Best Vegan Southern Cornbread Recipe (oil-free) - Simply Plant Based Kitchen (2024)

by Kim | Kid Friendly, Main Course, Plant-Based Recipes | 10 comments

I LOVE cornbread. It’s a great Southern food that takes me back to when I was growing up. And with some simple substitutions, cornbread is easy to make whole food plant based and this Vegan Southern Cornbread is delicious!

Whole Food Plant Based Cornbread

To make my Best Southern Cornbread whole food plant based, I used yellow cornmeal and a little whole wheat flour to help find it together. You can also use oat flour instead of whole wheat flour to keep this gluten-free.

How to Make Fluffy Cornbread

To make this vegan cornbread fluffy, I like to use a little baking soda & apple cider vinegar. The reaction of the baking soda & vinegar (remember those volcano science experiments?) creates a fizzing reaction to fluff up the batter. After adding the vinegar, don’t let the batter sit long before baking or you will lose some of the air bubbles.

Use Aquafaba Instead of Eggs

Have you heard of aquafaba? It’s the liquid from canned chickpeas. Technically, it’s the liquid from any canned beans, but I like chickpeas because it’s clear. You can also use any white bean.

The liquid is a great replacement for oil & even eggs! It has a binding quality, and I use it in my cornbread recipe to replace both.

Just be sure to use BPA-free cans and low sodium. I prefer to use organic to avoid pesticides – especially glyphosate (Roundup), commonly found in conventional beans.

WFPB Recipes that Go Great with Vegan Southern Cornbread

Cornbread goes great with some 3 Bean Vegan Chili or even black-eyed peas & cabbage on New Year’s day for good luck, health, & wealth!

Another good recipe to have with this cornbread is Southern-style greens! Check out the recipe for Instant Pot Turnip Greens – delicious!

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