This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
My favorite cornbread has no corn–or any other grains–at all! It is my easy high-protein chickpea flour cornbread! It has 7 grams protein per generous piece, is is a cinch to make in one bowl, and is also oil-free, gluten-free and grain-free.
If you love cornbread but want something a little more nourishing, this high-protein chickpea flour cornbread might become your new favorite bake. Made with simple pantry ingredients and mixed together in just one bowl, this easy recipe delivers the cozy flavor and crumb of classic cornbread—without any corn at all.
Each generous piece packs 7 grams of plant-based protein, along with fiber and naturally wholesome ingredients. It’s grain-free, gluten-free, vegan, and oil-free, making it a great option for anyone looking for a healthier quick bread that still tastes comforting and satisfying.
The magic comes from chickpea flour, which creates a tender, lightly golden crumb and subtle savory flavor that mimics traditional cornbread surprisingly well. Even better, the batter takes just a few minutes to stir together before heading straight into the oven.
Whether you serve it warm with soup or chili, enjoy it for breakfast, or slice it for a satisfying snack, this easy chickpea flour cornbread recipe is proof that simple ingredients can create something truly delicious.
Table of Contents
- Reasons Why You’ll Love this High Protein Cornbread
- Ingredients for High-Protein Chickpea Cornbread
- How to Make Chickpea Flour Cornbread
- Step One: Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Pan
- Step Two: Make the Batter
- Step Three: Bake
- How to Serve This High Protein Grain-Free Cornbread
- How to Store Grain-Free Chickpea Flour Cornbread
- Ingredient Substitutions
- Expert Tips for the Best Grain-Free Cornbread
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Related Recipes
- High-Protein Chickpea Flour Cornbread Recipe
Reasons Why You’ll Love this High Protein Cornbread
- High protein (7 grams protein per serving)
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Grain-free
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free
- Nut-free and seed-free
- Made in 1 bowl (in minutes)
- Packed with nutrition
Ingredients for High-Protein Chickpea Cornbread
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
- chickpea flour
- baking powder
- ground cumin
- salt (always optional/adjustable)
- nondairy milk (e.g., almond milk
- canned pumpkin puree
- maple syrup (I have options in the notes)
The key ingredients in this cornbread are chickpea flour and pumpkin. Both ingredients combine to create a remarkable bread that, honest to goodness, tastes like cornbread.
Savory, chickpea flour-based breads have an earthy flavor akin to cornmeal baked goods to begin with, but its’s the vegetal sweetness of the pumpkin that adds the extra something-something to bring the bread home.
Both ingredients do more than create flavor for the bread. Chickpea flour plays the roles of all-purpose flour, cornmeal, and eggs, while pumpkin contributes to the sunny color and moist, tender texture of the bread.
How to Make Chickpea Flour Cornbread
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
To make the batter, you need little moe than three minutes of active time.
Step One: Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Pan
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Spray the exposed sides with nonstick cooking spray.
Alternatively, simply spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray. I like the parchment paper for easier removal of the bread.
Step Two: Make the Batter
Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
Step Three: Bake
Bake in the preheated oven for 28 to 33 minutes until the surface appears dry and a toothpick inserted near the center of the bread comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Behold this gorgeous, golden bread!
You will swear this is made with corn, eggs and all-purpose flour, or, you might utter “Hot Damn!” as you dig in. It is that good.
How to Serve This High Protein Grain-Free Cornbread
Try the bread:
- With chili, soups, and stews
- For breakfast, with an extra drizzle of maple syrup
- As a healthy snack
- At the Thanksgiving table
- In my Vegan No Corn Cornbread Stuffing
Happy baking!
How to Store Grain-Free Chickpea Flour Cornbread
Store the cooled bread in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 2 days, the refrigerator for 1 week or the freezer for up to 6 months.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Can I use a different gluten-free flour instead of chickpea flour? No, I do not recommend substituting the chickpea flour. Chickpea flour acts as both flour and an egg substitute in this recipe. In addition, the ratio of wet to dry ingredients is formulated specifically for chickpea flour, and other gluten-free flours or blends will alter the texture and structure.
- Can I use something other than pumpkin puree? You should be able to substitute an equal amount of puréed butternut squash or acorn squash for the pumpkin. I have not tested with either of these options.
- Can I use another variety of sweetener? Yes. You can replace the maple syrup with an equal amount of the liquid sweetener of your choice, such as brown rice syrup, agave nectar or date syrup. You can also use honey if you do not follow a vegan diet. You can also use an equal amount of granular sweetener, such as coconut sugar, cane sugar or brown sugar plus 1 tablespoons (15 mL) water, or extra nondairy milk.
Expert Tips for the Best Grain-Free Cornbread
- Whisk the batter well. Chickpea flour benefits from thorough mixing to remove any lumps.
- Do not overbake. Remove the bread when the center just sets to keep it tender.
- Let it cool before slicing. This allows the structure to fully set.
- Use the specified pan size. Using a smaller or larger or smaller pan will change the baking time needed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Can I leave the salt out of the recipe? Yes! The salt is for flavor, so leaving it out will not affect the bread recipe from working. You can eliminate the salt entirely, or simply adjust the amount of salt to suit your personal dietary needs.
- Does chickpea flour taste like chickpeas in baked goods? Not in this recipe. The combination of pumpkin purée and cumin powder results in a a bread that tastes like cornbread, not chickpeas.
- Can I make this chickpea flour cornbread ahead of time? Yes. The bread keeps well for several days and actually slices even more cleanly after it has cooled completely.
Related Recipes
High-Protein Chickpea Flour Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups chickpea flour, (sifted if especially lumpy)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, (certified GF, as needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups non dairy milk, (e.g., almond milk, hemp milk, cashew milk)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, (see notes for options)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly spray or grease an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan and line with a piece of parchment paper (leaving an overhang on opposite sides).
- In a large bowl, whisk the chickpea flour, baking powder, cumin, and salt. Add the milk, pumpkin, and maple syrup, whisking until completely blended and smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 28 to 33 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted near the center of the bread comes out with only moist crumbs attached.
- Cool bread at least 10 minutes in pan. Use parchment overhand to remove bread. Cut into pieces and serve warm, or cool completely.
Hello. I am going to try making this tonight. Very excited. I do have one question, that may be silly. But I see the ingredients ask for cumin and one of the photos has butter and jam on it. Will this non cornbread taste good with butter and honey or like your picture with butter and jam even with the cumin in it? Or do you not add the cumin if you are going to eat it with butter and said whatever sweeter topping?
Hi Sam!
Not silly at all. I may be a little bit weird in that I love sweet and savory in combination (e.g., love sweet chutney and golden raisins on curry dishes, cranberry sauce to accompany a lentil loaf). So I definitely eat the cumin version with jam. But if you think you would like a more neutral flavor (so the bread can go with sweet or savory options), feel free to omit the cumin 🙂
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. That is great! I love a sweet and savory as well. Thank you so much.
You are welcome, Sam 😉
Amazingly GREAT!
This is sooooo good! Thanks!
Fabulous, Terrill, so glad you are loving it 😊
Havent tried yet but the comments look promising. Can you use quinoa flour instead of chickpea flour?
Hi Michael! You could try it, but I am not sure how it would turn out. Chickpea flour has some unique properties (since it is ground dried beans instead of grain) that lead to soft, tender results without the use of added egg (since chickpea flour can be used as an egg replacer).
I MADE THIS RECIPE VERBATUM WITH ORGANIC UNSWEET ALMOND MILK AND ORGANIC MAPLE SYRUP. THE COLOR OF MY BREAD TOOK MORE OF THE PUMPIN COLOR; WHICH WAS FINE. THE TEXTURE WAS A LI MORE DENSE THAN I WOULD PREFER; BUT AGAIN THAT WAS FINE AS WELL. THE FLAVOR WAS SATISFACTORY. I SPREAD MIYOKO’S SALTED BUTTER AND A LI RAW HONEY OVER TOP. HOWEVER; I WILL MAKE THIS AGAIN AND TRY A DIFFERENT NON DAIRY MILK. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE RECIPE. I APPRECIATE PLANT BASED ALTERNATIVES.
I love this recipe. It really does taste like cornbread (which I have not been able to eat in years due to allergy). Thank you!
That’s so great to hear, Janelle! Glad you can get a taste of (no) cornbread again! 🙂
so cool, I love this.
Re:Make it Oil-Free: You can leave out the oil if you wish. Increase the pumpkin puree from 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup and the nondairy milk from 1 and 1/2 cups to 1 and 1/3 cups.
Do you mean DECREASE milk, or is from 1 1/2 to 1 1/3 in error?
Thank you!
Next time: I plan to use mykinos liquid mozzarella, I’m from the south and think it will give more of a buttermilk flavor.
Hi Nita,
Interesting I have never hear of that product before your mention of it. I am going to look for it 🙂
I was so happy when I found this recipe b/c I had found another good recipe but you had to be a subscribed member.
I am so glad that you found the recipe, too, Claire!
OMG!!!!!, thank you so much for the recipe! I love it and it’s a family fave over here.
Yay!!! I am always extra excited when I hear a recipe is enjoyed by the whole family. So glad you like it, Claire ❤️
Hi! Do you think I could substitute cooked zucchini squash for the pumpkin? I don’t like using canned goods; I seem to react to the metals. Thanks!
Hi Carmen,
Yes, I think that would work 🙂
Do you know what would happen if I used almost flour instead of the chick pea flour?
Hi Kay, unfortunately, almond flour will not work as a sub for chickpea flour in this particular recipe. A better alternative: try my almond flour soda bread, but add in some pumpkin in place of the water (and bake in a square pan). https://www.powerhungry.com/2019/12/almond-flour-soda-bread-grain-free-oil-free-vegan-paleo/ I think I may have to try that, myself!
This recipe is just !Brilliant! We have egg, gluten, corn and dairy allergies with our kiddos. We try to be low/ no salt and no sugar.so, we subbed four small dates for the maple syrup, no salt, and used the no oil addition to pumpkin and water and poured this over chili a baked a chili pie. Cooked up moist and delicious.
Due to allergies we make our own almond milk. But I try to keep the pulp with it when possible. So I soaked about 1/4 cup of raw almonds for about an hour and put those in a high speed blender with water 1.5 c, the pumpkin puree (2/3c) and dates. Then whisked this in with the dry ingredients.
This is magic! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with the world.
Deb, that is so fabulous I can hardly stand it (especially the part about pouring this over chili = chili pie!!! I am definitely going to do that!). Your subs sounds so intriguing and delicious, too Yum! So happy this was such a success for your family!
I went through an entire 2 lb bag of chickpea flour trying and trying to get this to turn out
🙁 . I followed the recipe exactly but each time my batter came out like a thick paste
Hi Danielle,
I am so sorry that the recipe did not work out and that you wasted your ingredients. I am trying to figure out how you could have come out with a thick paste; the recipe mixes up into a loose batter, not even a dough. The proportions of wet to dry are not far off from the batter for soccer (chickpea flour pancakes), where it is a 1:1 ratio of chickpea flour to water (the batter is like heavy cream). In this recipe, the wet ingredients (1 and 1/4 cups milk + 1/4 cup oil + 1/2 cup pumpkin + 1 tablespoon maple syrup) is 2 cups (plus a tablespoon) are mixed with 1 and 2/3 cups chickpea flour, resulting in batter. It could be as simple as misreading the recipe, or adding more flour or less liquid without realizing it. I hope you give it another try!
@Camilla, this made our Thanksgiving! I tested this before Thanksgiving and loved it. Ended up making some for “bread” and some the stuffing recipe you have using this (made a double batch of the stuffing). LOVED BY ALL!!! That includes traditional eaters, too. Many blessings!
Hey there! I am making this later in the week to go along with some chili – but the only thing I have on hand is unsweetened vanilla almond milk…I don’t go through milk that often so I don’t want to buy another container…would this suffice?
Hi Rachel,
Yes, that will work just fine!
I made this for our New Years meal Delicious!!
Hi! This turned out great. I also made a batch with a replacement of 1/3 of the chickpea flour with millet flour instead. Thanks!
Wow! This is incredible! I substituted coconut oil for olive oil and omitted the cumin. It turned out so much better than I expected. I did bake it a little bit longer as it was pretty dense when the timer went off. The extra bake time fluffed it right up. Thank you!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it, Amy!
This was very popular with everyone, even folks who do not follow special diets, at a recent group dinner. I had several requests for the recipe so I guided them to your site.Well done!
This is the best! I’ve missed cornbread so much, I love this recipe.
My husband exclaimed this to be a winner recipe and our toddler loved the bread as well. It reminds me of the soft, sweet, fluffy southern cornbread that I used to make. I have been looking for a cornbread replacement since I can no longer eat gluten, corn nor almonds and a few other things. This was fantastic! I made a few changes: jarred baby food in place of the puree out of convenience, added 1 TBSP ground flax seed, added an extra tsp of baking powder for more lift and an airy crumb, used homemade vanilla hemp seed milk and I removed 1/4 cup of the garbanzo flour and replaced it with 1/4 cup of Trader Joe’s GF all purpose flout. Seriously delicious!!! My husband and I were both thinking that adding a bit more flax seed and cinnamon in place of the cumin would make a delicious breakfast muffin.
Akesia, you have made my morning! I love the sound of your adjustments. And oh my goodness, yes to replacing the cumin with sweet spices for breakfast 🙂
Be sure to double check the baking powder-most have cornstarch as the main ingredient! With an allergy to corn, I always sub for that, but someone baking for another person who can’t have corn may not know about that ingredient!!
@Stephen, a household member also has a corn allergy..what do you use for the baking powder substitute?
Hi Leca! I make my own baking powder (corn-free, gluten-free, grain-free). Mix together the following: 1/4 cup cream of tartar
2 tablespoons baking soda, and 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (the tapioca starch keeps the baking powder from clumping). Store it in an airtight container (I use a jar). You can scale the recipe up or down to make more or less. Cheers!
Hi! Could I do these in muffin tins for corn bread muffins? Thank you for your great recipes!
Hi Eliana,
Yes, absolutely! They will get an especially nice rise when done in smaller pan sizes like the cups of a muffin tin.
Can you suggest an alternative to chickpea flour. We need grain free and gluten free. No beans or legumes. Thanks 💕
Hi Ashley! This particular recipe will only work with chickpea flour. However, I do have many recipes for coconut flour and almond flour breads, muffins and scones that are vegan that should meet your needs. My most recent loaf bread is this coconut flour bread, but I have many more if you use the search bar or click on one of the categories from the main page (coconut flour, almond flour, tigernut flour, cassava flour)
Can I use something other than the pumpkin puree ? This recipe looks sooo good!
Hi Kay, a cooked carrot puree would work for a similar tasting bake.
Hi Kay. I just thought I’d reply to your comment on what I used. I didn’t have canned pumpkin nor did I feel like roasting one of my winter squashes. I used a jar of baby food. I find they work so well in breads and cakes and so I pick them up sometimes if they are 5o cents a jar or something. The flavor never really seems to affect the result. I happened to use an apple, zucchini and peach blend jar. Just a mom tip or idea for ya.
Hi there. Excited to find this recipe, as I happen to have chickpea flour and canned pumpkin to use up.
Quick Question- in the text of your blog post, near the picture of the baked cornbread in the pan, it says 375° oven. But your typed out directions say 350°. Can you please clarify which temperature is better to use?
Thanks so much!
Apologies, Margaret! It is 350F. Thanks for letting me know, I will go edit that right now. 🙂
I made this with cashew milk and it turned out great! I wanted to have cornbread with my chili but didn’t have any cornmeal. I found this recipe and decided to give it a shot. It was extremely easy to make with ingredients I already had on hand, plus it’s delicious. Thank you for sharing this very creative recipe!
You are so welcome, Kayla! Very happy to hear you found this in the nick of time (chili needs cornbread! :))
I tried this recipe last night for the for time. I love it so much. I used what i had on ha d wjich was vegetable pil to test it. I used hemp milk and store brand canned pumpkin puree. It did not look lime the picture a ove. It was fluffy in tje oven but tje deflated.?? Can you help me. Making it again tonight. Yet its really delish. Thank you for shari g this vegan not corn bread recipe.
Hi Monique,
Hmm, not sure why it deflated. Some possible reasons could be (1) the baking powder (old?) or (2) perhaps taking the bread out of the oven a little bit too soon
I tried this recipe. It came out flad. Nkt syre wjy…i followed tje recipe. Not sure what I did wrong. I used hemp milk. And i only had vegetable pil and store brand canned pumpkin.
I will maje it again. It was delish. Paired it with SpicyCurry lentil soup
Hi Mouwyn,
I am so sorry you had an issue with the bread. I am not sure what would make it flat, as the volume of batter itself fills the pan more than halfway. Might you have used a pan larger than 8-inches square? That is the most likely explanation. All the best…C
I’m so exited to make this recipe. Would you recommend soaking the flour with milk for few hours before adding the rest of the ingredients?
Hi Mali,
No need to soak, just mix and bake!
OMG, this is soooooooo good!! I made it tonight to go with a vegetarian chili tomorrow and had to try it; now I can’t stop eating it!! So, so good, thank you so much for this amazing recipe!!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it Tsha! I know, one batch goes pretty quickly at our house! I love it for breakfast, too:)
I made this today with some Pumpkin Black Bean Chili. Love this cornbread. Your recipes are so innovative!
That sounds so delicious! So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Kim!
I’m really intrigued by your recipe. Very innovative, as are all of your recipes. A couple of questions. Do you think it would impact the end result by adding in a small can of drained corn and I’d also like to hold down the oil a bit. Do you think the recipe could handle a little less oil? Thank you! I love reading what new things you show all of us in different and interesting cooking.
Hi Annie! Thank you, it is fun to share! I think the addition of drained corn would be great. You could add sautéed red bell peppers and green onion , too, for “confetti” cornbread. I would decrease the total amount of milk by 1 or 2 tablespoons because of the wetness from the canned corn (even when drained, it will add extra moisture).
As for the oil: Roberta asked about that, too, and I mentioned that unsweetened applesauce could be a good sub for some or all of the oil. Just keep in mind that it reducing or eliminating the oil will change the texture of the bread (springier), but it should still turn out nicely.
Any subs for the oil?
Hi Roberta,
You could try replacing the oil with unsweetened applesauce and, perhaps, omit the maple syrup in the process. I think adding more pumpkin would make the bread too pumpkin-y, but I think the applesauce should work well. The texture will definitely be springier in the absence of oil, but I think you will still get a tasty bread! If you try, I would love to hear how it goes! 🙂
I was thinking applesauce…thanks and I will definitely let you know when I do make this!
Great minds think alike ?
Hi! I was wondering what kind of non-dairy milk you used in this recipe?
Also, I wanted to let you know that I made your chocolate cake and it changed my life. 🙂 My son has a gluten, egg and cow dairy allergy and I’ve been looking for a chocolate cake recipe that tastes like “real” chocolate cake for 2 years. I’m so glad I found you. So many of your recipes sound amazing, and I can’t wait to try them.
Thanks so much!
Hi Sheileen! I used unsweetened almond milk for testing. But any nondairy milk would work fine (e.g., hemp, soy, cashew).
I am thrilled to hear about the chocolate cake!!! Hugs to you and your son! We all need chocolate cake 🙂 xo
That is so exciting to here. We struggle with the same allergies. Which chocolate cake recipe?
Hi Katheryn! I am guessing Sheileen is referring to this one: 1-Bowl Chocolate Cake
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead if canned and how would I prepare it?
Hi Lou,
I do not have any experience making homemade pumpkin puree, so I am sorry, I cannot advise as to how that would turn out. I bet you could find some resources if you did a search on how to make a fresh pumpkin puree that can be used as a substitute for canned. All the best!