Best Ever Vegan Cornbread Recipe (Easy!)

This is the ultimate vegan cornbread recipe: super moist, soft, buttery, and just lightly sweet. You won’t be able to tell that this cornbread recipe is vegan, eggless, dairy free, and easily gluten free. A classic Thanksgiving side that everyone will love, vegan or not!

Why you need to try this easy vegan cornbread recipe:

If you’ve been looking for a quick and easy cornbread recipe that’s also naturally eggless, dairy free, and easily gluten free, then you need to put this vegan cornbread on your Thanksgiving table.

This recipe has all of the classic flavors of cornbread that we know and love: super moist, fluffy, lightly sweet, and soft. While also naturally being eggless, dairy free, vegan, and easily gluten free. A.k.a. perfect for all eaters, whether or not they’re vegan!

You’ll also love how simple this recipe is to make. The prep takes all of 5 minutes, and just 25-28 minutes in the oven. A really easy recipe to squeeze in between prepping your vegan lentil loaf and vegan sweet potato casserole for the big Thanksgiving dinner.

But this vegan cornbread is not just perfect for Thanksgiving- it’s also a great side to pair with cozy vegan comfort foods, soups, and more!

You’re just going to love this cornbread; I know it will soon become a family favorite for you too!

Cornbread origins:

Did you know that cornbread was originally vegan? It was first created as a leavened flatbread by Indigenous peoples of America, who had ground corn kernels with flour into a paste, then boiled the dough until cooked.

Over time, cornbread was adapted to use both eggs, dairy, and butter, turning it into more of a sweet cake bread.

This version of cornbread goes back to its vegan origins; however, it’s similar in both taste, texture, and appearance to the cornbread of the 21st century.

What ingredients are in cornbread?

What I love most about this vegan cornbread is the simplicity in ingredients. It’s not as simple as what it was when originally created (though that would be really delicious to try!). However, this cornbread still contains minimal and easy to find ingredients, compared to other Thanksgiving recipes we might be preparing!

For this eggless cornbread, you’ll need:

• Cornmeal: we’ll go over the difference between cornmeal, cornstarch, and polenta below because it’s very important that you use cornmeal in this recipe.
• Flour: you can use all-purpose flour, gluten free 1:1 baking flour, or even oat flour (yes, we’ve tested it, and it works!).
• Sugar: use organic granulated sugar or coconut sugar here.
• Vegan butter: my favorite vegan butter brands to use are Flora Plant Butter, Miyoko’s, or Forager Project. You can also use Earth Balance.
• Applesauce: this is our vegan egg replacement, but more on that down below.
• Vegan buttermilk: a simple combination of dairy free milk (love oat milk here!) and apple cider vinegar.
• Maple syrup: just a touch for a really lovely sweet fall flavor.
• Leavening agents: this is your baking powder and baking soda.

The vegan egg substitute for cornbread:

You can, indeed, make cornbread without eggs. As we noted earlier, cornbread was originally vegan, so it’s very easy to make a vegan cornbread. To replace eggs in the more modern day version of cornbread, we’re using applesauce.

Unsweetened applesauce is a great egg replacement that helps bind together baked goods, while also offering a bit of natural sweetness (helping us to reduce any added sugar). You can also use ground flaxseed “egg” here, but you will have specks of flaxseed visible in the cornbread.

Cornmeal vs. Polenta vs. Cornstarch

Please note that when purchasing ingredients for this vegan cornbread, it’s really important to use cornmeal. This is much different from both cornstarch and polenta.

Cornstarch is essentially a derivative of corn– it’s used as a binding agent in baking, and can help yield a really lovely velvety, tender texture in cakes and cupcakes. Polenta is more similar to cornmeal, in that it’s ground corn kernels. However, the difference is that polenta has a much grittier consistency. It can work for this recipe, but won’t yield the best results. Cornmeal is the true star of this cornbread recipe. It’s super finely ground dried corn kernels that lend a sweetness and overall fluffiness to the final bake.

How to make vegan cornbread (overview):

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

What you’ll love about this eggless cornbread is that it’s incredibly easy and quick to make. You could even technically make it in one bowl (though I prefer two just for the ease of making sure that all the dry ingredients are properly incorporated!).

How to serve cornbread:

Of course, cornbread is a classic Thanksgiving staple, but it’s also wonderful to pair along other vegan fall and winter dinner recipes. Here are a few of my personal favorite ways to enjoy this eggless cornbread:

• Alongside vegan chili
• With a pat of vegan butter and maple syrup
• As a side with vegan lasagna
• With this creamy vegan sweet potato pumpkin soup

And of course, check out all of our favorite vegan Thanksgiving recipes that everyone will love, vegan or not!

Happy cornbread baking!

More vegan Thanksgiving recipes you’ll love:

BEST Ever Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Classic Vegan Apple Pie

Easy Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole

Best Vegan Mac n’ Cheese

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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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