A delicious skillet keto cornbread that tastes like the real deal! Add crumbled bacon and chopped jalapeño for an amazing taste sensation. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
I first posted this keto cornbread recipe back in 2015. Time for an update to make it lower in carbs and just as tender and tasty as it ever was!
Of course this isn’t REAL cornbread, at least not in the sense that it has any actual corn in it. But it sure tastes like it! I know it’s hard to believe but trust me on this.
Don’t quite believe me? Okay, here’s one of the rave reviews for this keto cornbread recipe:
“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.”
So if you loved real cornbread back in the day but want a healthier, low carb option, this is the recipe for you. And check out my new video to see how easy it is to make!
Fake it ’til you make it
Let’s tackle the word “real” for a moment. People bandy about this word a lot these days, particularly in the healthy food community. And you have to ask yourself, what does “real” really mean?
The reality is that it means very different things to very different people and there is no one good definition. The paleo people will give you a very different answer from, say, the whole grain believers.
In reality, “real food” has more to do with what is real to the individual than to any clearly definable entity that we can all agree on. In my world, “real food” contains ingredients that are actually naturally-occuring. That would, technically, include wheat and corn and sugar, even if I think these things are not actually good for you.
So I declare this corn-free keto cornbread very real indeed. It has REAL ingredients from Bob’s Red Mill, such as coconut flour and almond meal that give it both a similar flavour and texture to traditional cornbread. It also has real eggs and real butter for some seriously REAL flavour.
It has no grains and no sugar, nothing to set off the sugar cravings and inflammation and insulin response that the “real” thing might induce. That’s a pretty great version of real, wouldn’t you say?
How to make keto cornbread
This recipe is so easy to make and it goes perfectly with all your favourite comfort food… keto soups, keto chili, salads, eggs, you name it. It even makes fabulous keto stuffing for Thanksgiving.
Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- You don’t need a cast iron skillet, but it makes the best crusty bread. Any ovenproof skillet will do. You can even use a pie plate, but if it’s glass or ceramic, the bread will take longer to bake.
- Place your pan in the oven while it preheats, with butter in it. Let the butter melt and the pan heat up while you are whipping up the batter.
- You don’t HAVE to add the sweetener, but cornbread has a sweetish taste (and many cornbread recipes take sugar). So I truly think this makes it taste more like the real thing.
- The xanthan gum helps hold the bread together better, so I recommend that as well.
- Cornbread flavoring? Yep it’s a real thing and it does help maximize the cornbread experience. But I think this bread tastes great without it too. If you want to replace it, try ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract instead.
- How much water you need to add will depend somewhat 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.
- This is a highly adaptable recipe. You can add cheese, sausage, or whatever tasty add ins you like in your cornbread. Or you can skip them and make it plain. It’s delicious either way!
More delicious keto skillet recipes
- Keto Skillet Lasagna
- Keto Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- Keto Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Keto Cheesesteak Skillet
- Keto Cheesy Sausage Skillet
- Keto Ginger Pear Skillet Cake
Keto Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¾ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill almond flour/meal
- ¼ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional, but helps hold it together a bit more)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup melted butter
- ¼ teaspoon cornbread flavoring (can sub vanilla, use ½ tsp)
- ¼ to ½ cup 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 375F, and add 1 tablespoon butter to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet. Place the pan in the oven as it preheats.
- 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 ¼ 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.
Brenda says
Since this has more coconut flour than almond flour and had good reviews, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, it was not for me. I did not like the grainy texture from the almond flour nor the strong artificial flavoring. I ate a piece but I won’t make it again.
Sue says
Hi Caroline,
I notice you use coconut flour in a lot of recipes. I’ve tried some of them but I can always taste the coconut flavor – I hate coconut! 🥺 By chance, is there a substitute for coconut flour?
Sue says
Oh, snoogers – I meant Carolyn! So sorry! 🙄
Judy says
Thanks for all the good recipes!
Margie says
I’m just cooking for myself so cut the recipe into 1/6 and baked it in a smaller cast iron casserole. I omitted the jalapeños & bacon so it was like my family’s. Cooked in 15 min. And was SO GOOD!! Next time I’ll go ahead and make the full recipe and individually wrap and freeze them! Thanks for a truly wonderful nostalgic cornbread that NOW I can eat!
Shiela says
This just came out of the oven…….wow is all I can say. It is delicious while hot (I just had a little taste, as I am letting it cool in my cast iron pan)! All I changed was the sweetener. I used granulated Monk Fruit, but next time I will only add half the amount. I am pairing it with taco stuffed zucchini boats with all the toppings for dinner tonight!
Kristina says
I served this to my non-keto family an
d they loved it. My kids said it was the best cornbread they’d ever had!
Carolyn says
Wow that’s so great to hear!
Renee Nevitt says
While this was good we were disappointed as it tasted too much like coconut.
Lynn says
I will definitely be making this! Growing up in Florida one of my favorite meals was cornbread, black eyed peas, and collard greens. In our family it was never sweetened. My mom would say that’s not cornbread, it’s cake🤣
Carolyn says
I agree but consider the fact that corn has natural sweetness to it whereas almonds don’t. A bit of sweetener actually makes it taste more like cornbread.
Linda Byrd says
I made this cornbread (with jalapeno, of course) for a Texas Connection chili cook off, just so I’d have some cornbread to eat. Others tried it and all of a sudden, someone suggested we have an award for best cornbread as well as chili. First time it’s ever been suggested and I attribute this to your recipe! I didn’t make it in the skillet, instead I greased mini cupcake pans with sprayed coconut oil (I didn’t preheat the pans), baked them about 10 minutes and they were fantastic. Great for taking to a party.
Lorraine Rowe says
We love this cornbread ! The texture is perfect and it’s just the right sweetness. Because there are only the two of us I make the full recipe and wrap the extra pieces individually in parchment squares before freezing them. They reheat from the frozen state perfectly with 1 minute in the microwave! Perfect accompaniment to you keto chili as well as keto cheeseburger soup ! 😋😋
Phyllis says
This sound great. What size iron skillet should be used? Thank you
Carolyn says
Just fixed it. 10-inch skillet.
Ann says
Sweet cornbread is a Northern tradition. In the South, we like buttermilk cornbread. Have you tried any adaptations to make it more like Southern cornbread? I have seen some suggestions for vinegar, just not sure how much, etc. Would love to see what you could do with that!
Wanda says
I made it with buttermilk and it was wonderful.
Deb Maxwell says
I have Swerve Confectioners abd So nourished 100% Eurythirol, could either of these be substibuted for the regular Swerve?
Carolyn says
Either is fine.
Deb says
Thank you so much for the reply! 🙂 I can’t wait to try this over the weekend!
Jean says
This is excellent! I made it without the bacon and jalapeños. My new cornbread recipe. Thanks!
Susa says
I baked this yesterday and we had it for dinner tonight. It is a real winner! The texture is different from standard corn bread, but the flavor is wonderful. My husband commented that he’s had “cornier” corn bread, but if course it had corn in it. For a version sans corn, this is wonderful. I cut it so it’s making 16 servings (I did it in a square pan, so it’s easier that way), and wanted more than the serving I had. Thank you for a simple, definite keeper recipe.
Pan says
I’ve made this recipe as written and it’s delicious! I just made a batch for Thanksgiving with some tweaks: omitted bacon and jalapeño, added 2 tbsp Swerve (I like sweeter cornbread), used 1/2 tsp sweet corn extract (mine smells stronger than it tastes), added 1/2 tsp butter flavor emulsion, and used liquid from a can of baby corn in place of the water. It’s so good!