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!
Question, how long should I let the buttermilk & baking soda sit?
(I think I left it too long)
Mouthwatering recipe! My husband is not eating gluten free and he raved about it. I baked 1/2 the recipe and saved other half for a few days later. It was JUST AS GOOD!
Yummy, gf & gluten eaters both enjoyed!
I cut the sugar in half and used a stevia blend for the other half. I also owed applesauce in place of eggs (1cup) and these turned out amazing! Can’t tell they’re gluten free and do moist! Thank you for the recipe! ????
This was so easy and delicious! Needed some cornbread to accompany a spicy butternut squash chili, and this hit the spot. Loved how tender this is and not at all dry. Winner!
This cornbread is amazing. I did one cup of sugar, coconut milk, and a tbsp (about) of apple cider vinegar. Turned out so yummy and I used white corn cornmeal. I was wondering how long can this sit out on the counter? Or do you have to freeze it ASAP? Thanks for the amazing recipe and Winco is my fave grocery store!
Hi Megan. Thanks for your comment and including your successful substitutions. Yes, you can leave this out on the counter, in a covered container for up to 3 days. That’s what we do!
Absolutely the best ever! Even with almond milk and almost burning after I accidentally turned off my timer! ????????????
This corn bread is delish!!! My family loved it and my son took leftovers to have with lunch. It’s not easy finding gf foods they really enjoy and this was spot on. For those concerned with sugar content, it is quite a bit, but you can cut it back to your liking. Thanks for sharing the recipe! 🙂
This cornbread is to die for! Thank you SO much for the recipe. I made it sugar free by using erythritol and cut back on it by about 1/3. I didn’t have a gluten free flour blend at the time, so I made my own out of almond meal, coconut flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, & xanthan gum. I used a medium grind cornmeal. It made for a great texture. My husband has never been a fan of cornbread, but he couldn’t get enough of this one. I even have it for breakfast with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup, and slices of strawberries. It’s divine! Thanks again for a fabulous recipe!
I’d love to know your ratios for the almond and coconut flours
This was great – better than any recipe I’ve made – including those with flour. My grandkids absolutely loved it. I even used a gluten free flour that worked poorly in other recipes, but worked well here. T was moist and flavorful. My question – would it work equally well with regular flour? (Isn’t that backwards from most questions!)
Wow… made these tonight to go with red beans and rice. I cut the sugar by 1/4c and still they turned out like cake! Not what I was looking for, but good.
WOW!! This tastes just like my old recipe that I used when I didn’t know I had a gluten problem. I subbed 3/4 cup olive oil for the butter. Thanks for what you do ????
Hi! Could I add a can of Sweet corn, well-drained, or would that adversely affect texture or cooking? Thanks in advance. 🙂
@Anne with an E, I actually added a can of creamed corn and it was perfect, nice and moist
Hands down, the best cornbread I’ve ever put in my mouth! My daughter, who doesn’t like cornbread, ate 3 pieces! I only had pillsbury gf flour on hand so, that’s what I used (it has xanthan gum). It worked fine. I also spread butter over it shortly after it came out of the oven. I made it again this morning and am pairing it with Crab Bisque Soup to take down to South Carolina for my moms birthday. Thank you for this recipe. I have celiac disease and love to cook so, always looking for great recipes to add to my arsenal so my sceptical of good tasting gf food family will be won over.????
Fantastic recipe – hubby said better than Marie Calendars!!! We used powdered milk with water and 3 TBS of vinegar, coconut sugar and 1 TBS of ground flax seed in place of the Xanthum Gum…. excellent!!!
Great recipe. I made a few changes to fit my own dietary needs. Used cashew milk instead of buttermilk, agar powder instead of Xantham Gum, and used a combination of coconut sugar and maple syrup, rather than regular sugar. Worked out wonderfully. Everybody raved over it during the holidays. Thanks for the great recipe.
I have made this several times and my boyfriend and I just LOVE it. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
I just made this for tomorrow and already ate four pieces, it is sooo good! I got the Jules gf flour and the corn meal from nuts.com too.
This recipe is great my family loves sweet cornbread I could do with just half the sugar but I most times I’m out numbered. I will state that I agree about Bob Red mills GF Cornmeal being too coarse but I did find Bob Red Mills GF Cornflour that finely grinds the cornmeal and it is fantastic it makes a very nice textured cornbread.
Hi Michelle, I have been looking for a good gluten free cornbread recipe and came across this one. My only gripe is that is has a lot of sugar. If I wanted to use honey instead, what would you recommend? I just don’t think this much sugar is necessary. It’s not cake lol! thanks!
@sarah, I made it with half cup honey half sugar and it was perfect