Serve up a slice of cornbread with your chili….without the guilt! This healthy cornbread recipe is just as satisfying as traditional cornbread, and you can feel better about eating it.
About this healthy cornbread
I made some simple swaps to make this cornbread a little healthier than traditional cornbread.
- whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose
- maple syrup instead of granulated sugar
- olive oil instead of canola oil
Now, it’s not like you’re eating celery or anything, but it’s certainly a less indulgent way to enjoy cornbread. We hardly ever eat chili without cornbread, so it’s nice to have something a little lighter to accompany the chili.
If you don’t eat a lot of whole wheat flour and are not used to the texture and density of it, start off by using half whole wheat and half all-purpose, or use a white whole wheat flour.
You could also make this into muffins! Pour into a muffin pan and reduce baking time (I’d start with 15 or 16 minutes and go from there).
This would be great with jam, too! Try it with strawberry freezer jam or orange marmalade!
More Quick Breads Using Whole Wheat Flour
I substitute whole wheat flour for white all purpose flour whenever I can. It’s much more nutritious and adds an extra layer of hearty flavor. Here are some of my favorite recipes:
- Pumpkin Streusel Bread
- Whole Wheat Banana Bread
- Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Whole Wheat Applesauce Bread with Walnuts
- Whole Wheat Biscuits with Cornmeal, Cheddar, and Black Pepper
Healthy Cornbread
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup milk (I use 2%, any type is fine)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup cornmeal (fine ground, not coarse)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 8- or 9-inch glass pie plate with nonstick cooking or baking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together maple syrup, milk, olive oil and egg whites.
- Add dry ingredients and whisk together until combined. Don’t overmix. Batter will be quite thin.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut into slices or wedges and serve.
Notes
- If you prefer, substitute all-purpose flour for the whole wheat flour, or a combination of the two. For a more traditional appearance, use white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour.
- Maple syrup: Be sure to use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup. You can substitute ¼ cup granulated sugar for the maple syrup, if you prefer.
- Oil: If you use extra virgin olive oil, you can definitely taste it in the corn bread. If you prefer, vegetable or canola oil can be used instead of olive oil.
- Bread can be baked in an 8 inch square pan if you prefer.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
How can i make this with much less syrup? Since it’s liquid i think there must be something I need to add to balance it out.
I haven’t tested it, so I’m not sure. I think you could just reduce it slightly and it would still turn out okay, but I haven”t tested it. Let me know if you give it a try.
I had to cook it longer because of it’s density but it was delicious. I added a Jalapeno pepper.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I really liked the recipe and will use it again.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
I found this on the web. I’m used to cooking with whole wheat flour but this recipe made a dense rather flavorless bread. I would not make it again.
Sorry to hear that this wasn’t a home-run for you!
I don’t like sweet cornbread, can I omit the maple syrup? The recipe looks great, however! Thx!
Probably, but I haven’t tested it that way! It may affect the texture.
thanks for this easy to follow recipe. I wanted to make this but with white AP flour but only have whole wheat. Will give it a shot.
I hope you loved it!
Love corn bread. This one is super easy to make and very healthy. Great flavor and texture, very moist, very satisfying. This is a home run in my book.
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Has anyone tried making it with whole milk? Does it sub okay?
That should work just fine! I hope you like them!
I made this today as I was out of my usual whole wheat cornbread mix. I substituted dark agave instead of maple syrup. I wanted a flavor closer to sugar, but needed a low glycemic alternative.
It tasted good! It was just sweet enough without being too sweet and it was a little finer than the mix I usually buy, which has a coarse texture.
My sister-in-Law (who is very good at baking) said she liked this one even better than the other recipe, so I will make it again.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Easy to make and delicious to eat. What’s not to love?
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!