Yes, you can enjoy cornbread on the keto diet! Made with almond flour, it's tender and fluffy, and very tasty, with just a hint of sweetness.
I add just a bit of cornmeal to the mixture for that authentic flavor that we all love. Even with the cornmeal, a serving has just 3 grams of net carbs.
This wonderful bread is tender and fluffy, and the combination of almond flour and just a bit of cornmeal makes it taste almost like true cornbread, albeit with a less pronounced corn flavor.
I wasn't sure how to go about making this recipe. At first, I thought I would only use almond flour. Eventually, I settled on a small amount of cornmeal, to make the experience as authentic as possible.
I think it was the right call. This wonderful cornbread has officially joined my arsenal of "never feel deprived on the keto diet" recipes. It's one of those beloved foods that you think you'll just have to give up, but as it turns out, you actually don't.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty keto cornbread. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes, this one included.
- Sweetener: I use stevia glycerite. You can replace it with a granulated sweetener.
- Melted butter: European butter tastes great, but any butter will work.
- Almond flour: I use blanched and finely ground almond flour. I don't recommend using a coarse almond meal in this recipe.
- Coarse cornmeal: Only ¼ cup (use gluten-free if needed).
- Kosher salt: If using fine salt, you might want to reduce the amount you use, or the bread could end up too salty.
- Baking powder: Gluten-free if needed, and please make sure it's fresh and not expired.
Instructions
Making this keto cornbread is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- Mix the ingredients. Simply mix everything together by hand, in the order listed.
- Add water if needed. Add a little water if the batter is stubbornly thick and difficult to mix.
- Transfer to baking dish. Pour the mixture into a parchment-lined and greased baking dish.
- Bake. Bake the bread for 20-25 minutes in a 350°F oven.
Expert tips
What pan to use:
I like to use a small baking dish because then the bread is nice and tall. So I use a rectangular 5X7-inch glass food storage dish. It's marked as oven-safe and I bake with it often.
But you can absolutely use a standard square 8-inch baking dish. The bread will simply not be as tall, but it won't be flat either. Just don't use anything bigger than that, or the bread will be too flat.
If you use a smaller rectangular pan, you'll probably need to bake the bread for about 25 minutes. If you use a larger pan, 20 minutes should do it.
A reader has recently emailed me to say that she successfully baked this bread in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet. So that's an option too.
Recommended cornmeal:
I use Bob's Red Mill coarse cornmeal. It's my opinion that with the very little I use here, a coarse grind has the biggest effect in terms of flavor and texture.
I don't know if this particular brand is gluten-free, so if you need this recipe to be gluten-free, please verify.
Frequently asked questions
It's not. But in this recipe, we're using just ¼ cup of it divided between 12 servings. Each serving of this bread has 5 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber. So while cornmeal isn't keto, this bread is.
That depends on the pan you use. When I use a rectangular pan I cut the bread into 12 squares, as shown in the video below. When I use a square pan, I cut it into nine squares.
Yes. You can use 2 tablespoons of any granulated sweetener.
No, it doesn't. Made with almond flour and just a hint of cornmeal, it can't possibly be exactly like the real thing. But it's delicious, and it's an excellent substitute for those of us on a low-carb or keto diet.
Variations
Here are a few tasty variations on the basic recipe:
- Add ¼ cup of bacon bits and ¼ cup of finely chopped scallions. Omit the sweetener.
- Omit the sweetener. and add ¼ cup of grated sharp cheddar and 2 tablespoons of chopped jalapenos (careful when you handle the jalapenos, wear gloves).
- This bread is also good with herbs. Omit the sweetener and add two teaspoons of mixed spices and herbs, such as garlic powder, thyme, sage, and oregano.
Serving suggestions
This is such a versatile bread. I use it for many different things. Here are a few ideas:
- This bread is really good with chili (try my no-bean chili recipe! It's excellent).
- It is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table - serve it with soft salted butter.
- I love it with sweet butter for breakfast with my coffee! My kids like to drizzle it with just a little honey. I sometimes use sugar-free honey.
- It goes well with bbq dishes, such as these oven-baked ribs.
- And it's a great side for rich soups - try it with this vegetable beef soup.
Storing leftovers
Once completely cool, I keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. I warm them up in the microwave - 5 seconds per square. They also freeze well.
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Recipe card
Fluffy Keto Cornbread
INGREDIENTS
- 5 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite (equals about 2 tablespoons sugar)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted and slightly cooled (3 oz), plus more for the pan
- 1 ½ cups blanched finely ground almond flour (6 oz)
- ¼ cup coarse cornmeal (1 oz) (gluten-free if needed)
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a small Pyrex baking dish (see notes below) with parchment paper and grease the bottom and the sides with butter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the stevia and the melted butter.
- Whisk in the almond flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder.
- If the batter is very thick and difficult to mix, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top out with a rubber spatula.
- Bake until the bread is golden and set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
ADD YOUR OWN NOTES
NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 