Keto Cornbread

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 11/16/22
Tested by
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Tested by Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Keto Cornbread

The Spruce / Leah Maroney
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
187 Calories
17g Fat
5g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 187
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 22%
Saturated Fat 8g 42%
Cholesterol 102mg 34%
Sodium 322mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 62mg 5%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 128mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Living the ketogenic lifestyle around the holidays doesn’t have to be difficult or involve tons of sacrifice. Use this cornbread recipe as a tasty side dish for your Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham, or use it as the base for a keto-friendly stuffing. This recipe is so quick and easy, you can even whip it up on a regular weeknight.

This keto-friendly recipe will satisfy all of your classic cornbread cravings without weighing you down. Almond and coconut flours are substituted for the traditional cornmeal and wheat flours, which are not permitted flours on the keto diet. But the texture is surprisingly similar, even without the wheat and carbs.

With only a handful of ingredients and one bowl, this recipe is simple to make and yields great results. The instructions are easy and there aren’t any hard to get ingredients required—you can find the coconut and almond flours at most grocery stores.

You can easily make this cornbread ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to eat. Serve it with a generous helping of butter. Jalapeños, bacon, and cheddar cheese all make terrific add-ins and take this basic recipe to the next level—and they keep the recipe keto-friendly, too. 

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Click Play to See This Yummy and Simple Keto Cornbread Come Together

"The cornbread is thin in a 10-inch skillet. For thicker pieces, try an 8 or 9-inch skillet or 7 to 8-inch round cake pan. I also doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9-inch square cake pan. It does have some coconut flavor, but the texture makes it a good, keto-friendly substitute for cornbread." —Diana Rattray

Keto Cornbread Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup almond flour

  • 1/3 cup coconut flour

  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

  • 1/4 cup melted salted butter, plus more for the pan

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Heat the oven to 325 F.

    Ingredients for keto cornbread
    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

  2. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda, eggs, and heavy cream to a mixing bowl. Whisk together until combined. Add in the melted butter and continue to mix together until all the ingredients are incorporated. 

    mix keto cornbread
    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

  3. Generously grease a 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet with butter. 

    grease the skillet for keto cornbread
    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

  4. Pour the batter into the greased skillet. Place it in the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and firm. 

    bake keto cornbread
    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

  5. Allow the cornbread to cool for about five minutes and then slice. Serve with butter. 

    keto cornbread
    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

Tips

  • Make sure to heavily grease your cast-iron skillet. This helps create a nice crust and adds more flavor while preventing the bread from sticking.
  • Use this cornbread as a base for a keto cornbread stuffing or dressing.
  • You can also bake this recipe in muffin tins. Just make sure to grease the wells of the muffin tin with butter or use cupcake liners. 

Recipe Variations

  • Jalapeño Keto Cornbread: Add 1/4 cup of diced canned green chiles to the batter and top the cornbread with slices of fresh jalapeño.
  • Bacon Keto Cornbread: Add a 1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon to the batter. Top the cornbread with more crumbled bacon.
  • Cheesy Keto Cornbread: Add 1/3 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese to the batter. You can add more shredded cheese to the top of the cornbread as well.
  • Try combining all three variations to make a flavorful cheesy bacon and jalapeño cornbread. 
  • Lighten the texture a bit with beaten egg whites. Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Set the beaten whites aside. Whisk the egg yolks with the cream and add to the dry ingredients; stir to blend and then stir in the melted butter. Fold the egg whites in, spread in the pan, and bake as directed.
  • Sweet Cornbread: Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of powdered erythritol.

How to Store and Freeze Keto Cornbread

Like traditional cornbread, which tends to dry out quickly, this has a short shelf life. Keep it tightly wrapped and in the fridge for a couple of days. Reheat it in a low oven (or on a hot skillet, with a little butter) for several minutes.

You can also freeze it, along as it's well wrapped and in a zip-close plastic freezer bag, for about a month.

Can I Substitute Table Salt for Kosher Salt?

You can use regular table salt, but you won't need as much, and it can depend on the brand of kosher salt. In general, for 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, use about 1/2 teaspoon of table salt.

Which is Better, Coconut Flour or Almond Flour?

In this case, for this cornmeal, you need both, and you can't substitute one for the other with these flours like you might be able to for recipes calling for nondairy milk. Almond flour and coconut flour behave differently as nut-based flours, and you need the combination of proteins and fats, along with the eggs, that they provide, for this recipe to work right.