Gluten-Free Sweet Cornbread
Published
My husband is a Tennessee native and grew up eating Southern cornbread. One of the first recipes I learned to make after we got married was classic buttermilk cornbread. Over time, I added my own touch by incorporating sugar and honey for a sweeter flavor—just the way I like it. This gluten-free sweet cornbread keeps the tradition alive while being perfect for anyone looking to enjoy a Southern favorite without gluten.
My sweet cornbread recipe was incredibly easy to modify to be gluten-free, and when we went dairy-free a few years ago, adapting it further was just as simple. While there are several great gluten-free cornbread mixes, I promise my homemade version is just as easy to make—and it tastes so much better!
With only a few simple ingredients, you can whip up a batch of delicious gluten-free sweet cornbread. I always keep gluten-free flour and cornmeal in my pantry, making it easy to prepare this Southern favorite anytime. One bag of gluten-free cornmeal goes a long way, providing the base for multiple batches of perfectly sweet, tender cornbread.
Gluten-Free Sweet Cornbread
Equipment
- 1 9×9-inch baking pan or cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups milk, dairy-free use almond, cashew or coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum, I like Pillsbury gluten-free
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted, dairy-free use Smart Balance butter
Instructions
- Add the milk and white vinegar to a small bowl and stir to combine. Allow the milk mixture to sit for 5 minutes to make buttermilk.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C) and grease a 9"x9" square pan or 10" cast iron skillet with gluten-free cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and honey.
- Add the gluten-free flour, gluten-free cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix together until combined.
- Pour in the melted butter and buttermilk and mix until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased baking pan or skillet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a tester inserted into the middle of the cornbread comes out clean. Remove the cornbread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in an air-tight container.
Notes
- The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup. After you’ve spooned the flour into the measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.
- If you are using a gluten-free flour blend that does not have xanthan gum, you will need to add 1/4 teaspoon to the recipe. I like Pillsbury’s gluten-free flour for baking because it already includes xanthan gum.
- For a dairy-free option, use Smart Balance Butter and use unsweetened almond milk.
- For an egg-free option, use an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer.
- Gluten-free baked goods can appear baked on the outside but remain undercooked inside. Test with a toothpick—it should come out clean or with a few crumbs, not wet batter.
- Add mix-ins like chopped jalapeños, shredded dairy-free cheese, or corn kernels for extra texture and flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Gluten-Free Sweet Cornbread Step-by-Step
Gather all your ingredients.
Make the buttermilk by combining 1 ½ cups milk (or dairy-free alternative) and 1 tbsp white vinegar in a bowl. Allow the buttermilk mixture to meld for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F and grease the 9×9-inch square pan or a 10” cast iron skillet with cooking spray or butter.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs, ½ cup granulated sugar, and 1 tbsp honey.
Pour in 1 cup gluten-free flour, 1 ½ cups cornmeal, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt.
Mix in until all the ingredients are combined. You should have a crumbly dough.
Add the wet ingredients by pouring in ½ cup melted butter and the buttermilk. Continue mixing until there are no dry spots and everything is combined.
Pour the cornbread batter into the greased pan and place in the preheated oven on the middle rack. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Take the cornbread out of the oven and put it to the side to cool for 10 minutes. Cut, serve, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Cornbread is great topped with butter, honey, or jelly. I like to brush my cornbread with melted butter when it first comes out of the oven before I slice it. This easy homemade gluten-free cornbread is the perfect bread to serve with soups, Gluten-Free Beef Stew, and Gluten-Free Chili or Keto Chili, but it also goes awesome with my Gluten-Free Fried Chicken. It can also be eaten for breakfast!
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in an air-tight container to keep it moist. I store mine on the counter for 3-4 days.
Freeze the cornbread by cutting it into squares and placing it in a freezer-friendly air-tight container. If layering the cornbread, place parchment paper between the layers to avoid it sticking together. Defrost the cornbread by letting it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
Amazing! I had low-fat buttermilk on hand so I used that. So so good. Texture was great, flavor was great. This recipe is a keeper!
Delicious! I never thought I would have good cornbread again after having to go gluten free!
I’ve made this now a few times. I do make one substitute in mine. I swap out the GF flour with PAN precooked white corn mix. It’s more like a flour and lends a little more of the traditional corn bread crumb as opposed to a cake like crumb. My Lady is From Texas so I’m lucky to add in sugar and honey (“honey is the topping” let alone white flour!
Comes out absolutely delicious and never a crumb left over.
Easy to make with delicious results!
My family of 3 enjoys this GF cornbread recipe. I mix all the dry ingredients and store them in an alright container and pull out a cup of mix at a time to make just enough for us. When ready to mix I add an egg, 1/3 c milk and about a 1/4 c water with a 1 tablespoon of honey and bake. Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe that easy to make.
This cornbread is delicious…especially with a little butter and honey drizzled over the top. It’s also lasts for a few days and even tastes just as good! Best recipe I have tried! I used oat milk and grass fed butter as I am dairy free but do well with grass fed butter.
We loved it! Great recipe!
Good flavor & texture.
The top got very dark yet center was still wet. I’ll lower temp and increase duration next time.
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. I have been trying to stick to a gluten free diet for many years but I keep finding ingredients in the “Gluten free” products that still give me abdominal cramping, pain and races to the bathroom. To name a couple of the offenders in a long list of gluten free products; potato starch, onion powder, etc. I recently discovered Jovial einkorn in your recipe (which is an ancient wheat berry raised organic and without harmful chemicals like Monsanto glyphosate in the harvesting process) and even the non gluten free people went back for seconds and thirds. So if you are still running to the bathroom after using the gluten free flours, I highly recommend you try einkorn all purpose flour in all your baking recipes. Other non GMO flours raised organic I have not yet tried but have read about are spelt, emma, kamut, and the like. Hallelujah! I may be able to eat bread and pizza again!
I tweaked this a bit as I had done so with another recipe and it worked great. I substituted PAN GF corn flour for the flour and I used 1cup 2% milk and 1/2 cup + 2 TBS half and half (prolly because I did not have whole milk) and cooked at temperature for 20 mins in a 10” cast iron pan. OMGthis is The new go to for corn bread.