More like corn (free) bread right?! Different yes, but expect this grain free and keto cornbread quick bread to be deliciously moist, lightlysweet,and ridiculously easy to whip up!
Keto Cornbread Style Quickbread
Deliciously Sweet
Perhaps a little obvious, but don’t expect this grain free cornbread to taste like corn (because well, no corn!). It’s a little like our famous keto tortillas, different but they serve the same delicious purpose!
So expect this cornbread to be a little sweet (let’s not get into the eternal cornbread debate here lol!), nice and moist, and with an awesome crust (!!).
A perfect pairing for both sweet and savory alike (ahem, chili pretty pls!).
Fact is, this might be the only bread recipe on the site thus far that gets a nice crust. And while I know that many cornbread recipes barely even brown, I used to whip mine up in a (very!) hot cast iron skillet so the bottom ended up nice and crisp.
I learned this trick from a friend’s grandma (yup, same one who kindly shared all her chili secrets!). Luckily there’s no need to do that here as the crust simply happens.
The Flours
This keto cornbread uses a mix of super fine almond flour, golden flaxseed meal, whey protein isolate, and a touch of xanthan gum.
Just keep in mind that for best texture and rise, you’ll always want to regrind your golden flaxseed meal in a dry blender or bullet. Oh, and golden flaxseed isn’t the same as normal flaxseed (which results in gummy and dense baked goods).
Whey protein isolate. This one is pretty much a must if you’re baking the bread in a pan (say as opposed to muffins), as it will ensure your bread doesn’t collapse post-bake. Having said that, you can sub it with more almond flour and bake it in a muffin pan (smaller baked goods have don’t require as much structure). Not exactly the same, but works well.
Keep in mind that this ingredient varies tremendously from brand to brand, and I’ve only tried (and super happy!) with Isopure’s Zero Carb Unflavored. Update: I’ve since tried this grass-fed whey protein isolate and it also works the charm (a bit pricier, but undoubtedly higher quality)!
The Sweetener
You’ve got good options here! Allulose is my favorite for best texture and no aftertaste now (you do need to add 30% more though), Lakanto Golden (baked goods with erythritol can have a slight hard texture, still not big deal here though), xylitol (non-corn though to avoid tummy troubles!).
Pyure (an erythritol and stevia blend) is also a good one for muffins and quick breads, particularly if you’re trying to limit your sugar alcohol consumption (it’s added stevia makes it twice as sweet as sugar… i.e. you add half!).
Oh, and if not restricted by sugars, simply sub 1-to-1 with coconut or regular sugar.
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup (or kitty!) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys!
One Last Thing
Don’t forget to whip up a batch of our heartwarming keto chili! #soulmates
(The Ultimate!) Keto Cornbread
Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cups for an instant conversion.
Ingredients
- 144 g almond flour
- 60 g golden flaxseed meal
- 20 g whey protein isolate
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/4-1/3 cup allulose erythritol or xylitol, to taste*
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 84 g butter melted & cooled
- 80 g sour cream
Serving suggestions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a 8x8" baking pan with parchment paper, set aside.
- Add almond flour, flaxseed meal, whey protein, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined, set aside.
- Add eggs and sweetener to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes until airy and lighter in color. With the mixer on, add in the apple cider vinegar and butter.
- Add in the dry flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the sour cream. Continue to mix for a couple minutes until fully incorporated and elastic, the batter will thicken as you mix (think almost a cookie dough texture!).
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing out the top with a wet spatula.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, until deep golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Watch out after minute 15, and tent with aluminum foil as soon as it begins to brown (around min 20 for me). The bread will collapse somewhat while cooling, don't sweat it (simply the fact of life with keto breads!).
- Remove from the pan after 10 minutes and allow to cool completely before digging in. The cooling is no joke for this bread guys, as it truly does continue to cook and set as it cools you'll get a 'wet' texture if you cut beforehand.
- Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days or in the freezer for a couple months. Serve warm with a pat of butter (non negotiable in my book!).
Made this today, to go with the chilli, it’s absolutely amazing! I will making this again. Thank you!
i agree, this recipe is fantastic! Thank you. I added about 1/4 cup of thawed from frozen corn kernels one time. Enjoyed that, too. I think I’ll try some diced jalepeno next time, too. Thank you Paola, for another brilliant recipe!
Your recipes NEVER disappoint me. This cornbread recipe was excellent! I wanted to make corn dogs, so I used a muffin tin as you suggested, and added a half of a hot dog (sliced) to each cup. It was delicious, even when rewarded! Thank you, you’ve saved me from boring keto lunches! Keep up the great work that you do, it’s much appreciated.
I’m not familiar with “golden flaxseed”. Can you help by telling me what the Spanish call it?
We loved this! I made it as muffins and 28 minutes was perfect for 9 muffins. Unless you spend a lot of time sculpting them they are pretty shaggy, so you don’t get that golden crust – I can’t wait to try it in a regular 8×8. I do have one question – we could taste the vinegar in the final product. I just used my regular Trader Joe’s apple cider vinegar. Insofar as the sour cream is an acid, could you cut back on the vinegar? Or would it make more sense to add half a teaspoon of baking soda to act as a reagent to the vinegar?
Hi Paola,
I have made your 90 second bread several times, it makes the BEST French toast. Problem is, whenever I make it for myself, my family also wants it. I am looking to make it in a loaf pan so I can get more than 3 slices at a time. This recipe seems similar, would this be a good alternative and can I make it in a loaf pan? Would it rise to a bread height? Then you for your awesome recipe!
I made these today and they were to die for!! We usually have chilli and dinner rolls for the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, since I was on keto, I felt like I was going to miss out. This recipe absolutely did the trick, and I daresay was even better than any dinner rolls or cornbread I have ever had. Thank you for enabling me to continue on my keto journey and still being able to not feel like I am being deprived. Bravo!!!!
Someone else mentioned tamales… I used a section of banana leaf while baking, which yielded a really nice grassy note that made it reminiscent of a corn flavor. (The leaves were purchased frozen at a regular U.S. grocery store that sells Latin/Hispanic goods – Goya brand.) A glass baking dish was lined with the parchment, then the banana leaf, before filling with batter & wrapping overtop. It was removed from the top after the first 20 minutes of baking. A nice smell & flavor was achieved, & although the texture would make a dry tamale using this recipe as written (& unwrapping the banana leaf after 20 mins), it sure seems like a good starting point.
Oh. My. Gosh! This is seriously the best cornbread of all time. Though it is so much more than cornbread! I’ve had a piece in the morning with butter and my eggs, I’ve eaten it after dinner as dessert and yeah, okay, I may have just snacked on it constantly all day long (see ya, ketosis!) because it is THAT. GOOD. I used Lakanto’s Golden sweetener and it came out just like your favorite guilty-pleasure cornbread. On another note, you can seriously do no wrong. I have both your ebooks and have probably tried 20+ of your recipes in the last three months being on keto and I’ve never tried a recipe of yours I didn’t rave about. Thank you for making my keto journey so much easier! More ebooks! Also, if you ever do an LA meetup count me in!
This… was… awesome!!! My boyfriend is a cornbread enthusiast and he went for a second piece, so mission accomplished!! I think I’ll definitely suck it up and buy the corn flavoring since it can only make it 1000 times better. I’ll admit it was still a little warm when I cut because I couldn’t wait any longer. Next time I’ll be stronger and let it cool all the way. But it was fantastic paired with the chili. Thank you for dinner tonight!
Fantastic Recipe! First I ate with your delicious chili recipe, then I had it for dessert with strawberries, raspberries, and kept whipped cream. I might have to make another batch tonight. Truly the best! If there is any way you can convert the measurements that would make it a lot easier for us Americans:)
Julie so wonderful to hear you loved it so much!! I’m with you, it rocks both savory and sweet!
p.s. you can click on US Cups below the ingredients (in all the recipes!). I’m working with the developer to move it on top of the ingredients so it’s more obvious 😉
I’ve never written after trying any recipe, but this one was so excellent I had to tell you. My only change was the sweetener to Xylitol and was thrilled at how delicious it came out. It was amazingly easy, too.
It’s so wonderful to have your low-carb, keto recipes to enjoy!
Thank you!
Karen how wonderful to hear!! Thank you for taking the time to write back, always means a lot! xo!
That is a great recipe! I used a loaf pan and it came out very easily. It really was a good substitute for cornbread. Will definitely make again, and again. Makes a great base for
a raspberry and whipped cream dessert. Thanks! I use a lot of your recipes, they are awesome!
JR that’s wonderful to hear! LOVE your idea of pairing it with raspberries 😍!! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes 😉 xo!
I made a batch of ‘corn’bread to go in my cornbread stuffing recipe for a Friendsgiving dinner here recently, and the thing that really sold it was something I rarely use (it’s not paleo): a small amount of Amoretti Sweet Corn flavoring. It gave the whole batch the aroma and taste of corn, and no one at the table had any idea there was no corn at all in it until we were chatting about recipes later.
I’m inclined to try a drop or two in your tortilla recipe! I bet it’d be amazing!
Nice work on the chili recipe too. Being from Texas, we have Opinions about chili, and that recipe looks *delicious*. I can’t wait to try it!
Good luck on your move!
Oooh good to hear about the extract Andra! Someone asked yesterday about it, but I haven’t tried it (and honestly don’t mentally get how it tastes like corn 😂 I’ll surely try it!). xo!!
It’s honestly more the aroma than the taste, but the two are so closely tied that it sort of tricks your brain into ‘tasting’ corn. At least that’s been my experience with it.
It’s used in such small amounts, and I generally follow the 80/20 rule about paleo stuff, so I don’t feel at all bad about using a flavorant like this to ‘right’ the flavor of something I dearly miss.
Hi Paola 🙂 I found a low-carb cornbread recipe that called for a couple of the mini-corn cobs, chopped up, and was stunned at the results! Yeah, it adds to the carbs, but not a lot and well worth it! The mini-cobs were easy to find, a little pricey, but again, so very worth it! I’ve been able to “cheat” a little now and then, and sometimes feel bad about even mentioning them…don’t want to offend or compromise anyone else’s journey, I hope this is ok! 🙂 Thanks for sharing all your hard work, you made this journey the only plan that actually worked for me!
UGH! Paola, could you please just delete my comment above, yet another perk (NOT) of aging…I already commented about the mini-corn down the page a bit. 🙁 I’m so glad I haven’t forgotten your site and all the wonderful recipes – they’ve helped me actually be successful on the “diet” nightmare! 🙂 Thanks, sorry about that!
Thank you Andra! I’ve been on the fence about getting the corn extract because it’s so pricy and I wasn’t sure it would actually do the trick, but now I’m ordering it! How much did you use in the cornbread recipe? 1/4 teaspoon? 1/8?
Thanks!!!!
This stuff is immensely concentrated, so ‘sparingly’ is the watchword here. Start with 1/8 – 1/4 tsp. in any recipe for the first time and see how it tastes to you. Add more next time if the aroma and flavor are too faint for your palate. That’s about all I use at a go.
I love that corn extract. It’s worth the expense. I make a taco pie with a biscuit topping and use the extract. It transforms it! I forgot to add once and my family noticed. It just wasn’t as scrumptious.
What is that syrup you are drizzling on in the picture? Looks so good!
Oh forgot to mention! Just some Lakanto golden 😉
Has anyone tried making low carb cornbread with corn extract? The extract is super expensive so I’m hesitant to invest in it without some confirmation that it actually makes low carb cornbread taste like real cornbread. I’m a southern girl and cornbread that has a corn taste has been hard to live without. This recipe has the best texture and crust of any low carb cornbread I have ever tried and I’ve tried many. Not surprising at all considering who created it. Perfect paring with chili. Can’t wait to see how it works with turnip greens (it’s a southern thang :).
Someone reported back that they did (see the latest comment!) 😉
It is in the oven as I type. I bought the extract and it sure smells good cooking, and the batter was awesome.
Recipes are logged and I’ll be jumping in this week to make our low-carb dressing. Since this is conquered, I’d like to ask about masa… specifically for making tamales. My sisters want to do this and while I have recently cheated with tamales I would feel much better if I could make my own. The meat part is easy.
I’m definitely working on a tamale recipe (for the past year 😂), proving a bit difficult but inching closer 😉
Member of family very allergic to almonds. Can you give a recommendation on what to substitute?
Have you tried sunflower seed flour? Its a bit different in taste, but readers rave about it as a sub throughout the site (similar fat content etc). xo!
OUTSTANDING as always – Paola – you have done it again! I am going to try the corn flavoring extract the next time. Curious if maybe you already have tried it?
Paola,
I left a comment early this morning re: how much of a difference re-grinding the flax meal makes in the texture of these recipes. It doesn’t seem to have posted anywhere. Did I violate posting rules somehow? (This has happened before several times.)
In any case, this looks like a great recipe and I look forward to trying it! Sweet cornbread is definitely our family tradition. 🙂 Also, if my Texan sister-in-law’s family recipe is any indication, traditional cornbread stuffing/dressing involves crumbling up the cooked cornbread and making it into almost a batter consistency that is then baked in a casserole style. So this would probably make a delicious cornbread stuffing!
Cheryl I’m so sorry! I’m literally moving form Mex City to LA this week so I have about 500 comments unmoderated and I’m trying to get to the questions first (there was also an issue with spam in the summer and I missed SO many comments that were incorrectly being flagged… here the 500 comments). Thank you for checking in though, I love reading through your comments and tips (seriously incapable of violating rules, you’re so lovely!) xo!!
Paola,
Thank you so much for your sweet reply! 🙂 And for taking the time to answer in the middle of your busy move! And for just staying up with us! 🙂 I’m just getting back to my email after a day offline, so please excuse my delayed acknowledgement. I trust your move is going smoothly, not inhibited in any way by the upheavals going on both in Mexico and CA! Stay safe!
I can take weeks to reply, so please never apologize for that Cheryl!! 😂 Thank you for your kind thoughts and wishes! It’s so terrible to hear about Cali…! Over here in Mexico everything is running smoothly thus far, though we are expecting to run into the migrant caravan soon (I just packed water, apples etc to give to them… we’ll see, but from what we hear they’re exhausted and just need a helping hand, particularly the kids…!) Though border crossing right now might take twice as long as lanes have been closed in most borders 🙈. Anyways! Thanks again, you’re always so sweet! Speak soon!! xo!
I just made these as muffins and actually like them better than the standard ol’ crumbly cornbread from my pre-low carb life. This is like a smooth elegant cornbread. It’s sort of cornbread crossed with a muffin. Great 🙂
Oh wow! You’re the second person to say this today kimmee (so shocked!). Thank you for taking the time to report back 😉 xo!
This looks good. I’m not a fan of sugar in cornbread. Would it mess with the consistent if I left it out?
Unfortunately yes, texture nor taste work without it 🙁
IT’S SO DELICIOUS MY GAAAAAWWWD!!! Like you said, it’s not cornbread at all but with your chili it was so awesome we didn’t miss it like before 🙂 you’re truly a godsend
Emily thank you for your lovely comment- so awesome to hear you enjoyed both recipes!! 🙂
This is a very good ‘cornbread’ recipe. I am from the south, Georgia to be exact, and I know good cornbread. I have tried several recipes and have had to tweak them. This one needed NO tweaking. For Thanksgiving I will be using this and another ‘cornbread’ recipe I’ve tweaked to make cornbread dressing, which is how we do it in GA. I will mention that using my kitchen aid mixer I whipped the heck out of the room temp eggs and erythritol (as instructed). It was SO fluffy!! Couldn’t believe how fluffy it got…reminded me of egg whites. Definitely try this…it’s a keeper. Also, it baked for like 30-35 minutes.
Latisha thank you for leaving such a detailed comment (and wow coming from a connoisseur like yourself 😍!). I’m excited to hear that you think it could work for dressing- prob don’t need my help, but toast the heck out of it to make sure it doesn’t become mush! xo!!
Hi Latisha! I’m from the south as well and you know we love our traditional dressing. Can you share your recipe with me? Thanks!
That crust looks awesome! Looking forward to trying this recipe soon. 🙂 (And I’m fully on board with the sweet cornbread ‘cuz we grew up with a Pennsylvania Dutch/Mennonite version. 🙂 )
Gotta jump in here and give a big confirmation to how much of a difference it makes to re-grind the golden flax-seed meal!! I used to grind my own in my Bullet – but it was still more “flakes” than “meal”. I recently bought a bag of Bob’s golden flax meal: again more flakes than finely ground. I figured that was as good as it got for ground up flax seeds and I’d have to put up with that slightly off-putting texture. Boy, was I wrong! I finally got the coffee/spice grinder I’d been wanting for years – and promptly reground some of my flaxseed meal. *Much* finer grind! and a world of difference in the texture of baked goods! Before double grinding, you could still detect the flaxmeal texture (and sometimes those little flax flakes would stick to the roof of my mouth :/). But since using my re-ground flax in recipes – you seriously can’t tell the difference. You are so right! 😀
I found a recipe a few years ago that called for adding just a few of the baby corn from a jar. I was surprised at how few carbs it added, but a huge bump in the flavor! Thanks so much for all of these recipes..you’ve made life a LOT better sans carbs! 🙂
Ooooh I would love to hear if this works out for someone! Sadly I can’t do corn in any form anymore 🙁
Hi there from Germany,
I cannot remember that I have ever registered myself on your website. But since last Friday I‘m receiving your recipes and I have to say I‘m gobsmacked (c:
Not only am I more or less on the ultra low carb side but your recipes, though of course kinda American (c; – are more than a valued gift to me. Of course also here in good old Germany there are low carb recipes available galore but your ones are different. So I’m looking more than forward to trying them out asap. Most of the ingredients I have available anyway, xantham gum is arriving tomorrow thanks to amazon, until now I have used guar gum powder so far (is there a difference?) So, your cinnamon rolls are waiting for me but not for too long I guess. Congrats to your site and today I have officially registered for your newsletter (c; Maybe last week God worked mysterious ways but we‘ll never know…
Take care and God bless.
Xscampi
Thank you so much for your kind comment!! I can promise that I cannot subscribe you to the mailing list myself, but how awesome you stumbled upon the blog! Regarding the guar gum, to be honest it’s not an ingredient I’ve used in years (sort of like an inferior version of xanthin gum?). You will need to use a little more, Bob’s I believe still has a handy conversion table.
Again thank you and many blessings to you as well! Hope you enjoy! p.s. I’m Dutch/Mexican (though the blog is LA based), but check out the speculoos cookies – I think you’ll be into those 😉 xo!!
I purchase my xanthan gum in a reformhaus from a company called natura.
You know that dumbfounded feeling you get after seeing an unbelievable magic trick? That’s me right now. And what do we automatically say while we’re left standing/sitting there nearly speechless?
How’d they do that?!?!? 🤯
Paola I’ve been waiting to make this since you published it last November. It was so worth it. Now me and my full belly — full of chili and cornbread — need a nap. 😴
Hello Paola,
Can I substitute psyllium husk for the flaxseed meal? Thank you for taking the time to answer.
Unfortunately I found it doesn’t quite work here 🙁
Do you think this could be used to make dressing ie stuffing?? That’s one Thanksgiving side I miss!
Check out the stuffing recipe from last week! Tbh I think the sandwich bread will hold up better as it toasts beautifully xo!
Hi Shannon, I just left a comment about this very thing. In my home we do cornbread dressing. I made this cornbread last night and think you can definitely use it in dressing. I plan to do so next week! I am not into the chunks of bread type dressing, myself…
My mother taught me the secret of a hot skillet, too! I’m looking forward to trying this “corn” bread recipe!
All of your recipes that I have made are outstanding! The latest one I tried was the Swedish Meatballs, and the entire family agreed that they were absolutely delicious!
I happen to have Honeyville Almond Flour on hand. Is that ground fine enough to use with good results for your recipes? Thanks!
Such an awesome trick right?! I haven’t tried Honeyville tbh, but if you can’t see large bits it should work fine 😉
Any substitute for whey – I am allergic and flaxseed
Thanks
Deets are in the flour section 😉 xo!
I’ve been waiting for this one lol! LOVE your recipes so very much!
Hope you love this one too Ellen! 😉