This easy gluten-free cornbread recipe is a lightly sweet, southern-style cornbread with a lighter, cake-like texture. Only a few simple ingredients and less than 30 minutes are required to enjoy a cornbread so good no one will realize it’s gluten-free!
best recipe for gluten free cornbread
Need gluten-free bread in a Jiffy? (get it?!) Learn how to this easy recipe for gluten-free cornbread and you will never need a mix again.
The ingredients are standard kitchen-staples, requires one bowl, and mere minutes of prep. It’s perfect to dunk in any gluten-free soups, such as award-winning Buffalo Chicken Chili, Stuffed Pepper Soup, or creamy Chicken and Dumpling Soup.
Just like gluten-free corn muffins, if you are looking for a dairy-free gluten-free recipe we have you covered! The recipe is easily adaptable with simple adjustments.
Let’s learn how to make easy gluten-free cornbread, along with many expert tips to make this recipe the only one you’ll ever need!
Ingredient notes
Similar to the recipes shared in my gluten-free cookbook and across the site, the required ingredients are affordable and easy to come by!
- Cornmeal – Although cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, read the label to be sure it was processed without contamination. Bob’s Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills both carry gluten-free cornmeal. Please note, the size of grind will affect the texture. Finely ground will yield cake-like corn muffins, while medium ground will have a courser, rustic texture.
- Gluten-Free Flour – I use and recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour blend, which contains xanthan gum. It elevates the texture from cornbread to fluffy gluten-free biscuits and soft gluten-free bread.
- Sugar – Reduce the amount for savory cornbread muffins or use equal amounts of honey or pure maple syrup.
- Milk – Substitute dairy-free milk for a dairy-free gluten-free recipe or replace the milk with buttermilk for an added tang.
- Butter – Substitute with dairy-free butter, vegan butter, vegetable oil, or coconut oil
How To Make cornbread gluten free
If you have been depending on a Jiffy cornbread mix, but are in need of a gluten-free recipe that is just as easy, you are in luck! This recipe is so effortless you will never have to buy a gluten-free cornbread mix again!
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and liberally grease a 10″ cast iron pan or 8X8 baking pan. Place the pan in the oven while it preheats.
- Next, whisk together the dry ingredients – gluten-free cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Make a well in the middle to add the wet ingredients – eggs and milk. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the melted butter, then pour the batter into the hot, buttered skillet or pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Is Cornbread gluten-free?
Northern cornbread uses cornmeal without flour, so it’s naturally gluten-free. However, it has a more crumbly, courser texture. This recipe uses equal amounts flour with cornmeal, plus sugar, to give it a lighter, more cake-like structure.
To make cornbread gluten-free you will need to substitute gluten-free flour. To discover the best gluten-free flour for baking, check out my free resource and see how the top brands compare.
Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free because it’s made from dried corn kernels. However, it can be contaminated with wheat during processing and packaging. To ensure your cornmeal is safe, use certified gluten-free cornmeal brands such as Bob’s Red Mill or Arrowhead brands.
serving and Flavor modifications
Want to experiment with different tastes? Use some of the suggestions below to modify this GF cornbread and make it your own!
- Serve warm with butter, honey, or jam.
- Make a quick honey butter by mixing together 1/4 cup softened butter with 2 tablespoons honey and a pinch of salt.
- Jalapeño Cornbread – Stir in 1-2 fresh jalapeño peppers, freshly minced.
- Bacon Cornbread – Instead of sugar, sweeten with maple syrup and stir in 6 slices cooked, chopped bacon. Sprinkle the tops with additional bacon before baking.
- Cheddar Cornbread – Stir in 1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar, sprinkling the tops with additional cheddar cheese before baking.
- Sweet Cornbread – There is already sugar in the recipe, but you fluctuate the amount based on preference. Add up to 3/4 cup sugar, or substitute with part honey or pure maple syrup
Storing and freezing tips
Once it has completely cooled store in an airtight container up to 2 days at room temperature. Do not store in the fridge, or it will dry out.
For optimal freshness, I freeze any gluten-free breads right away since they don’t stay fresh as long. Wrap the muffins in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container up to 3 months.
For more storage tips with gluten-free baking recipes, see this free and valuable resource! Cornbread goes well with baked beans, as well as many barbecue and southern recipes.
dairy-free modifications
To make dairy-free gluten-free cornbread substitute a non-dairy milk, such as unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk, and use dairy-free butter.
Alternatively, replace the butter with an equal amount of vegetable oil or coconut oil. Please note, the recommended flour, Cup4Cup, does contain milk powder. To make dairy-free gluten-free cornbread, use King Arthur Measure-for-Measure.
Making corn muffins
To make gluten-free cornbread muffins follow the baking instructions on this recipe. Bake in a 400ºF oven for 13-15 minutes.
using cornbread to make stuffing
To make gluten-free cornbread dressing omit the sugar from the recipe, or halve the amount. Bake the cornbread according to the recipe and let cool completely.
Cut into small cubes and spread them on a large baking sheet. Leave it out for 1-2 days to dry out or bake 250°F oven for 30-45, tossing every 10 minutes. Use with your favorite stuffing recipe for a gluten-free version!
Why let the batter rest before baking?
Letting the batter rest for 5-10 minutes before baking allows time for the baking powder to activate, helps the rise, and gives time to hydrate the starches so the corn muffins stay moist.
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step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
More Gluten-free bread Recipes
- Sausage Muffins with Cheese
- Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- Easy Gluten-Free Breadsticks
- Soft Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls
SAVE THIS recipe for GLUTEN-FREE CORNBREAD TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARD!
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Easiest Gluten-Free Cornbread (Fluffy, Moist)
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal (Use certified gluten-free cornmeal to ensure safe processing)
- 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free brand)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup milk, regular or dairy-free
- 4 tablespoons melted and cooled butter (see recipe notes for dairy-free)
- additional butter, for greasing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Liberally grease a 10" cast iron skillet or 8X8 baking pan with about 1/2 tablespoon butter. Place pan on the middle rack while the oven preheats.
- In a large bowl whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1 cup cornmeal,1 cup gluten free all purpose flour,⅓ cup granulated sugar,2 teaspoons baking powder,½ teaspoon baking soda,¼ teaspoon salt
- Push dry ingredients to the sides of the bowl, so you have a well in the middle. Add milk and eggs to the well and stir to combine.2 eggs,,1 cup milk,
- Add melted butter and combine thoroughly. Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes at room temperature.4 tablespoons melted and cooled butter
- Remove hot pan from the oven and pour in batter. Smooth the top evenly and place back in oven. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. If not baking in a cast iron skillet, it may take a few extra minutes to bake. Check with a toothpick inserted in the middle to come out clean.
- DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?? DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AND/OR CLICK A STAR RATING ON THE RECIPE CARD!
Equipment Needed
Recipe Notes
To bake gluten-free corn muffins, refer to the linked recipe.
storing and freezing tips
Once it has completely cooled store in an airtight container up to 2 days at room temperature. Do not store in the fridge, or it will dry out. For optimal freshness, I freeze any gluten-free baked goods leftovers right away since they don’t stay fresh as long. Wrap the muffins in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container up to 3 months.Nutrition
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Eileen Maxfield says
Yes, we used canned corn but today was a small panic. We have made cornbread many times using Bob’s GF Cornbread mix then adding other ingredients. My husband was looking for the mix only to discover, we did not have one! Right then was time to start cooking. Aurghhhh
Picked this recipe to try with our usual additions. Used 2 cups corn flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt per the recommended amounts. Whisked together 1 can drained of mild green chilies, 1 can, also drained, sweet corn, 1 can creamed corn straight from the can, 3 room temp large eggs, and 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Used these for wet ingredients instead of milk. Poured this into cast iron skillet that was preheated in 375 degree oven. Skillet had 1 T melted butter spread before pouring mix. Baked for 25 minutes. The center was not firmed up even though edge was just starting to brown. Continued cooking for about 5 more minutes. Knife test came out clean so we cut it into wedges and enjoyed!
Dinner was a hearty vegetable soup with scatter fried ground turkey, cornbread and beverages. Intended to have tossed green salad but the greens were to far gone. (sigh)
The cornbread tasted delicious and was quite crumbly. Not sure what to do different next time. Tonight 6 people ate 2/3s of the skillet with one of our guests asking if she could have it for a before bed snack. This counts as a WIN!!
Melissa Erdelac says
Hi Eileen,
Thank you so much for adding your variation. So glad your family enjoyed it! I didn’t see GF all-purpose flour anywhere in your ingredient list? If you just used corn flour and no GF flour, that is probably why it was more crumbly. Some cornbread recipes do just use cornmeal, but they are more of a “rustic” and crumbly texture. Adding the creamed corn would definitely help add moisture, though!
Best,
Melissa
Darlene says
My son has been on a GF diet for about 6 months and I started searching for recipes and found this cornbread! OMG, this is our new favorite cornbread, even of our old gluten laden variety. Hands down, the best. Old recipe was always crumbly and messy. This one, has a great texture and stays together, while staying moist.
Melissa Erdelac says
Thank you so much, Darlene! I am so appreciative for you taking the time to let me know. Always makes my day!
Best,
Melissa
MaryAnn Collar says
Thanks for the great recipe, Melissa!
I’ve tried a couple of recipes, and one GF cornbread mix, none of which were very good. But this recipe was great! My husband and I ate half of the pan last night. I was going to freeze the remainder with the left over chili, but my hubby said, don’t freeze that! He wants to eat it up tonight!
You could never tell this was Gluten Free. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free baking flour.
Thanks again and I’m looking forward to trying out more of your recipes.
Melissa Erdelac says
Oh thank you so much, MaryAnn! Welcome to the community! I sincerely hope you try more recipes. I think you will be just as pleased!
Best,
Melissa
Donna says
Another waste of expensive food because in the directions it says to add 1cup of AP GF Flour….unfortunately at the very end it tells me I will need 4 cups. So now my oven is a big mess and I still dont have bread and am out bread making supplies.
Melissa Erdelac says
Hi Donna,
I’m really sorry the recipe was misunderstood. It is 1 cup of flour. The brand I recommend and link to is called Cup4Cup gluten-free flour. Sounds like a very frustrating experience and I’m so sorry!
Best,
Melissa
Erica says
This is my new go to for gf cornbread! It was delicious!!! My husband couldn’t even tell it was gf. I am dairy free and trying to cut back on sugar. I used Just about foods brand 1:1 gf baking flour, Silk protein almond/cashew milk, monk fruit sweetener, and Mikoyo’s vegan butter. It turned out perfectly, except the color had a slight green cast to it lol I think I’ll try rice flour or a different gf brand next time. Thank you again for such a great recipe!!!
Melissa Erdelac says
Thank you, Erica! I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed the bread! What do you think the green color was from?? I’m so intrigued! Maybe something to do with the monk fruit sweetener? Maybe a reaction to it?
Best,
Melissa
Terry says
I made this using quick 5-minute grits because I was out of cornmeal. The color wasn’t that pretty yellow but worked out great! I did increase the salt because I used unsalted butter.
It was so good! Went great with my chili!
Jill says
Has anyone added corn to this recipe?
Melissa Erdelac says
Hi Jill,
I haven’t, but I don’t see this being a problem! It might need a couple minutes more baking time because of the slight increase in moisture.
Best,
Melissa
Anonymous says
Yes,used canned corn but today was a small panic. We have made cornbread many times using Bob’s GF Cornbread mix then adding other ingredients. My husband was looking for the mix only to discover, we did not have one! Aurghhhh
Picked this recipe to try with our usual additions. Used 2 cups corn flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt per the recommended amounts. Whisked together 1 can drained of mild green chilies, 1 can, also drained, sweet corn, 1 can creamed corn straight from the can, 3 room temp large eggs, and 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Used these for wet ingredients instead of milk. Poured this into cast iron skillet that was preheated in 375 degree oven. Skillet had 1 T melted butter spread before pouring mix. Baked for 25 minutes. The center was not firmed up even though edge was just starting to brown. Continued cooking for about 5 more minutes. Knife test came out clean so we cut it into wedges and enjoyed!
Dinner was a hearty vegetable soup with scatter fried ground turkey, cornbread and beverages. Intended to have tossed green salad but the greens were to far gone. (sigh)
The cornbread tasted delicious and was quite crumbly. Not sure what to do different next time. Tonight 6 people ate 2/3s of the skillet with one of our guests asking if she could have it for a before bed snack. This counts as a WIN!!
Natalie says
I made this recipe tonight and we loved it. About the only change I will make is a touch more salt, and cook slightly longer (my oven underperforms ).
Has any one added cheddar cheese to this recipe?
Melissa Erdelac says
Hi Natalie,
So glad you enjoyed it! I have added cheddar cheese to the recipe and it turns out great!
Best,
Melissa
Deidre says
I’m making this for a large group and I’d like to know your thoughts on doubling the recipe and baking in either a 9×13 or 18” cast iron skillet.
Melissa says
Hi Deidre,
I’m impressed you have an 18″ cast iron skillet! You can do either option, but for a large group, making it in a 9X13 pan might be better for serving. You can still preheat it and pour the batter in the hot pan. Of course, it will take a little longer to bake, I would guess 25-30 minutes.
Best,
Melissa
Twyla says
Fantastic recipe we do them as mini loaves. There’s out wonderfuly.
Melissa says
Hi Twyla,
So great to hear and what a great idea! I’m going to try this next time since I usually end up freezing half anyway.
Best,
Melissa
Silly Sally says
I have made this recipe twice in the last two weeks. The whole family loves it, and that is a rarity. Thank you for putting so much effort into perfecting this recipe. I have tried others, but hands down this recipe is the best. Bravo!
Melissa says
Hello and thank you so much! This means a lot to me because I know how difficult it can be to cook for a “mixed bag” family of GF and non-GF eaters. Thank you so much for taking the time to write and let me know.
Best,
Melissa
Suzy says
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This was the best gf cornbread I’ve had & my non-gf eaters didn’t know the difference!
Melissa says
Yay! Thanks so much Suzy! I love that it passed the non-GF test! Thanks for taking the time to write.
Best,
Melissa
Michael says
I read your recipe and it looked good. Being diabetic, I omitted the sugar and added buttermilk in place of the regular milk. My cast iron skillet is 12″ so I baked my cornbread for 15 minutes. Tastes good!
Melissa says
Hi Michael,
I’m glad you were able to adapt the recipe with good results. Thank you so much for taking the time to write. I love to know how recipes turn out in others’ kitchens!
Best,
Melissa
Lynne B says
1/2 c almond flour
1/2 c quinoa flour
Added 1/4 c natural yoghurt
Oh was it gooooood!
..
Melissa says
Hi Lynne,
Thanks so much for the recommendation! I will have to give this a try!
Best,
Melissa
Lisa says
Made this tonight and it was absolutely amazing.I used rice flour and added Jalapeños:) cook in a iron skillet.This will b my go to for gluten free cornbread..Thank u
Melissa says
Hi Lisa,
Coincidentally I made this tonight too! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Did you use just rice flour or a combination with anything else?
Best,
Melissa