If you’ve been missing cornbread on your gluten-free diet, you’re in the right place. This is the very best flourless cornbread recipe – light, fluffy, and perfect for sopping up your favorite soups and stews or to enjoy with a drizzle of honey!
Although most cornbread recipes use both flour and yellow cornmeal (like my other gluten-free cornbread recipe), this cornbread is unique. It’s made without any flour at all, not even your favorite gluten-free flour blend. Even better, it’s the best gluten-free cornbread recipe! It has the perfect fluffy texture without being too dense or heavy. It’s absolutely ideal for serving with a bowl of gluten-free chili or a bowl of soup.
Looking for more gluten-free quick breads? Check out the best gluten-free yeast-free bread (perfect for sandwiches), or try these gluten-free dairy-free dinner rolls to serve as a delicious side dish at your next meal.
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🥘 Ingredients in Flourless Cornbread Recipe
- Cornmeal – Use certified gluten-free medium grind cornmeal, not corn flour.
- Baking powder – Since this cornbread contains no flour at all, you need 3 types of leavening agents to make the batter light and fluffy.
- Baking soda – Baking soda will react with the sour cream for an extra rise.
- Salt – Don’t forget to season your cornbread for the best flavor!
- Vegan sour cream – Cornbread typically needs some sort of dairy to get a tender texture. Vegan sour cream is a great dairy-free option.
- Eggs – Eggs bind the cornbread batter together and give the batter a little extra lift.
- Shortening – Shortening makes for the best cornbread. Although you can use vegan butter or regular butter instead, shortening has the best texture.
Measurements for each ingredient, along with instructions for making the homemade cornbread are in the recipe card below.
Note about Temperature
Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature before baking.
🔪 How To Make Flourless Cornbread Recipe
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
STEP TWO: To the large bowl, add the sour cream, eggs, and shortening.
STEP THREE: Mix the batter well, until completely combined, about 15-20 seconds.
STEP FOUR: Prepare a 9″ baking pan by buttering it well with vegan butter. Place in the oven to heat the pan while the oven preheats.
STEP FIVE: Pour the batter into the hot pan and bake immediately for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
STEP SIX: Remove from the oven, slice, and serve warm.
Substitutions
- Melted butter or vegan butter can be used, but the shortening is highly recommended.
- Use regular sour cream if you aren’t dairy-free.
📖 Variations
- Sweet gluten-free cornbread: Add approximately ⅓ cup white sugar with the wet ingredients for a sweet cornbread.
- Bake it in a cast iron skillet: It’s traditional to bake cornbread in a cast iron pan. Just be sure to use an 8-inch diameter pan and butter it well.
- Gluten free cornbread muffins: For delicious corn muffins, add the batter to a buttered muffin tin and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test.
- Add extra flavor: Bake a deliciously savory cornbread by stirring in green chiles, shredded cheese, and/or sliced green onions.
- Cornbread stuffing – use it in this cornbread stuffing recipe.
- Make it vegan: Use a flax egg to make this easy gluten-free cornbread recipe completely vegan.
Cornbread is typically an easy recipe, and this version is no exception. You just need these simple supplies:
Storage
- This cornbread can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days – reheat individual pieces in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- For longer storage, freeze individual slices of leftover cornbread in an airtight container. Defrost each piece in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve immediately.
💭 Top Tip
This batter does not need a rest time. Pour it into the prepared pan and bake right away. After baking, cool the cornbread in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove it from the pan and serve.
Food Safety
- Wash your hands and sanitize your workspace after using raw egg.
Flourless Cornbread FAQs
If you bake cornbread without flour, it tends to be overly dense and hard to eat. To combat this, most recipes require equal parts wheat flour and corn meal. However, you can make a completely flourless version using just cornmeal and the right proportions of liquids and fats. Just be sure to follow the right recipe instead of trying to adapt it yourself!
Usually, no. Most cornbread recipes use wheat flour to give the cornbread a tender crumb and the best texture. Fortunately, there are many great gluten-free cornbread recipes, and many use gluten free flour blends instead of wheat flour. This recipe, however, uses cornmeal only, so as long as you use certified gluten-free cornmeal, it will be safe to eat for celiacs.
Not exactly. Gluten-free cornbread replaces the flour in regular cornbread recipes with a gluten-free flour alternative, like almond flour or a gluten-free flour blend. Fortunately, you can make gluten-free cornbread with just cornmeal if you have the right proportions of ingredients. It’s a great way to enjoy moist cornbread without adding any gluten!
More Gluten-Free Bread Recipes
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Recipe
The Best Flourless Cornbread Recipe: No Flour!
This flourless cornbread recipe is light, fluffy, and goes perfectly with soups, chili, and casseroles. Made with no flour, this easy recipe mixes together in no time.
Servings: 9 pieces
Calories: 345kcal
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400F.
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In a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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To the large bowl, add the sour cream, eggs, and shortening.
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Mix the batter well, until completely combined, about 15-20 seconds.
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Prepare a 9″ baking pan by buttering it well with vegan butter. Place in the oven to heat the pan while the oven preheats.
-
Pour the batter into the hot pan and bake immediately for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven, slice, and serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature.
- This batter does not need a rest time. Pour it into the prepared pan and bake right away.
- Melted butter or vegan butter can be used, but the shortening is highly recommended.
- Cool the cornbread in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove it from the pan and serve.
- This cornbread can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days – reheat individual pieces in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- For longer storage, freeze individual slices of cornbread in an airtight container. Defrost each piece in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 520mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
