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    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Cornbread with Coconut Milk

    Published: Aug 1, 2021 . Modified: Apr 9, 2024 by Allie

    This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    I’m so excited about this plant-based cornbread recipe!  It’s soft and buttery, but there’s no butter, no oil, and no sugar.  I’ve eaten a LOT of cornbread, and this is by far my favorite recipe.  What’s my secret?  I use full-fat canned coconut milk for fluffy, rich, and buttery cornbread.  Don’t worry, it won’t taste like coconut. 

    vegan cornbread slices stacked

    The coconut gives it a hint of sweetness without the added sugar and a buttery texture without the butter or oil. The slight sweetness is not intended to give it an overall sweet taste, so if you're in the sweet cornbread camp this may not be the recipe for you.

    Jump to:
    • Tips for vegan cornbread with coconut milk
    • How to make vegan cornbread from scratch
    • SERVING SUGGESTIONS
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Tips for vegan cornbread with coconut milk

    • For this recipe, use a can of full-fat coconut milk, not the carton stuff, and not just coconut cream.  The cans of coconut milk have a higher fat content that will give the cornbread a buttery taste. 
    • Choose a brand of coconut milk that you like and that tastes delicious on its own.
    • The batter shouldn’t be too thick or too runny, it should be able to roll out of the bowl with help from a spoon or silicone spatula when pouring it into the glass baking dish.  
    • When I microwave leftover cornbread I like to use a damp paper towel draped over the piece to reintroduce moisture.
    • If you've ever tried pouring dough into a pan lined with parchment paper and it moves, you can try using wooden clothespins at the corners to hold the parchment paper in place. Just make sure you remove them before the tray goes into the oven.
    soaked ground flax seed
    full fat coconut milk
    mixed full fat coconut milk
    mixing dry and wet ingredients

    How to make vegan cornbread from scratch

    First, preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).  Make your flax egg by mixing the ground flaxseed with ⅓ cup of water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to gel.  Use parchment paper or grease an 8-inch by 8-inch glass baking dish so the cornbread doesn’t stick.  Then whisk together the cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. 

    When the flax egg has gelled, add it to the dry ingredients along with the entire can of coconut milk and the other dairy-free milk. Mix everything until it’s just combined and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

    cornbread mixture in a pan

    SERVING SUGGESTIONS

    • Soup (white bean potato soup)
    • Baked beans or black-eyed peas
    • Sauteed greens
    • BBQ jack fruit
    • Slow cooker quinoa chili
    • Vegan red lentil chili (instant pot and stovetop instructions)

    This recipe was a huge hit with my family, everyone wanted seconds!  I think my little chickpea would have just eaten cornbread for dinner if I let him.  I hope you enjoy this vegan oil-free cornbread too!  

    Originally posted on October 10, 2019, updated on August 1, 2021.

    cornbread slices stacked
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    Recipe

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    vegan cornbread slices stacked

    Cornbread with Coconut Milk


    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    4.3 from 3 reviews

    • Author: Allie
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Yield: 9 servings 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Simple, fluffy, buttery vegan cornbread with coconut milk.  No butter, no oil, and no added sugar are needed!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
    • ⅓ cup (79 ml) water
    • 1 cup (155 g) cornmeal
    • 1 cup (125 g) whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • 1 can ((13.5 ounces) 403 ml) unsweetened full-fat coconut milk(about 1 ⅔ cups)
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened dairy-free milk

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
    2. Mix the ground flaxseed with ⅓ cup of water and let sit for 5-10 minutes to gel.
    3. Use a parchment paper-lined or grease an 8-inch by 8-inch glass baking dish.
    4. Whisk together cornmeal, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
    5. When the flax egg has gelled add it to the dry ingredients along with the entire can of coconut milk and dairy-free milk. Mix everything until it's just combined.
    6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
    7. Once cooled store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.

    Notes

    The can coconut milk is a replacement for the sugar and oil in the recipe so it can't be substituted with the carton of coconut milk (usually found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store).

    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 25 minutes
    • Category: Side Dish
    • Method: oven
    • Cuisine: American

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @threelittlechickpeasblog on Instagram and hashtag it #threelittlechickpeasblog

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    1. Katie

      July 03, 2023 at 5:20 pm

      I love the texture and it turned out great. It wasn’t that sweet, which we prefer! Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Allie

        July 03, 2023 at 5:47 pm

        I'm glad you liked the recipe and thanks for commenting!

        Reply
    2. Ella

      April 15, 2023 at 3:07 am

      Texture is fantastic but taste is not at all sweet, even a little bitter. If the coconut milk replaces sugar, shouldn't it be sweetened instead of unsweetened?

      Reply
      • Allie

        April 15, 2023 at 9:24 am

        It's not supposed to be overall sweet, but a slight sweetness naturally found in coconut milk. I wouldn't use sweetened coconut milk because I'm not a fan of super sweet cornbread, but some people do enjoy sweet cornbread. What brand of coconut milk did you use?

        Reply
    3. Sadie Davis

      July 25, 2022 at 3:54 pm

      Loved it will make cornbread like that for ever. Thanks

      Reply
      • Allie

        July 25, 2022 at 3:55 pm

        I'm glad you enjoyed the cornbread recipe!

        Reply
    4. Lester

      December 27, 2021 at 7:47 am

      I’m eager to try your cornbread recipe. What do you think of using reduced fat coconut milk?
      13.5 oz for can of coconut milk + 1/2 C (4oz) plant milk= more than 2 C liquid (not counting 1/3 C water for flax meal). Do I have that right? Just checking because that’s well more liquid than any other cornbread recipe I have used.
      Thanks very much for all you generously provide here. I’m happy to have discovered your blog.
      LESTER

      Reply
      • Allie

        December 27, 2021 at 11:40 am

        Hi Lester,
        I responded to your email, I hope you received the response. I originally was thinking to reduce the plant-based milk by a couple of tablespoons, but instead, try leaving out the plant-based milk and add 1-2 tablespoons at a time if the mixture is too dry. Reduced fat coconut milk is thinner than full fat, so it won't be as buttery and it probably won't need as much liquid. I retested the recipe with 1/4 cup of plant-based milk, and I liked the consistency so I updated the recipe with the adjustment. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    5. Sara

      October 16, 2019 at 12:29 pm

      So delicious!

      Reply
      • Allie

        October 17, 2019 at 7:55 am

        Thanks, I'm glad you like the recipe.

        Reply

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    three slices of vegan corn bread stacked
    three slices of vegan cornbread stacked