Most cornbread is dry, crumbly, and somehow doesn’t even taste like corn. And life is too short for sad cornbread!

So I researched cornbread like crazy (tapping into sources like King Arthur’s Flour and Bakepedia) and reworked the recipe multiple times like a nerd until the cornbread finally came out moist, tender, and actually tasting like corn. And yes, it’s 100% vegan.

Set your oven rack in the middle and preheat to 400°F if you’re using a light metal tin, or about 385°F if it’s dark metal.

By the way, I strongly recommend a standard 12-cup muffin tin. When you make your cornbread as muffins, you’ll get more yummy, browned surface area and therefore more corn-toasty flavor with each bite.

I also recommend greasing with Crisco all-vegetable shortening only because I have serious nightmares of my baked goods sticking to the pan, and Crisco has an amazing release. BUT if you aren’t paranoid like I am and your muffin tin is already great at releasing foods, you’ll get even more amazing browning and taste if you grease it with vegan butter instead.

Either way, you’ll want about ½-3/4 tsp of grease per muffin cup.

Now let’s talk about corn! I recommend frozen corn, because it’s harvested at peak sweetness, then blanched and flash-frozen so the sugar level is consistent and you get predictable results.

(Yes, fresh corn can give you a fuller corn aroma, but it can go from totally sweet to blech just hours after harvesting!)

Back to the frozen corn. Make sure to thaw it (leaving out on the counter or nuking for 20-30 seconds). If you don’t thaw it, you’ve got 3 problems:

Cooking time will be longer, which can dry out the cornbread.
Frost around the corn will melt into puddles in the oven. You’ll end up with these yucky, gummy halos around the kernels. Blech!
The kernels might clump and sink if they’re added in big and icy clusters

Now, once your corn is thawed, blot it dry — again, to avoid the gummy halos. Then toss them in a teaspoon of cornmeal. The cornmeal helps the corn stay suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom.

Now for the cornmeal. Read carefully – this is a game-changer!

I originally assumed that stone-ground cornmeal would be best, because it sounds classy. But OH was I wrong! Stone-ground bits can wick away moisture. This gives you dry edges and crumbly slices.

So instead, use a medium grind. It feels like a fine beach sand that scratch only a bit when you rub it between your fingers. (NOTE: If you already have stone ground, just blitz and shake in a blender till you get it just right. And if you already have fine grind, you could use it in this recipe, but the crumb will be softer and you’ll lose a bit of the corn vibe.)

Ready for another game-changer? Prehydrate the cornmeal!

In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal and salt. Then, on the stovetop on medium heat, heat unsweetened nondairy milk that’s stirred with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Heat it until just steaming, but NOT boiling.

Now pour the wet into the dry, stir, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. We’re prehydrating the cornmeal, because cornmeal is thirsty. It’s like letting it drink from a big water bottle before working out in the gym, so it doesn’t steal everyone else’s drinks at the gym.

The steaming bath also helps reduce crumbling by forming a soft gel. But you don’t want the liquid to be full boiling, because it’ll cause a full gel, and you’ll end up with a pasty batter and stodgy bottoms.

Whisk in melted vegan butter, oil, unsweetened applesauce, granulated sugar, and flax gel (ground flaxseed soaked in hot water for 5 minutes).

And in another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

Sprinkle the dry over the wet and fold gently just there are no dry pockets left (about 12–18 folds). Then fold in corn with 3–4 strokes. Your batter should be thick but spoonable, like it falls off the spatula in a thick ribbon. If it’s thicker than that, which could very well happen if you used a fine grind, then add 1 or 2 extra tablespoons of plant-based milk.

And here’s another game changer! Let your batter rest for 5 minutes, max. This helps your batter hydrate a bit more, so it’s moister. It also helps prevent those extra pointy domes you often see in cornbread muffins. As the batter hydrates, it thickens a bit. And thicker batter won’t surge upward as aggressively.

Then fill the cups evenly. Each cup should end up about ¾ full. Smooth the tops lightly with the back of a spoon, which will also help prevent weird peaks.

And give the tin one gentle tap on the counter to release any large bubbles that could cause unsightly tunnels.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes, turning them halfway through. You’ll want to check for doneness around the 11-minute mark. You’re looking for golden edges, and a toothpick with moist crumbs. You don’t want completely dry crumbs. We still need moist.

Let it rest for 3-5 minutes, loosen the edges, and transfer to a rack.

This cornbread is soft, but won’t crumble. It’s also corn-first and proud of it!

Vegan Cornbread

This “ultimate” vegan cornbread is moist, tender, and actually tastes like corn.

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Equipment

• 1 12-cup muffin tin

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup frozen corn kernels
• 165 g ~1 ¼ cup + 1 tsp medium-grind cornmeal, divided
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
• ¾ tsp table salt
• 2-3 Tbsp Crisco or vegan butter for coating the tins
• ¼ cup melted vegan butter
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp neutral oil
• 55 g granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• Flax gel: 2 tsp ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp hot water stir and rest 5 minutes
• 90 g ~3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda

Instructions

 

• Set your oven rack in the middle and preheat to 400°F if you’re using a light metal tin, or 385°F if it’s dark metal.
• Brush each muffin tin cup with 1/2–3/4 tsp Crisco all-vegetable shortening or melted vegan butter.
• Thaw the frozen corn. You can set it on the counter for an hour, or (if you’re like me) microwave it 20–30 seconds just to remove the chill. Blot very dry, and toss with 1 tsp of cornmeal.
• On the stovetop on medium heat, stir vinegar into milk. Heat until steaming, but not boiling. In a bowl, combine cornmeal and salt; pour in hot milk and rest 10–15 minutes.
• Whisk in the melted vegan butter, oil, sugar, applesauce, and flax gel into the soaked cornmeal until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Sprinkle dry over wet and fold gently just until no dry pockets remain, about 12–18 folds (30–45 seconds). Fold in corn with 3–4 strokes. If the batter feels very thick after the soak, add 1–2 Tbsp milk to reach a thick-but-spoonable consistency.
• Let the mixed batter sit 5 minutes on the counter.
• Fill each cup about 3/4 full. Smooth the tops lightly with the back of the scoop and give the tin one gentle tap on the counter.
• Bake about 12–15 minutes, turning halfway through. You’re looking for golden edges and moist crumbs when a toothpick is inserted.
• Let rest in the tin 3–5 minutes. Carefully loosen the edges, and transfer to a rack. Enjoy!