Gluten-Free Cornbread
This cornbread recipe is gluten-free thanks to almond flour! It's absolutely delicious with light sweetness, crisp edges and bold corn flavor.
Posted by Kathryne Taylor on October 7, 2026
Let’s get cozy with cornbread and chili! I’m so excited about how this cornbread recipe turned out. It’ll be my go-to from here on out. It has the same irresistibly crisp edges and subtle brown butter flavor that I love in my honey butter cornbread recipe, but magically tastes even more like corn.
This wholesome cornbread is gluten-free because it uses almond flour instead of regular flour. It’s an easy and nutritious swap that yields amazing cornbread. Does it taste like almonds, you ask? Not at all—the cornmeal is the star of the show here.
If you’re simply curious to try it, or looking for a gluten-free or lower-carb cornbread, this recipe is for you. I hope it becomes your new favorite, too.
Why This Gluten-Free Recipe Works
To make this recipe, I started with my go-to cornbread recipe and made the following adjustments.
- Substituted almond flour for whole wheat flour. I substituted it by weight rather than volume, which always works better.
- Switched to maple syrup. The flavor is more subtle than honey, so the cornmeal flavor comes through more.
- Reduced the sweetener. Almond flour lets other flavors shine through, while regular flour dulls them. I used less sweetener for the same level of flavor.
- Added some batter resting time while the butter melts. Even a 5 to 10-minute rest helps the cornmeal hydrate, making medium-grind cornmeal less gritty.
Ingredient Notes
Cornmeal and almond flour vary by brand. I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill’s medium cornmeal and fine blanched almond flour, and it turned out great. I also recommend Whole Foods 365 almond flour.
Flavor Variations
Cheesy cornbread: Stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
Veggie cornbread: Add any of the following to the hot butter and stir it around before proceeding (include cheese as well, if you’d like). It will look like this.
- 1 large corn on the cob, shucked (or ¾ cup defrosted frozen corn kernels)
- 1 finely chopped red or orange bell pepper
- 2 medium jalapeños, ribs removed and finely chopped
Fruity cornbread: Add up to 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, roughly chopped cherries, or whole fresh cranberries. Here’s my cranberry cornbread.
Baking vessel options
Instead of a cast iron skillet, you can bake this cornbread in a deep 8-inch square baking dish, or a standard 10-inch square baking dish, or a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
You can also turn this bread into muffins by dividing the batter between a 12-cup muffin tin (you might end up with more than 12 muffins—I’m testing this variation today and will update the post).
For any of these variations, bake at the same temperature (375 degrees Fahrenheit) until the cornbread achieves the visual cues provided.
Serving Suggestions for Cornbread
For special occasions, consider serving cornbread with Easy Honey Butter or Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Sauce. For ease, try butter, honey or jam.
Here are a few accompaniments that would go well with this cornbread (they’re all gluten-free as well).
Hearty stews and soups
- Homemade Vegetarian Chili or Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili with Avocado
- Spicy Black Bean Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
Classic Thanksgiving-style sides
Please let me know how your cornbread turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Gluten-Free Cornbread
This cornbread recipe is gluten-free thanks to almond flour! It’s absolutely delicious with light sweetness, crisp edges and bold corn flavor. Recipe yields up to 16 modest slices.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups (300 grams) cornmeal, medium-grind or finer*
- 2 cups (180 grams) blanched almond flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature**
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 ½ cups milk of choice***, at room temperature
- Optional serving suggestions: additional butter, honey or jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, almond flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir to combine, and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and maple syrup until fully blended. Add the milk and whisk until evenly combined.
- Pour the liquid into the dry mixture, and stir just until moistened through (we’ll stir it more soon). Set it aside while you melt the butter (this resting time gives the cornmeal time to soften).
- Meanwhile, place the butter in a large (12-inch) cast iron skillet. Put the skillet in the oven to melt the butter, about 5 to 13 minutes (keep an extra eye on it as time goes on—we want it to get bubbly and lightly browned, but not burnt).
- When the butter is melted and golden, use oven mitts (the skillet is crazy hot!) to remove the skillet from the oven, and give it a gentle swirl to lightly coat about an inch up the sides.
- Pour the melted butter into the batter and stir just until incorporated. Pour the batter back into the hot skillet, using a spatula to scrape all of the batter from the bowl into the skillet.
- Carefully return the skillet to the oven and bake until the bread is brown around the edge, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few crumbs, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully (with oven mitts), place the skillet on a cooling rack. Let it cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving—perhaps with extra butter, honey or jam on the side.
- This cornbread will keep at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or up to a week in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Gently reheat before serving.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Honey Butter Cornbread.
*Cornmeal suggestions: I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill’s medium-grind cornmeal with success. Since it is not ground as finely as some other options, you’ll notice a bit more texture in the end product (“rustic” and very good). Stone-ground varieties like Bob’s will offer a bit more nutritive value than more refined options.
**Temperature note: If you, like me, always forget to pull ingredients out of the fridge in advance, just place the eggs in a bowl of warm water while you melt the butter. You can very briefly warm the milk in the microwave to raise its temperature.
***Milk options: Any plain, unsweetened milk will do—try cow’s milk, plain almond milk, cashew milk or oat milk.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I already make a wonderful cornbread, so this is something amazing to lower that carb count. One question though, Kate: I also try to lighten recipes and make them lower in saturated fat. Can skim milk be used with this? Also, can I just use egg whites? Many thanks…you rock!
Hi there, I recommend the recipe as written, but you can experiment and adjust for your taste and dietary needs.
I apologize for cluttering your inbox, Kate, but I need a quick follow-up. The recipe doesn’t differentiate between whole and skim milk. Can I use skim milk? Also, I previously asked about egg whites instead of eggs…what about Egg Beaters? They look and taste like eggs, but without the cholesterol. Thank you SO much for this and ALL you do!
Hi Paul, any type of milk worked fine in testing. As for the egg beaters, I haven’t tested with that, but if the instructions recommend them for baking, I imagine they will be a fine substitute.
Can you use oil instead of butter?
I recommend the recipe as written.
Hi Kate, I made this today. After looking at your photo, I craved cornbread. However, I did not have cornmeal on hand so I used what i thought was cornmeal, corn masa. Much finer grind and processed differently. It was still yummy. First time I cooked my cornbread in a skillet. Cool
Any way this could be made without eggs?
Hi TC, I don’t recommend substituting for eggs in this recipe.
Fantastic gluten free cornbread! I added two chopped jalapeños as described in optional add-ins section. Reduced the maple syrup to 2 tablespoons because I didn’t want sweet cornbread with the jalapeños. Used home made cashew milk. I’ve tried many gluten free cornbread recipes and this one is the best! Especially love baking it in a cast iron skillet.
I just made this with a blue corn meal and honey as the sweetener. This is a super easy recipe that is very flavorful. It baked perfectly and released easily from the pan. I would absolutely make this again.
I made this with a blue corn meal and honey as the sweetener. It is a super easy recipe that is very flavorful. It baked perfectly and released easily from the pan. I would absolutely make this again.
I made this today and have to remind myself to not eat the entire thing! VERY yummy and a keeper recipe. Next time I will try with cheese, corn, and/or jalapeños. Thank you!
Hi Kate , I have a 10 inch cast iron skillet (Your recipe uses a 12 inch skillet ). Will this work ? Would I have to change the temperature or baking time ?
Thanks for your delicious gluten free recipes.
Mady
Hi Mady, it will work, you may just need to bake a few extra minutes. Watch that the edges don’t burn but the center cooks through.
Thank you for your prompt reply!