Almond Flour Corn Bread
Almond flour corn bread is the perfect compliment to any soup or chili you make this season! This low carb cornbread is easy to make and all you need is one bowl! This gluten free cornbread is made with almond flour and is also egg free, grain free and low carb and bakes up in 30 minutes with minimal prep!
Why you will love this recipe
- Everything you love about cornbread without the grains! Even if you can find a gluten free flour, some people simply cannot tolerate corn (I happen to be one of them) so this almond flour cornbread is the perfect solution! I promise you will be in love at first bite!
- Lower in carbs! This almond flour corn bread is lower in carbs than traditional cornbread but still has that same texture and irresistible slight sweet and super savory flavor. This recipe is also egg free, gluten free, grain free and can easily be made vegan so it’s perfect for serving to a crowd.
- Perfect with your fall meals! Cornbread is the perfect complement to chilis, soups and is even a great snack (add some drizzled honey on top after the cornbread is heated up in the toaster oven).
- Can even make this into croutons! Need a low carb crouton recipe? Make this recipe in an 8X8 pan and cut it into small crouton size pieces. Toast the pieces in the oven to get them crispy and serve over your favorite salad for a crunchy low carb crouton!
Ingredients
- Flax egg (ground flax and water) – this is what replaces the eggs in the recipe and serves to keep the structure after baking. Flax eggs tend to make the almond flour cornbread a bit more wet in the center, so you have to cook the cornbread a bit longer and allow it to cool to fully set.
- Dairy free milk + Apple cider vinegar – this makes a dairy free buttermilk to use to bring more flavor to the low carb cornbread. You don’t have to combine them ahead of time, just add them together to the other wet ingredients.
- Olive oil – to get the right texture on the outside of the cornbread, it’s important to add some sort of oil. You could also use melted butter or ghee if you are not dairy free.
- Honey – honey is what really makes this almond flour corn bread more authentic. If you are vegan, you could use maple syrup here. If you are keto or really concerned about carbs or added sugar, you can use your favorite low carb sweetener.
- Almond flour – almond flour is made from finely ground blanched almonds. You could also use almond meal, however the texture of the cornbread will be different. Some people prefer the texture of the almond meal since they grew up eating cornbread with a grittier texture. Both work well in this recipe.
- Tapioca flour (or arrowroot flour or cornstarch) – this helps with the texture since almond flour can sometimes be a bit flat when baking. Just a touch of starch can help improve the overall texture.
- Baking powder and baking soda – baking powder will help the cornbread rise in the oven. Baking soda will react to the apple cider vinegar and really help give the cornbread lift. These are both important since you are not using eggs in this recipe to help the texture.
- Salt – salt is the perfect way to bring out even more sweetness from the honey and helps ensure you have that sweet and savory combo that makes cornbread so irresistible.
How to make almond flour cornbread
Start by preheating the oven to 375F.
Next combine the wet ingredients: ground flax, eggs, dairy free milk, apple cider vinegar, honey and olive oil.
To the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients: almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well ensuring all the ingredients are well combined.
Place a piece of parchment paper in a glass baking dish. Spray it with non-stick (avocado oil or olive oil spray).
Pour the batter into the baking dish, doing your best to flatten out the top and ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
Bake at 375F for 30 minutes (28 minutes for a 8X8 baking pan).
Take out of the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from the baking pan and slicing. Serve hot or reheat in the oven or toaster oven (or air fryer).
Top tips
- I used a 5 X 9 baking dish to get thick pieces, but also tested this in an 8 X 8 glass pan. You will want to cut the cooking time to 28 minutes for the 8 x 8 pan to account for the batter not being as thick.
- Personally I love the flavor from the honey in this recipe. To make this lower in carbs, use your favorite low carb liquid sweetener. Make this vegan by using maple syrup instead of honey.
- Be sure to let the cornbread rest at least 10 minutes before slicing so the bread has a chance to set up. There are no eggs so the cornbread is fragile in the beginning.
- Reheat this almond flour cornbread in the oven or toaster oven (or even the air fryer) instead of using the microwave or eating it cold. Trust me the best part of this recipe is the crunchy outside and the moist, tender center and you only get that crispy outer exterior by reheating it in the oven/toaster oven.
- Be sure you have fresh baking powder and baking soda to ensure the most lift of the corn bread. Expired or old baking powder or baking soda can cause the corn bread not to rise appropriately and be dense.
Other ingredients you can add
- Drained green chilis
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Drained pickled jalapenos
Common questions
Does this taste like traditional cornbread?
The texture is spot on and if you cannot tolerate corn in any way, this is the cornbread recipe for you. It is missing the “corn” flavor but honestly I didn’t miss it at all. There are some options if you are trying to keep this low carb but want to add that corn flavor:
- Corn extract (I haven’t tried this but it’s recommended by many keto bloggers)
- Freeze dried corn powder (get this from putting freeze dried corn in the food processor and blending to a powder). You will want at least ¼ cup of this powder.
- Replace up to 1/2 cup of almond flour with gluten free corn meal if you can tolerate corn.
Another thing this recipe is missing from a traditional cornbread recipe is butter. I like to keep my recipes dairy free, so instead of butter (or ghee) I used olive oil. If you can tolerate butter or ghee, I would highly recommend using that in place of the olive oil (and spreading more on top when it’s hot).
Can you make this nut free?
Yes! You can make your own sunflower seed flour by blending roasted sunflower seeds in a high speed blender or food processor until they resemble fine grains of sand (don’t take it too far or you will have sunbutter).
You cannot use coconut flour in place of almond flour. Coconut flour absorbs much more liquid and would make this recipe incredibly dry and not appetizing at all.
How do you know when the cornbread is done
Typically you will want to keep an eye on the top of the cornbread to see when it’s turning brown. This recipe does not have any eggs and requires cooking a few minutes past the “golden brown crust” stage to ensure the center is well cooked and not mush. I would trust the 30 minute mark unless you know your oven runs hot, then I would turn the temperature down vs. taking it out of the oven earlier.
Also when you pull the almond flour corn bread out of the oven, it needs to rest for about 10 minutes before you can remove it from the the baking dish and slice it. Since there are no eggs in this recipe, the cornbread is incredibly fragile right out of the oven and will fall apart if not given time to firmly set.
Storing leftovers
Fridge: Store leftover low carb cornbread in the fridge for up to 5 days in a well sealed container. You can leave it on the counter for about 24 hours but I would recommend storing in the fridge long term.
Freezer: Freeze individual slices by wrapping them in plastic wrap then storing them in a freezer safe bag or container. The plastic wrap can help keep the cornbread from getting freezer burn. Freeze for 2-3 months (be sure to label your cornbread with the date and use by date). Defrost on the counter or in the microwave.
Reheat: As I mentioned before, this gluten free corn bread with almond flour is best reheated in an oven, toaster oven or air fryer to ensure the outside gets crispy and the inside stays tender and moist. The crust is really one of the best parts of this, so don’t skip reheating it this way!
Substitutions
- Flax eggs – if you do not have ground flax, you can also use chia seeds that you grind down using a high speed blender. You could also use 3 eggs in place of the flax eggs if you can tolerate eggs.
- Dairy free buttermilk – use any dairy free milk you have on hand. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can also use lemon juice. If you can tolerate dairy, you can use regular milk in place of the dairy free milk.
- Honey – as mentioned, you can substitute the honey for maple syrup to make this vegan or your favorite low carb liquid sweetener to make this more low carb friendly but I think honey is the best!
- Olive oil – you can also use avocado oil or melted butter or ghee in place of olive oil. I would not recommend omitting the olive oil, the texture is off when you do this based on my testing.
- Almond flour – almond flour or almond meal works great here. You could also use cashew meal or sunflower seed flour (make your own by blending roasted sunflower seeds in a high speed blender or food processor until they resemble a fine sand).
- Tapioca flour – you can use arrowroot flour or corn starch in place of tapioca flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda – these really help with the rise and the texture of the almond flour corn bread may be off if you do not use both.
If you love this recipe, you should try
Almond Flour Corn Bread
$4.42 Recipe/$0.37 ServingIngredients
- 3 tbsp. ground flax - $0.21
- 6 tbsp. water - $0.00
- 1/2 cup dairy free milk - $0.29
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar - $0,06
- 1.5 tbsp honey - $0.41
- 2 tbsp olive oil - $0.22
- 2 cups almond flour - $2.93
- 2 tbsp. tapioca flour (or arrowroot or cornstarch) - $0.16
- 1 tsp baking powder - $0.06
- 1 tsp baking soda - $0,05
- 1/2 tsp sea salt - $0.03
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- In a large bowl combine the wet ingredients: ground flax, water, dairy free milk, apple cider vinegar, olive oil and honey. Stir well to combine.
- To the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients: almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Stir well to ensure all the dry ingredients are well combined with the wet.
- Add a piece of parchment to the baking dish, spray it with non-stick (avocado oil, olive oil spray).
- Spoon the batter into the baking dish, making sure you evenly distribute it and that it's flattened out before baking.
- Bake in 375F oven for 30 minutes (28 minutes if you use a 8X8 pan).
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from the baking dish and slicing.
Notes
- I used a 5 X 9 baking dish to get thick pieces, but also tested this in an 8 X 8 glass pan. You will want to cut the cooking time to 28 minutes for the 8 x 8 pan to account for the batter not being as thick.
- Personally I love the flavor from the honey in this recipe. To make this lower in carbs, use your favorite low carb liquid sweetener. Make this vegan by using maple syrup instead of honey.
- Be sure to let the cornbread rest at least 10 minutes before slicing so the bread has a chance to set up. There are no eggs so the cornbread is fragile in the beginning.
- Reheat this almond flour cornbread in the oven or toaster oven (or even the air fryer) instead of using the microwave or eating it cold. Trust me the best part of this recipe is the crunchy outside and the moist, tender center and you only get that crispy outer exterior by reheating it in the oven/toaster oven.
- Be sure you have fresh baking powder and baking soda to ensure the most lift of the corn bread. Expired or old baking powder or baking soda can cause the corn bread not to rise appropriately and be dense.
- Drained green chilis
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Drained pickled jalapenos
- Corn extract (I haven’t tried this but it’s recommended by many keto bloggers)
- Freeze dried corn powder (get this from putting freeze dried corn in the food processor and blending to a powder). You will want at least ¼ cup of this powder.
- Replace up to 1/2 cup of almond flour with gluten free corn meal if you can tolerate corn.
- Fridge: Store leftover low carb cornbread in the fridge for up to 5 days in a well sealed container. You can leave it on the counter for about 24 hours but I would recommend storing in the fridge long term.
- Freezer: Freeze individual slices by wrapping them in plastic wrap then storing them in a freezer safe bag or container. The plastic wrap can help keep the cornbread from getting freezer burn. Freeze for 2-3 months (be sure to label your cornbread with the date and use by date). Defrost on the counter or in the microwave.
- Reheat: As I mentioned before, this gluten free corn bread with almond flour is best reheated in an oven, toaster oven or air fryer to ensure the outside gets crispy and the inside stays tender and moist. The crust is really one of the best parts of this, so don’t skip reheating it this way!
