Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread

Gluten free skillet cornbread is incredibly moist and sweet with a tender crumb, even though it’s dairy-free. If you’re wondering how, the key is skillet cornbread with creamed corn. Serve it as a side at holiday dinners, with BBQ, or soul food.

Gluten Free Cornbread

When my husband was single, he made a pan of cornbread every week as part of his meal prep. Fast forward to us after marriage and him asking me to make cornbread. Having grown up in Guyana, I had never made cornbread before.

I tried a couple of recipes and they were all terrible. I tried his recipe and it was way too sweet and not quite the way I know the best cornbread tasted. So what’s a girl to do? Come up with my own skillet cornbread recipe of course!

This recipe is tried and true. I’ve made it countless times and every time it makes amazing and delicious cornbread. Skip the box of Jiffy because the best part is it’s gluten free, so no tummy aches for me after indulging!

Why You’ll Love This Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread Recipe

• Easy to Make: Just because this recipe has variations doesn’t mean it isn’t simple. Make it in just 30 minutes with easy step by step instructions.
• Customizable: Make cornbread with or without eggs, dairy, or gluten. Add cheese, make it more savory than savory… This recipe has plenty of options to suit your tastes and dietary needs.
• Amazing Flavor and Texture: Cornbread without buttermilk? Cornbread is known for being rich and buttery. So how good can a gluten-free, dairy-free cornbread taste? This cornmeal batter is enriched with creamed corn and baked to golden brown perfection in a skillet. You won’t miss the gluten or the milk, I promise.
• Versatile: Serve cornbread with a variety of savory foods. Enjoy it with Thanksgiving dinner, classic BBQ, soul food, or with a hearty bowl of chili.

Is cornbread gluten free?

Cornmeal is naturally gluten free but most cornbread recipes include wheat-based all purpose flour. Therefore, cornbread is not gluten free.

Why use a cast iron skillet for cornbread?

Using a cast iron skillet to cook cornbread provides even heat distribution, promoting uniform baking and crispy golden edges. The skillet’s versatility allows for easy stovetop-to-oven transitions, contributing to the cornbread’s texture. For this recipe, we preheat the skillet before adding the batter.

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 give the cornbread its grainy texture. It also provides that distinct yellow hue.
• All purpose gluten free flour: You can also use all purpose wheat flour (if you are not gluten free).
• Granulated sugar: You can swap white sugar for coconut sugar if you prefer a plant-based sweetener.
• Melted coconut oil/melted butter/dairy free butter/ghee: You need some kind of fat to mix in with the other ingredients to create your batter.
• Dairy free butter: Use this to brush on top of the finished cornbread. It adds moisture, flavor, and makes it glisten.
• Creamed corn: Despite what the name may suggest, canned cream corn typically contains corn, water, sugar, corn starch, and salt – no milk! This enhances the sweet corn flavor but also enriches the batter to make it moist and creamy.
• Baking powder: Use this to ensure the cornbread properly rises.
• Eggs: They add moisture and flavor.
• Salt: Only use additional salt if using unsalted 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 and the best combination is regular yellow cornmeal (whatever brand you want) and King Arthur gluten free flour. Here are my notes and observations.

Corn flour: The grains are a bit too small and you end up with a crumbly cornbread.

Cassava flour: I haven’t tried cassava flour in this recipe because typically when you choose cassava flour it is because you are going the grain free route and corn is a grain.

Regular All Purpose Wheat Flour: You can swap All Purpose Gluten Free flour with Regular All Purpose Flour cup for cup in this recipe and it works beautifully.

How to Make Gluten Free Cornbread

First, mix all of the dry ingredients together.

Next, melt the butter, then add the sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves. Then add the creamed corn, followed by the whisked eggs.

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

Then add the batter to a greased cast iron skillet. For best results warm up your skillet while the oven is preheating!

Finally, bake the cornbread on the middle rack at 350 °F for 30-45 minutes or until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cornbread comes out clean.

Storage

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

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

Recipe Substitutions

• Flour: You may use regular all purpose flour in this recipe if you do not have a gluten allergy and you are not gluten free.
• Creamed Corn: Don’t have creamed corn? Don’t worry just use 1 cup of coconut milk or other non-dairy milk (to keep it dairy free) in place of the creamed corn
• Eggs: You may substitute the eggs in this recipe for 1 cup of apple sauce
• Cooking temperature: Nervous about drying out the cornbread? You can bake this cornbread at 325 °F for 45 minutes to an hour instead of at 350 °F and the result is a very cake-like, moist cornbread

Tips for the Best Skillet Cornbread

• Although cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, cross-contamination is possible. Ensure the package you buy has a gluten-free stamp.
• Preheat the skillet before adding the batter. You want to hear it sizzle when you pour the batter in. That’s how you get a crispy bottom and edges.
• Allow gluten free cornbread to rest for at least 5 minutes once it comes out of the oven. Otherwise, it may fall apart.

Frequently Asked Questions