iron skillet in the oven while I’m whipping up the corn bread (since it’s so quick to make!). I spoon the batter into the hot skillet and smooth the top and bake! Be sure to check out my Farmer’s Market Cornbread Recipe, since you love this mix. Happy baking!
~jules
Jules, Love, Love your cornbread mix, I was just wondering if I can make it in a muffin tin and line the tin with cupcake papers instead of oiling?
Hi Debbie, so glad you love my cornbread mix! It’s one of our favorites, too! To answer your question, you can absolutely make it in cupcake tins lined with papers. These papers are my favorites because they don’t tend to stick to the cakes at all.
Happy baking!
~jules
I just made your cornbread using this recipe today and my husband loved it! I didn’t use the peppers or the corn kernels, but it was still terrific… Really fluffy! I wish I could include a picture of it here it was beautiful.
Oh Ashley, I’m so happy for you and your hubby that you made this easy recipe and both enjoyed it so much! Thanks so much for letting me know. I agree — we need to find a way for folks to share their yummy photos. Sometimes photos really do speak louder than words, but thanks so much for taking the time to let me know that you both loved the recipe (even without the photo)!!!
~jules
Hi there, just received my order and am trying the corn bread for the first time. But want to make a half batch. Is there a “measurement “ of the mix I can go by? Thanks for your help!
Hi Jules, I bought your cornbread mix and it tells me to add3 Tbs butter, 1 cup sour cream, 3/4 cup of milk and an egg. But I’m not finding how much of the mix I use?? Am I just not seeing it?
Hi Kimberly, if using my mix, you use the entire canister of mix. Enjoy the cornbread!
~jules
I’d like to try your Corn Muffin recipe — do you melt the 3TBs of butter and add to batter or use the melted butter to “oil” the muffin tin?
Hi Janet, you can use it to oil the muffin tins, but typically I only use it when I bake in cast iron — it’s really up to you, but don’t add to the batter. Hope that makes it clear. Enjoy the recipe!
~jules
I made these and had them with agave, they were delish !!!
Wonderful to hear, Jeannette!
I just noticed my cornbread mix expired a month ago. Does it usually have a strong smell? Is it ok to use?
Hi Patrice, the cornbread mix should not have a strong smell. It might smell like corn a bit, but that’s all. It contains flaxseed meal, though, and that can have a strong smell when it has turned rancid. If it’s expired, I would probably throw it out if you think it has an odor because it might be from the flaxseed meal. So sorry!
I made the gluten free cornbread without the sugar or peppers for cornbread dressing at Thanksgiving. It made the dressing a little “gooey”, so at Christmas, I made the cornbread without the sugar and peppers, reduced Jules flour mix by 1/4 cup and replaced that with cornmeal. BINGO! I didn’t even make any “regular” (gluten containing) dressing at Christmas and everybody thought it was delicious.
I love everything Jules!
That’s fantastic, Deb! What a victory – I just love when the non-gluten-free guests eat the same meal and love it. It’s the way it oughta be all the time! Thanks for sharing your substitutions!!!
Thanks so much for your reply. I just purchased the book and I can’t wait to try all the delicious looking recipes in there. I also appreciate all the valuable information such as how to replace sweetened condensed milk. Thank you!!