Vegan Cornbread Recipe Cast Iron Skillet

This old-fashioned cornbread in an iron skillet is soft, delicious, and easy to make! You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you can make this vegan cornbread recipe. 

This easy skillet cornbread is a great recipe for barbecues, picnics, or any summer get-together. 

You can make vegan cornbread in a baking pan, but it’s best done in a cast-iron skillet, so go get one if you don’t have one already. They’re cheap, and even if you only use the pan for this skillet cornbread – which you shouldn’t, but still – it’s money well spent.

If you love this skillet cornbread, then you will definitely want to try this chocolate chip cookie in a skillet, sweet potato cornbread, or my delicious butternut squash mac n’ cheese.

Why This Recipe Works

• Moist and delicious!
• You’d never guess it’s vegan.
• Perfect side dish for soup night.
• Plant-based and vegan.

What Goes Into This Recipe

Gathering up the ingredients you will need should be fairly easy! Let’s take a look at some of the main items you will need.

• Ground Flaxseed: We are using it in this recipe as a substitute for egg. You see, when you boil it in a little water for a few minutes, it becomes this weird, gummy mass that makes the best egg substitute (at least as far as binding properties) I’ve ever seen. If you’re curious about other egg substitutes for baking, here’s a great article on vegan egg substitutes. You might have a do a little hunting to find it but check your local health market or you can order it online.
• All-purpose flour: Makes a more tender vegan cornbread than cornmeal alone plus the gluten in the flour gives it structure too.
• Cornmeal: Use regular cornmeal, not cornbread mix, which contains more than just cornmeal. You can use a fine or medium grind depending on your preference.
• Baking Powder: A simpler leavener most of us have in our cabinets.
• Soy Milk: Use any plant milk but for the best flavor choose one that’s unsweetened and has no additional flavor. 
• Oil: Use vegetable or canola oil.
• Sugar: Adds the traditional sweetness found in old-fashioned cornbread in a skillet.

How to Make Easy Vegan Skillet Cornbread:

Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and recipe instructions!

• 1) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (232 degrees C). Spray a cast-iron skillet with cooking spray (or grease it with vegetable or canola oil). If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet you can use an 8-inch square baking dish.
• 2) Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the flaxseed, reduce to a simmer, and stir for three minutes, until you have a weird, gummy, smooth mass of stuff. It looks kind of gross – don’t worry. Set it aside.

• 3) Then, you are going to stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

• 4) Add the soy milk, oil, and flaxseed mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined – don’t over-mix.

• 5) Put everything in the skillet. Bake for around 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

• 6) Let the cornbread cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove it from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack for around ten minutes.

Expert Tips 

• Don’t overmix the batter.
• Allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing so it’s easier to serve.
• Don’t make your oven too hot. This can result in dry cornbread.
• Go ahead and add some fresh corn or a can of diced chile to this recipe, if that’s your thing.

FAQs

Storage

• Leftovers: Place your leftover skillet cornbread in an airtight container. You can also double the recipe and freeze the extra cornbread for up to 3 months.
• Reheat: If frozen, thaw it out on the counter for an hour or so. Then wrap in aluminum foil and heat in the oven at 350° F for about 15-20 minutes or until heated through. You can also wrap it in a paper towel and reheat it in the microwave in short bursts.
• Other ways to use leftovers: If you have leftovers, dry out the cubed bread in a 250-degree oven. Then toss the crispy cornbread croutons with lime juice, a little oil, and chopped vegetables for a great salad. 

More Vegan Bread Recipes You’ll Love

• Jalapeno Cornbread
• Vegan Focaccia
• Everyday Sandwich Bread
• Free Form Bread Loaf

Photos by Alfonso Revilla