How healthy is homemade cornbread?

Cornbread is a quick bread usually made using cornmeal, flour, vegetable oil, baking powder, and eggs. Although it's relatively high in carbs and sodium, it contains several important nutrients, including phosphorus, selenium, and B vitamins .

What is a good substitute for milk in cornbread?

Water : The simplest substitute for milk in cornbread is water. You can use water as a 1:1 replacement for milk in your Jiffy cornbread recipe [3].

Does cornbread spike blood sugar?

Diabetics should approach cornbread with caution due to its high carbohydrate content, which can lead to spikes in blood sugar levels . Traditional cornbread recipes often contain refined flour and added sugars, further exacerbating the issue.

Is cornbread healthier than wheat bread?

I think it depends on your health goals - if you're following a ketogenic diet, or a gluten free diet, then cornbread would be a better choice (higher in fat, lower in carbohydrates, easily made GF) but for someone who is looking for a lower fat, lower sugar content, wheat bread would be the way to go.

Which is healthier cornmeal or flour?

Cornmeal has fewer calories, sodium and carbs but more fibre than white flour . Cornmeal is also gluten-free. People who have an allergy to gluten can consume cornmeal. White flour is refined flour which doesn't have much nutrition and has very low fibre.

Can Type 2 diabetics eat cornbread?

Yes, you can eat corn if you have diabetes . Corn is a source of energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It's also low in sodium and fat.

Can I use sour cream instead of milk in cornbread?

Sour Cream can be substituted for milk in cornbread but will need to be thinned . I recommend using 75% sour cream and 25% water. Sour Cream will also change the taste of the cornbread and will add a slight tangy flavor which can be counteracted by using a small amount of vanilla extract.

Can I use almond milk instead of milk in cornbread?

In general, yes, you can replace almond milk for cow's milk in a recipe, but you should not expect identical results . Again, you will miss out on some richness, since almond milk does not have any saturated fat and tends to contain slightly more water.

Can I use sour cream instead of milk?

In fact, you can substitute sour cream for milk almost anytime the recipe calls for less than a cup of milk . One of the most common ingredients to use milk with is potatoes. Spuds love dairy, so if a recipe calls for milk, sour cream almost always works in its place.

Is cornbread considered healthy?

Cornbread Nutrition It's a whole grain and provides a variety of nutrients that can contribute to your health, says Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN, of Brooklyn-based Maya Feller Nutrition and author of “Eating From Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites from Cultures Around the World.”

What are the benefits of homemade cornbread?

Corn bread is a good source of several nutrients. Calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, folic acid, folates and vitamins A, B-6 and B-12 are found in corn bread. Unfortunately, prepared mixes may also contain extra sodium, sugars and animal fats. It's much better for you if you make your own from scratch.

Is cornbread good on a diet?

Pros and Cons of Including Cornbread in Your Diet While cornbread is a good energy source and offers plenty of health benefits from vitamins, minerals, and a small amount of protein, along with small amounts of essential amino acids, there are a few reasons you may want to limit the amount of cornbread you eat.

Is homemade cornbread better than store bought?

Chili is one of my favorite fall meals, but a bowl of chili isn't complete without a delicious batch of cornbread. Today I'll compare homemade cornbread to several boxed mixes. Both are quick and easy to prepare and inexpensive, but homemade cornbread tends to be much healthier because it contains fewer ingredients .

Healthy Cornbread Recipe (2024)

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This healthy cornbread recipe lightly sweetened with honey is moist yet light and fluffy texture. Plus, it’s better for you because it’s made without refined flour or sugar. Perfect chili pairing or holiday side dish!

I don’t know about y’all, but I freaking LOVE cornbread.

It’s 100% my favorite Thanksgiving side dish or any holiday side dish. I can’t wait to eat this cornbread as part of my gluten-free cornbread stuffing recipe this year. It’s going to be so much better than using cornbread from a box!

I’ve been working on this recipe for years now, and I’m so excited that I finally made a healthy cornbread recipe that tastes DELICIOUS! Why was it so hard to come up with one?

Well, friend, since you asked…

The key ingredient I wanted to use in this recipe was whole-grain cornmeal. Like other whole-grains, whole-grain cornmeal has the nutritious outer layer of the corn kernel intact before being ground into a meal. In contrast, de-germinated cornmeal is more like a refined white flour where the husk (along with all the vitamins, fiber, and protein) is removed.

Although it’s better for you, it can be a little tricky to work with because it’s more likely to crumble. So, you have to combine it with another flour to help bind everything together.

In the past, I’ve tried whole wheat four, but no matter what recipe I followed or tried to create, it always came out too dry and crumbly. But THIS time, I chose to use almond flour and eureka!!!!

Light, fluffy cornbread that’s not too crumbly, perfect for dipping in chili!

The other change I decided to make was to OMIT buttermilk in favor of using the cream of tartar. It’s just that I don’t often have buttermilk in my house, and I wanted a recipe I could make any time the craving for this yellow wonderbread hits.

I nailed that because as long as you have the whole-grain cornmeal, you will probably have all the rest of the ingredients.

How to Make Healthy Cornbread

Here is a quick rundown of how to make this fabulous healthy cornbread recipe!

Preheat your oven then, combine all your dry ingredients (whole-grain cornmeal, almond flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, salt) in a large bowl.

Then add in your wet ingredients and whisk until just smooth. This is a quick bread, so do not overmix, or you will see a ton of tunneling and uneven rising!

You’ll want to be quick about getting the quickbread into the pan and the oven. The combo of baking powder, soda, and cream of tartar will cause it to start to bubble if you wait more than a minute to get it into the oven. This is fine, it’s normal, but the sooner it goes in the oven, the better.

Then, wait 25-35 minutes and BING! Delicious healthy cornbread with no refined flour or sugar!

Ingredient Swaps:

I often get asked about ingredient swaps in recipes, so here is what you need to know:

Whole-Grain Cornmeal: To make cornbread, you must have cornmeal. What if you only have de-germinated (refined) cornmeal? Yes, this recipe will work, but it won’t be refined flour free. Do not omit or swap entirely, or it won’t be cornbread anymore. (Yes, you’d be surprised, someone will ask that! Insert crying laughing emoji.)

Almond Flour: Almond flour is unique in its macronutrient breakdown (fat/protein/carbs) and therefore is not substitutable with any other flour. I would not recommend substituting or omitting it.Do not substitute almond meal for almond flour. The result will be dry and crumbly if you do. (If this is your first time buying almond flour, click here to see all the other things you can do with it.)

Baking Powder:Do not omit.

Baking Soda: Do not omit.

Cream of Tartar: Optional gives the bread it’s unique “cornbread flavor,” so if you omit it, please understand that you might not have the traditional “cornbread taste.”

Salt: You can choose to omit the salt, but the bread may taste a whole lot sweeter. Salt kind of balances out the sweetness.

Eggs: I have not tried vegan egg substitutes, but if you do, please let us know! I think flax eggs would work just fine!

Butter: You need oil to get the traditional texture of cornbread. I used 100% grass-fed butter, but you could also use coconut oil (will give a coconut taste) or vegan butter (my favorite is Miyokos.)

Honey: Do not omit; this works as both a binder and a sweetener. For vegan, please sub brown rice syrup.

Healthy Cornbread Recipe

Healthy cornbread lightly sweetened with #honey is moist yet light and fluffy texture. Plus, it's better for you because it's made without refined flour or sugar. Perfect chili pairing or holiday side dish.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Course: Breads, Breakfast, Side Dish, Side Dishes, Sides

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cornbread, dairy-free cornbread, gluten-free cornbread, healthy cornbread, healthy cornbread recipe

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Kelli Shallal MPH RD

Ingredients

2 cups whole-grain cornmeal
1 cup almond flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs whisked
1/2 cup melted butter sub: coconut oil or vegan butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup milk I used almond milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8 x 8 baking dish with butter (or butter sub.)
Combine dry ingredients (whole-grain cornmeal, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt).
In another bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, milk, and honey, whisk until there is a smooth consistency.
Add in eggs, honey, milk, and butter into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, DO NOT OVERMIX.
Immediately pour the mixture into a baking dish and place in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and edges of cornbread are golden brown.

Video

Nutrition

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