Healthy Almond Flour Cornbread (Gluten-Free!)

Name: Healthy Almond Flour Cornbread
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 large egg; 1 cup milk ((oat, almond, or cow's), at room temperature); 1 Tbsp lemon juice; ⅓ cup melted unsalted butter; 2 Tbsp honey ((42g)); 1 cup cornmeal; 1 cup super-fine almond flour; 1 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp baking soda; ½ tsp salt

The best healthy cornbread made gluten-free with almond flour and real cornmeal, so it still tastes like cornbread. Moist, buttery, crisp edges, and no refined sugar. Just two tablespoons of honey doing the sweetening.

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Moist almond flour cornbread square with melting butter on parchment.

Healthy Almond Flour Cornbread At A Glance

✅ Recipe Name: Healthy Almond Flour Cornbread (Gluten-Free)
🕒 Ready In: ~30 minutes (5 minutes prep, 25 minutes bake)
👪 Serves: 12 (one 8x8 pan)
🍽 Calories: 163 per slice
🥣 Main Ingredients: Cornmeal, super-fine almond flour, milk, egg, honey, unsalted butter, lemon juice
📖 Dietary Info: Gluten-free, refined sugar-free, vegetarian, dairy-free option
⭐ Why You'll Love It: Almond flour replaces the wheat flour most cornbread recipes use, so it stays gluten-free without the dry, crumbly texture that usually comes with it. 2 tablespoons of honey are the only sweetener.

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Why this Gluten-Free Cornbread Works

Cornbread is one of those things I never wanted to mess with too much. The classic version is good for a reason. But I kept wanting one I could put on the table without the wheat flour, and every gluten-free version I tried came out dry and sandy.

Almond flour is what fixed it, and it comes down to fat. Almond flour is naturally high in fat, so it does the work that oil and sugar usually do in a classic recipe. That is why this one bakes up so moist without needing half a cup of oil. I use the same thing to my advantage in my almond flour banana muffins, which come out just as tender.

The ratio is what took the longest to land. A full cup of cornmeal keeps the real corn flavor, and a cup of almond flour softens everything around it. Two tablespoons of honey sweeten the whole pan, and a tablespoon of lemon juice stands in for buttermilk, the same trick I use in my almond milk biscuits.

I have been making it this way since 2019, and it is the one my family asks for.

Honestly, I like it better than the original now. It goes on my Thanksgiving table next to my maple roasted acorn squash slices, and the rest of the year I make it to go with healthy turkey chili.

Jump to:

Healthy Almond Flour Cornbread At A Glance
Why this Gluten-Free Cornbread Works
How This Compares to Traditional Cornbread
Can You Make Cornbread with Almond Flour?
Ingredients You'll Need
Can You Use Almond Milk in Cornbread?
How to Make Healthy Cornbread with Almond Flour (Step-by-Step)
Recipe Video
My Tips and Troubleshooting
Substitutions, Muffins, and Skillet Variations
What to Serve With Cornbread
How to Make Ahead, Store, and Freeze
Healthy Almond Flour Cornbread FAQs
More Gluten-Free Sides You'll Love
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

How This Compares to Traditional Cornbread

Traditional cornbread leans on all-purpose flour, a half cup of oil, and a few tablespoons of sugar to stay moist and sweet. This version gets there differently. The almond flour brings its own fat, so there is no oil at all, just butter, and two tablespoons of honey handle the sweetening.

Here is how a slice stacks up:

Per slice	This recipe	Traditional cornbread
Calories	163	280
Carbs	14g	33g
Sugar	3g	14g
Protein	4g	4g
Gluten-free	Yes	No

Traditional numbers are per slice, from the top-ranking classic cornbread recipe on Google.

The short version: about half the carbs and one third the sugar, with the corn flavor fully intact.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This cornbread was shockingly good. I fully expected it to be a crumbly mess, given the ingredients and the fact that there was only one egg. But it stayed perfectly intact like any other regular cornbread. I think this is my new go-to cornbread recipe.

- Kelsey

Can You Make Cornbread with Almond Flour?

Yes. Use almond flour to replace the wheat flour, not the cornmeal, and swap it one-to-one. In this recipe, that is a full cup of cornmeal and a full cup of super-fine almond flour.

It actually makes it better. Almond flour is high in natural fat, so the crumb stays soft and moist without any oil. Just use super-fine blanched almond flour, not almond meal, which is coarser and turns the texture gritty.

Ingredients You'll Need

Here's what goes into this healthy cornbread, and why I use what I use.

Ingredients for healthy almond flour cornbread measured into bowls on a wooden cutting board including almond flour, cornmeal, honey, melted butter, an egg, milk, and lemons.

Cornmeal: A full cup, and I use fine grind. This is what makes it taste like cornbread, so do not cut it down. Medium grind works if you like a little more texture, but skip the coarse stuff, which stays gritty and can taste flat.
Super-fine almond flour: Blanched, not almond meal. It replaces wheat flour, and its natural fat keeps the crumb soft. It is the same flour I use in my almond flour waffles.
Milk: Any milk works. I usually reach for unsweetened almond milk, but oat, 2%, or whole milk all bake the same.
Lemon juice: One tablespoon. It slightly curds the milk and does what buttermilk does in a classic recipe. Apple cider vinegar works too.
Butter: Melted, unsalted, and only a third of a cup because the almond flour is already bringing fat. Coconut oil or vegan butter if you are making it dairy-free.
Honey: Two tablespoons, and that is the only sweetener in the pan. Maple syrup works if you prefer.
Egg: Just one. It binds everything, which matters more here since there is no gluten doing that job.
Baking powder and baking soda: You need both. The soda reacts with the lemon juice; the powder handles the rest of the lift.
Salt: Do not skip it. Cornbread without salt tastes like nothing.

Scroll to the recipe card for quantities.

Can You Use Almond Milk in Cornbread?

Yes, and it is what I use. Swap it one-to-one for unsweetened regular milk in any cornbread recipe. The texture comes out the same.

The one thing worth doing is adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar with it. Almond milk is thinner than dairy milk, so the acid thickens it slightly and gives you the tang that buttermilk would. That is already built into this recipe.

How to Make Healthy Cornbread with Almond Flour (Step-by-Step)

Almond flour cornbread takes about five minutes to mix and 25 minutes to bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease or line an 8x8 pan before you start.

Cornmeal and almond flour whisked together in a glass bowl.

Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients. Combine the cornmeal, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Use your hands to break up any lumps in the almond flour, since they will not dissolve while it bakes.

Almond flour cornbread batter mixed in a glass bowl.

Step 2: Mix the batter. Whisk the egg, milk, lemon juice, melted butter, and honey in a separate bowl, then fold the dry into the wet just until combined. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing makes it dense.

Cornbread batter poured into a greased 8x8 baking pan.

Step 3: Pour into the pan. Spread the batter evenly in a greased or parchment-lined 8x8 pan. It will be thinner than a typical cornbread batter, and that is correct.

Baked almond flour cornbread cooling in an 8x8 pan.

Step 4: Bake for 25 to 28 minutes. It is done when a toothpick comes out clean, and the edges are golden. Let it cool at least 15 minutes before slicing, or it will crumble.

Recipe Video

My Tips and Troubleshooting

Let it cool before slicing: At least 15 minutes in the pan. There is no gluten holding this together, so cutting it warm is the number one reason cornbread falls apart.
Check that your cornmeal is fresh: It contains the germ, so it goes rancid faster than flour. Old cornmeal tastes flat or slightly bitter, and no amount of honey fixes it. I keep mine in the freezer.
Use super-fine almond flour, not almond meal: Almond meal is coarser and leaves the crumb gritty. Break up any lumps with your hands before you mix.
Do not overmix: Fold just until the dry disappears. Overmixing makes it dense and gummy.
Weigh the cornmeal if you can: One cup should be 140g. Cornmeal packs differently depending on grind and brand, and too much is what dries cornbread out.

Substitutions, Muffins, and Skillet Variations

Make it dairy-free: Swap the butter for coconut oil or vegan butter, and use almond or oat milk.
Skip the honey: Maple syrup or agave work one-to-one.
No lemon juice: Use a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar instead. You just need the acid.
Almond flour: I would not swap this one. Its fat is what keeps the crumb moist, and oat or coconut flour will not do the same thing.
Make it muffins: Divide the batter between 12 lined cups and bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. They will be a little flatter than wheat-flour muffins since there is no gluten to give them a dome.
Bake it in cast iron: Preheat a greased 10-inch skillet in the oven for 10 minutes, pour the batter into the hot pan, and bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. The hot pan is what gives you the crisp edges.

What to Serve With Cornbread

Warm, with a little butter and a drizzle of honey, is how I eat it most often. But it earns its place next to something saucy.

With chili and stew: This is the classic pairing for a reason. My healthy turkey chili is the one I make most, and it holds up just as well next to healthy beef stew.
With soup: Anything you want to sop up. Dairy-free tomato soup, carrot and butternut squash soup, or rotisserie chicken tortilla soup.
On the Thanksgiving table: It goes out with my creamy mashed cauliflower, healthy cranberry orange sauce, and balsamic maple Brussels sprouts every year.
With barbecue: Air fryer BBQ chicken or healthy sloppy joes, especially in the summer.
For breakfast: Reheat a slice, split it, and spread it with jam. Better than it sounds.

What readers have tried

A few people have swapped olive oil for the butter and reported back that it works. Wren bakes hers in a ceramic pie plate for eight wedges instead of nine squares. Joc made it as muffins with half oat flour and half almond flour, plus a teaspoon of vanilla.

How to Make Ahead, Store, and Freeze

Make ahead: Bake it a day early, cover the pan in foil, and leave it at room temperature. Warm it in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This is what I do every Thanksgiving.
Store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days at room temperature or 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
Freeze: Cool completely, then freeze slices in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Reheat: 5 to 10 minutes in a 350°F oven, or 30 to 60 seconds in the microwave. The oven is better if you want the edges crisp again.

Healthy Almond Flour Cornbread FAQs

Is cornbread gluten-free?

Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, but most cornbread is not, because it is usually cut with wheat flour. This version uses almond flour instead, so it is fully gluten-free.

Is almond flour cornbread keto or low carb?

It is lower in carbs than traditional cornbread, but it is not keto. A full cup of real cornmeal puts it at 14g a slice, and keto recipes skip the corn entirely to get under 5g.

Can you add corn kernels or jalapeño to cornbread?

Yes. About half a cup of either, folded in at the end. Rinse and drain canned corn first so it does not add extra moisture.

What kind of cornmeal is best for almond flour cornbread?

Fine grind is what I use and what I recommend. Medium grind works if you like a little more texture. Skip coarse cornmeal; it stays gritty and does not soften enough in a 25-minute bake.

Why does my cornbread taste bitter?

Almost always the cornmeal. It contains the germ, so it goes rancid faster than flour does, and old cornmeal tastes flat or slightly bitter. Check the date, and store it in the freezer if you do not bake with it often.

Why is my cornbread crumbly and falling apart?

Usually cutting it too soon. There is no gluten holding this together, so it needs to set. Let it cool at least 15 minutes in the pan before slicing.

Gluten-free almond flour cornbread cut into squares with pats of butter.

More Gluten-Free Sides You'll Love

These are the gluten-free sides I make most often, and cornbread ends up next to them all.

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, don't forget to tag me @healthfulblondie on Instagram and use the hashtag #healthfulblondie so I can see your delicious creation and share it with my followers!