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This gluten-free cornbread is made with honey and is super moist, perfectly sweet, and tender. It’s easy to throw together, and it goes amazingly with smoked meats, BBQ, fried chicken, and chili!

See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
A Note from Cheryl
Y’all, here’s the deal. The Southern-style of cornbread is traditionally made with cornmeal, but the Northern version generally has wheat flour, so we’ve switched it to gluten-free flour. Cornbread can swing between sweet and cake-like to savory with a crumbly texture, typically served alongside chili, barbecue, or holiday meals. This sweet, gluten-free version keeps the classic flavor and texture you’d expect, I promise!
Why This Recipe is So Good
- The results of this gluten-free cornbread recipe are so tender and moist, and it’s incredibly delicious to eat with a pat of butter and more honey drizzled on top!
- It’s made with honey rather than sugar, so it’s a healthier option. If you want to be even more healthy, try it with my Perfectly Crispy Gluten Free Fried Chicken recipe, these tender Instant Pot Country Style Ribs, this yummy Pork Stew, and of course, my take on a classic—Whole30 Chili.
- It’s remarkably easy and quick to make, requiring just 30 minutes and a handful of pantry staples.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
- This is a tip I give for most gluten-free baked goods—the top of the cornbread should be deep golden brown before removing from the oven. Trust me here, you’ll need that extra baking time to avoid a gummy, doughy center that’ll ruin the whole experience.
- If you want a smoother cornbread, choose finely ground cornmeal. If you want cornbread with a bit of texture, choose a medium grind cornmeal. The grind makes a huge difference in your final texture, so choose based on what you’re craving!
- Let it cool completely before slicing to prevent crumbling. I know it’s hard not to dig in while it’s warm (and you can definitely grab corner pieces!), but patience here gives you clean, beautiful slices that hold together perfectly.
- When combining wet and dry ingredients, stop mixing your batter when everything’s just combined. Having lumps in your mixture means that it hasn’t been overmixed, as going too far can create dense, tough cornbread with weird air pockets.

Frequently Asked Questions
Yep, most corn bread has gluten from the wheat flour that’s mixed with the cornmeal. Pure cornmeal is gluten-free, but traditional recipes combine it with regular all-purpose flour. To get that perfect gluten-free corn bread, you’ll want to use certified gluten-free cornmeal and a quality gluten-free flour blend instead.
You’ll want to look for that “certified gluten-free” label on your cornmeal – this is super important! I love Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornmeal, Arrowhead Mills Organic, and P.A.N. cornmeal. Definitely avoid Martha White, Quaker, and Albers since they’re made on shared equipment with wheat. Don’t take chances with cross-contamination!
If your gluten-free flour blend already has xanthan gum in it, you’re all set!. But if your flour doesn’t have it, you’ll need to add about 1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour – otherwise your cornbread will fall apart like nobody’s business.
Here’s the secret: make sure your flour blend has xanthan gum or guar gum (that’s your “glue”), let it cool completely before you even think about slicing, and don’t overmix the batter.
Absolutely! You can swap honey for maple syrup in equal amounts. The texture stays the same since they’re both liquid sweeteners, and you’ll just get that lovely maple flavor instead.

More Delicious Southern Recipes
- Southern Fried Apples
- Whole30 Southern Fried Chicken Salad
- Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens
- Shrimp and Grits
- Easy Cherry Cobbler
- Grilled Green Tomatoes
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Savory Southern Cornbread Stuffing

Gluten Free Cornbread with Honey
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Pinch salt
- ¾ cup milk or vegan milk
- 6 tbsp butter melted
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×9 inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the butter and honey and stir well then add milk and eggs; stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into prepared baking pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of pan comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes then cut into 9 even squares. Serve with butter and more honey.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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So tasty! Fyi, I doubled the recipe to 16 servings at the top of the recipe page and the pan size below did not change. Maybe that’s a quick fix?
Hi Deb! As written, the recipe yields 16 servings- so that might be why there were no changes! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! 😊