Gluten Free Cornbread

Gluten free cornbread is one of those basic recipes gluten free cooks need. Cornmeal, not the same as corn flour, gives a distinct texture that people love and it's essential here. This is a year-round recipe with variations from muffins to sausage stuffing for turkey and more.

Cornbread, served warm with syrup on it, is my comfort food. I don't recall my mom making any variation of this recipe but I sure do. If you love cornmeal and corn in general, check out this post, How To Use Corn Flour, Cornmeal and Masa Harina. You'll find recipe links to get you cooking!

🌽 Ingredients

Cornmeal is essential here and the use of corn flour makes this original recipe rice-free. However, gluten free corn flour can be hard to find so I've got some substitution suggestions for you.

• gluten free cornmeal
• gluten free corn flour (or substitute EGFG gluten free flour blend)
• tapioca starch (or substitute EGFG gluten free flour blend)
• sugar
• baking powder
• xanthan gum
• egg
• vegetable oil
• buttermilk

See recipe card for exact amounts.

Instructions

If you've done a bit of baking you're probably familiar with the common steps of mixing a bowl of dry ingredients with a bowl of wet ingredients. This is typical for everyday recipes like pancakes and muffins.

Gluten free flours don't absorb liquid or fat like wheat flour so for this cornbread recipe I use a stand mixer. Beating air into the wet ingredients and again into the batter is what gives a light, airy crumb to this cornbread.

Substitutions

Gluten free corn flour - I substitute my EGFG gluten free flour blend when I'm out of corn flour and I just can't find it.

Tapioca starch - If I'm making the above substitution for the corn flour then I also substitute the tapioca starch with more of my EGFG flour blend. (It has 2 starches in it and I know it will work well.)

Xanthan gum - The best substitute for xanthan is guar gum. Use it in equal amounts in any recipe calling for xanthan gum.

Buttermilk - You can always sour regular or plant based milk by putting 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a cup and filling it to 1 cup. It never makes your baking as nice and fluffy as store bought buttermilk but it's a substitute cooks need.

9 Variations for Gluten Free Cornbread

To me, a basic recipe must meet these two criteria:

1. I can find the recipe and confirm I have the ingredients (or know what to buy) in less than a minute.
2. It works in my kitchen every time and I'm confident making tweaks and variations.

Make it sweet or savoury and cook it in any shape of pan you have. Here are nine different ways I make this basic recipe.

1. Made in an 8-inch square pan, cut into squares and served warm with corn syrup for breakfast.
2. Portioned into a regular or mini size muffin pan, usually with berries as Cornmeal Raspberry Muffins.
3. Baked as cute little corn sticks in a cast iron molded corn-stick pan because there was a time when I bought every unique pan to make every recipe I saw in a glossy, food magazine.
4. A cheesy version with shredded cheddar cheese in the batter baked anyway you like. You could add herbs, I might even add a blob of store bought pesto sauce just because I love pesto.
5. Bacon lovers add bacon (and maybe bacon grease) to cornbread and need no tips on how to do that.
6. Try cornbread in a cast iron pan over a campfire.
7. Make a cornbread loaf in regular or mini loaf pans. Fill a loaf pan half way with the batter and top with blobs of jalapeño jelly. Draw swirls through the batter with a knife. Top with the remaining batter and bake. This is also excellent with cheddar cheese in the batter and finely chopped jalapeños if you like it hot!
8. As Cornbread Chorizo Stuffing for my traditional turkey dinner.
9. Cornbread Sausage Stuffing Balls because everyone needs more ways to eat stuffing.

Top Tip

Beat the wet ingredients and then beat the batter. I have made the mistake (more than once) of not using a stand mixer. I just glance at the ingredients, make a dry and wet bowl and am folding them together before I look at the instructions. Try not to do that because it is an important step.

Gluten Free Cornbread

Gluten free cornbread is one of my basic recipes I immediately needed to make gluten free. Cornmeal gives a distinct texture that people love and I vary recipe to make sweet or savoury muffins, cornbread sticks or a loaf, turkey stuffing and even cornbread stuffing balls.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Baking, Bread, Rice Free Baking

Cuisine: Canadian

Keyword: gluten free cornbread

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 pieces

Calories: 141kcal

Author: Cinde Little

Ingredients

DRY INGREDIENTS

• ▢ 1 cup cornmeal
• ▢ ¾ cup corn flour (or substitute EGFG gluten free flour blend*)
• ▢ ½ cup tapioca starch (or substitute EGFG gluten free flour blend*)
• ▢ ⅓ cup sugar
• ▢ 1½ tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

WET INGREDIENTS

• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk (substitute regular milk or sour milk)

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease your pan of choice.**
• Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
• Combine wet ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer until frothy.
• Slowly add dry ingredients mixing until combined. Increase to high speed and mix for 1 minute.
• Stir in optional ingredients if using.
• Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes depending on the size of your pan. Cool 5-10 minutes before cutting to eat warm.
• Cut in cubes and cool completely for stuffing. Store all cornbread in an airtight container for maximum freshness.

Notes

*Substitute the total amount of both corn flour and tapioca starch (1¼ cups), with your favourite gluten free flour blend. Results will vary depending on the blend you use. I use my EGFG flour blend: 300g sweet rice flour, 300g potato starch, 200g sorghum flour, 200g millet flour. Makes ~ 8 cups.

**Baking time will vary depending on the pan you use. Think of the thickness and remember gluten free baking takes a little longer than baking with wheat flour. 

• 8-inch square baking pan for everyday
• A regular loaf pan or mini loaf pans
• Regular or mini muffins
• Cast iron frying pan
• Cast iron corn stick mold

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Cornbread

Serving Size

 

1 piece

Amount per Serving

Calories

141

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

6

g

9

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Trans Fat

 

0.03

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Cholesterol

 

12

mg

4

%

Sodium

 

215

mg

9

%

Potassium

 

72

mg

2

%

Carbohydrates

 

20

g

7

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

5

g

6

%

Protein

 

2

g

4

%

Vitamin A

 

40

IU

1

%

Calcium

 

93

mg

9

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.