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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We LOVED this corn free cornbread! Will definitely have it again. Thanks Carolyn!!
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try this one.
This was delicious with bacon & jalapenos! In the Nutrition facts, shouldn’t the total % = 100% or what am I missing? Thank you for sharing your great recipes!
I just sent a comment and – I re-read the Nutrition Facts – it’s showing a percent of daily value, not as a percent of the product. Sorry about that – you can disregard my question. Some other sites will tell you the % of carbs, fat & protein in the product (to equal 100%). My math isn’t that great to figure it out. Ha ha, apologies. Again, love your recipes.
Yes, that’s not something I actually have control over in my nutritional info. But you can always add the grams of the macros into a keto calculator like Keto Diet App!
Hi Carolyn, thank you for this recipe. I was wondering about the rise. I noticed my batter was very thick so I did use the whole 1/2 cup but it was still VERY thick. I put a bit more water to thin it out slightly. Is that why my bread didn’t rise as much? I also have Amoretti Sweet Corn flavoring and even using 1.5 tsp didn’t give it that corn flavor I was hoping for but I do think I forgot the vanilla. Oops!
Hi – I have the Amoretti corn flavoring. Do you think that would work or should I get the cornbread flavoring. Is there that much of a difference.
Thanks can’t wait to try this.
Yes, that should work!
Hi Carolyn!
You are my hero! Ordered your new book and can’t wait to get it. Just a quick question – I want to make a cornbread dressing and for my particular recipe, I do not use a sweet cornbread. Would the consistency be okay if I left out the swerve & vanilla? Or should I add anything to compensate?
By the way, you are a GENIUS! You’ve made low carb diet beyond easy! My mom was a type 2 diabetic and had awful complications because she’d rather eat sugar and stay sick than try to control her sugars with diet.
Regards,
Cat
Yes, you can absolutely skip the sweetener and vanilla. I am so glad you love the recipes and thanks for your order! 🙂
I love that you used real ingredients in this recipe especially adding jalapeños! I love a bit of a kick!
I love the addition of jalapenos to this recipe!
I typically make sweet cornbread, but this looks so YUMMY! My family would love it with the sausage, and I’d love the kick from the jalapenos. 🙂
This would be so great to serve for Thanksgiving!
Love everything about this cornbread! Wish I had a slice right now!
Love this flavor combo! Looks so delicious!
I made this for brunch this morning, topped with a poached egg.
Your cornbread recipe is fabulous. My husband and I have been consistently eating Keto since 8-21-2018.
What he’s missed most while staying faithfully Keto, are my from scratch baked goods, but has stopped eating due to their negative impact on his health. He dropped 16 pounds of belly fat, I’ve dropped 6 pounds. We are 69 and 67 years young, on no prescription medications.
On Keto we eat two meals day, in much smaller portions than we were accustomed to, because we don’t get hungry.
Most Americans need to seriously examine why they settle for eating the processed food that is sending them into a disease state. They’d rather take a prescription drug, than eat healthy for a best life.
Thank you for your generosity in sharing your recipes.
We prefer savory over sweet. I left out the Swerve. Next batch, I will use 1/4 cup bacon grease in place of half the butter.
Our Keto journey has been fabulous due to websites like yours.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Texture and the spicy sweetness were spot on! When I make it again, though, I will skip the vanilla. It kind of made it reminescent of vanilla cake and I don’t think it’s needed to increase the sweetness, the swerve was enough. Thanks for a great recipe!
Surprised it has no cheese. Planning to make this weekend. Wonder what else I would need to tweak if I added some shredded cheddar. Any thoughts? My fav “real” cornbread recipe has cheese, that’s why I ask
I don’t think you need to tweak anything, it will be a great addition!
This goes into my file folder called “MADE IT-LOVED IT”. In fact I just ate a warmed piece for breakfast with my coffee, although I’m sure it goes much better with soup or a salad. I will be making this again and again. The cast iron skillet works great and produces a nice brown crust. I pre-heated the skillet. I didn’t have the full 12 oz of cooked sausage on hand, but the 4 to 6 oz I had gave great flavor. I used a combo of sweet and hot Italian sausages. I also used jarred, sliced Jalapeno that I chopped in the food processor. A good substitute if you don’t have fresh peppers. A delicious, easy bread that non-low carb people will enjoy too.