Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe
My moist, sweet gluten free cornbread recipe is so good, your gluten-eating friends will be asking for it! This is the best recipe and one you need to try soon!
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 recipe for has absolutely loved it and said it was their favorite cornbread ever.
This gf cornbread 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.
Is cornmeal gluten-free?
Cornmeal is not always gluten-free! 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 during transport, production, and packaging. Make sure your cornmeal is certified gluten-free!
Notes on Ingredients and Substitutions
Let’s talk about the other ingredients a bit too.
- 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 use and like Arrowhead corn meal from Amazon – it’s certified gluten-free!
- 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 almost always make this recipe with gfJules gluten-free flour. Feel free to use your favorite high quality gluten-free flour blend.
- 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. Locally, I like to buy Darigold buttermilk or Trader Joe’s 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.
When I travel to my in-laws house, I usually mix up the dry ingredients for this recipe (cornmeal, gluten-free flour, salt) and bring with me. Then at my destination, I can just grab my bag of gluten-free cornbread mix, some butter, sugar, buttermilk and eggs and I can whip this up for everyone to enjoy!
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 gluten-free 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 batch of this cornbread to make my gluten-free cornbread stuffing recipe. Here’s what it looks like:
That definitely needs added to your holiday menu!
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.
Ingredients
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 ⅓ cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
- 1 tsp. xanthan gum (*if needed)
- 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
- In a glass measuring cup, measure buttermilk then add baking soda, mix together and let sit.
- In a large mixing bowl, melt butter in microwave. Add sugar and use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix into butter. Add eggs. Add buttermilk/baking soda to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix just until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cornmeal, gluten-free flour, xanthan and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir. Pour into greased 13x9-inch pan.
- Bake at 375º for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with crumbs only and top of cornbread doesn't sink in if pressed with fingertip. Let cool at least 5 minutes or longer, until desired temperature for serving.
Notes
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, I recommend using Saco Cultured Buttermilk powder, following the substitution directions on the package.
*If the gluten-free flour blend you use already has xanthan gum or guar gum in it, then omit the xanthan gum called for in this recipe.
gfJules gluten-free flour blend contains xanthan gum so I don't add any when I use that blend.
*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!
This is so good that I making it again right now! 3:00 in the middle if the afternoon on a 96 degree day…It tastes like cake! Put it in a mug and pour over some cold milk, mmmmm, so tasty. Super easy, and not one bit dry, even after a week in the fridge! Love it. Thanks 🙂
Dairy free and egg free ***** cut recipe in half otherwise the egg substitute wont stay stable. Use Energy egg replacer for 2 eggs. ….. for the buttermilk, add 1 tsp of lemon juice to a measuring cup, then top off with almond milk to equal one cup( or dairy free milk of your choice) …for your butter; substitute coconut oil or Earth Balance buttery sticks.
i made this recipe into muffins, and they came out wonderful! I used Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free flour, and the Saco cultured buttermilk powder. I did not have xanthan gum, and it was also not in the flour, but they still came out perfectly. I read on another site that if you don’t have xanthan gum to make your mix into muffins instead of a cake for a better result. The taste and texture were both excellent!
I never take time to do this, and i am VERY picky, but this has to be one of the best GF recipes Ive ever had! This is better than standard cornbread recipes! The only difference in my execution: I was told to start cornbread recipes by soaking the cornmeal in the buttermilk first. This makes it more cake-like, less crumbs, softer, smoother texture. You truly did beautifully on this recipes! Kudos
My boyfriend made these for me, and they turned out fantastic! He cut the recipe in half because we didn’t much like the last two recipes we tried. We brought these to a dinner with friends, and they had no idea they were gluten free. I agree with the earlier commenter that these taste like the ones from boston market! Thank you!
AliBaba,
I’m so glad you liked these! Thanks so much for your comment.
Hi!
Just wondering if you have the recipe for the honey cinnamon butter that you mentioned in the sweet cornbread recipe? Looking forward to making the recipe to accompany my delish Beet Borscht
Lenae
Lenae,
I will try to see where in the world I stashed that one and either post it or send it to you!! Sorry!
Any luck Michelle finding the honey butter recipe?
Do you ever use honey instead of sugar?
Is there a ratio of the amounts of each so I can replace sugar with honey?
Thanks.
I LOVE this cornbread! It really is the best ever.
I like it best with butter, milk and eggs but I have at times substituted:
2 cups almond milk with a tbsp of vinegar for the buttermilk
Flax Meal with water for the eggs
1/2 C Coconut Oil + 1/2 C Vegetable Shortening for the butter.
And It tastes great too. 🙂
I’m so glad you love this like we do! Thanks so much for commenting, and including your successful substitutions too!
A girl after my own heart. SWEET cornbread! YES! Thank you for sharing! Someone posted this on my FB page tonight and declared it to be “perfection!” I’d say that’s about the best compliment a girl could get! Congrats, Michelle!
xoxo
~jules
Thanks Jules! Sorry I didn’t catch this comment before! You are sweet!
Hi! I am very new to gluten free cooking (a whole week & I failed miserably – lol). I love cornbread but I am not only having issues with gluten (I think) but also very sensitive to Dairy, Whey & Soy. So, what do you suggest I do about the buttermilk? Thoughts? Help!
I am making this tomorrow for a big crew and would like to make them as individual muffins. How long would I bake this? Much love…
Hi Julie! The muffin instructions are in the recipe instructions above. Bake about 10-12 minutes. Time varies based on the amount of batter you use for each muffin and how hot your oven runs. Just keep an eye on them. When done, you should be able to put a toothpick in and have it come out with moist crumbs attached but no batter.
Good luck! I’m sure your crew will love these!
I made this recipe for my family, and they nearly passed out. It’s so good! Sweet and moist, and you can’t tell it’s gluten free! Thanks!
Emily,
Thank you for your sweet comment! That made my day! So glad your family loved it!
Simply Amazing!!!! I have been looking for an easy GF cornbread recipe that looked and tasted like the real thing. Your recipe was spot on. I made this last night and it came out light, fluffy and absolutely delicious. I used Trader Joes gluten free flour and did have to add xanthan gum….I also cut the recipe in half and baked in a round cake pan. It still came out perfect. This is a keeper. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes. I love experimenting with gf recipes but the cornbread had me baffled. So thank you for taking that one off my list. 🙂
Sonya,
Your comment made my day! I’m so glad that you loved this recipe. Good for you for experimenting with it. Thanks for the tip that the Trader Joe’s gluten-free flour worked well in this recipe. Happy Baking!!
Thank you, Michelle, I loved it.
Thks
WOW! How delicious was THAT?!?!?! I followed your recipe, using another gluten free flour mix, and using a buttermilk substitute (1Tbsp White Vinegar to 1 Cup Milk – obviously doubled for your recipe) and that was the BEST! 🙂 THANKS!!! I’m curious, do you have a recipe for UNsweetened cornbread? Our family uses an unsweetened cornbread to make our Thanksgiving “Dressing”. I’m new to the gluten free baking, so I thought I’d ask, since yours was SO good! Thanks again!!!
Alison, I thought for sure that I replied to your comment already, but it isn’t here. So sorry for the delay in responding to your question. I don’t have an unsweetened cornbread. We love this sweetened one so much, I’ve never searched for another one. I’ll let you know if I come across a good one!
So glad that you thought this was delicious! Happy Baking!!
Couldn’t you just cut the sugar in half? I want to make this but avoid sugar so was thinking of cutting it in half. Looks like a great recipe!
Regarding unsweetened cornbread — I made some tweaks to make the cornbread savory and it came out just perfect. I eliminated the sugar, and instead added about a tablespoon of honey for a touch of sweetness. I also upped the salt to about a teaspoon and a half. I suspect it would be just as good entirely sugar-free. Thanks for sharing such a yummy recipe!
This is awesome. I am the only one that is GF, and my lovely family tolerates GF meals….I have tried MANY GF cornbread recipes, but this is by far the best! I am done searching for any more recipes. Everyone loved the recipe too! Thank you
Lisa, I’m so glad that you love this one! Good for you for keeping on searching until you found one that was perfect for your tastes! Thanks so much for stopping and leaving a comment! Comments like these make my day!! (P.S. I’m so sorry I didn’t see this comment before today!!) ~Michelle
Just made this to accompany our first batch of chili for the fall since going gluten free. What a great consistency and taste to pair with the spiciness of the chili! (can’t believe how easy it was too!) Thanks, can’t wait to try out some of your other recipes!
btw, daughter just came home and tried the cornbread. She said it tasted like Boston Markets. Definitely a keeper!
Denise, You are right – this goes great with spicy chili! I’m so glad you took a chance on making it and loved it. Thanks so much for leaving feedback for me. It made my day! I am flattered at your daughter’s comment too! ~Michelle
Wow! This is the best cornbread I have ever had! My wife made it last night and I ate way too much.
I’m so glad Jan made this for you, Dave, and that you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for stopping by to comment to let me know you tried it! ~Michelle
I made this for a church potluck tonight and I loved it! It got a bit brown on top because I wasn’t paying close enough attention, but it was delicious. I used milk and lemon juice to make “buttermilk,” so I wonder if that change may have caused more browning.
So glad you liked it Rachel! Thanks for commenting!
Was hungry for that yummy cornbread. Was going to text you then thought I bet she has it on her web page and sure enough here it is! Now it is printed and in my cookbook. Yea
At least it is a 5 star recipe when you bake it. We will see what I can do! I like your freezer idea.
why do the gluten free things have so many eggs in them. I love the choc brownies but has two eggs and two egg yolks. Now this cornbread has four eggs. I’m not suppose to have eggs or dairy either. 🙁
Suzanne, that is hard that you also have to avoid both eggs & dairy. I’m going to start labeling the dairy-free recipes (or those you can easily adapt to dairy-free) so those will be easier to find, and I’ll do that with egg-free also. You can find those in my Tags section on the right side of the blog. I believe you told me you have one of Gluten Free Mama’s cookbooks. If you have her latest one, In the Kitchen with Gluten-free Mama, she gives some great alternatives/substitutions for eggs as well. I’d recommend it for sure!
I’ve had great luck using flax “eggs” (just Google instructions), which are vegan! You might also consider adding xanthan gum to your Gf baked goods if you are cutting the eggs, as both help replace the binding function of gluten. Good luck!
You can use egg replacer (a vegan powder), which is so easy, or possibly even duck eggs.
I have used mashed potato flakes as egg substitutes in many recipes. It works great in cake. I mix theflakes with water and make an egg consistencey.
Hi, you can replace the eggs by ground flax seeds. 1TS ground flax seeds + 2TS water = 1 egg and it works perfectly.
YOU CAN USE WHIPPED AQUAFABA (the liquid from a can of chick peas) as an egg substitute. It’s like adding whipped egg whites, helps with structure.
Just because it says eggs does not mean you can’t substitute any of the many egg substitute out there.
A great dairy free buttermilk substitute is 2 cups unsweetened soymilk + 1 1/2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Mix well and let sit for several minutes to curdle before adding to the recipe. I used it with great success with this recipe!
To make 1 cup of buttermilk, I use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (white vinegar can also be used); put it in a 1-cup measuring cup and fill with unsweetened soy milk for dairy free or regular cow’s milk; stir. Let sit for 5 minutes. Whenever a recipe calls for buttermilk, instead of buying a carton of buttermilk, I just make my own. I won’t use a whole carton, and it’ll just get thrown away. Also one of my daughters has a milk allergy; it’s just easier to make my own.
Hi Beth, thanks so much for the “buttermik” recipe. I used almond milk with a tbsp. of white vinegar, and it worked great.
Why do people whine so much at someone else for their own issues?? Here is a lovely gluten-free recipe from someone who doesn’t have egg issues…not her problem when someone else can’t use it. I’m restricting myself from dairy at the moment…so I will choose to not whine about it and either substitute with dairy free or keep searching for something that works with what I’m looking for! That’s what big kids do.
Thank you well said! We loved this recipe thank you for sharing!
I read Suzanne’s question as general curiosity: (why so many eggs?) and nobody answered her. The reason for so many eggs is they act as a binder which gluten free recipes need because normally gluten itself is wonderful at creating that binding texture. If you’re new to gluten free (and dairy and egg free) it can be overwhelming. Let’s not assume the worst of everyone.
I use the flax meal replacer someone else mentioned and it works well. Make sure to let it sit 10 minutes to thicken before adding. Good luck!
P.s. I’ve been cooking gf for 10+ years and this is the best cornbread recipe I’ve tried. Thank you!
This recipe is perfect if you substitute the 4 eggs for:
4 tablespoons of ground flax meal
10 tablespoons of water
(Mix together and let stand for 5 minutes)
Add to the recipe the same time you would add the eggs.
It’s my go to recipe! (I also use almond milk with a tsp of lemon juice instead of the buttermilk, and coconut oil in place of butter)
You can use egg substitute.
I accidentally made this recipe today with ZERO eggs and it worked fine! No doubt t it has a different texture than it should but it is perfectly fine without.
@Suzanne, when my son was a toddler (he’s 24 now) he had multiple food allergies. Egg was one of them. I used to have to cook and bake everything for him because back then there weren’t other options. As an egg substitute for each egg I would mix 2 tablespoons of water; 1 tablespoon of oil (canola or vegetable) and 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Again, this amount is for 1 egg, so just adjust the amount based on how many eggs a recipe calls for. This worked great for us and I hope this works for you. Cheryl
@Suzanne, you can use egg replacer (bobs red mill or ener-g have great ones, Just egg is new but I’ve heard great things). Because wheat gluten makes gluten baking fluffy, easy to rise, and stretchy eggs, xanthan gum, and gf flour blends are used to mimic those qualities and textures. Egg acts as a binder but also helps give gf baking a boost in the height department.