Dairy free cornbread or muffins are a great side dish with chili or chicken! Like our cornmeal muffins but no egg, no milk. How to make this recipe into mini muffins or cut into squares, either way each bite is fluffy and full of flavor.
You can use this batter to bake this a few different ways. We will discuss timing for a square baking dish, muffins and you could pour no egg cornbread batter on top to make Jiffy Tamale Pie too! No matter how you use it youโll have yourself a Southern favorite free of lactose. (affiliate links present)
Dairy Free Cornbread Recipe
Just like our Crazy Cake, you need no eggs in this dish, not even an egg replacer! Believe it or not the outcome will come out just as fluffy and moist as if a few were cracked into your bowl. Now you do need a bit of milk but that can be any type of your choosing really. I would choose plain vs. vanilla but almond, cashew or soy milk will do.
Ingredient Notes
- This is going to be based with the main dry ingredient as cornmeal. This gives it that slightly grainy texture, more nutritious for you than all flour certainly.
- All purpose flour too, if you need to substitute for gluten free flour use this guide an an alternative
- Baking powder will allow it to rise but keep in mind that this style of bread is meant to be rather dense. Make sure to check the date, if expired it wonโt work.
- 1/2 tsp salt is for a bit more flavor to the dish
- Maple syrup or try Banana Cornbread for sweet cornbread batter
- For lactose free I prefer some cashew or oat milk vs almond but any will work, choose the plain variety
- Use vegetable oil or melted coconut oil could work as a substitute for some fat in there. Mayonnaise or plain greek yogurt will work too.
- And then there is some canned corn, drained, in there for added texture to the dish.
You can use a 8ร8 pan, make about 12 muffins regular sized or 24 minis. If you wanted it doubled youโd need a 9ร13 inch glass dish. The shape and size is really up to you. You can substitute oat, cashew, coconut almond milk for the necessary dairy.
With Jiffy
If you wanted to make a โfancierโ version like our Jiffy Mexican Cornbread without dairy products the easiest way to do this follow the above recipe link and use coconut milk which is dairy-free, less sweet would be almond or cashew milk.
With these ingredients youโll get a Southern Dish Often Made with Buttermilk and Cornmeal, sweet and savory all together in each bite. You can add some spicy too if you wanted to but sweet is the way we like it.
How to Make Dairy Free Cornbread
A fun way if you are having a Southern meal is to make Cornbread in Cast Iron Skillet. You can put it on top of a trivet as is to serve right in the pan for the rustic theme. Slap a few slices of butter on the top to melt and it looks pretty awesome this way.
in Muffins
In the photos shown here we are focusing on muffins. Why?? Well, because they bake up quickly, there is no slicing required and you can grab one and go quite easily. Use a regular pan for about 18 minutes or mini muffins can be ready in about 9, your choice. Little hands seem to prefer these, you just need to watch the timing closely.
in a slow cooker
In the case that you wanted to make Crockpot Cornbread youโd want to double this. Make sure the insides of the pot are sprayed well so it can be sliced and slid out. If Iโm using a tin, many times Iโll do the same thing vs. using paper liners as youโll lose some of the outsides to sticking if you do.
in an air fryer
What are the tricks to making moist cornbread? There are tips that pertain to any sort of muffin or sweet bread you are baking. Whether you are cooking regular air fryer cornbread, with or without egg substitutes, you want to keep these in mind with all baked goods;
in a Pressure Cooker
We have โbakedโ in an Instant Pot using a mini bundt pan. You would have to cut the batter in half and do this twice. Pressure cooker cornbread is a pretty way to serve this though and no need for an oven either.
You can also transition this into a whole meal with meat in it like we did with our Cornbread Casserole. Use a layer of chili, ground beef taco meat or even chicken inside.
What to serve corn bread with
As SOON as they spring back take the pan out and use a spoon to scoop around the sides and lift out on to a cooling rack. Leaving them in the hot pan will dry them out. You can them enjoy them immediately with our 5 ingredient chili or as a simple breakfast item.
Other dairy free recipes youโll love
A great side dish for the holidays with a batch of Dairy Free Scalloped Potatoes or really serve them year round with dinner. We typically will make Dairy Free Beef Stroganoff next day and serve again with that. Refrigerating it helps preserve the quality for up to 1 week but will dry it out.
Dairy Free Cornbread
Equipment
- 1 Bowl
- 1 muffin pan or 8ร8 pan
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ยฐ F. Grease a muffin pan, better in this case than using muffin liners. In a large bowl, combine corn meal, flour, salt, baking powder, and paprika. Whisk to evenly distribute everything.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add all the wet ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients together, slowly incorporating dry ingredients โ do not over-mix. Fold in the corn kernels.
- Scoop into the prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before removing each with a spoon to scoop out.
- * If using a sprayed 8ร8 pan, line with parchment paper and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until middle comes out clean with a toothpick.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Should I refrigerate my leftover cornbread?
That depends on how long you want to keep it and how moist you want it to stay. The BEST way to keep it tender is to wait until itโs cool, wrap in foil or plastic wrap tight and keep on your countertop. That will last 2 days. We have a lot of Leftover Cornbread Recipes you can make with it, crumbled or left whole.
Reheating Leftover Cornbread
When youโre ready to enjoy your leftovers, you can reheat it to restore its warmth and flavor. I always recommend adding a pat of butter to the top before you start or drizzle a bit of honey or maple syrup to add a bit more moisture. Then you can use one of these methods;
in the Oven
Preheat your oven to 350ยฐF (175ยฐC). Wrap the cornbread in aluminum foil and place it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until itโs heated through.
in the microwave
For a quicker option, you can reheat a slice of cornbread in the microwave. Place it on a microwave-safe plate and heat it on low power in 10-15 second intervals until warmed to your liking. Be careful not to overheat, as cornbread can become dry.
We do this often with what chili we have left from the day before and these. It is a great lunch next day for me when I am working and free!! I hate wasting food, if you are like me once you get the hang of how it is done you can make it almost taste like fresh once again to enjoy. That is the whole goal right?
