An easy gluten-free sweet cornbread recipe made Southern style. The recipe also has a dairy-free option.
Gluten-Free Cornbread
My husband is from Tennesee, and he grew up eating cornbread. One of the Southern recipes I learned to make when we first were married, was cornbread made with buttermilk. I like my cornbread sweet so I added sugar and honey to my recipe.
My recipe for sweet cornbread was super easy to modify to be gluten-free. It was just as easy to make it both gluten-free and dairy-free when we both went dairy-free a few years ago.
There are several brands of gluten-free cornbread mixes, like Krusteaz and Martha White, and I have tried them both. They are good, but I promise my homemade gluten-free cornbread recipe is just as easy to make and tastes so much better!
It only takes a few simple ingredients to make homemade cornbread. I always have gluten-free flour on hand and a bag of gluten-free cornmeal makes several batches of cornbread.
How To Make Gluten-Free Cornbread
Making cornbread from scratch is super easy. It’s an easy quick bread recipe that can be made in one bowl and baked in 20 minutes.
- The first step is to make your own buttermilk. To make the buttermilk 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.
- Pre-heat oven to 425°F and grease a 9″x 9″ square baking pan or 10″ cast iron skillet with gluten-free cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and honey. (photo 1)
- 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. (photo 2)
- Pour the batter into the greased baking pan or skillet. (photo 3)
- 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. Enjoy! (photo 4)
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
I used Pillsbury gluten-free flour for this cornbread recipe. It is my favorite cup for cup gluten-free flour blend. A cup for cup flour blend is one that already has xanthan gum it.
Cup for cup (or 1 for 1) flour blends makes gluten-free baking so much easier! Make sure you do not add any extra xanthan gum to your flour if it already has it in it. If you do, you will get super gummy cornbread!
If you are using a gluten-free flour blend that does not have xanthan gum in it, you will need to add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum to the recipe.
Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free all-purpose flour blend you choose.
Tip For Measuring Gluten-Free Flour
I have found the best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Using a large spoon scoop out the flour into a measuring cup. Then use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. Please do not scoop the flour directly out of the bag with a measuring cup.
Dairy-Free Baking Tips
I have also included a dairy-free option to my gluten-free cornbread recipe. My husband, youngest son, and I are also dairy-free. So I always try and have a dairy-free option for my recipes.
For the dairy-free option, I use Smart Balance butter and almond milk or cashew milk. Now you can also enjoy gluten-free and dairy-free cornbread.
Is Cornmeal Gluten-Free?
Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free because it is made from dried corn kernels, but not all packaged cornmeals are gluten-free. Cornmeal is often produced by manufacturers who also process wheat on their machinery and cross-contact can easily occur during manufacturing.
It is safest to buy cornmeal that is labeled gluten-free. I buy Arrowhead Mills or Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free cornmeal.
How To Store Cornbread
Cornbread should be stored in an air-tight container once it has completely cooled. It can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated.
Can You Freeze Cornbread?
Yes, you can freeze cornbread. Cut the cornbread into squares and place 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.
What Goes With Cornbread?
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, Beef Stew, and chili, but it also goes awesome with my Crispy BBQ Chicken Thighs. It can also be eaten for breakfast!
This recipe for gluten-free cornbread is so easy that you won’t go back to the boxed gluten-free cornbread mix once you try it! It’s sweet, and the texture is the perfect balance between soft and firm.
Cornbread should not fall apart when you pick it up but should melt in your mouth. It’s super easy to make and can be eaten with dinner or for breakfast.
More Gluten-Free Bread Recipes To Try!
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Gluten-Free Sweet Cornbread {Dairy-Free Option}
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups milk dairy-free use almond, cashew or coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum I like Pillsbury gluten-free
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ 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.
- Pre-heat oven to 425°F and grease an 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
- I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- 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. Friends, please do not scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup.
- If you are using a gluten-free flour blend that does not have xanthan gum you will need to add ¼ teaspoon to the recipe.
- For the dairy-free option, I used almond milk and Smart Balance butter.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container.
- Freeze the cornbread by cutting it into squares and placing 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.
- Mama says, "Please check all of your labels!"
E Haiken says
Excellent recipe. Used real aged buttermilk for a great result. Moist and tasty. I did cut sown on the sugar and left out the honey.
Marrianna says
Fantastic recipe, best cornbread I’ve had. My partner likes to add a cup of parmesan cheese and it has turned out great every time.
Judy E says
Great recipe! Not too complicated, and comes out looking and tasting GREAT!
Caroline P says
I’ve probably made this recipe at least a dozen times now, it’s definitely my go to recipe! So easy and so good!! My husband and I prefer a slightly less sweet cornbread so I only add a 1/4c sugar, otherwise I follow the recipe exactly. Looking forward to tonight’s dinner with this cornbread!
Michelle says
So good! I will absolutely be making this my go to cornbread recipe.
Lauren says
This was so delicious! My picky 4 year old and 16 month old ate it up! I used gluten free flour & didn’t have baking powder so I increased the baking soda to 1tsp. I also added about a tsp of maple syrup in addition to the honey. Baked it in a round glass pie pan. It was perfect.
Jillene says
Great recipe, Thank you! Since I eat sugar-free and gluten-free, I did tweak it a bit. I used yogurt instead of milk, Zylitol instead of sugar, and cut back a little on the amount (1/3 cup maybe?). I also exchanged 1/4 of the cup gluten free flour with corn flour, added some fresh corn kernels (precooked) and a handful of tex-mex grated cheese. I made muffins and served them today at my grandchild’s birthday picnic for people there who never had cornbread before, ever. They were a smash hit along with my “Gone in 60 seconds” Chili Sin Carne, also a first for these people. It was fun explaining them the cornbread tradition of USA: Thanks again! Greetings from Zurich Switzerland.
Gerry says
My wife is gluten free, and I have made her at least a dozen different gluten free bread recipes. Almost all were like the reentry tiles on the space shuttle.
She made bean soup, a natural for corn bread, so thought I would try your gluten free recipe. I cut the sugar back to 1/3 cup as I’m not a fan of Jonny Cake. I thought the batter was a little runny when I poured it into the baking dish. Baked it for 25 minutes and it came out fantastic, and she loved it. This is now our go to recipe for cornbread. And I’m from the south so I know good cornbread. Next time, and I’m sure what I made won’t last long, I’ll use real buttermilk. Thanks so much for a great cornbread recipe.
Raven says
Fabulous cornbread! I also preheated the cast iron pan on top of the stove. I ran a paper towel with grapeseed oil to season it (just a little oil). Then I followed the idea of adding 2 tbsp Earth Balance butter to the hot pan and swirled that around with a brush. I also halved the sugar. Thank you so much!!
Susan says
I absoutely love this recipe! I use almond milk. Everybody that I have made it for, loves it too! Shhh, some don’t even know that it is gluten-free.
Max says
Excellent!
Amna says
This was such a good cornbread recipe! I’ve had bad experiences making it from scratch before; my cornbread was either too dry or too crumbly. Inwas only doing store-bought mixes for a while, but I figured I should try making it once again. This recipe convinced me homemade can be just as good! It was just the right texture. I added pickled jalapenos but that was it for mods. Thank you for posting this.
Brenda says
Wow! This is a great recipe! I didn’t want to use all my vegan butter so I used 1/4 c vegan butter and 1/4c refined coconut oil. This is the only thing I did different and it was the best cornbread I have ever made! And my husband agrees.
shovey says
Made this to go along with chili. Messed up the recipe directions a bit and used melted vegan becel as that was all I had on hand. I also used almond milk (with the vinegar). It was super quick to make and is so moist. Great recipe. Wow.
Shawn says
I made this for my son who is both gluten and dairy intolerant. Wow, was it good. I used King-Arthur 1:1 gluten free flour along with almond milk. The batter is pretty runny after mixing and I thought to myself that something had to be wrong with the recipe….boy, was I wrong. The cornbread was moist and perfectly sweetened. I used a cast iron skillet.
That Victorian Dinosaur lady says
My 16 year old son has never liked cornbread all the years I have been making it, till I made this recipe. I got a thumbs up and legitimate smile. thank you for such a crowd pleaser.
Vicki Flemm says
I made this for our family and for neighbors and it was a big hit. Delicious. Now I’m making it again.
sadie says
I’m intrigued. This looks good and accessible. What are your thoughts on using egg replacer or flax eggs? Also, I think ACV would make for a more umami “buttermilk.” Have you had any feedback on using Miyoko’s Vegan butter? I hope to have success with this recipe. Thank you very much for sharing it with us!
Audrey says
Hi Sadei! I have used the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free egg replacer to make my cornbread. I have not tried the apple cider vinegar, but it definitely would do the trick. I have not had any feedback on using Miyoko’s Vegan butter. I hope you try my recipe and enjoy the cornbread!
Faye harrison says
Best cornbread I ever made. I used Splenda and it worked great. Thanks
Kathryn L Ranieri says
I’m so grateful for this recipe. I’ve used it as cornbread and as a topping for tamale pie, thus converting some of my recipes for my granddaughter. Thanks so much.
dana says
This cornbread was fantastic! I used a DIY gluten-free blend that worked fine. And I reduced the sugar by 1/2 – it was perfectly sweet for me. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Sarah Brown says
Fantastic. I used Bob’s 1-to-1 GF Flour, Not Milk (Pea Protein Milk), Country Crock Olive Oil (Vegan) Butter, and Apple Cider Vinegar as my substitutions. ACV is usually a staple in GF baking recipes and works really well if you don’t have white vinegar.
Judy says
We don’t like sweet cornbread so I left that out. It is delicious that way too! My husband was so thankful for a cornbread that taste original.
DRK says
Followed recipe exactly as stated, I had no honey so substituted with pancake syrup. Very easy to make and absolutely spongy and delicious. Baked in a normal baking pan.
Nana says
This is delicious!! Thank you so much!! I used arrowhead Mills all purpose gluten free flour and bob’s red meal med ground cornmeal, also omitted the sugar and put in 2 tbsp maple syrup and 1 heaping tbsp honey, baked them in 2 8″ pans for 17 min. They came out flatter but delicious! I will say if you don’t like a more rustic cornmeal feel, I’d try a different grind of cornmeal but I love how this came out! This with split pea soup is wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful and easy to follow recipe!! Will be my go to cornbread recipe as it’s such a snap to make!! Love finding recipes that are so well explained and come out perfect!
Em says
I skipped right past the vinegar, saw it later and threw it in! 😂 didn’t even think about it being for making buttermilk. They were amazing anyway! The tops got a little brown and crusty and the muffins fluffy throughout. Perfect!!!!
Michele says
My mama is 82 and she is still talking about this cornbread I made last week! We both think it’s the best cornbread we’ve ever eaten. That’s saying a lot because her mom, my grandma from Tennessee knew how to make cornbread and made it all the time. This recipe is phenomenal.
Kathleen Flint says
I made this recipe last night and my whole family LOVED it, including me! I will definitely be coming back for more recipes…thank you! (I am the one with celiac, but my family eats the way I do).
Olga says
This is the best GF cornbread I’ve ever made. Turned out light, soft and fluffy and not crumbly like other recipes. I used regular buttermilk and butter and King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour mix. Definitely saving the recipe!
Michele Farmer says
This is the best cornbread that I have made! I have tried modifying regular recipes to gluten free and haven’t been satisfied with the results until your recipe. My husband loves this recipe too! Will be making it often. Both the taste and texture are great!
John G says
I’m not a gluten-free type of guy, and generally do not like gluten-free foods. I made this for a six-person dinner party, and 4 of the 6 were pretty staunch gluten-free eaters. Out of courtesy I found this recipe (this one just “sounded right” to me) and I made it for my friends. I didn’t think it was bad, however I thought my regular sweet Southern recipe was much better. But boy did my guests have a positive reaction…they all said it was the best cornbread they had ever had and they all asked me for the recipe. Even my wife thought it was very good, and she doesn’t generally care for gluten-free foods. So based on the ecstatic reception it got from my gluten-free friends, I have to give it 5 starts. I did not make it dairy free, I used regular buttermilk. I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour, and I put a lightly buttered cast iron pan in the oven 30 minutes beforehand. I always do that when I make cornbread so when you pour the batter in it, it sizzles and you get a wonderful crust. I did not add any zantham gum. Other than that, I followed the recipe verbatim.
TPK says
I never leave reviews, but I had to for this outstanding recipe, best I’ve ever had! And I’ve had plenty from my southern mom over the years. 🙂 This recipe was moist and not dried out, and I loved the way it browned using the cast iron pan. I made mine gf and dairy free – used cashew milk (1/2 cu raw cashews + 2 cu water blended in Vitamix), and Miyoko’s cultured vegan butter (best out there!) – and it was amazing. Whole family loved it, even the teenagers with no dietary restrictions. Thanks for the great recipe!
Robin says
My daughter loves cornbread and I surprised her with this. She was thrilled! Recipe turned out well, would never have known it was gluten free. Thanks for the tip about xanathan gum
Christina Shickles says
Another recipe of yours that did not disappoint! Made it with a Turkey Corn Chowder with leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it was delicious. Plus husband approved too! Thank you!
Cullene Compton says
I’m amazed at the fantastic taste and texture of this recipe!! This was my first time making gluten-free cornbread from scratch. My only substitution was store-bought buttermilk. My fiancé was diagnosed with Celiac many years ago before I met him. I’m always looking for gluten-free recipes to make for him (brownies, cakes, breads). All of the boxed GF cornbread mixes I’ve tried have a “chalky” texture. But, this recipe doesn’t have that!! Thank you for sharing, I’ll be making this A LOT! ❤
Alice Fye says
This was easy and delicious, in spite of me forgetting the salt! We just lightly salted the warm cornbread on our plates!
Lee Ann Rattoballi says
I have been trying to make a great cornbread for years, and never really got there. I tried this one since my husband was diagnosed with celiac and it is far better than anything else I have tried. I was ordering one for $20 from a gluten free restaurant in town, but now I don’t have to! Thank you so much, I’m making cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving this year!!!
Audrey says
This makes me so happy to hear Lee Ann! You are so welcome, I love sharing the recipes I make for my family and helping others. Thank you so much for the awesome 5-star recipe review!
Monica says
Love this recipe. I half the sugar for a less sweet but it’s great either way!
Esther says
I’ve used this recipe over and over. Usually without changes. Sometimes my cupboard dictates slight ingredient swaps. Tonight I had self rising cornmeal and tortilla cornmeal. So I only used 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt. 1 1/2 cups self rising corn flour and a tablespoon of Mesa tortilla flour. They were light and puffy and perfect in case anyone needs to substitute like I had to. They are always delicious and I’m so thankful for this recipe!
Lea says
Another home run from Mama Knows Gluten Free. We used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour and our cast iron skillet. It was PERFECT! The bottom made a nice crispy cornbread crust. It also fluffed up quite nicely (unlike store-bought mixes) to about 2″ in the middle. Absolutely delicious, with great texture. Thank you so much!
Melanie Woody says
This is the best GF cornbread I’ve made!! I do like a slightly sweeter cornbread as well and this was perfect. It was moist and yet the texture on the outside was a little more crispy. I used Costco’s Namaste GF perfect flour blend and a 9×9 pan. Highly recommend!
Demi says
I prefer my cornbread unsweetened so I just leave it out. Love this recipe, my only add on is preheating my cast iron skillet and add two tablespoons of butter before adding the batter. Oh my yum!
KF says
So moist and fluffy and flavorful! My first try at GF cornbread. Definitely saving the recipe to use again. I only had buttermilk so I used that in place of the milk and vinegar. Turned out great! Company said it was the best cornbread they’d had in a long time.
Sherrie says
I have made this cornbread several times and it’s always a hit! My niece even asked for the recipe because her very picky daughter loved it.
Mama knows gluten free has the best recipes!
Tesa says
Delicious! Very light and full of flavor. I will be making this recipe again!
Kristen Jackson says
I am so impressed with this! We are cooking gluten free and dairy free for one of our kids for a while. We used the Earth Balance “butter”. Everyone loved the corn bread. I was worried about how runny the batter was, but it turned out beautifully. Thank you so much!
Susan says
Really good cornbread. Made it tonight along with beef stew. My husband isn’t gluten free, but he loved it. Thanks for another good recipe.
Sonya says
Very easy and delicious!
Roxanne says
Amazing cornbread! Made in cast iron and just was a crunchy sweet delight!
Ry says
Turned out just like it is pictured. Super light cornbread. Definitely want to drizzle honey on top before eating a slice
Holly Douglas says
I absolutely loved this recipe. So did my very picky kids. We used coconut milk. Delicious 😋