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SWEET CHIA CORNBREAD (VEGAN + HEALTHY)

Sweet Chia Cornbread features the classic flavor of cornbread with a dose of chia seeds thrown in for extra nutrition and texture. It’s an easy vegan recipe that’s great with soups, stews, and chilis!

top down view of a group of cornbread slices on a marble serving tray.

Sweet Chia Cornbread

Sweet chia cornbread is one of our favorites. With a rich texture and moist and tender center, it perfectly complements any chili dish!

The chia seeds give this a slightly crunchy texture, so those who don’t like little bits of crunchiness may not like it. But for those willing to explore new things, I highly recommend giving this delicious cornbread a try!

Chia seeds add an extra dose of nutrition. In a single 2-tablespoon serving, they contain six times more calcium than milk and six times more iron than spinach. These little seeds also contain almost half your daily fiber requirements.

Adding them is a healthy way to mix up traditional cornbread, making it egg-free and vegan. I enjoy breaking up my cornbread and eating it in my chili, and barely notice the seeds. It’s so good!

top down view of baking dish with just pulled from the oven sweet chia cornbread.

It bakes up beautifully golden in the oven and is ready in about 30 minutes.

Leftovers store well on the counter for 4 – 5 days.

So grab your ingredients and enjoy this chia cornbread!

head on view of slices of vegan cornbread stacked.

What To Serve With Cornbread

Here are some of our favorite cornbread pairings from the archives…

side angle view of a bowl full of quick and easy three bean chili.

More Bread Recipes You’ll Love!

If you try this chia cornbread recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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SWEET CHIA CORNBREAD

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 10 reviews

A terrific vegan cornbread using chia seeds as a binder in place of eggs. If you don’t mind little bits of chia seeds in your bread than you’ll love this!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 9 slices 1x
  • Category: Side, Bread
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Vegan, American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup organic cornmeal (fine, medium or course grind)*
  • 1 cup flour (spelt, whole wheat pastry, or all-purpose gluten-free flour)
  • 1/3 cup pure cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup oil (coconut oil, melted or extra light flavored olive oil)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan.

Prepare a vegan buttermilk by mixing the almond milk with the lemon or vinegar and set aside.

Mix the chia seeds with the water, set aside. Let these set for 10 minutes.

Combine all dry ingredients in medium size bowl. Add milk, oil, chia seed mixture and combine making sure to break up any lumps of chia seeds. Pour batter into greased baking pan or dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean it’s ready.

Makes 9 slices

NOTES:

*All grinds of cornmeal work great here. I’ve tried them all and they all hold up well. For maximum texture use course grind.

You could also add in 1 cup canned, fresh or thawed corn to the mix.

For a spicy kick, add 1 diced jalapeno, leave a few seeds for extra heat.

UPDATED: This Sweet Chia Cornbread was originally posted in January 2012, and has been updated with new photos and helpful tips in September 2019.

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24 Comments

  1. Hello! Just wondering if you can use almond flour as a gluten-free flour replacement as well?
    Thanks :)

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Hi Shay, I’ve never tried using almond flour with this cornbread and I’m just not sure enough to give advice. Although I’ve heard you can use almond flour in place of all purpose, I’m not sure it will work in this particular recipe. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.

  2. This recipe is so simple, and came out perfectly. There were no eggs at the store due to hoarding because of the COVID 19 Virus crisis, but I did have chia seeds …yay. I’m not vegan yet, so I did use dairy buttermilk, and instead of oil, I used plant based butter. Next time, I will try the original recipe. My family devoured most of the pan.

    Thank you so much for making your recipe available.

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Great, so glad it was a hit! Thank you so much for sharing, Ashleigh!

  3. Yummy! This is now my go to cornbread recipe!

  4. Made this with the Texas Chili as suggested. It was a wonderful complement. I hadn’t realized that Chia seeds could be used as an egg replacer like flax. So nice to have another option if needed. I’m loving chia seeds and this recipe. It turned out perfect and just like the picture which doesn’t always happen. Thanks again for another winner!






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Thanks so much Janis, glad you loved it! We love using chia seeds too. Cheers :)

  5. Chelsea Baker says:

    Loved the cornbread and we aren’t even vegan!






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Yay, love that!

  6. I’m slowly working through you recipes and loving every minute! This recipe was amazing! I did it with gluten free flour and turned out really well. This is probably the best cornbread I have ever had hands down gluten free or not. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Thanks fo much Jill, makes my day! Cheers :)

  7. I just made this but I halved the recipe and it still turned out great! I love it. I’m trying not to eat the whole thing while our vegan chili is cooking.

    Thanks for all the recipes! This is a keeper!






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Perfect, thanks for the inspiration of making a smaller portion!

  8. Made this with the Texas Chili as suggested. It was a wonderful complement. I hadn’t realized that Chia seeds could be used as an egg replacer like flax. So nice to have another option if needed. I’m loving chia seeds and this recipe. It turned out perfect and just like the picture which doesn’t always happen. Thanks again for another winner!






  9. i’ve tried many vegan cornbread recipes & been disappointed by them, but this one will definitely now be my go-to recipe. thank you! the only modification i made was that i replaced the chia w/1 T of ground flax mixed w/the water. it still held together nicely. great flavor & texture!






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Thanks so much Julie! We love this cornbread recipe too, it’s so customizable. Cheers :)

  10. This looks fabulous. Gotta love a bread that is egg (and egg replacer) free! I wonder if the chia seeds also help to bind it?






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Hi Jenny ! Yes, chia seeds make for a great binder and work well in this recipe.

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