Sometimes, you just need a thick slice of cornbread.
Not too much – not a whole pan.
Just enough to enjoy alongside your favorite soup or chili.
This, my friends, is that cornbread. Vegan cornbread for two!
I was very much raised in a cornbread-loving family. My mom made cornbread all the time, especially with chili, and we always had it with butter and maple syrup. Does it get more American than that?
Not much has changed. I still enjoy a hearty bowl of chili with a fat slice of cornbread smothered in the good stuff. Crumbly, sweet, a little sticky from the maple syrup. That’s what dreams are made of.
The problem is, I don’t like making a whole pan because someone in this house (hand raised) will eat the whole pan.
Solution? Carve it down to just two servings perfect for John and me to enjoy on chili night.
Also? Vegan. Also? 10 ingredients. Also? EASY. Party on.
Origins of Cornbread
Cornbread is a hotly debated topic and we don’t claim to be experts on its origin! But based on our research, it seems that the concept may have originated from a Native American dish called cornpone that was made with simple ingredients like cornmeal, water, and salt (source).
During the colonial era, cornmeal was an important ingredient and source of sustenance for enslaved individuals. It likely grew in popularity during these times and recipes evolved based on personal preferences and ingredient availability. It’s now popular throughout the US, but is especially associated with Southern cuisine.
The following is our plant-based version resembling what we grew up knowing cornbread to taste like!
Now, this cornbread is not health food. I’ve tried to make cornbread healthy and it comes out tasting like tar. Nope.
Cornbread should be crumbly.
It should be sweet.
It should be buttery.
It should make your mother proud.
This is that cornbread.
I’m happy to report that this cornbread is the one of my dreams. It’s:
Perfect
Crumbly
Tender
Moist with crisp edges
Sweet
Buttery
Satisfying
& delicious slathered in butter and maple syrup (or honey).
Friends, it was love at first bite. I know you guys are going to love it, too. If you do, share it, leave a comment, or take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram! It’s our favorite way to see what you guys are cooking up. Cheers and happy baking!
Vegan Cornbread for 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax egg)
- 1 ½ Tbsp water (to make flax egg)
- 1/2 scant cup plain unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 Tbsp vegan butter (melted)
- 1/4 cup cane or granulated sugar (sub other sugars with varied results)
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce (or sub melted butter)
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1/2 scant cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 scant cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I haven’t tried using GF flours yet, so test away!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and grease two small ramekins or two muffin tins (use fewer or more ramekins/tins as needed if altering batch size).
- Prepare flax egg in a small bowl by combining flaxseed meal and water and let set for a few minutes to achieve an “eggy” texture. Measure out almond milk and add lemon juice and let curdle for a few minutes. Then add baking soda and stir once more. Set aside.
- To a mixing bowl, add melted butter and sugar and whisk vigorously to combine. Then add applesauce, flax egg, and whisk once more. Next add almond buttermilk mixture and whisk vigorously again to combine.
- Next add salt, cornmeal, and flour and stir with a spoon until just incorporated. It will look thin and somewhat lumpy. That’s what you’re going for.
- Divide batter between greased ramekins or muffin tins (it may take up to three muffin tins, but my ramekins were large enough to fit just 2 // as original recipe is written // adjust as needed if altering batch size).
- Bake for 28-35 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into a center comes out clean.
- Let rest in the cooking dish for a few minutes before serving. I highly recommend serving these with just a touch of non-dairy butter and maple syrup or honey if not vegan.
- Will keep in an airtight container for up to a couple days. Store in the freezer to keep longer. These would go excellent with my 5 ingredient Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili.
Notes
*To make a full-size version of this recipe, check out my Perfect Vegan Cornbread.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Jane says
Perfect perfect perfect! I paired this recipe alongside some Chili and it hit the spot! I subbed coconut oil for the vegan butter and reduced the sugar by a tablespoon or so. I also wanted a smaller serving so I used 3 small ramekins instead of two bigger ones. They were done after 31 minutes!
Thanks Dana!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Jane!
Nicole says
These are perfection! I doubled the recipe and used gluten-free 1:1 flour and they were great. This made 6 muffins in jumbo tins. These will be on regular rotation for the rest of the winter!
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Nicole!
dianna says
i doubled this recipe to have enough to share with others. i subbed applesauce and butter with olive oil and i used coconut sugar and it came out very tasty! not extremely sweet (which is expected from coconut sugar) but we all loved it. it was very filling too. will be making again!
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Dianna!
elizabeth joseph says
Once again another great recipe; had used a recipe on the back of a cornmeal container; used soy milk and an egg- every time it turned dense and rubbery; I did this recipe and sub soy milk for the almond milk. OMGoodness soft, fluffy muffins and DELICIOUS!
Thank you so much
We’re so glad this recipe worked well for you, Elizabeth! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
elizabeth joseph says
I made it again with the almond milk. The problem I had was the milk would not curdle even after 10 minutes. Then I remembered I used soy milk and I used that again and it worked.
BRENDA says
Oh my gosh this was the best cornbread recipe I’ve tried thus far! I tried another vegan one where they claimed it was the best (yall all say that really lol) but this one really took the cake! I made the 8 by 8 square pan but I couldn’t find the recipe but congrats on gaining a new follower! cant wait to try the others!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Brenda. Thanks so much for the great review!
Colin says
I made this recipe with a few subs. Safflower Oil instead of melted butter. Soy Milk. Reduced the sugar to 1/8th cup (2 Tablespoons) and added 2 Tablespoons of Molasses. And didn’t add applesauce because of the extra liquid from the Molasses. The cornbread came out beautifully.
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Colin!
Suzanne van Heerden says
Can I sub the butter with coconut oil?
That should work! Let us know how you like it!
Sandy Budde says
I made the cornbread substituting GF flour (Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1) and using blue cornmeal instead of yellow because that’s what I had. Also used 3rd TBSP of vegan butter (Miyokos) instead of the applesauce. They turned out dense and too moist/gummy. Maybe could have baked longer than 30 minutes but the tops were starting to brown. Also used glass custard cups instead of ramekins. Wondering which of those factors contributed and what I could change next time for a less dense/moist (more dry/fluffy) cornbread muffin.
Hi Sandy! Because this isn’t written as a gluten-free recipe, the gf flour is probably a big part of why it was gummy. You can check out our Vegan Gluten-Free Cornbread for next time!
Sandy Budde says
Thanks! I can’t wait to try your Vegan, gluten free cornbread recipe!
Yay!
Addison says
What size ramekin is recommended for this? I’ve never used them before so am unsure of what size would be appropriate. So excited to try this!
Hi Addison, We used 3-inch wide x 2-inch tall ramekins. Hope you love it!
Susanne Strimling says
The recipe is awesome and I substituted the sugar suggested with coconut sugar and it worked well.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Susanne! We’re glad you enjoyed. xo
Cookie says
Thanks so much for recipes for 2. I altered the recipe: used 1/4 cup of flour. Personal taste, I prefer my cornbread to taste less like a muffin.
Great! Thanks for sharing! xo
V says
🙌🏽 wahoo! This recipe rocks. Thanks so much for a recipe for 2.
Aw, thanks! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! xo
Michelle says
I followed the recipe for 4 servings and it made 8 muffin tin sized cornbreads. I used coconut sugar instead of the cane or granulated sugar. All was delicious. My muffins turned out a bit dense, but paired perfectly with the 1-pot vegan chili.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Michelle! xo
Stephanie says
Had trouble finding the recipe I made at New Year’s Eve so I doubled this, used brown sugar and seasoned it with red paper flakes and urfa biber (dark smoked pepper). I used GF flour. The texture was GREAT! This is great recipe – a good formula. Thanks so much for working it out for us!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Stephanie! Love your creative additions too. Thanks for sharing!
Kedi says
Wow!!! SOOOOO good! This was my first time making cornbread since going vegan. I used coconut milk instead of almond milk, and I skipped the applesauce. I was able to fill 4 muffin tins. I love the texture that the flax egg adds. Thank you so much for another incredible recipe!!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kedi! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Sydney says
Amazing cornbread! I used Bob’s red mill gluten free flour (blue bag) and used a regular muffin tin. Mine made 4 muffins and I still baked for 28 minutes. Perfect to go with our chili. Definitely a new weekly staple! You never let me down, thank you so much!
Yay! We’re so glad you and you enjoyed it, Sydney. Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Barbara Shinehouse says
Just made these tonight. Excellent. Slightly too sweet for me so next time I might cut back the sugar a bit, otherwise this is a keeper and just perfect for one person. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing, Barbara! xo
Yvonne Vitosky says
This is now our “go to” cornbread for chili and hearty soups. It is the right consistency, just a hint of sweetness, and bakes perfectly every time!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Yvonne! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Elise says
I wanted to love these but they were quite dry and didn’t have a strong corn flavour. We only used half the sugar but found the sweetness ok. We could only salvage them by heating them up and slathering them with vegan butter. I wouldn’t make again.
Hi Elise, sorry to hear that was your experience! For more corn flavor, you could maybe try subbing half of the flour for additional cornmeal.
Shannon says
I used Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer and blue corn meal based on what I was trying to use up in the pantry. I also made the rookie mistake of not reading the recipe all the way through and ended up putting all the liquids in the same bowl, so I didn’t end up creaming the butter and sugar as directed. Even so, they came out great! The are fluffy and flavorful, and the stone ground corn meal I used added a nice texture. I’ll be making these again soon, possibly with a bit less sugar.
We’re so glad they still turned out well! Thanks for sharing, Shannon!
Rachel says
I actually halved this recipe because I made these for one! I made them in a muffin tin and still got two heavenly muffins out of it. Divided in a muffin tin, they only took ~17 minutes (I didn’t wait for them to brown and they were perfectly moist). I omitted the applesauce and added a little more vegan butter. I also used oat milk and cut the sugar in half.
I will definitely make these again. So good with Miyoko’s vegan butter and honey.
Rachel says
I just made a full recipe of this with the same modifications. Still perfect. I got 4 muffins out of it in a regular muffin tin.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Rachel.
Christen says
If I were to make this recipe as mini muffins, how many do you think it would make?
Probably 4-6. Let us know how it goes!