Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe with Honey (2024)

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This sweet gluten free cornbread with honey only has 8 ingredients and take s less than 10 minutes to mix up! It has chewy buttery edges and a great crumb. So easy to make, you don't need to buy gluten free cornbread mix anymore! Gluten free cornbread is the perfect addition to a bowl of hot soup or chili.

I'm sharing one of my family's favorite recipes with you. I've been baking some version of this gluten free cornbread since I had to stand on a step-stool to reach the mixing bowl.

I've tweaked it here and there, but when I pulled this pan out of the oven my husband proclaimed it to be "the best cornbread” that I’d ever made. So I stopped tweaking the recipe.

Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe with Honey (1)

What do you need to make gluten free cornbread?

To make gluten free cornbread, you only need a few pantry staples.

Butter. My secret to a really good cornbread is to melt butter in your cast-iron skillet by placing it in the oven while it preheats. If you can't do dairy, or don't have a cast iron pan, don't fret. This is optional, and you can still make a great gluten free cornbread without butter, in an 8x8 pan.
Gluten free cornmeal. Not all cornmeal is gluten-free due to processing on the same machinery and cross contact. I like Arrowhead Mills cornmeal because it is certified gluten free. I also like Bob's Red Mill's cornmeal.
Gluten free flour. I like to use my gluten-free rice flour blend, but you can use a different one if you'd like.
Xanthan gum. If you are using a premixed gluten free flour blend that already has xanthan gum, you can omit the additional xanthan gum in the recipe.
Baking powder. Baking powder will give your cornbread the lift it needs! Please use baking powder, not baking soda. Baking soda won't work in this recipe without other changes, like using buttermilk.
Salt. Salt equals flavor. Enough said.
Oil. I've used melted butter, vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil, and melted coconut oil in this recipe. All work great! My favorite flavor is melted butter (obviously, melted butter always tastes better) but I rarely make it with melted butter because using whatever oil is currently on the counter is a lot easier.
Egg. An egg helps to give your cornbread the structure that it needs. You can absolutely use an egg substitute if you need egg-free cornbread. I prefer Bob's Red Mill's Egg Replacer, but also will make a flax egg.
Honey. I grew up making honey cornbread, and that is still how I like to sweeten mine. If you like a sweet gluten free cornbread, increase the honey to up to ½ cup.
Milk. I've use regular dairy milk, as well as various dairy free milks (coconut, soy, and almond) and they all work great. You can even use water in a pinch, but your gluten free cornbread will taste "light" and be a bit more dry.

What brand of cornmeal is gluten free?

Is all cornmeal gluten free? The answer is actually NO, which may surprise you.

Cornmeal is often processed on the same machinery as gluten-containing grains, so cross contact can be an issue. I buy Arrowhead Mills cornmeal because it is certified gluten free. and I also buy Bob's Red Mill's gluten free cornmeal, it isn't certified gluten free, but they do in-house testing and process it in a dedicated gluten-free facility (which I've seen with my own two eyes.

Can I use sugar instead of honey?

You'll need about ⅓ cup sugar to replace the ¼ cup of honey, because the honey is sweeter.

Because there is less than a cup of honey in the recipe, you shouldn't need to add extra milk, unless your batter is very thick.

You need a little honey or other sweetener, to balance he earthy flavors of the cornmeal. You can try using Monk fruit sweetener, coconut sugar, or maple syrup in your cornbread. But honey will always be my favorite!

How to make gluten free cornbread dairy free?

You can make your gluten free cornbread dairy free by using oil or dairy free butter substitute to grease the pan instead of butter. Using oil as your fat in your gluten free cornbread batter, and use your favorite dairy free milk in the batter.

I usually make my cornbread dairy free now days, and I usually use canola oil and coconut milk in the batter.

How to make gluten free cornbread vegan?

To make gluten free vegan cornbread, use oil instead of the melted butter option, use dairy free milk in the batter, and use your favorite egg substitute.

My go-to egg substitute is Bob's Red Mill's Egg Replacer. I prefer using 3 tablespoons of water, instead of the 2 tablespoons called for in the directions.

You can also use a flax egg, which is essentially 1 tablespoon of ground flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons of hot water. You can read more about how to make a flax egg if you have any questions.

You can also use 3 tablespoons of pumpkin puree instead of an egg!

How to make gluten free cornbread

I put a nice chunk of butter in my cast –iron skillet and stick it in the oven to melt while the oven is preheating.

What pan do you need to bake gluten free cornbread?

I love baking my gluten free honey cornbread in a cast-iron skillet. It makes the edges so chewy and almost crispy.

If you don't have a cast-iron skillet you should go and buy one right now! It is my one of my favorites and is my most used pan in the entire kitchen.

You can also use an 8x8 baking dish. You won't get the buttery chewy edges, but it still bakes great and it makes 9 squares instead of 8 wedges.

Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe with Honey (2)

I love the way the wedges look and they go perfectly with a nice warm bowl of white bean chili. Or maybe a steaming bowl of gluten free chicken noodle soup.

Or just by themselves with a nice pat of butter, and maybe an extra drizzle of honey.

This recipe makes 8 wedges, but my family of 4 has no problem gobbling it all up. Yes we can really only eat half of it in one meal, but the other half is gone the next morning!

If you like this gluten free cornbread recipe, you may also like my gluten free blue corn muffin recipe, or my gluten free cornbread stuffing.

📖 Recipe

Gluten Free Cornbread

Yield: 8 wedges or 9 squares

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. While the oven is preheating place the butter in your 10 inch cast-iron skillet and put it in the oven to melt. (Or, if you are using a 8x8 baking dish, lightly grease it with and leave it at room temperature.)
Mix together the cornmeal, gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder.
Make a "well" in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the oil, honey, milk, and egg into it.
Whisk the wet ingredients together in the "well" and then mix them with the rest of the ingredients.
Once the oven is preheated, pour the batter into the cast-iron skillet with the butter melted in it. (Or pour it into your greased 8x8 pan.)
Bake your gluten free cornbread in a cast iron skillet for 25-28 minutes or until it bounces back when you lightly touch it or a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Gluten free cornbread in an 8x8 pan will bake for about 26-30 minutes, since the pan is smaller and it isn''t preheated.

Notes

If you cast-iron skillet it a little bigger just reduce the cooking time by a few minutes. If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet you can bake it in an 8x8 baking dish, you just may need to adjust the baking time slightly.

To make dairy free gluten free cornbread, omit the butter for the cast iron pan and instead use vegan butter or coconut oil. Use vegetable oil or canola oil in the batter, and use your favorite dairy free milk. I've tested almond milk and coconut milk, and they have both worked great. I've even used water in a pinch.

* If you are using a gluten free flour blend that already has xanthan gum in it, go ahead and omit the xanthan gum in the recipe.

** I've used Vegetable Oil, canola oil, Coconut oil, and melted butter,for the oil in this recipe. Go ahead and use whatever you have on hand, or whatever you prefer.

*** For sweet cornbread, increase honey to ½ cup.

****I've baked this recipe with regular (dairy) milk,, almond milk, and coconut milk and they all work great! I suspect most dairy-free milks will work well, so use whichever milk is best for your family.