With this tasty keto cornbread recipe, you can enjoy all the flavors and textures of cornbread without kicking yourself out of ketosis!
You only need 6 simple ingredients and it takes only 5 minutes to prepare this classic Southern recipe with only 2.9g net carbs per serving.
This quick and simple recipe for keto cornbread is perfectly served on the side of your keto chili, to top a keto tamale pie or dip in a comforting keto soup recipe for a delicious meal.
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Is cornbread high in carbs?
Traditional Southern-style cornbread is high-carb. Cornbread batter is made using corn meal (ground dried corn), wheat flour, eggs, buttermilk, baking powder (or baking soda), and sometimes sugar.
Traditional cornbread recipes (per 100g): 43.1 g net carbs, 7.3 g protein, 4.5 g fat, and 253 calories.
Low-carb cornbread recipe (per piece): 2.9 g net carbs, 4.9 g protein, 21.2 g fat, and 234 calories.
This keto cornbread made is made without any corn. It is made with almond flour and coconut flour is gluten-free and made with simple low-carb flours.
You can even add sweet corn extract (optional) to give a real corn flavor, just without the carbs.
What is corn extract?
Corn extract (corn essence) is a highly concentrated mixture of essential oils that taste exactly like corn. It does not contain any actual corn or corn derivatives.
It's the secret ingredient you can use it to flavor low-carb cornbread, ice cream, and even cheesecakes.
Ingredients
This keto cornbread recipe uses basic low-carb ingredients that are easy to find in the grocery store and are used in most easy keto recipes.
- coconut flour
- almond flour - finely ground almond flour is better than using almond meal. The almond meal will give it a grainy texture.
- baking powder
- salt and pepper
- eggs
- heavy whipping cream - look for full-fat liquid whipping cream
- butter - you can use salted butter or unsalted butter depending on your preference and need to watch your salt intake
Note: If you are allergic to nuts or just don't like almond flour you can leave it out completely and still have a great easy keto cornbread.
All quantities, ingredients, and instructions are in the low-carb cornbread recipe card below.
Instructions
To make this almond flour cornbread, you will need a large mixing bowl and a cast iron skillet (or a square pan). It's a quick recipe that only takes 5 minutes to prepare.
STEP 1: Mix your dry and wet ingredients in two separate bowls. While I am a fan of just mixing everything together in one bowl, sometimes that shortcut can change the texture of what you are making.
In the case of this cornbread, mixing your wet and dry ingredients separately and then combining them together will not only help your cornbread stick together, but it will also result in a fluffy and moist cornbread without egg clumps.
STEP 2: Gently fold the wet egg mixture into the bowl with your dry ingredients. Mix well, your batter will thicken as the batter is mixed.
STEP 3: Pour the batter into your oiled cast-iron skillet or a greased square baking dish. You can use olive oil, melted coconut oil, melted butter, or delicious bacon grease. Spread the batter out evenly with the back of a wooden spoon or silicon spatula.
STEP 4: Bake the keto cornbread uncovered in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.
TOP TIP: Let the cornbread cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
How to serve low-carb cornbread
I love baking cornbread in a seasoned cast-iron skillet because it results in crispy golden edges.
Corn bread can be served by itself with a dab of salted butter on top or it can be served as a side dish to keto chili casserole, bacon-wrapped meatloaf, or slow-cooker pulled pork.
Some people even like to dip toasted cornbread in melted butter or sour cream.
Variations
There are many tasty ways to mix up this easy keto cornbread recipe. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Make it cheesy - add shredded cheddar cheese to the batter
- Make it colorful - mix in some fresh herbs, chopped peppers and crumbled bacon
- Sweet cornbread - use your favorite sweetener (sugar substitute) in the batter. The most common keto-friendly sweetener is erythritol or monk fruit. See the full guide to choosing sugar-free sweeteners.
- Go savory - try this cornbread with bits of bacon and green onion
- Cornbread extract - many keto cornbread recipes add a few drops of sweet corn extract to the batter (to make the batter taste like real cornbread made with cornmeal).
Adding your own favorite herbs and spices makes this a great recipe to please everyone at dinner tonight.
Make your almond flour cornbread to match your tastes. Just keep in mind everything you add to your cornbread can potentially increase the carbs, so remember to calculate the nutrition values for the extra additions you made.
Depending on where you live sweet cornbread extract can be pricey or need to be ordered online. Because of this, I chose to make this recipe without it, but if you have access to sweet corn extract, feel free to add a few drops to give a real corn flavor to your cornbread.
Substitutions
Are certain ingredients stopping you from making this low-carb cornbread? Below you will find our recommendations for common substitutions.
- baking powder - mix ¼ teaspoon of baking soda with ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar
- eggs - to replace one egg, mix 1 tablespoon of flax seed with 3 tablespoons of water. Let that set. You can see these egg charts for more egg substitutes in low-carb baking recipes.
- heavy whipping cream - use coconut cream instead of heavy cream. However, this will give a subtle coconut flavor. You can also use almond milk but you may have to add additional almond flour to thicken the batter.
Storage
Do you have leftover cornbread, or do you want to make it ahead of time and reheat it later? Great news! This cornbread is great reheated!
To store your leftover cornbread, place it in an airtight container or Ziplock bag and store it in the refrigerator. Your cornbread will last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the oven, air fryer, toaster, or microwave.
To reheat your keto cornbread in the microwave you will want to reheat each piece separately on a plate for 15-25 seconds. Don't overheat your cornbread otherwise, it will go dry and crumbly.
FAQs about keto cornbread
Cornbread is a tasty bread traditionally made with cornmeal. It is a tasty side that can be served with chili, pulled pork, and even made into keto cornbread stuffing.
However, since cornmeal is moderately high on the glycemic index and high in carbohydrates we will make our keto cornbread with coconut flour and a little almond flour.
Coconut flour lets our keto cornbread retain some of that sweeter flavor found in traditional cornbread. A little almond flour gives our cornbread that course cornbread texture.
Your keto cornbread batter can also be baked into muffins as well. When making keto muffins be sure to grease each cup in the muffin pan with olive oil to keep the muffins from sticking. You can also use muffin liners if you would like or brush with melted bacon fat.
Next, fill each muffin tin ¾ of the way full and make for 12-15 minutes at 180C/350F. Be sure to let the muffins cool for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pan. You should be able to make about 12 cornbread muffins from this recipe which will make your them closer to 1.9g net carbs per muffin.
Lowering the net carbs per serving for this recipe is easy. The total carbs for an entire batch of keto cornbread are 23.2g net carbs. The smaller you cut your pieces, the fewer net carbs you will have per serving.
If you cut your cornbread into 16 pieces your net carbs per serving drops to about 1.5g net carbs! That is an easy way to cut your carbs in half!
Yes, you can turn this cornbread into bread crumbs! To turn your cornbread into bread crumbs break your cornbread into bite-sized pieces and spread them out on a baking sheet.
Place the cornbread pieces in the oven at 180C/350F for 20-25 minutes or until your cornbread is dry and golden. Let the dried cornbread cool completely to room temperature then toss the pieces into a food processor blender to break them into bread crumbs. You can also place them in a bag and break the cornbread into bread crumbs using a rolling pin.
The breadcrumbs should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. The breadcrumbs will last in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or 3 months in the freezer.
Yes! If you are wanting to freeze your cornbread I recommend freezing it after it has been sliced into individual pieces and is at room temperature. To freeze wrap your cornbread in baking parchment paper or waxed paper then place it in an airtight freezer-safe container or Ziplock bag.
Your cornbread will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cornbread should be thawed on the counter at room temperate. You can thaw your cornbread one piece at a time or all at once.
Traditional cornbread is avoided on the keto diet because it is made with corn meal which is incredibly high-carb. Some corn bread also has added sugar to make sweet corn bread. Luckily this easy keto cornbread recipe fits in with your low-carb keto lifestyle.
Some readers have told me they use popcorn extract instead of corn extract to give it the real corn flavor. Alternatively, you can add real sweet corn but this will add to the carb count.
No, wheat bread crumbs are too high-carb for the low-carb keto diet. Instead, you can use low-carb cornbread crumbs, almond meal, ground pork rinds, or coconut flour. Which one you use will be dependent on the recipe.
Yes, keto cornbread stuffing is quick and easy to make, especially if you have leftover stale cornbread. It's perfect for stuffing bacon-wrapped turkey at Christmas or Thanksgiving.
The main ingredient in a sweet cornbread recipe is corn! Luckily this recipe for almond flour cornbread doesn't contain any corn (and very few carbs).
If you are allergic to nuts or just don't like almond flour you can leave it out completely. Add corn extract to substitute the corn flavor.
I love my seasoned cast iron skillet, but you can also use a square baking dish or a round baking pan.
More Keto Bread Recipes
Once you have mastered how to use various low-carb flour, you can make some of the 30+ most popular low-carb bread and keto bread recipes.
Each awesome recipe for keto bread is gluten-free, grain-free, and the keto version tastes just like the real thing.
The easiest recipes to make for beginners are cheesy keto garlic bread, almond flour bread, keto naan bread, and coconut flour bread.
📖 Recipe
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Easy Keto Cornbread Recipe (6 ingredients)
Recipe Video
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Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 75 g (¾ cup) coconut flour
- 2 tablespoon almond meal/flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- +/- salt and pepper (optional and only if using unsalted butter)
Wet Ingredients
- 4 eggs - medium
- 125 ml (½ cup) heavy whipping cream
- 110 g (½ cup) butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Lightly grease a small cast-iron skillet or an 8x8 inch square baking pan with olive oil, melted butter, or bacon grease.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients for your corn bread. Then mix all the wet ingredients together in a seperate bowl.
- Pour your mixed wet ingredients into the bowl with your dry ingredients. Mix well, your batter will thicken as the batter is mixed.
- Pour the batter into your greased cast-iron skillet or square baking pan. Spread the batter out evenly.
- Bake the cornbread in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Let the cornbread cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving the corn bread.
Notes
- If you prefer, use a damp paper towel to gently pat the top of the cornbread before baking to smooth the top of the cornbread out.
- The cornbread can also be baked in a muffin/cupcake pan. Cornbread muffins should be baked for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out clean.
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Approximate nutrition information is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. For the most accurate nutritional data, use the actual ingredients and brands you used in your preferred nutrition calculator.
Steph
I just tried this recipe and love it. I'm not sure Cornbread is the right name for it. It is so easy and so tasty. It almost has a sweet
cake taste to me, probably due to the coconut flour and my sweet-adapted-keto-tooth. In other words, think savoury or sweet, by adding a favourite ingredient like chili or cinnamon or a favourite keto topping. I haven't experimented yet, but will. I froze it after cutting into portions and it reheated beautifully. Eat warm or cold, if you're on the run. Delicious.
Libby Jenkinson
What wonderful ideas to adapt this keto cornbread. I love the idea of chili or cinnamon. And yes, I agree with you, once you get a sweet adapted tooth, everything tastes sweet.
Joyful
I look forward to trying this recipe! Just to note that the word ingredients is spelled wrong after the word wet. Thanks a lot for this recipe option!
Libby Jenkinson, MPS
Whoops, I often type too fast. Thank you, I have corrected that now.
Roberta
Wouldn't be possible to use just almond flour, skipping coconut flour, obviously adjusting the amount of eggs consequently (and maybe adding a pinch of xanthan gum if the batter doesn't result thick enought)?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
That would be another recipe entirely. You, unfortunately, can't make a direct substitution for a predominantly coconut flour recipe to almond flour. This Ultimate Guide To Low-Carb Flours may be helpful to read.