Easy Gluten-Free Cornbread (Dairy-Free)

This easy gluten-free cornbread is made in the cast iron skillet. Crusty on the outside with a toothy bite that you’ll absolutely love, it comes out perfect every time. Eat this skillet cornbread with a drizzle of maple syrup or honey, as a side to barbecue or chili con carne, or use it to make cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner! This is also gluten-free and dairy-free too, but nobody would know!

Jump to:

• What is Cornbread?
• My Love for Cornbread
• Our Favorite Gluten-Free Cornbread Recipe + Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients You’ll Need:
• Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:
• How to Cook Gluten-Free Cornbread in a Skillet (Step by Step):
• Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
• Recipe FAQs:
• Other Gluten-Free Cornbread Recipes You’ll Love:
• Other Cast Iron Skillet Recipes:
• Bread Recipes to Enjoy:
• Easy Gluten-Free Cornbread (Dairy-Free)

What is Cornbread?

Cornbread, for those of you who haven’t eaten this miracle of a dish before, is basically any quick bread that contains cornmeal and is leavened with baking powder as opposed to yeast.

While cornbread is generally eaten all over the United States, it is highly popular in the South of the United States, and is widely eaten with barbecue and chili con carne. Sometimes it’s also used to make cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner.

Skillet-baked or skillet-fried cornbread (also known simply as “skillet cornbread”) is a staple in Southern cuisine, and this essentially refers to a way of cooking cornbread in which the batter is basically poured into a previously-heated cast iron skillet and returned to the oven to bake until a crusty exterior is formed.

My Love for Cornbread

I am a big fan of cornbread in every form, and over the years I’ve made my fair share of cornbread. Some recipes include gluten-free cornbread muffins, super easy rosemary cornbread, pretty cornbread madeleines, to jalapeño cornbread (perfect if you love some heat!). I’ve even made cornbread stuffing during the holidays!

It’s one of those super versatile foods that you can cook in practically any form possible (from muffin tins to loaf pans to a baking pan or a skillet) and it will still comes out great. Plus, you can add in toppings like sweet blueberries or spicy jalapeños as you wish.

Our Favorite Gluten-Free Cornbread Recipe + Why This Recipe Works

However, my absolute favorite way to cook gluten-free cornbread is in a cast iron skillet (and it seems readers agree too!).

• Simple Ingredients: The ingredients needed to make this gluten-free cornbread recipe are easy to find and you might even have them in your kitchen already!

• Super Easy to Make: This skillet cornbread is fail-proof and comes out crazy good every single time (no kidding)! So you can always be sure that it’ll be a success, and you’ll never go back to storebought cornbread mix anymore!

• Crispy on Top and Bottom: The reason why I love using a cast-iron skillet is because by preheating the skillet before pouring in the batter, it ensures that the bottom of the cornbread turns out crusty too (as opposed to soft and moist).

• Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free: The best part is that this skillet cornbread recipe is totally gluten-free and dairy-free too, which means that even those who have Celiac disease or are intolerant to gluten or lactose can also enjoy it!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required to make this easy homemade cornbread recipe.

(For exact measurements and quantities, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:

• Cornmeal: I recommend using yellow cornmeal for the characteristic yellow color of traditional cornbread. However, if you only have white cornmeal on hand, you may use it too (The taste will be the same, the only difference is that the cornbread made with white cornmeal will be paler in color). Here’s my recipe for how to make cornmeal using dried corn kernels. Ready in minutes, you might never need to buy cornmeal again!

• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: I like to use a gluten-free flour blend that is made up of lighter flours and starches such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch, or potato starch, as opposed to a blend that uses heavier or denser flours such as garbanzo bean flours.

• Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is the replacement for gluten in gluten-free flours and is necessary to bind the ingredients together. Make sure you add xanthan gum if your gluten-free flour blend doesn’t already include it.

• Sugar: I used light brown sugar, but you can also use normal white or dark brown sugar if you prefer. If you are diabetic or insulin resistant, I highly recommend that you use Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that is zero glycemic index). Alternatively, if you want a cornbread that’s not sweet at all, feel free to leave out the sugar completely.

• Baking Powder: Baking powder is necessary to help the batter rise, so make sure you add it. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure you use certified gluten-free baking powder.

• Unsweetened Almond Milk: I like to use an unsweetened version of my 5-minute homemade almond milk for this dairy-free cornbread recipe, but you can also use another dairy-free milk, such as cashew milk, soy milk, coconut milk or other nut milks. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use normal dairy milk if you prefer.

• Eggs: Eggs are necessary for binding the ingredients together. I personally haven’t tried making this recipe with an egg substitute, but if you do try making it egg-free, please let me know how it goes in the comments below!

• Coconut Oil: I prefer to use refined coconut oil when cooking or baking because it has a more neutral taste (compared to extra virgin coconut oil that has a strong coconut taste). You may also use another vegetable oil, olive oil or melted vegan butter. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use equal amounts of melted butter instead.

How to Cook Gluten-Free Cornbread in a Skillet (Step by Step):

1. Preheat Oven

Pre-heat oven to 425F (220C) and adjust the rack to the middle position.

2. Heat Up Skillet

Place an 8-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to heat up (yes, I actually mean the empty skillet without anything in it).

3. Mix Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, gluten-free flour blend, sugar, salt and baking powder.

4. Add Wet Ingredients

Whisk in the almond milk, eggs and melted coconut oil until well combined, leaving 1 tablespoon of coconut oil for the skillet.

5. Brush Skillet with Oil

Remove cast iron skillet from the oven (be careful, it’s hot!) and reduce oven temperature to 375F (180C). Using a silicon brush, brush the remaining tablespoon of melted coconut oil all around the top surface of the skillet.

6. Transfer Batter to Skillet

Pour gluten-free cornbread batter into the skillet, smooth out the top with a wet spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown on top, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Cool and Enjoy

Allow this gluten-free skillet cornbread to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:

• No Skillet? No Problem: If you don’t own a cast iron skillet or cast iron pan, simply use an 8″x 8″ baking pan in place of the skillet. With the baking pan, you don’t have to heat it up in the oven. Simply pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350F until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

• Eat it Alone or With Maple Syrup: You can literally eat this cornbread on it’s own (so good!!), but if you add a drizzle of maple syrup or honey, that makes it even better.

• Make Muffins: If you prefer individual cornbread muffins, you can also bake them in a muffin tin for 20 minutes at 350F until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

• Make a Loaf: If you prefer to bake it into a gluten-free cornbread loaf, simply use a standard loaf pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Recipe FAQs:

Other Gluten-Free Cornbread Recipes You’ll Love:

• Easy Cornbread Muffins (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Jalapeño Cornbread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Cornbread Madeleines (Gluten-Free)
• Rosemary Cornbread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Blueberry Cornbread Muffins (Gluten-Free)
• Cornbread Stuffing (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Other Cast Iron Skillet Recipes:

• Sweet Potato & Kale Breakfast Skillet (Gluten-Free, Paleo)
• Easy Gluten-Free Naan Bread (Dairy-Free)
• Crustless Spinach Quiche (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Chickpea Flatbread (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Cherry Clafoutis (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Pear Custard Pie (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Bread Recipes to Enjoy:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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