Name: Vegan Oil-Free Cornbread
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 28 min
Total time: 33 min
Ingredients: 1 ⅓ cups medium grind cornmeal; ⅔ cup flour of choice such as GF 1:1 blend, white whole wheat, all-purpose, or oat flour; 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional; 2 teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt; 1 ¼ cups plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk (I prefer almond or soy for cornbread.); 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 3 tablespoons maple syrup; ⅓ cup applesauce

Looking for the best oil-free cornbread, one that's tender, moist, and the perfect balance of salty and sweet? You've found it! With just 5 minutes of prep time, it's also ridiculously easy to make. Choose your favorite flour to pair with the cornmeal, whether it's a whole-grain variety, all-purpose, or a gluten-free blend. This vegan no-oil cornbread turns out delicious every time!

This recipe is vegan and contains no oil, coconut, or refined sugar; can also be nut-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.

overhead view of sliced open pieces of cornbread topped with almond butter and jelly. — Hot tip: slice open a piece of cornbread and enjoy with strawberry jelly and almond butter. So good!

A good old fashioned buttery southern-style vegan cornbread was one of the first recipes I shared here on the blog. Considering how much I enjoy cornbread and cooking without oil, I honestly don't know why it took me two years to share this oil-free version. Better late than never!

Update: I now have TWO oil-free cornbread recipes. Don't miss these Cranberry Cornbread Muffins!

I grew up in Alabama, and we love our savory, gritty, stoneground cornbread. And though my love for it hasn't faded, I have opened my mind a bit to the fact that slightly sweeter cornbread is also pretty awesome! Let me explain...

Why This Recipe Works

When I started testing this recipe, I quickly realized that when you remove all of the fat from cornbread, a really high cornmeal-to-flour ratio just doesn't cut it (READ: bitter and one-dimensional).

close up with bite taken out to show texture.

So I tested the recipe a few more times to really dial in the moisture, sweetness, and saltiness to get it juuuuuust right. And now I can't stop eating it! This cornbread is:

Tender
Moist
Fluffy
Lightly sweet
Salty enough
So quick and easy
Full of southern-inspired, stone-ground texture
Pantry-friendly
With no added fat and just 73 calories per piece!

Ingredients

You'll need just 9 ingredients plus salt to whip up a batch.

medium-grind cornmeal - sometimes called whole-grain or stone-ground
your choice of flour, such as unbleached all-purpose, whole wheat, oat, or a 1:1 gluten-free blend
nutritional yeast - optional, but highly recommended for added depth of flavor
baking powder
baking soda
fine sea salt
maple syrup
unsweetened non-dairy milk of your choice - it's a good idea to taste it first to make extra sure it's not flavored
apple cider vinegar
unsweetened, plain applesauce

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batter poured into a parchment-lined pan

Substitutions and Options

Flour - most recently I've tested this recipe with oat flour, a combination of all-purpose and white whole-wheat, and King Arthur's 1:1 gluten-free blend. All of them turned out great and held together perfectly. But...

The oat flour produced an obviously whole-grain texture and was my least favorite of the bunch, which is surprising since I'm such a huge fan of baking with oat flour. But it makes perfect sense that coarse cornmeal needs something a little finer to balance out the texture and bring softness. So considering those things, feel free to use your favorite flour based on flavor and texture or just whatever you have on hand.

Fat replacement - I tested both pureed pumpkin and applesauce as a replacement for oil or butter, and the applesauce was definitely our favorite. In a pinch, if you're out of applesauce but have pureed pumpkin or sweet potato on hand, absolutely go for it! Honestly, the cornbread was still good, just not quite as smooth or moist as when made with applesauce.

Milk - I've tested soy and almond milk, and I have a feeling oat milk would also be great. Use what you have.

Optional Nutritional Yeast - If you dislike nooch or have an allergy, don't be discouraged to see it in the list. It's not commonly in cornbread, and you can definitely omit it without any problems. I like to include it for a little more depth of flavor and savoriness.

sliced batch of cornbread on a cutting board — This particular test batch was made with oat flour.

Perfect pairings for oil-free cornbread:

45-Minute Lentil Chili
EASY Instant Pot Red Lentil Curry
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Slow Cooker BBQ Soy Curls
Vegan Caesar With Roasted Chickpeas

open face cornbread on a plate topped with strawberry jelly — This cornbread also pairs well with nut butter and jelly.

I've already tested this oil-free version in my Vegan Cornbread Dressing, and it was absolutely delicious! So be sure to give that a try for Thanksgiving this year.

Recipe

close up of a piece of cornbread with rest of batch in background

Vegan Oil-Free Cornbread

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

This low-fat, oil-free cornbread is tender, moist, and the perfect balance of salty and sweet. And not only is it easy, it's versatile, too! In addition to the stoneground cornmeal, use your favorite flour, whether that's a whole-grain variety, all-purpose, or a gluten-free blend. This plant-based cornbread turns out delicious every time!

This recipe is vegan and made without oil, coconut, or refined sugar; can also be nut-free, soy-free, and gluten-free depending on milk and flour used.

Yield: makes one 8x8 pan; approximately 8 servings

4.99 from 52 votes

Servings: pieces

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 28

Cooling Time:: 30

Total Time: 33

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Equipment

Ingredients

1 ⅓ cups medium grind cornmeal
⅔ cup flour of choice such as GF 1:1 blend, white whole wheat, all-purpose, or oat flour
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 ¼ cups plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk - I prefer almond or soy for cornbread.
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
⅓ cup applesauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C), and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment (or use a silicone pan).
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl whisk together the milk, vinegar, maple syrup, and apple sauce.
Pour wet ingredients into dry, and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 27 to 29 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cornbread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack for another 15 to 20 minutes before slicing into 16 squares.

Notes

Nutrition facts represent one piece/square of cornbread (1/16 of the recipe).

Store the cornbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to a month.

Estimated Nutrition (per serving)

Serving: 1squareCalories: 73kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 2gFat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 195mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 60IUVitamin C: 0mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 0.7mg

Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.

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