Low Carb Cornbread (with actual cornmeal!)

Freshly baked low carb cornbread with cornmeal and a pat of butter melting through

Low Carb Cornbread (with actual cornmeal!)

With that incomparable cornmeal taste, this low carb cornbread is an actual dream. Think unbelievably tender results... at just 6g net carbs!

Course Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Low Carb

Keyword low carb cornbread, low carb cornbread with cornmeal

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings muffins

Calories 209kcal

Ingredients

For the low carb cornbread

120 g (medium grind!) cornmeal
135 g heavy whipping cream at room temp (or use buttermilk, and skip the vinegar!)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
96 g almond flour
30 g golden flaxseed meal
20 g whey protein isolate
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 eggs at room temp
1/4-1/2 cup allulose erythritol or xylitol, to taste (I use 1/4 cup allulose)*
84 g butter melted & cooled

Serving suggestions

my famous keto chili

Metric - US Cups

Instructions

See recipe video for guidance (pretty please!). This is truly an easy, no-fuss cornbread recipe, with staple low carb pantry ingredients.
Add cornmeal, heavy whipping cream and apple cider vinegar (or buttermilk!) to a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly and set aside to rest for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest.
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a a muffin tray with paper liners (or butter generously!). And yes, this recipe can also be baked in the traditional way- i.e. heat up a cast iron pan in the oven with butter (15 minutes will do), add the cornbread batter and pop back in the oven *right away!*. This will create a delicious crisp, golden crust ;).
Add almond flour, flaxseed meal, whey protein, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined, set aside.
Add eggs and sweetener to a large bowl and whisk (energetically!) for a couple minutes until airy and lighter in color. Whisk in the butter.
Whisk in the dry flour mixture in two parts, and whisk in the cornmeal 'buttermilk' mix.
Divide the batter into the muffin pan (using an ice cream scooper is ace here!). Smooth out the top with a wet spatula (or your fingertips), if need be.
Bake for 24-27 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (I do 25 minutes). Watch out after minute 15, and tent with aluminum foil if they begin to brown too quickly (you know, an unfortunate tendency of allulose). I also found that these guys barely collapsed at all while cooling- hurray!
Remove from the pan after 10 minutes and allow to cool completely before digging in for best texture. And if you can't hold your horses (i.e. you've got a big bowl of chili awaiting), at least give them 20 minutes to chill out.
Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days or in the freezer for a couple months. Serve warm with a big pat of salted butter (non negotiable in my book!).
My top tip: consuming some carbs (such as this low carb cornbread) should have very little impact on your GI if consumed the right way: eat your greens first (I do a small fatty salad with evoo and acv), and be sure to pair it with a fatty main course (i.e. the chili!). Many of you have reported back over the past week that consuming moderate carbs this way barely impacts your glucose levels (needless to say, we're all different so it's important that you test what works for you!).

Video

Notes

*How sweet? I like mine very lightly sweetened, so 1/4 cup does it for me (even if using allulose, which is 30% less sweet). But if you like yours on the sweeter side, even 1/2 cup will work (and the muffins will even have a tad bit more structure).

Please note that nutrition facts were estimated per cornbread muffin, for a net carb count of 6g.

Still, I want to encourage a 'keto diet' that is less about counting carbs and more about making smart food choices to use ketosis (you know, the metabolic state) to actually improve long term health... all while removing some big 'psychological barriers' around feeling limited with ingredients and choices.

Because remember, it's the GI spike (and ultra refined ingredients!) that are the actual enemy. And, as we are learning, you can even benefit from consuming 'the right carbs'.

Nutrition