Sometimes I make some bold claims with my recipe titles, like The Best Stuffed Mushrooms Ever or my Super Amazing Green Smoothie, but it’s just because I get really, really excited about yummy recipes, and this Melt in Your Mouth Vegan Cornbread, is no exception. It’s really that good, and I promise, it will live up to it’s title! It’s Vegan and Gluten free, and it is AWESOME with chili, soup, or even as a snack with some butter, or jelly. I made mine in a cast iron pan because this one is so cute, and I needed an excuse to use it, but also because it was kind of a bucket list thing for me. I once saw my step-mom’s father, who was a real character BTW, make corn bread in a cast iron skillet, and I was VERY impressed! I had never seen anyone do this before, and it was really, super cool. I was about 10…. Is it normal for an 10 year old to get that impressed by a cooking technique? Um, ok. Moving on…. I LOVE learning new stuff and especially when it’s kitchen and/or photography related. Anyways, this cornbread recipe is super easy and fluffy and yummy, and today, my friend, YOU might learn something new!! I can’t wait to tell you about it, so let’s dig in!
Have you ever heard of aquafaba? Yeah, neither had I until a few ago, but since then it’s kinda been rocking my world! It’s a cool new way to replace eggs in baked goods, and it works GREAT!! The best part is that you probably have it RIGHT NOW in your cabinet? Ok, I’ll stop teasing you. Time to spill the beans… (A little Aquafaba humor, anyone?) It’s the liquid that canned beans come packed in! Whaaat??? I know it sounds crazy, but it actually works! This egg like liquid will actually whip up into a thick cream and can be baked as meringues (you have to add a few things), or used as is, straight for the can to replace eggs in baked goods. The liquid has a texture that is VERY similar to egg whites. I will definitely be posting more recipes using aquafaba soon! In the meantime, look up the Vegan Meringue Hit and Misses Facebook Group, and see all of the wonderful creations people are coming up with. I’ve seen Lemon Meringue Pies, breads, cookies, gingerbread houses, and even a gingerbread version of the Grand Budapest Hotel! Before you go crazy and start constructing your own version of the Empire States Building or something with your own aquafaba creation, let’s start with something a little more basic, and um, practical, and delicious with Chili!! Really, this is the perfect recipe to try it out with, it’s easy. Oh, and there’s no complicated Gluten Free flour blends or weird ingredients to source! Just two flours. That’s it.
Speaking of chili, it has lots of beans! Lots of beans = lots of aquafaba to play with! I made a big pot of chili, and I used some of the liquid from the beans to replace the eggs in this cornbread recipe. It was really that easy, you don’t have to whip it or anything, just put the liquid into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and it works it’s magic! Because I made chili, with kidney beans, the aquafaba had a slight pinkish tint to it, but it’s definitely fine in this recipe. If you were making a white icing or a meringue with the aquafaba, I’d recommend liquid from a can of garbanzo (chickpea) or cannellini beans, as it’s more clear.
In case you’re wondering why the butter (vegan margarine) looks curly like that, I grated it because grating your butter is supposed to help give your baked goods a fluffier texture. This has a fluffy texture. Not sure if the grated butter helped, but it was fun. You are supposed to freeze your butter first, and then grate it, and I kinda skipped that step, so it was a little messy, but whatever!
You can mix the batter by hand (that’s what I did here), or with a mixer. Either way, mix all of your ingredients until the batter is thoroughly mixed and the batter is thickened, about 1 minute by hand, half of that in a mixer, and then spoon into pan and bake. 
There’s really nothing to it! If you’re like me, you’ll be standing there, at the oven door, watching the cornbread get fluffy in the oven. Aquafaba is amazing, and so fun to play with! I can’t even wait to share my next aquafaba adventure with you! I’ll give you a teaser… it involves CHOCOLATE!! Lots of chocolate! Make sure you get on my email list, or follow me on Bloglovin’ so you don’t miss anything!! If you’ve tried this recipe, or another recipe with aquafaba, post it in the comments! I’d love to hear about your adventures too!
P.S. Click Here for my Classic Chili Recipe! It goes great with this cornbread!!
- 1½ C Corn Flour (not corn starch or cornmeal)
- ½ C White Sorghum Flour
- ¼ C chilled vegan margarine (such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks), grated
- 1½ C unsweetened Almond Milk, Coconut Milk or other unsweeened, non-dairy milk of choice
- 2 t baking powder
- 1 t sugar
- ½ t sea salt
- ½ baking soda
- 7 Tblsp. aqaufaba
- Preheat oven to 450*. Grease cast iron skillet or 8x8 baking dish. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl, and mix for 30 seconds (by hand) or 1 minute in a mixer. When ingredients are thoroughly mixed and batter is thickened, add to pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
* This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click through, and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission from Amazon. It helps me keep the blog running, so if you do purchase after reading my post, that’s awesome, thanks! Most importantly, I just want to inspire you, and be inspired by you. I never endorse products that I don’t use, or don’t believe in. When I do find something that I’m passionate about, or that I believe will help my readers, I like to share it! 🙂
Angel McNall is the author and photographer of High Vibe Lifestyle. For over 20 years, Angel has been teaching people how to live more vibrantly by eating a plant based diet, and using plant based medicine. 
