Looking for the best oil-free cornbread, one that's low-fat (only 1 gram), 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 healthy cornbread recipe also contains no refined sugar and is easily made nut-free, soy-free, and/or gluten-free!
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 festive 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).
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.
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- 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
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 the test batches 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.
Perfect pairings for oil-free cornbread:
- Best Vegan Black Eyed Peas (Instant Pot or Stovetop)
- 45-Minute Lentil Chili (reader favorite!)
- Instant Pot Red Lentil Curry
- Tuscan White Bean Soup
- Roasted Sweet Potato Spinach Salad
- BBQ Soy Curls
- Vegan Tahini Caesar Salad
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.
I hope you love this healthy cornbread recipe as much as we do! If you give it a try, be sure to comment below and let everyone know how it turned out!
Recipe
Vegan Oil-Free Cornbread
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
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Ilene says
This was super easy to make and it came out perfectly. I'll be making this one again soon.
Jill says
Just made this and LOVE. Love the flavour and texture is great. I think my recipe turned out a little denser because I used the oat flour option, but definitely a great option. Will be making these again!!!
Conne says
It was ok, but a little too heavy compared to my normal go to
Taylor says
I only had polenta & corn flour, so I used 1/2 of each in place of the corn meal, & I cut the maple syrup in 1/2 as most corn breads are way too sweet for me. I also didn't have applesauce so I substituted cashew cream. And I couldn't resist making one little corn cake in the pan while I waited for the corn bread. Everything came out delicious!! Fluffy, moist & perfect!! Thanks for this recipe!!
Victoria Smith says
I don't like my cornbread sweet. Is it okay to leave out the maple syrup or use less or substitute something?
Lori Rasmussen says
Others have commented that they left it out, and it worked fine. I don't like sweet cornbread either, but here, without any added fat, I thought it improved the flavor. I would probably either reduce the maple syrup to 1 tablespoon and/or increase the applesauce by 1-2 tablespoons to account for the moisture. Hope you enjoy it!
Jocelyn Jacks Kahn says
Really good cornbread! I love the texture and the trace of mild sweetness - I keep thinking it has canned corn in it and then remembering that it doesn't. And just as easy as regular cornbread! Using King Arthur's 1-1 gluten free flour, I made the recipe exactly as written. Loved it!
Diana says
Ridiculously easy, and really, really, good! Can’t tell this is vegan OR oil-free - company worthy! A keeper for sure!