This one-bowl Vegan Cheesy Cornbread is fluffy, tender, and so delicious! It's literally the best cheesy cornbread! Everyone will love this super easy recipe and no one will guess that this cornbread is vegan, gluten-free friendly, and whipped up in minutes!
Why This Recipe Works
This one-bowl vegan cornbread is the ultimate savory cornbread recipe. It’s fluffy and soft on the inside with the perfect golden cornbread crumb on the outside. It’s super easy to make and only uses one bowl! Can't go wrong with that! You can use this recipe to make gluten-free cornbread by swapping the regular flour for gluten-free flour in this cornbread recipe.
We love to serve this dish alongside a hearty bowl of chili or as a side to a holiday meal. It also makes an incredible snack topped with vegan butter.
Equipment Needed
This homemade cheesy cornbread can be made in one bowl and just poured into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Hardly any mess to clean up!
Ingredients Needed
This easy cornbread recipe uses just 9 super simple ingredients, most of which you probably have in your kitchen. Here's the lineup:
- Milk: For a rich, moist vegan cornbread we recommend full fat coconut milk. No buttermilk necessary!
- Butter: To keep this recipe vegan, use a plant-based butter.
- Baking staples: You’ll need some baking powder & salt so that the cornbread bakes up nice and fluffy.
- Nutritional yeast: For a boost of vegan cheesy flavor!
- Sugar: Just a bit of sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Cornmeal: A gluten-free must for that classic cornbread flavor.
- Flour: For the best texture, we recommend all-purpose flour for this recipe. If you are gluten-free, you may use gluten-free all purpose flour in this recipe.
- Shredded Cheese: We use plant-based vegan cheese shreds in this recipe. If you're not vegan or dairy free, feel free to use regular shredded cheese such as cheddar or colby cheese.
How To Make Cheesy Cornbread
Step 1: Mix ingredients- Using one bowl, mix the coconut milk, melted vegan butter, baking powder, sugar, salt, and nutritional yeast together. Then, add the cornmeal and regular or gluten free all purpose flour. Mix until a thick batter forms. Fold in the shredded cheese.
Step 2: Bake -Transfer the batter into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan and bake it in an oven that has been preheated to 375ºF for about 40 minutes.
Step 3: Serve - This cornbread is the best enjoyed warm, spread with regular or vegan butter.
Expert Tips
- Gluten-free cornbread: If you'd like to make this recipe gluten free, we recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour.
- Fresh cornmeal: Check your cornmeal for rancidity before baking. Rancid cornmeal will smell stale and musty; good cornmeal will have a sweeter smell.
- Don't over-bake: This cheesy cornbread is very moist, but like most cornbread recipes, it can dry out easily if it’s baked too long. Keep a close eye on it, and check the doneness frequently once it gets close.
Serving Suggestions
Cheesy cornbread is amazing on it's own or with soup and other cozy meals. Here are some recipes we love to enjoy with this cornbread recipe:
- Easy & Super Thick Vegan Pumpkin Chili
- Easy Vegan Chili
- Vegan Vegetable White Bean and Rice Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Storage
Store leftover cornbread at room temperature in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days, depending on the temperature and humidity. For longer storage, place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to about 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or in a toaster oven.
Quick tip: Refrigerating this (or any baked good) tends to dry it out. If you do refrigerate it, we recommend reheating it in the microwave as it is best enjoyed warm.
more bread recipes to try
- Moist Vegan Cornbread with Maple Syrup
- One Bowl Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
- Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
Frequently Asked Questions
Many cornbreads contain butter, lard, buttermilk, or eggs. Luckily, this vegan cornbread recipe is the best cornbread you'll ever try and it is completely free of butter, milk, and eggs!
You cornbread may be dry because you don't have enough fat content in the batter or because you've baked it too long. We make this cornbread recipe super moist by using coconut milk in the batter. Coconut milk is a great source of healthy fat and provides a ton of moister to this cornbread. Follow the baking instructions below to ensure you don't over bake your cornbread.
Traditional cornbread is not gluten-free. This cornbread recipe is gluten-free friendly because cornmeal is naturally gluten-free and you can use gluten-free all purpose flour in this recipe.
Cheesy Cornbread
Ingredients
Easy Vegan Cornbread
- 1 13.5 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup melted regular or vegan butter
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup regular or gluten free all purpose flour If gluten-free, I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour. Please don't substitute any other flour such as almond flour, baking flour, etc.
- 1 cup regular or vegan cheddar cheese shreds
Instructions
Easy Vegan Cornbread
- Preheat the oven to 375
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the coconut milk, melted butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the nutritional yeast if using. Then, add the corn meal and all purpose flour. Mix until a thick batter forms.
- Fold in the cheddar cheese shreds and pour the batter into a 9x5 loaf pan. Bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes until the top of the loaf is golden. Serve spread with vegan butter.
Kelsey says
This is the best cornbread I’ve ever eaten. It’s so flavorful, not dry, perfectly dense, without being heavy. The cheese is the perfect addition.
Thanks Jillian!!