Easy Vegan Skillet Cornbread Recipe (Southwest)

Name: Easy Vegan Skillet Cornbread Recipe (Southwest)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal; 4 oz can diced mild green chile, up to ½ cup (or 3 oz roasted Hatch chile, diced (or two frozen Hatch chiles if you like spice)); 1 ½ cups organic unsweetened soy milk; 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar; ¼ cup grapeseed oil; ½ cup frozen fire-roasted corn (or regular corn); 1 ¼ cups organic yellow cornmeal (or medium grind cornmeal); 1 cup Kamut flour (or all-purpose flour, spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour); 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 2 teaspoons fine sea salt; 2 tablespoons natural raw cane turbinado sugar (or maple syrup, coconut sugar, or organic cane sugar)

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This Vegan Skillet Cornbread with green chile and corn is delicious and easy to make! It's a favorite and is my go-to when I want to make a quick bread. It's perfect with chili or soup and comes together in less than 45 minutes!

Cornbread is one of my go-to comfort foods, especially over the winter and around the holidays. Many people think of cornbread as a dish that requires dairy and eggs, but it's easy to make vegan skillet cornbread with vegan buttermilk and vegan butter.

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Why You'll Love This Southwest Vegan Skillet Cornbread
Ingredients
What Is Kamut?
Substitutions & Variations
How to Make This Vegan Skillet Cornbread Recipe (Southwest)
Expert Tip
Storage
How Do I Make My Cornbread Crust Crispy?
How To Serve
Recipe FAQs
Related Recipes
Recipe
Comments

Why You'll Love This Southwest Vegan Skillet Cornbread

This recipe is a dairy-free and egg-free version with green chiles for extra kick and fire-roasted corn for even more flavor and texture.
This easy vegan cornbread recipe is perfect for holiday gatherings or potlucks, and it's sure to please vegans and meat-eaters alike.
Try my easy vegan Irish Soda Bread for another delicious quick bread that can be made in a cast-iron skillet.
This cornbread is delicious served with Pumpkin Veggie Stew, Butternut Squash Curry Soup, and vegan Black-Eyed Pea Stew.
It's hard to resist eating this right out of the pan! If you're looking for a delicious, vegan-friendly side dish this holiday season, give this skillet cornbread a try!

I've tried a number of vegan cornbread recipes, this one is my favorite.

- Christine

Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make the best vegan cornbread!

Cornmeal: I use a good quality, finely ground yellow whole grain cornmeal. If you prefer more texture, you can use medium-ground cornmeal. If you like stone-ground polenta, you can use it.
Oil/butter: I use grapeseed oil which is a neutral oil.
Plant-based Milk: I recommend using plain, unsweetened soy milk for this cornbread recipe. Because of its protein and fat content, it makes an acceptable substitute for dairy milk. Soy milk sours nicely with the addition of apple cider vinegar.
Flour: I love mixing cornmeal with Kamut flour in this recipe. If you don't have Kamut, try all-purpose flour, whole-wheat pastry flour, or spelt flour.
Turbinado sugar: Substitute this with organic cane or coconut sugar.
Frozen fire-roasted corn: I buy frozen kernels since they are readily available at the grocery store. There is no need to thaw the frozen corn. You can use regular corn or fresh corn instead.
Green chile: I've tried this recipe with mild or medium canned green chile and homemade frozen roasted Hatch green chile - choose whichever you can get!
Kamut flour - I love baking with this ancient grain, although it's hard to find lately. If you can't find it, check out the substitutions below or ask a local artisan bread supplier.
Flaxseed Meal - This vegan egg alternative works well in this recipe. When ground flaxseed meal is combined with liquid, it thickens and binds the other ingredients, similar to what eggs do in a baking recipe.

A complete ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Overhead view of vegan southwest skillet cornbread in cast iron skillet on marble surface with grey napkin.

What Is Kamut?

Kamut is the Egyptian word for wheat, a delicious, ancient whole grain. Kamut, or Khorasan, is ancient wheat that has not been hybridized nor genetically engineered. It does contain gluten, although some people with gluten sensitivity may be able to tolerate this ancient grain. It gets its name from the province of Khorasan in northeastern Iran. Kamut flour has an interesting history; the Kamut name has been a registered trademark since 1990.

You may be wondering what Kamut tastes like. I enjoy this flour's nutty and buttery taste, and it is light enough to use in recipes that call for regular flour or whole-wheat pastry flour; I've added it to sourdough with success. I store this ancient grain in my freezer to keep it fresh.

Substitutions & Variations

Kamut flour - Instead of Kamut flour, try all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, whole pastry flour, Einkorn flour, or spelt flour.
Grapeseed oil - You can use coconut oil, avocado oil, or plant-based butter. If you use plant-based butter, melt it first, and reduce the amount of salt in the recipe if the vegan butter contains salt.
Turbinado sugar - use organic cane sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup.
Soy milk - you can use unsweetened oat milk or unsweetened, unflavored almond milk. Other types of non-dairy milk may be too thin, sweet, and watery and may affect the taste of the cornbread.
Spicy - To add some heat and take this cornbread to the next level, add fresh roasted (or frozen) green chile such as Hatch chile or poblano. Try my roasted Hatch chile recipe; you can use this recipe for other green chiles as well.
No spice - Omit the green chile. Mix the flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water or ⅓ cup of applesauce.

How to Make This Vegan Skillet Cornbread Recipe (Southwest)

This homemade cornbread recipe is easy to make, even if it is your first time.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease the 9-inch cast-iron skillet. I typically use shortening. You can use oil instead, such as avocado oil or grapeseed oil, or plant-based butter. If you use a larger skillet, the cornbread will spread out more and will not rise as high.

Roasted green chile mixed with flaxseed meal in a bowl on a marble surface.

Step 1: Combine the ground flaxseed meal with the diced green chiles, including the liquid from the can, and set aside. If using frozen Hatch chile, dice it; there is no need to rinse or thaw it.

A mixture of liquid ingredients with corn in a glass bowl with a grey napkin on a marble surface.

Step 2: In a small bowl, combine the liquid ingredients. Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to make the vegan buttermilk. Set aside a few minutes and stir in the grapeseed oil and the frozen fire-roasted corn.

Dry ingredients with a whisk in a large bowl with a napkin on a marble background.

Step 3: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a whisk to avoid clumps: yellow cornmeal, Kamut flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and turbinado sugar.

Liquid and dry ingredients mixed in a large bowl with a spatula on white marble background.

Step 4: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, plus the green chile and flaxseed mixture, and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.

Overhead view of cornbread batter in cast iron skillet on marble background and grey napkin

Step 5: Pour the batter into the skillet and even out the top with the spatula.

Baked vegan skillet cornbread southwestern style in a cast iron skillet.

Step 6: Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top turns golden brown.

Let the cornbread cool for up to 20 minutes before serving.

Expert Tip

Don't over-stir the batter, or the texture of the cornbread may change.

Baked Vegan cornbread in skillet and on two pieces on small plates on marble background.

Storage

Keep this cornbread at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
Refrigerate this cornbread for up to 1 week in an airtight container. Let it cool completely on a wire rack before covering it with plastic wrap and placing it in an airtight container.
Freeze it for up to 3 months by wrapping the cornbread tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, and place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag.

How Do I Make My Cornbread Crust Crispy?

I love the texture of this cornbread with a slightly crispy crust due to the cast iron pan. However, if you like your cornbread edges to be crispier, place the greased cast-iron skillet in the oven while it's preheating. Prepare the ingredients and get the batter ready.

Get your oven mitts on and take the heavy cast-iron pan out of the oven, dropping a couple of tablespoons of plant-based butter in the pan. Swirl it around as it's melting and allow it to coat the bottom of the pan and the sides.

Then pour your batter into the skillet, ensuring it's even across the top. Place the skillet back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Straight on side view of cornbread slice with fork on white plate with grey napkin.

How To Serve

This easy vegan cornbread is perfect for eating alongside a hearty bowl of greens or this Vegan Black-eyed Pea Stew.
A traditional Southern favorite with many variations, cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to chili and stews. This cornbread with green chile goes perfectly with Vegan Butternut Squash Chili, Vegan Pumpkin Chili, or Sweet Potato and Bean Stew. It turns a bowl of soup into a meal!

Recipe FAQs

What do you use to grease a pan for cornbread?

I use vegan shortening, which I typically use to grease the cast-iron skillet after any use.

What is the best pan to use for cornbread?

A 9-inch cast-iron skillet is the best pan for making this cornbread since it contributes to the slightly crispy crust. You can use another pan, like an 8-inch or 9-inch glass square baking dish, but you won't get the crispy edges.

If you try this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Comments

5 from 152 votes (145 ratings without comment)