There is a cornbread recipe for everyone to enjoy with chili, soup, barbecue bean bowls, and Black-eyed peas. This, my friends, is the recipe! Hello, the BEST vegan cornbread.
This easy recipe is made with only ten ingredients. We’ll show you exactly how to do it!
Cornbread: Its Origins
We don’t pretend to be experts on the origin of cornbread, but we do know that it is a highly debated topic! Our research suggests that cornbread may have been inspired by a Native American dish known as cornpone, which was made from simple ingredients such as cornmeal and water ( source).
In the colonial period, cornmeal served as a source of nutrition and an essential ingredient for enslaved people. It likely grew in fame during this time, and the recipes developed based on individual preferences and components available. Now, it’s popular across the US, but especially in Southern cuisine.
This is our vegan version that resembles those flavors we loved as children.
How to make vegan cornbread
This recipe’s base is a combination of fine cornmeal, all-purpose flour, and oat flour. For the best texture, we prefer fine cornmeal to medium grind, but both will work.
We combined lemon juice and almond milk (or apple vinegar) to create a buttermilk-like effect. We used flax eggs in place of eggs to provide binding and nutrition.
Both cane sugar and applesauce are used to sweeten food. Applesauce and cane sugar both add moisture to the recipe.
Baking soda is used to leaven the dough and add flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 batches Flax egg (1/2 Tbsp flaxseed + 4 Tbsp water, as written in the original recipe)
- 1/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk plus 1 Tbsp, as per original recipe // adjust the batch size if you change the formula.
- Lemon juice or apple vinegar, 1 tsp
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 cup vegan butter, melted (we like Earth Balance)
- Cane sugar organic or granulated sugar: 1/2 cup
- Applesauce, unsweetened, 2 tbsp
- Half a teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal plus 1 tbsp, as per the original recipe // adjust batch size if you change it.
- 3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour* (plus one tablespoon as written in the original recipe // adjust the batch size if you change it)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (176 C). Grease an 8×8-inch baking dish.
- To achieve an “eggy texture,” prepare flax eggs in a small container and allow them to set for a couple of minutes. Add lemon juice to the almond milk and allow it to curdle. Add baking soda and stir again. Set aside.
- Add butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix vigorously. Add applesauce and flax eggs and whisk again. Add almond milk mixture and mix vigorously.
- Stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate the flour, cornmeal, and salt. The mixture will appear thin and lumpy. You want it to look like that.
- Add the batter to the prepared dish and bake it for 28-37 mins, or until golden brown on the edges and a toothpick is inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Rest in the baking dish a few moments before serving. If you are not vegan, I recommend adding a little maple syrup and non-dairy melted butter to the plate.
- Keeps for a few days in an airtight jar. It will keep for longer if you store it in the freezer. This chili would go well with our 1-pot Red Lentil Chili or Easy instant pot Chili (Vegan and oil-free).
