Moist, sweet gluten-free cornbread that’s so good, your gluten-eating friends will be asking for it!
This is truly my most-requested recipe of all time from gluten-free folks and gluten-eating folks that have tried it at my house or at potlucks. Pretty much every person I’ve made this gluten-free cornbread for has absolutely loved it and said it was their favorite cornbread ever. It goes perfectly with so many meals, including my go-to Crock-pot Gluten-free Chili Recipe. We enjoy it with gluten-free beef stew too!
A dear friend shared this recipe with me many years ago and we’ve loved it ever since. After having to switch to baking gluten-free, I was so happy to find that it turns out just perfect with a good quality all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of all-purpose flour.
I always use gfJules all-purpose gluten-free flour when I make this, but it should turn out well with other high quality gluten-free flour blends as well. Just remember, if your blend doesn’t have xanthan gum or guar gum already in it, you’ll need to add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum with the dry ingredients in this recipe.
My father-in-law always says this tastes like dessert! This is definitely a sweet cornbread, not a southern style, savory cornbread. If you are looking for a more savory one, check out this gluten-free savory cornbread recipe from my friend Jules.
Is cornmeal gluten-free?
Not always! It is common for cornmeal to be made by companies that make/process flour as well so there is a high risk of cross-contamination. Make sure your cornmeal is certified gluten-free!
Notes on Ingredients and Substitutions for Gluten-free Sweet Cornbread:
- Cornmeal – As stated above, be sure to purchase certified gluten-free cornmeal. Also, some brands (like Bob’s Red Mill) make a much coarser cornmeal. When I used that coarser cornmeal, it resulted in a very gritty cornbread that none of us cared for, so I’d recommend finding a finer grade cornmeal. I usually buy my gluten-free corn meal from nuts.com. They have a great selection of certified gluten-free ingredients and I find their gluten-free cornmeal to be just the right size for perfect results. Update 10/2019: I also just purchased this Arrowhead corn meal from Amazon – it’s certified gluten-free and it worked just as well as the one I usually buy so I recommend it as well!
- As always, I only recommend baking with a good quality all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. All flour blends are not created equal! I recommend avoiding flour blends that contain any bean flours or that are primarily rice flour, as you’ll get a more gritty result. I always make this recipe with gfJules gluten-free flour. You can buy gfJules gluten-free flour directly or through Amazon.
- Buttermilk – Regular store-bought buttermilk has modified food starch clearly listed on the label. In the US, if modified food starch is made from wheat it has to have wheat clearly labeled. If the product simply says “modified food starch” and has no wheat allergen warning, it is derived from a gluten-free source. The most common sources include corn, potato and tapioca. So, using regular buttermilk is fine in the US for anyone on a gluten-free diet. You can also choose to buy organic buttermilk as it doesn’t contain modified food starch, but organic buttermilk can be very difficult to find in stores: impossible in my town. I like to buy Darigold buttermilk because it doesn’t have a bunch of added ingredients to it.
- Buttermilk Substitute – Also, I know many people don’t always have buttermilk on hand. A great substitute to keep on hand in your fridge is Saco Cultured Buttermilk Blend. It is a powdered buttermilk that you keep in your fridge and then in a recipe that calls for buttermilk, you instead add this powdered buttermilk with your dry ingredients, and then add extra water with your wet ingredients. The package gives exact measurements for substitutions. I buy this at my local Winco store, but you can also buy on Amazon here.
My gluten-free cornbread bakes up nice and tall, is incredibly moist and needs only a slather of butter to make it a perfect accompaniment to any homemade meal. We especially enjoy it with chili, creamy gluten-free ham cheddar chowder and gluten-free chicken broccoli rice casserole. I’m going to make these crispy oven baked chicken thighs recipe soon to have with it.
This is my favorite food to bake to bring to potlucks as well since you can make it ahead and it cuts and serves so nicely. I bake it in my 9×13 Pyrex, and once cooled a bit, I can put on the lid and bring it. Here’s the Pyrex 9×13 dish and lid I have from Amazon. It makes it super easy to bring to potlucks!
Trying to bake ahead and freeze meals for future dinners? I often make this 9×13 pan of it for our family and then put half of the cornbread squares in a freezer bag and freeze. On the night I want to use it, I just pull out, thaw, and then warm in the oven or microwave right before serving.
You can also bake this in a pretty 9×13 ceramic pan. Then once cool, just cover with plastic wrap so the cornbread doesn’t dry out.
What will you serve your gluten-free cornbread with?
I like it with just butter, but some guests like to make it even more sweet by adding honey!
You can also make a whole batch of this cornbread to make my gluten-free cornbread stuffing recipe. Here’s what it looks like:
Let me know how you enjoy this gluten-free corn bread. Please come back and leave a rating and comment when you have a minute! Thanks!
Best Gluten-free Cornbread Recipe:
Our guests always say this is the best cornbread ever, let alone the best gluten-free cornbread! If you don't want a huge pan of cornbread, feel free to cut this recipe in half and use an 8x8 pan. I do this when my freezer is full and just our family will be eating it. If you have leftovers, these freeze and reheat well. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, I recommend using Saco Cultured Buttermilk powder, following the substitution directions on the package. gfJules gluten-free flour blend contains xanthan gum. If your gluten-free flour blend of choice doesn't contain xanthan gum, you'll need to add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum in with the dry ingredients As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Best Gluten-free Sweet Cornbread
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
*Originally posted 2013, updated text and photos November 2016.
Pin this gluten-free cornbread to your gluten-free bread Pinterest board:
I hope you and your family enjoy this gf cornbread recipe as much as my family does!
Jill
Thursday 23rd of April 2020
I have only just started this recipe and have come across a flaw. I measured my buttermilk in a glass measuring cup, as instructed, and added the baking soda. Turned my back to melt some butter, and it was all over my counter. It would have been nice to know that I needed a 4 cup measure or more to accommodate the science experiment that has occurred. I guess, as a very seasoned and classically trained chef (although many years out of the profession) I should have known that such a reaction would have happened with the mixture of these two ingredients. But being tired and stressed working from home trying to teach 20 second graders and care for my own family, I was just on autopilot and made the error of losing half my buttermilk mixture to my counter and having to begin again. Might have been a nice touch to warn the cook of the danger. So much more fun to cook without having to clean a cup of foaming buttermilk off my counter after a long day of work.
Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins | Today's Creative Life
Monday 20th of April 2020
[…] If you’d rather make a pan of cornbread instead of muffins, you can do that with this recipe too. I like mine in a 9×9 inch greased pan and I bake it for about 25 minutes at the same temp. If you’re looking for a gluten-free, try this moist gluten-free cornbread recipe. […]
Adrienne
Tuesday 24th of March 2020
Delicious! ( I used Pamela's Flour and Pancake Mix.) Thank you for sharing this recipe!
EVERYBODY LOVES MY COOKING Charlie
Monday 23rd of March 2020
I've never made my own Cornbread before never mind making it gluten-free I have eaten cornbread made with regular gluten flour many times but I must say this recipe ended up with the MOST moist cornbread I ever have eaten in my 65 plus years !! I did cut the sugar down to 1 cup ( still made it JUST sweet enough ) Also I used my own homemade gluten-free flour (SOOOOO Easy) in fact all of my flour ingredients are ORGANIC including the Cornmeal you can buy all the ingredients you need to do that @ WHOLE PAYCHECK aka Whole Foods I did use 2 cups of Almond Milk with 4Tbsp of Fresh Squeezed Lemon juice and it worked great Thank you for this Terrific recipe !!
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen
Tuesday 24th of March 2020
Charlie, Your comment made my day. Thanks for the humor! Also thanks for including your successful substitutions to help others! Thank you for taking the time to comment. Happy baking!
Sydney
Thursday 13th of February 2020
Mine never fully cooked. I followed the recipe to a T! I even cooked it 15-20 minutes longer than suggested. It did not cook in the middle at all. This happen to anyone else?
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen
Thursday 13th of February 2020
Factors that can influence baking time include the size of your baking pan (if it isn't a true 9x13 but instead narrower it will take longer), oven temperature (check with an oven thermometer) and accurately measuring the buttermilk. Even humidity and altitude can have an affect on baking ties. Best to keep on baking until the center tests done with a toothpick and just make a note of that time so you'll know for future batches!