Easy Homemade Cornbread Recipe Without Buttermilk
This easy homemade cornbread recipe without buttermilk creates moist and tender muffins with a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors. It’s a delicious, dairy-free alternative to traditional cornbread.
Cornbread muffins make the perfect side dish for just about any entrée, any time of the year. In the warmer months, they pair wonderfully with summer salads and BBQ.
During cooler months, we love to serve them with slow cooker chili and soups like this Italian Bean Soup or Cheddar and Ale Bratwurst Soup.
Whether you’re looking for a dairy-free option or just happen to be out of buttermilk, you’re going to love this delicious cornbread recipe. These muffins have a soft and moist texture with an amazing balance of sweet and savory flavors. And just like buttermilk cornbread, this recipe is also easy to make, requiring a few simple ingredients.
What makes this recipe dairy-free is that it skips traditional buttermilk and uses oat milk instead. Oat milk gives the batter the moisture it needs, resulting in tender and fluffy muffins every time. Enjoy these cornbread muffins just as they are, or serve them with butter, honey, or jelly of your choice.
Why We Love This Recipe
- A buttermilk-free cornbread means it’s a great recipe for those with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies.
- With just a handful of simple ingredients, this recipe delivers a mouthwatering combination of flavors, just like traditional Southern cornbread.
- The addition of fresh corn kernels adds a burst of natural sweetness and texture to the muffins.
What’s Needed for This Recipe
Dry ingredients – we use yellow cornmeal or polenta, but you can use white cornmeal. You’ll also need fresh corn kernels, all-purpose flour, and baking powder
Wet ingredients – oat milk, vegetable oil, and maple syrup
Seasonings – smoked paprika and salt, adjusted to your preference
Easy Cornbread Recipe Variations
- Cheese Cornbread: Add about a cup of shredded dairy-free or regular cheese to the batter. Cheddar cheese and pepper jack are both great options.
- Jalapeño cornbread: Mix in finely chopped fresh or pickled jalapeños for a little kick of heat.
- Tex-Mex cornbread: Mix in finely diced bell peppers and onions for a colorful Tex-Mex twist.
- Savory cornbread: For a more savory cornbread, you can increase the paprika to 1 teaspoon and skip the maple syrup.
- Sweeter cornbread: If you prefer a sweet cornbread recipe, the maple syrup can be increased to 2 or 3 tbsp. You can also add about a tablespoon of granulated sugar or brown sugar to the cornbread mix.
How to Make Homemade Cornbread Muffins
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, melted butter, or a little bacon grease.
Step 2. In a large bowl, combine corn meal, flour, salt, baking powder, and paprika. Whisk to incorporate the ingredients and to break up any lumps.
Step 3. Using the whisk, form a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Step 4. Slowly add the wet ingredients. Whisk until any remaining lumps are gone and the batter is nice and smooth.
Step 5. Stir in the corn kernels.
Step 6. Scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin cups, filling them to nearly the top.
Step 7. Bake in your preheated oven for about 22–25 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Step 8. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before removing.
Step 9. Serve warm with a pat of butter or drizzle with a little honey. Enjoy!
FAQ
Let the muffins cool until they are room temperature. Then, transfer them to an airtight container or wrap them in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 3–4 days. You can also freeze them for up to a couple of months.
You can use almost any kind of pan. If you use a cast-iron skillet, you want to use a 10-inch pan.
For another dairy-free milk, you can use almond milk instead. You can also use regular milk, like whole milk or 2% milk.
Top Tips
- You can use muffin liners for easier cleanup, but make sure you spray them with non-stick spray so they don’t stick to the liner.
- These muffins will not rise much, so make sure you add the batter close to the top of each muffin cavity.
- Make sure you use cornmeal, not corn flour, because it does not bake the same. Cornmeal has that perfect, grainy texture that you’re looking for in the best cornbread recipe.
- Once you’ve added your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, don’t overmix it. This can cause the muffin to be tough. Just mix it until there are no pockets of dry ingredients remaining.
More Bread Recipes
Easy Homemade Cornbread with no Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup fine corn meal (+ 2 tbsp) 243g
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 120 g
- 1 tbsp baking powder 14 g
- ½ tsp salt 3 g
- ½ tsp smoked paprika 1 g
- 1 tbsp maple syrup 15 ml
- 1 ¼ cup oat milk 295 ml
- ¾ cup water 180 ml
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil 93 ml
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels 135 g (or frozen and defrosted corn)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F/200 C. Grease muffin pan or spray with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine corn meal, flour, salt, baking powder, and paprika. Whisk to evenly distribute everything.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- Stir the wet ingredients together, slowly incorporating the dry ingredients. Whisk until lumps are gone and the batter is smooth.
- Stir in the corn kernels until combined.
- Scoop into the prepared muffin cups, filling to nearly the top.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before removing.
