Best Gluten Free Cornbread (Skillet, with Creamed Corn)

This gluten free skillet cornbread is the one I make every Thanksgiving. The secret is a can of creamed corn, which creates a soft, delicate crumb that melts in your mouth. Heating the cast iron skillet in the oven first gives you crispy, golden edges. Serve it next to my Caribbean Jerk Turkey and 5 Cheese Macaroni and Cheese.

Recipe updated November 2026: I’ve retested this recipe and updated it with butter instead of coconut oil, a 10-inch skillet for a taller cornbread, a slightly shorter bake time, new photos and answers to your most common questions. It’s the same cornbread my family loves, just better.

Gluten Free Cornbread

My husband and I dated long distance. He lived in Houston and then Michigan, so we traveled back and forth to see each other. On one of his weekend visits to New York, he was missing Caribbean food, so we went to Sally’s, a Jamaican restaurant on Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn. He spotted cornbread on the menu and ordered some. It came to our table warm, in a little basket. Growing up in Guyana, cornbread just wasn’t something we made, so I had never tasted it. It was so delicious.

Cornbread was his thing. Fast forward to married life, and he was asking me to make it. He had his own recipe, but it was very sweet, more like cake. So I tweaked it until it tasted more like the cornbread at Sally’s. Years later, when I went gluten free, I tweaked it again, and that’s the recipe you’ll find here. When I tested this recipe again, my family finished the whole skillet and didn’t know it was gluten free.

Why You’ll Love This Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe

• Easy to Make: Mix the batter in about 15 minutes, then let the oven do the rest. No special equipment, just a bowl, a whisk and a cast iron skillet.
• Customizable: Make it with or without dairy or gluten. Add cheese or jalapeños for a savory cornbread. This recipe has plenty of options to suit your taste and dietary needs.
• Amazing Flavor and Texture: Cornbread without buttermilk? Absolutely. A can of creamed corn gives this cornbread a soft, tender crumb that melts in your mouth, and baking it in a hot skillet gives you crispy, golden edges. You won’t miss the gluten, I promise.
• Versatile: Serve it with Thanksgiving dinner, classic BBQ, soul food or a hearty bowl of chili.

Is cornbread gluten free?

Usually not. Cornmeal is naturally gluten free, but most cornbread recipes, and boxed mixes like Jiffy, include wheat flour. To make it gluten free, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour, like I do in this recipe.

Why use a cast iron skillet for cornbread?

A cast iron skillet holds heat and spreads it evenly, so the cornbread bakes evenly from edge to center. For this recipe, heat the skillet in the oven while it preheats. When you pour in the batter, it should sizzle. That’s what gives you a crispy bottom and golden edges.

Ingredients for Gluten Free Cornbread

Cornbread is one of those recipes you can make on a whim because it’s made with pantry staples.

• Yellow cornmeal: Finely ground cornmeal gives the cornbread its classic texture and that distinct yellow hue. I use regular yellow cornmeal. If you’re baking for someone with celiac disease, look for one labeled gluten-free.
• All-purpose gluten free flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure works too. If you’re not gluten free, regular all-purpose flour works cup for cup.
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cornbread and helps it brown.
• Melted butter: Gives the classic rich, buttery cornbread flavor. For dairy-free cornbread, use melted dairy-free butter.
• Butter or dairy-free butter (for brushing): Brush it on the hot cornbread. It adds flavor and makes it glisten.
• Creamed corn: Despite the name, canned creamed corn has no cream. It enriches the batter and gives the cornbread a soft, tender crumb and sweet corn flavor. You need one 15-ounce can. Is canned creamed corn gluten free? The ingredients usually are. Mine lists water, corn, modified food starch (corn), sugar and sea salt, with no wheat. It doesn’t carry a gluten-free label, though, so if you’re baking for someone with celiac disease, choose a can labeled gluten-free.
• Baking powder: Helps the cornbread rise.
• Eggs: Add richness and help hold the cornbread together.
• Kosher salt: 1/2 teaspoon brings out the sweet corn flavor. Use 1/4 teaspoon if you use salted butter.

See recipe card for quantities.

The Best Flour for Gluten Free Cornbread

I’ve tried a few different types of cornmeal, corn flour and gluten free flours, regular yellow cornmeal (any brand) and Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure works well too. Here are my notes and observations.

• Corn flour: The grains are too fine, and you end up with a crumbly cornbread.
• Cassava flour: I haven’t tried it in this recipe. Most people choose cassava flour to go grain-free, and corn is a grain.
• Regular all-purpose flour: If you’re not gluten free, swap the gluten-free flour for regular all-purpose flour cup for cup. It works beautifully.

How to Make Gluten Free Cornbread

First, put your 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat it to 350°F with the skillet inside. Then whisk the dry ingredients together: cornmeal, gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt.

Next, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the creamed corn, followed by the whisked eggs.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until you have a smooth batter. I know lots of cornbread recipes say to leave lumps, but trust me, you want it smooth.

Carefully take the hot skillet out of the oven and grease it with 1 tablespoon of the butter.

Pour in the batter. It should sizzle.

Bake on the middle rack at 350°F for 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Right away, brush the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, then let it rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing so it holds together.

Storage

Once the cornbread has cooled completely, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Thaw frozen cornbread overnight in the fridge. Reheat it gently in the microwave in 20-second increments until warmed through.

Recipe Substitutions

• Flour: If you’re not gluten free, use regular all-purpose flour in place of the gluten-free flour, cup for cup.
• Creamed corn: Don’t have creamed corn? Use 1 cup of milk instead, or coconut milk or another non-dairy milk to keep it dairy-free.
• Eggs: Use 1 cup of applesauce in place of the 4 eggs.
• Dairy-free: Use melted dairy-free butter in the batter and on top.
• Cooking temperature: Worried about drying out the cornbread? Bake it at 325°F for 45 minutes to an hour instead of at 350°F. The result is a very cake-like, tender cornbread.

Variations

• Cheesy cornbread: Stir 1 cup of shredded cheddar into the batter.
• Smoky cornbread: Use smoked gouda instead of cheddar and add a pinch of smoked paprika to the dry ingredients.
• Green chile cornbread: Fold in roasted Hatch chiles or a can of diced green chiles.
• Jalapeño cornbread: Add chopped jalapeños, especially when you’re serving it with chili.
• Honey butter cornbread: Stir a spoonful of honey into the 2 tablespoons of melted butter before brushing it over the hot cornbread. Or drizzle the top with honey or hot honey just before serving.
• Maple cornbread: Swap the 1 cup of sugar for 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup, and stir it into the melted butter in step 3. It gives the cornbread a warm maple flavor that tastes like fall. It’s how I make it when I want to skip refined sugar, often with dairy-free butter too.

Tips for the Best Skillet Gluten Free Cornbread

• Baking for someone with celiac disease? Cornmeal is naturally gluten free, but it’s often milled alongside wheat, so look for cornmeal labeled gluten-free. Use a dedicated gluten-free skillet too. A seasoned cast iron skillet that has cooked wheat-based food can hold traces of gluten, and so can older, scratched plastic utensils.
• Preheat the skillet. You want to hear the batter sizzle when you pour it in. That’s how you get a crispy bottom and edges.
• Let it rest. Give the cornbread at least 5 minutes after it comes out of the oven before slicing, or it may fall apart.

Frequently Asked Questions