This EASY Keto Cornbread is sure to knock your socks off, it’s a wonderful low carb alternative to the southern classic.
This Keto Cornbread is just like the real deal with only a fraction of the carbs! Made in a cast-iron skillet the traditional Southern way, it's the perfect side dish to many dinners.
We took the liberty to add some jalapeños to ours, but it is just as good without them if you’re in the mood for something a little milder. If you want a killer comfort meal it pairs great with these pork belly collard greens, keto fried chicken, or this keto version of mashed potatoes.
This isn't a sweet cornbread as it's sugar-free but you could add in some sugar substitute like Swerve if you'd like it to be sweet!
We're using a combo of flours here, a ½ cup of almond flour and a ¼ cup of coconut flour. I feel like that gives us the best texture!
Now, we have nothing against corn other than that it doesn't fit in well with a keto diet. Corn has 41g of carbs per cup, that's more than 2 days worth of carbs for most folks on a keto diet. SO, that's why we created this recipe!
Let’s get to some common questions:
How to make gluten-free keto cornbread:
To start preheat the oven to 325°.
Then begin by mixing up the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl like the melted butter, heavy cream, corn extract (if using), and eggs. Then add in the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt.
Once it's mixed up you'll add in any fillings you want (see below for suggestions!) you'll pour it into a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet then pop it into the oven for 30 minutes.
PRO TIP: want a super crunchy bottom? Heat a tablespoon or so of butter in the bottom of the skillet over high heat. Pour the batter into the hot skillet just before transferring it to the oven.
Do I have to use a cast-iron skillet for this Low Carb Cornbread?
Nope, obviously, a cast-iron skillet is the classic way to cook cornbread and it yields a crusty bottom but you can use any baking dish you have. Just make sure it’s roughly the same size.
What about dairy-free options?
This Keto Cornbread can easily be made dairy-free! Simply swap the heavy cream for unsweetened plain almond milk and the butter for a dairy-free butter like Miyokos. Sadly, this recipe can't be totally plant-based as there isn't a good sub for eggs in this recipe so it'll have to stay just vegetarian for now.
Can I use a corn extract/flavoring in this Keto Cornbread?
Yes! This one is our favorite.
Why do you call it cornbread if there’s no corn in it?
Well, because no one searches for keto bread that tastes like cornbread. We have to name things that people are likely to search for so that the recipe can actually be found and made by all of you. Take your complaints up with the Google SEO Gods 😉
Can I make these into Keto cornbread muffins?
Yes! Just use your favorite muffin tin and reduce the cooking time to about 20 minutes.
Can I add in fillings to this low carb Keto Cornbread?
YES! This may be the best part of making this “cornbread” recipe. Here are a few ideas:
- bacon + cheese + jalapeños
- blackberry + sage
- breakfast sausage + cheese
- green chile + cheese
- roasted garlic + fresh herbs
- maple extract + bacon
You'll want about ½-3/4 cup of mix-ins. If using cheese, we've found that ¼-1/3 cup of cheese is great.
What is the nutritional information for this Keto Cornbread recipe?
As always, you can find the full nutritional breakdown including the carb count (total carbs and net carbs) at the bottom of the recipe card. You can find the serving size/yield at the top of the recipe card. You should always double-check your specific ingredients as different brand's ingredients may have different values.
To get a specific serving size you'll want to weigh the final dish then divide by the number of servings. We can't provide this information as your cooking style will vary from ours as well as the brand ingredients you choose to use.
Can I use this Keto cornbread for sandwiches?
Yes! This keto cornbread makes an awesome sandwich or slider bun. Just cut it into the shape you want and you're good to go! Wouldn't a leftover turkey sandwich with keto stuffing, keto cranberry sauce, and other goodies be delicious?!
Can I make stuffing with this recipe?
Yes! We even have a recipe handy for you! This Keto Cornbread Stuffing is to DIE for, seriously it's so good!
It's perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other time you're craving stuffing! The cornbread crisps up nicely in an oven, that's the key to drying it out to create the perfect stuffing.
All of the other classic ingredients are included too like fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage), celery, onions, plenty of butter, broth, and eggs.
📖 Recipe
Keto Cornbread
Ingredients
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup butter melted
Optional Fillings: see post above for ideas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° F.
- In a medium bowl mix together all of the ingredients, then add in any optional mix-ins that you have chosen.
- Pour the batter into a 10″ well-seasoned cast iron skillet and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Shannon says
The only thing I would do differently, is to get some butter screamin hot in the skillet first, then pour the batter in. That way you get nice crispy edges. I love your recipes! Keep them coming!
Alex Lester says
That's a great idea!
Theo Dage says
Who needs butter when y’all got bacon fat?? Put the butter in the batter, fatback (or bacon grease) is for the pan!
Patricia Savage says
So darn good nobody knows it’s not corn meal!!! I added a teaspoon of corn extract, yes they make just about every extract imaginable, and it really kicks up the flavor.
Roye says
There is no mention as to what size cast iron skillet?
Thank you,
Roye
Alex Lester says
Sorry about that, 10.5"
Kay Hendrickson says
It is so hot I was sweating like a French whore in Sunday school!
(After eating your cornbread with jalapeño’s!)?
Alex Lester says
Ha! I've definitely heard that one before.
Alise says
So so good. Thank you for this recipe! I just made a double batch. It’s so easy and delicious and I like it better than “real” cornbread. I’ve served it with chili several times and a Jamaican curry, and it’s perfect!
Crystal says
My.grandmother always said i was sweating like a hooker in church. Lol
Hannah says
My parents were from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mama used to say, "If ya'll are comin' to visit my house, ya'll need to make an appointment. If you're comin' to visit me, then just come on in and sit yourself down." And another one on housekeeping: "My house is clean enough to be healthy, and messy enough to be happy." Both of these are how I have approached my home too.. 😀
Alex Lester says
Those are great, I've definitely heard the housekeeping one before. Thanks for sharing!
Sandra says
These gave my husband and me a good laugh this morning. Reading them brings to mind my favorite saying from my dad..."I've got a good memory, but it's short." I use that one now myself.
Cynthia says
Did you use blanched or unblanched almond flour? I've seen a few recipes that call for unblanched, but I'm having a really difficult time finding it anywhere.
Alex Lester says
Blanched, this is the one we use -> https://www.bobsredmill.com/almond-meal-flour.html
Lorrie says
Southern saying my grandmother would say while she was picking lint off her clothes.
“I swear, this sweater catches everything but men and money”
Alex Lester says
HA! Lauren just got a kick out of that one when I showed her your comment. That one's pretty great. Thanks for sharing Lorrie!
Judy Bloodworth says
My mom had some great comments but they escape me at the moment. I was looking for a "legal" corn bread recipe today and found this. So glad I did. Easy and delicious! Another hit recipe from you!
Alex Lester says
Great to hear that Judy!
venus says
Hi Alex,
I'm sorry for the loss of your grandmother.
I have been struggling as to what to cook for dinner tonight. For sure whatever it is will have your cornbread on the side.
Thanks for sharing your heart and your recipes.
Alex Lester says
Thank you Venus, I hope you enjoy the "Cornbread"
Anita says
How is this without the peppers? I am thinking of using this recipe to make cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving.
Alex Lester says
It's great! This recipe is a great starting point for any add-ins but can be made plain too. We're actually getting ready to create a stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving based off this recipe.
Gaye Miller says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I've made it several times - plain and with peppers and cheese. I'm going to try making it with some broccoli and cheese, a family favotire. An old saying from my mother-in-law, " Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then. " One of my Mom's sayings, "He's as crooked as a dog's hind leg." ?
Karen says
Can you use homemade almond meal and can this be frozen for future use? Daddy always said to freeze the cornbread so it don't taste fresh. I never knew why.
Alex Lester says
I haven't tried to freeze it and Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour is the only flour we've tested it with. Let me know if you try it with anything else or decide to freeze it and how that works out!
Lisa says
Just looking at the recipe doesn't seem like enough batter for a 10.5" skillet. Just wondering: do you measure the bottom of the pan for the size? Thanks
Alex Lester says
It's enough! 10.5" is correct.
Brian says
It rises alot.
Amy says
I doubled it bc it wouldn’t fit in mine either.
Brian says
I made it per the recipe exactly, but it is waaaaay too salty. Going to leave the salt out completely next time.
Alex Lester says
Everyone's salt preferences are different, did you make sure that your butter was unsalted?
M says
Same here! I even used unsalted butter. I'm so disappointed- and I'm usually heavy- handed with salt.
BJ says
I have just finished eating a bowl of Beanless Low Carb Chili Con Carne WITH your fantastic faux cornbread! It is delicious and very pretty to serve as well....However, mine seems quite crumbly...Is there something I should do to solve this? I put mixture into a Hot buttered skillet so it would sizzle and have a nice crust and got so excited that I FOGOT the very pricy Corn Extract I had ordered to use the first time I got a good recipe!!! Can you believe it? I was so perturbed with myself....absolutely going to make again and again....Thank you for sharing and let me know how to keep it less crumbly. The mixture looked great going into skillet.
Alex Lester says
Corn extract would be fantastic, I need to get my hands on some of that! I would allow the cornbread to sit for about 20 minutes or so before cutting and serving.
Charly says
I love this recipe, very easy and always turns out. But I would say, I’m with a few others. I use a 1/4 tsp. of salt, if that. And unsalted butter of course. But we are all different! This Mississippi girl thanks you! You know we have bread at every meal! Lol.
Alex Lester says
Hi Charly, we're glad you love this recipe! I'm going to make a note on the recipe about reducing the amount of salt if folks are sensitive to it. We think it's perfect but we tend to like things a bit more on the salty side.
Betsy says
First time visitor to your site and tried the recipe within a couple of hours of finding it (and will try others as well). I did eliminate the salt based on other comments. This is a keeper for "cornbread" but I'll also use it as "focaccia" for sandwiches.
JH says
Thanks! This was pretty good. I heated my cast iron on low heat, dropped the butter in and let it melt. After melting I turned the heat off, whisked in the heavy cream, then whisked in the eggs (since its heated on low and the heat is removed, eggs shouldn’t really cook - I make regular cornbread the same way). I whisked in the dry ingredients which were premixed and smoothed it out. I did use salted butter and so I omitted the salt. It smelled like cornbread for sure! I don’t think it would be super great on it’s own (kind of bland?) but it was fabulous on keto chili!! I wouldn’t have known the difference if I hadn’t made it myself. Next time I might add a bit of swerve or other keto friendly sweetener. Not a big fan of sweet cornbread, but since corn is naturally sweet, I think a subtle sweetness might be good.
Burns Warfield says
Going to try this “cornbread” by the recipe.
As far as a southern saying here is one from my Grnadfather who lived to be 101!
He used to tell
Me this all of the time.
“I don’t know why the good LORD made more horse’s butts then he made horses!”
Alex Lester says
Ha, good one!
kimbr says
Cant wait to try this with my keto soup recipe! My granddaddy would say "you a few ants short of a picnic aintcha baby" to folks with no common sense! LOL!
Paul B says
Southern saying. "That's higher than a cat's back"
Alex Lester says
Never heard that one!
Barbara says
I loved this recipe - it really tastes like cornbread - but I like this better than cornbread!
Donna says
From my father-in-law: Fine as frog’s hair.
Shut that pneumonia hole
Deb Carney says
I remember fine as frog's hair.. love it.. how about, "any better and I'd be twins".
Reno says
Tried this recipe over this weekend and my first batch in a cast iron skillet was so salty and so buttery it is inedible. Gave it another try in a spring form pan, 1/2 of the salt and no butter on the bottom of the pan, used parchment paper and vegetable oil spray. Again way too salty but good on the butter. Discovered that my Organic Coconut flour had 10mg of salt, so much of organic. Substituted more Almond flour for the Coconut flour and it came out awesome. I will try to get the corn extract flavoring for the next attempt but even my strict Keto guests raved about this recipe, albeit the third time was the charm. Reno
Helen Woods says
I cant stomach lactose. What can I substitute the heavy cream with?
Amy says
Great recipe! Thanks for sharing. Taste like regular corn bread..
Amy says
Great with Chili!
Deb Carney says
You know what Thought did? Thought he farted, but he shitted.
Tough titty said the kitty, but the milk's still good.
If Mom didn't remember someone's name she referred to them as What's his nuts.
They had very colorful sayings. Sometimes one just pops out of my mouth without me thinking about it. Thank you for the recipe and for the great trip down memory lane..
Alex Lester says
Hi Deb, thanks so much for sharing these. I've definitely heard the milk one!
Alice says
This is an awesome recipe. And it is so easy to make. I usually make with the jalapeno and cheese version. The taste and texture is just like cornbread. You can't tell it is not made with any corn. Hey, you think I could dry it out or toast it to make a cornbread dressing? I am going to try it. I wonder if any else has.
Bart says
This turned out perfect the first time I made it. Thanks very much!
Mary says
I love this recipe! My go-to topping is pickled jalapeños and shredded Jack cheese, YUM.
Sharon Williams says
Over like a fat rat in a cheese factory.
castironketoadmin says
That's a good one!
Jane says
One of my all-time favorite Keto recipes! I stirred in some pickled, cubed jalapeños and cheddar cheese. Best cornbread ever!
barb says
delicious!
Josh says
How much corn extract should you add? (If adding) Thanks!
Cast Iron Keto says
We do a teaspoon or two.
carol says
Cornbread is something I have missed since starting kept. So great to find a keto cornbread recipe that doesn't have some kind of sweetener in it. So many recipes for cornbread seem more like corncake to me. Being a good Mississippi girl, I never sweeten my cornbread. My mama's cornbread was fried first in her cast iron skillet to make a crust and then baked. I'm going to try that with this recipe. I'll also substitute green chiles for the jalapeños. I'll let you know how it comes out.
It's time to come up to the licking log (said to someone who hasn't quite been as responsible they should).
gloria says
How did this recipe work to fry it first for a crust? I'm about to make this and that sounds great. Please tell me the details of how you did it, if it worked!
Brenda Warren says
Delish, thank you for a great recipe and I'm not from the South, but hubby lived there for 8 years, so here are some of his; What do ya think? I think it takes a big dog to weigh a ton and a hell of a cat to whup him, and my favorite is; the truth will stand when the worlds on fire.
Karan says
One of my favourite country sayings: That dog won't hunt.
Julie says
I just made this today and I loved everything about it. Great taste, texure, doesn't crumble too easily and bakes beautifully.
Dawn Trottman says
My favorite saying which I came up with outta the blue is "Happy as a pig in slop". It makes my mom laugh, too.
Jayme says
Can you use corn flavoring extract?
Cast Iron Keto says
You can! See the post above for more info.
Courtney Silver says
Delish! It's actually the most delicious and moist 'cornbread' I've ever eaten. I overlooked a couple of leftover squares so I made croutons. Cut them into tiny squares, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper mixture - add some basil and rosemary too. Bake at 275 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning at halftime. Yum!
Becky Turner says
JUst discovered your site... and now have it marked to check daily!!!
This "cornbread" is on the menu for tonight... to go with the keto soup made earlier this week!
And now I need to make so chili to go with the corn bread for later this week.
Just in time for the fall weather change that is happening here.
Albertina says
I made this cornbread tonight and I am blown away at how good it is. Thank you for this recipe, and it is my new all time favorite low carb recipe!
Beverly says
Doesn't taste like cornbread to me, but I do love it. My husband also loved it. Going to make it again tonight to go with chili. Might add some cheese and crumbled bacon.
Tarah says
Super easy and delicious. I like my cornbread sweet so i added some stevia and erythrital. I also used baking powder, im going to try it today with baking soda. Can you trll me what the difference is please?
Matthew says
The "corn" bread came out great. Was perfect with a bowl of chili.
Was going to have my brother help make it but,
That boy is about as sharp as a bowl of mashed taters.
Jes says
this is a great corn bread recipe. I wanted to make cornbread salad which is one of my favorite things so I had to find a good keto cornbread... this is now my go to... I used the butter in the recipe and bacon fat in the skillet. I also added tons of sharp cheddar and chopped jalapenos and mixed it in the batter. It turned out super crusty and super moist... as a matter of fact it was too moist to use in the cornbread salad so I left it in the oven while the oven cooled the cornbread. I must sit out uncovered overnight to dry up a little bit. It works perfectly and nobody would be able to tell that it was a keto cornbread salad. Well done on your recipe!
Carole says
This recipe is perfection with the optional shredded cheddar cheese. I have never liked any other low carb cornbread recipe, but this one hit all the required savory notes. In fact, I used the cornbread to make the Tom Fitzsimmons New Orleans style Oyster Dressing for Thanksgiving, and it was fabulous. It was the first time in 11 years since my husband and I went low carb that we have been able to enjoy that recipe at Thanksgiving. So thank you so much for giving us back a treasured stuffing that we thought we would never have again. And, by the way, your cookbook is also fabulous. I've already made many of the recipes and they've all been delicious!
Tara says
Can't wait to try this. Thanks for the recipe and the video!
Here's a phrase to add: when my grandfather went back for seconds at supper, he'd always say, "It's going to waste one way or another." And then he'd spell "WAIST and WASTE" just in case you didn't get his joke. It made me laugh every time because I must've heard him say it 1000 times, but he kept spelling it out like it was the first time he'd said it. He was just the cutest bean. 🙂
Kate says
I didn't see how much of the extract to use = what do you recomend?
Cast Iron Keto says
Hi Kate - read the post above for tips on how to use the extract.
Jen says
He’s ‘bout as worthless as a tit on a boar hog
Cast Iron Keto says
Oh that's great 😆
Dana says
Haven't tried this, but is there any way to substitute the heavy cream for something else? As in something non dairy.
Cast Iron Keto says
Sure thing! You can use coconut milk or any unsweetened non-dairy milk.
Taylor says
Try this recipe and you won’t be disappointed. I’m from the south and cornbread is eaten with almost every meal, lol. This will hit the spot—trust me👍🏿. I freeze mine and eat it when I’m craving cornbread.
Susan Jerome says
Like Roxie's colloquialisms. My favorites: 1,) I ain't got no dog in this fight 2.) It's his way or the highway.
Debbie Black says
Even when my Husband stopped doing keto for a little while I contuined to make this!!!!! I love this recipe
Terry K says
“Well, shit fire and save the matches!”
“Nervous as a bastard at a family reunion”
Thanks for the recipe; now how about one for hush puppies?!?!😁
Cast Iron Keto says
Hi Terry! Thanks for your fun comment, haven't heard those two before! We do have a hushpuppy recipe, it's a little jazzed up but should do the trick.
Charlene says
Added it to the top of some ground beef w Mexican spices, added cheese chili powder n jalapeno s to make keto tamale pie. Soooo good with a bit of sour cream. Oddly this gets even better as a left over next day! Thanks!
Steph says
This recipe looks like something I might like..My question is do you put the bacon and cheddar cheese on top or inside the corn bread?
Cast Iron Keto says
Per the recipe, you mix in your chosen add-ins to the batter. However, we sometimes keep a few tablespoons worth of the add-ins for adding to the top for a pretty effect. Hope this helps!
Jay NYC says
It's keto bread, yes. And no doubt tasty. But it is NOT keto "cornbread", sorry