This keto cornbread has all the texture and flavor of the real deal! Bake it in a skillet for a crusty exterior and a soft, tender inside, or turn it into low carb muffins.
I’ve been low carb for so long that I genuinely do not crave bread anymore. But sometimes a piping hot slice of keto cornbread with butter melting on top is pure bliss. Pair it with a bowl of keto chili and you’re in comfort food heaven.
So if you love cornbread but want a healthier, low carb option, this is the recipe for you. Let’s get baking!
What readers are saying…
“I made this “cornbread” tonight and was pleasantly surprised. I’m a southern girl and love cornbread. I have tried other keto cornbread recipes with little success so I really wasn’t expecting to be as satisfied as I was!” — Elizabeth
Why you will love this bread
I have any number of bread recipes that I love, like keto focaccia and coconut flour bread. But this keto cornbread recipe is a family favorite. It goes so well with keto soups and chili.
I started making this one years ago when I was testing out coconut flour recipes. I made some vanilla cupcakes and the flavor reminded me very much of cornbread. Even my kids thought so. So I started playing around with it until I had both the taste and texture just right.
It has no grains and no sugar, nothing to set off the cravings, inflammation, or glucose response that real cornbread might induce. And yet it really satisfies the palate (and the tummy!) in a similar way. And with only 2.6g net carbs per serving.
Did I mention you can turn it into easy-to-grab cornbread muffins? And it makes fabulous keto stuffing too!
Ingredients you need
- Butter: Good cornbread deserves butter and plenty of it! I use salted in this recipe.
- Keto flours: I use a mix of coconut and almond flour, because it helps emulate the texture of real cornbread. While you can use all of one or the other, I really recommend following my recipe as written.
- Sweetener: Many people are surprised to see sweetener in cornbread. Let me point out that this is because real cornmeal has a sweet-ish flavor, even without anything added to it. If you don’t want to use it, feel free to skip.
- Xanthan gum: This helps hold the bread together a little better after baking. If you prefer, you can skip it. Just let the bread cool completely before slicing!
- Eggs: If you know anything about baking with coconut flour, you know you need all of these eggs!
- Flavoring: You do NOT need corn flavoring to make this taste like cornbread, in my opinion. But a lot of readers do love that addition.
- Add ins: This is where you can have a little fun, adding things like crumbled sausage or bacon, chopped jalapeño, or even cheddar cheese.
- Baking staples: Baking powder, salt.
How to make Keto Cornbread
- Butter the skillet: Add 1 tablespoon butter to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet and place it in the oven while it preheats.
- Combine the dry ingredients: IWhisk together the coconut flour, almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the eggs, butter, and cornbread flavoring (if using). Stir in the water.
- Stir in add-ins: Stir in the bacon and jalapeno or any other add-ins, if using.
- Bake: Spread the batter in the pan and bake until edges are golden brown and center is just firm to the touch.
To make cornbread muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line a standard muffin tin with 12 parchment or silicone liners (no need to grease them, but don’t use paper liners).
- Prepare the batter as directed and divide between the muffins cups.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and just firm to the touch.
Expert Tips
You don’t have to use a cast iron skillet, but it creates a lovely brown crust. Any ovenproof skillet will do or cake pan will do. You can even use a pie plate, but if it’s glass or ceramic, the bread will take longer to bake.
How much water you need to add depends largely on your coconut flour. They can differ in absorbency so just add a bit of water at a time until it’s a thick but spreadable batter.
Remember to use an oven mitt when you remove your hot pan from the oven. Trust me, you do not want to forget this! Nothing ruins a day faster than a third degree burn on your hand.
Make sure you don’t over-bake the bread or it will become dry. Every oven is different and you need to check on it often. Once the edges are golden and the top is just firm to the touch, remove it right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cornmeal is quite high in carbs and should be avoided on low carb and keto diets. But you can simulate the texture and flavor with a combination of coconut and almond flour. That may seem hard to believe but it works!
These keto cornbread recipe has 5.7g of carbs and 3.1g of fiber. That means it has 2.6g net carbs per slice.
Store the leftover bread in a covered container on the counter for up to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze the bread for several months.
Keto Cornbread
Ingredients
- 9 tbsp (127.82 g) butter, divided
- 3/4 cup (90 g) coconut flour
- 1/2 cup (56 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum, (optional, but helps hold it together a bit more)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cornbread flavoring, (can sub vanilla, use 1/2 tsp)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup (59.15 ml) water
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, optional
- 2 medium diced jalapeños, optional, (leave in the seeds if you want more heat).
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF, and add 1 tbsp butter to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet. Place the pan in the oven as it preheats. Melt the remaining butter in the microwave or in a pan on the stove and let cool to lukewarm.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Stir in the eggs, butter, and cornbread flavoring. Stir in 1/4 cup of the water. If the batter is still overly thick, stir in more water, a tablespoon at a time.
- Stir in the bacon and jalapeno, if using.
- Remove the hot skillet from an oven (don't forget to wear an oven mitt!) and brush the melted butter around the skillet.
- Spread the batter in prepared skillet and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until edges are golden brown and center is just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool before slicing.
Video
Notes
Cornbread muffins:
-
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line a standard muffin tin with 12 parchment or silicone liners (no need to grease them, but don’t use paper liners).
- Prepare the batter as directed and divide between the muffins cups.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and just firm to the touch.
Storage Information:
Store the leftover bread in a covered container on the counter for up to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze the bread for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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anyone try these in a muffin tin yet? I know the bake time would be different.
Okay. I tried it. Got 12 muffins. Baked 350* for 20 min. That part worked. What did not work for me was the recipe itself. The coconut was a little overpowering and it was more cake-like than cornbread.
Thanks for this recipe! In the oven as I type this. I actually left out the sausage ?, just thought I’d see what it’s like plain. I snuck a taste of the batter and you nailed it! Tastes just like cornbread. Your recipes are keeping me sane on a very restricted diet, and I appreciate the quality of your recipes. Thanks so much!
I made this and it’s really really good. Had it for supper than for breakfast – ha! I used breakfast sausage and I plan to make next time with a few more seeds from the jalapeno to give it more spice!
Hi Carolyn, I love your recipes. I’m curious, though. Why the vanilla? Thanks for your time.
Because it gives it a little extra sweet flavour similar to corn. You don’t need it but it helps.
I have yet to find a recipe I like using almond and coconut flour. I find I have to pick out the four grains out of my teeth. The texture has never been right.
Great blog. thank you!
What kind of sausage did you use?
Just bulk Italian. I think it was the Whole Foods 365 brand, spicy?
Need to use a spicier sausage and add more jalapenos or even some cholula sauce to get more or a kick.
Swerve seems to give me a headache for some reason, can you recommend another sweetener by chance (honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup, etc)? I buy the silk original almond milk from Costco (which is slightly sweetened) so perhaps that alone will bring up the sugar level? We aim for lower carb for nutrition reasons but can handle sugar in moderation. Recently found your site and am loving what I’ve made. The name is me to a T. Appreciate your time and energy!!!
I am sure you could sweeten this with any of those sweeteners.
MMMM. Had this tonight with your recipe for Broccoli Cheddar soup. Perfect combo! Only had a 12″ skillet and I made the recipe by half again, (IE: 1 cup became 1.5 cups.) Was perfect.
We made this for an early family Thanksgiving. It was amazing and praised by everyone, and I am the only lowcarber at the table. It’s pretty crazy how the sweetness and texture combine to make it you think it is really corn. I think the next batch will be made without the sugar and serrano peppers. Thanks!
Carolyn, what is your stance on using small amounts of canned baby corn for similar recipes? The carb/sugar amount is low but the fact that it’s still corn worries me. I read somewhere that, ‘all corn is candy corn’.
Hi Angelina…my stance is simply that if it fits within your carb counts and doesn’t cause you any health issues, you can do as you like. I don’t see anything like that as entirely off limits. Low carb is such a personal thing. So really, it’s up to you. It’s not like you are going to be doing it all the time and making baby corn a staple in your diet.
This recipe looks amazing. However I’m allergic to almonds. What do you suggest for a substitute?
Try flax seed meal instead.
Great article–excited to try this recipe! Love how you responded (or didn’t respond) to the banana-less fiasco.
This sounds amazing! You’re so creative with the low carb recipes!
This cornbread looks real to me…REAL good that is! I love your Twitter story, that is awesome!
Thanks Carolyn– another winner. I am on a big time savory kick and this just fit the bill. So easy to make and is delicious. I used chicken basil sausage (what I had in hand). And baking in the cast iron pan gives the crunchy edges that I crave. Many thanks!
You’re welcome!