Easy Skillet Cornbread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

This easy skillet cornbread comes out perfect every single time, is crusty on the outside with a toothy bite that you’ll absolutely love. Eat it with a drizzle of 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!

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 gluten-free cornbread muffins, super easy rosemary cornbread, pretty cornbread madeleines, and even jalapeño cornbread (perfect if you love some heat!).

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!).

The reason why I love using a 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). Plus, 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.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:

• 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 with heavier and denser flours such as garbanzo bean flour.

• Sugar: I used light brown sugar in this recipe, but you can also use normal white or dark brown sugar if you prefer. Alternatively, if you want a skillet cornbread that’s not sweet at all, feel free to leave out the sugar completely.

• Almond Milk: I like to use my 5-minute homemade almond milk for this gluten-free cornbread recipe, but you can also use other dairy-free milks, 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.

• 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). Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use easy amounts of melted butter instead.

How to Cook Cornbread in a Skillet:

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 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). 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, 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.

Helpful Tips/Tricks:

• No Skillet? No Problem: If you don’t own a cast iron skillet, simple 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.

• 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 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)

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!

Print