Name: Moist & Fluffy Gluten Free Cornbread
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup masa harina (or corn flour); 1/4 cup medium grind corn meal; 1/2 cup almond flour; 1/4 cup arrowroot flour; 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 1 1/4 cup almond milk ((or sub other milk of choice)); 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar ((or other)); 6 tablespoons butter (melted); 2 large eggs; 2 tablespoons honey

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You’ll adore this Gluten Free Cornbread recipe! Made with clean ingredients, it’s a much healthier choice than the boxed alternative. This delicious recipe is easily made into a gluten free dairy free cornbread.

Cornbread is so cozy! If you’re looking for other ways to enjoy gluten free cornbread, try these Sausage Cornbread Muffins and bookmark this delicious Cornbread Dressing recipe!

Cornbread slices stacked up, and with butter and honey dripping off the top.

The BEST Gluten Free Cornbread

I love this sweet cornbread recipe! It’s a go-to, and something I make every winter. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a steaming bowl of chili, and also great for holiday dishes involving bread — like gluten free cornbread stuffing (I also use it for these INCREDIBLE Sausage Stuffing Balls).

I set out to make the Best Gluten Free Cornbread recipe, and landed on this incredible combination. This recipe is easy to make, and uses simple, nutrient dense ingredients.

It uses real butter and honey for a rich, Southern-style cornbread flavor. It’s perfection served right out of the pan (or cast iron skillet!), or with butter and a drizzle of honey.

Comparison to Store Bought Cornbread Mix

Years ago, before I was gluten free, I had a craving for cornbread. I picked up a box of Jiffy (what we all used to make!), and was appalled at the ingredients.

A comparison of the ingredients in Jiffy cornbread compared to this healthier recipe.

Ingredient & Nutrition Comparison:

Jiffy uses degerminated corn meal. This means the nutritious, fiberous part of the corn is removed in processing. While corn isn’t exactly a superfood to begin with, this processing makes it even less so.
Jiffy’s mix uses hydrogenated lard. There is no safe amount of hydrogenated oil, and I refuse to support companies that are negligent enough with their consumer’s health to still use them, in any quantities.
This homemade recipe is lightly sweetened with honey, rather than using processed white sugar.
Preservatives! Let’s leave the chemicals where they belong – in the lab.

If you are wondering how to decode nutrition labels — I recommend starting with the ingredient list. Download my Nix List (printable!) and keep it with you while grocery shopping.

What You’ll Need

Cornflour or Masa Harina
Almond Flour (gluten free flour can be subbed – see notes!)
Arrowroot Powder (I use Bob’s Red Mill for the mildest tasting and best quality!)
Baking Powder
Sea Salt
Unsweetened/Unflavored Almond Milk + Vinegar (a dairy free buttermilk substitution!)
Eggs (or your favorite egg substitute)
Honey (or maple syrup)
Melted Butter

The ingredients shown with labels used to make gluten free cornbread.

How to Make Gluten Free Cornbread

Step 1: Add vinegar into the almond milk, and set aside while putting together the dry ingredients. This creates an almond “buttermilk” and helps the cornbread come out really fluffy.

Step 2: Add the masa harina, corn meal, almond flour, arrowroot, salt, baking powder and baking soda to a bowl, and whisk to combine.

Step one shows to add the vinegar to the almond milk. Step 2 shows to mix together the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Into a medium sized mixing bowl, add the eggs, almond milk, melted butter, and honey. Whisk to combine.

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients, and stir until the there is no more dry ingredients in the batter.

Step 3 shows to whisk together the wet ingredients, and step 4 shows to mix in the dry ingredients.

Step 5: Line an 8×8 baking dish with baking paper or spray it with avocado oil and sprinkle it with additional masa harina (or corn flour). Pour batter into the baking dish and smooth out the top.

Step 6: Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake the cornbread in an oven preheated to 400º F for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until golden brown on top. If you don’t cover it with foil for the beginning on the baking time, the cornbread will get very dark because of the almond flour.

Step 5 shows to add the gluten free cornbread batter to a baking dish, and step 6 shows to bake the cornbread until it's golden.

Is Cornbread Gluten Free?

Cornbread in America is made with a combination of cornmeal or corn flour and wheat flour. This means most cornbread mixes you buy at stores and the cornbread in restaurants is not gluten free.

However, its super simple to make cornbread at home, and swap in a more nutritious flour, like almond flour, in place of the wheat flour.

*For celiac disease sufferers, be sure to look for certified gluten free cornmeal.

Variations for Making this Cornbread Recipe your Own

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread: Add 1/2 cup of very thinly sliced jalapenos, along with 1 cup of shredded cheddar to your batter, and bake as directed.
Green Chili Cornbread: Drain a can of green chilis and mix into the batter, and bake as directed. Drain the excess liquid off the green chilis.
Honey Bacon Cornbread: Cook 6 slices of bacon until crisp, and then crumble them. Increase the honey to 1/4 of cup. Fold bacon into the cornbread batter prior to pouring it into the baking dish. Serve cornbread with additional honey.

Cornbread baked in a clear 8x8 baking dish.

FAQ and How to Store Leftovers

How to Store Leftover Gluten Free Cornbread

Store leftover cornbread covered in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. Wrap tightly or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

If you’d like to freeze the cornbread, make sure it’s wrapped air tight, then freeze for up to 3 months. I do this prior to the holidays to make it easier to prep for making cornbread dressing!

Make this a Gluten Free Dairy Free Cornbread

I use unsweetened, unflavored almond milk in this recipe. I add some vinegar to it, and leave it to sit to create a dairy-free “buttermilk.”

This recipe uses unsweetened almond milk with vinegar in place of buttermilk, so no substitutions are necessary. Coconut milk beverage and oat milk are good substitutions.
Instead of butter, use a vegan butter or avocado oil in it’s place as a 1-1 substitution. Coconut oil also works, but will give your cornbread a mild coconut flavor. Vegetable oil will also work, but I avoid using them in my kitchen.

Grass-fed butter is high in omega 3s and CLAs, and low in lactose, so it’s something that I’ve added back to my nearly dairy-free diet. Definitely experiment and find out what works best for you!

Can I use Gluten-Free Flour?

This recipe uses almond flour, but gluten free all purpose flour can be used in it’s place as a 1-1 substitution.

I suggest skipping brands that use xantham gum or other types of gums. Let’s stick to simple ingredients!

Make Gluten Free Cornbread Muffins

Line a muffin tin with parchment paper liners. This recipe will make 18 muffins.
Add the batter 3/4 of the way full.
Bake gluten-free cornbread muffins at 400º F for 20-24 minutes, until the tops have a light golden color and they are cooked in the centers.
Enjoy gluten-free corn muffins with butter and a drizzle of honey!

Other Gluten Free Bread Recipes

If you make this recipe, be sure to share it with me! Find me on Facebook or Instagram and be sure to tag #SunkissedKitchen @SunkissedKitch