This twist on traditional cornbread is perfect for the holiday table, and a healthy departure from nutrient-poor, white-flour breads and rolls. Lightly sweetened with dates, this bread is a delicious complement to soups, stews, potato dishes and salads.
Pumpkin-Walnut Cornbread
- Total Time: 58 mins
- Yield: 9 (makes 9 large pieces) 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 3 ounces pitted dates (5 to 6 Medjool or 10 to 12 Deglet Noor), cut in half
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1½ cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cups pumpkin puree (or 1 15-ounce can, see Notes)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Place the water and dates into a small bowl, and set aside for at least 15 minutes (so the dates can soften). Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Using a blender, grind the oats into flour. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add the cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to blend thoroughly. Set aside.
- Pour the water and dates into the blender, and blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, and blend until incorporated. Pour into the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir until the dry ingredients disappear. Stir in the walnuts.
- Spread the batter evenly into the pan and bake for 38 to 40 minutes. When the cornbread is done, it will have cracks in the top and be lightly browned around the edges. Set aside to cool. Serve warm or cold. Cut into 9 pieces.
Notes
Pumpkin: Use "pure pumpkin" not "pumpkin pie mix." Pure pumpkin can be found in cans or in boxes. I have not tried this recipe with homemade pumpkin puree, but I'm sure it would work as long as the cooked pumpkin has been drained of some of its liquid first (search "homemade pumpkin puree" online for instructions on making your own).
Cornmeal: Cornmeal comes in various "grinds" or textures. For this recipe use regular cornmeal. If you only have "medium" or "polenta" grind, add it in with the oats when processing it into flour; otherwise, your cornbread may be too gritty.
Baking pan: I like to use my metal 8x8 baking pan with a recipe like this, as the metal conducts heat better than ceramic or glass (which is better for casseroles and other dishes where you want to maintain moisture).
Muffins: To bake the cornbread as muffins or mini muffins, bake regular sized muffins for 25-30 minutes and mini muffins for 15-20 minutes, using parchment paper muffin tin liners.
Leavening: For this recipe, I used Hain sodium-free baking powder, and regular baking soda (you can also use Ener-G baking soda replacement, which is sodium-free).
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 38 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 120 g (1/9 of total recipe)
- Calories: 196
- Sugar: 8.6 g
- Sodium: 168 mg
- Fat: 5.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.7 g
- Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 4.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0
I made this recipe on a whim to go along with a black bean/winter squash/Swiss chard chili. The chili was done and your email popped up. My husband loves cornbread and the addition of pumpkin was intriguing. Long story short...husband and daughter LOVED it! They had it for breakfast/lunch the next day. It was a nice pairing with the chili. I have loved all of your recipes that I have tried. Thanks! Dawn
Thanks for your comment, Dawn! Yes, it's a bit like cake, yum! 😉 So glad you and your family enjoyed it!
Can I use oat flour instead of grinding the oats? If so, how much? I really want to try this tomorrow if possible.
I haven't tested it, but it should be fine (using same amount or a little more). The batter should be pretty thick. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Oh sorry, Susan. I should have measured it after I blended the oats in my Ninja small container (one without a lid).
Just as delicious as the quinoa cornbread recipe in your book. I'm a HUGE cornbread fan.
Yay! Thanks Linda! 😉
OMG!!! Cathy, what a fantastic recipe!! I left out the walnuts and instead added dried jalapeños to the recipe. It was fantastic and had a little kick! Thank you for this great recipe! ❤️
Yay Shayda! So glad you liked the cornbread! Mm, dried jalapenos; I'll have to try that! 🙂
I swapped the pumpkin for an equal amount of sweet potato and it turned out well. I should have added a touch more liquid but it was great with a chili sans carne and everyone enjoyed it. Thanks Cathy.
Nice! Thanks! 😉
Hi Cathy! This recipe sounds delicious! I'm planning on making it for a gathering where there will be numerous folks who have nut allergies and/or aversions -- do you think it will be great without the walnuts or do you have another suggestion that I might use? Thanks!!
Yes, I think it will be just fine w/o the nuts. Some people like to put corn kernels in their cornbread, but not sure how that would be with the pumpkin.
YUUUUMMMMMM.....this recipe is awesome. I left out the walnuts and it is still great. Fantastic with a good soup on a cold day.
Thank you for the simple, vegan recipe. I just baked the cornbread this evening, and my husband & I enjoyed some of it with a tomato, sweet potato, three-bean, and kale soup.
Tasty but mine came out really dense. The “batter” was on the dry side but the cornbread is moist. Maybe it didn’t more liquid? Is it supposed to be dense?
Yes, it's pretty dense.
I was really excited to try this recipe and the whole family loved it!!! 🙂 We also love your other quinoa cornbread recipe too! 🙂
I made these into 12 muffins, 1 teaspoon Jalapeno Powder and 1/2 cup frozen corn. Delicious! Thank you so much for all of your healthy recipes that taste fabulous!
Thanks Tami! 😉
I have tried this recipe several times, it is tasty, but I can't get the texture right. It is very gummy--more like bread pudding especially on the bottom. Where am i going wrong?
Hmm, not sure, but you may try new baking powder and using a metal pan (if you're not already) instead of a silicone or glass/ceramic. Also, don't over-mix it.
I forgot to mention, the only substitution I have been using is homemade cashew milk.
That shouldn't make a difference.
Made this last night, and while somewhat tasty, I had the same results as Elizabeth, with it being very dense/slightly gummy, even though I did bake it longer d/t a glass pan. I decided to use the rest for breakfast this week. This morning, I put a good portion in an oven-safe bowl covered with cinnamon and vanilla almond milk, and baked it for about 1/2 hr. in a toaster oven.
I've found that with oil-free baking, if overworking/over-stirring the batter often results in a rubbery end product. I suggest trying it again using gentle stirring only till mixed.
What a great idea, Marlee! I'll try that as well.
Made these as a compliment to your Enchilada Casserole. Absolutely delicious. Would not even call them pumpkin cornbread - there was jsst a hint of the pumpkin - I’m sure made them moister than other cornbread recipes.
Just made this recipe. It is delicious. I am new to whole food plant based cooking. So nice to find a recipe without sugar, oil, or salt. Your website has become my favorite for new recipes. Thank you.
Welcome Elizabeth! 😉
I've just put this in the oven and was reading through your notes again. You made reference to using soy plant milk , but the recipe doesn't include plant milk? Did I miss something?
Hi Nancy, I used to use plant milk but found that water works better, so I changed it. Thanks for the catch; I have deleted the nondairy milk reference in the "Notes" section.
Hi, Cathy! I love this recipe!
A heads-up for beginners: I used a muffin tin with liners and the liners stuck. It happened to me with another recipe and someone suggested using a silicone muffin "tin" so I bought one. I am going to try it tomorrow.
Love the taste! Thank you for the recipe! 🙂 <3
Hi Carol, yes, if I'm using liners I use the parchment paper liners. Let me know what you think of the silicone muffin tin.
Hi, Cathy. Thank you for the tip on the parchment paper liners. I'll have to look for those. The tin worked great! They almost popped out on their own! LOL
Also, instead of adding walnuts to the batter, I placed a walnut on top of each muffin. They look rather festive. 🙂 Btw, the recipe made 12 muffins... minus one now. LOL
Thanks again, Cathy! 🙂
Nice! Thanks Carol! 😉
I baked this Pumpkin Walnut cornbread recipe. Had to taste it when it came out of oven. Love love love it. I baked a butternut squash and a small green pumpkin. Blended in VitaMix and drained. I used the juice for the water. I hope my hubby likes it as well as I do. Thx for another winner.
I made these last night minus the walnuts (nut allergies). My husband and I LOVED them. We have been WFPB for a year. Finding straightupfood has been a life changer for us. Love your cookbook and website! THANK YOU, CATHY!!!!
Aw, thanks Janice! 😉
Made these as muffins tonight and they were a hit! So moist, and just thea right amount of sweetness! My boys loved them!
I loved this recipe. The crunch of the walnuts really made it for me. Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you SO much for this.This was delicious! It did take quite a bit longer to bake through, perhaps because I made it in a Pyrex, but not a big deal. I added 1/2 c corn, 1/2 c scallions, 1/4 tsp cayenne and about 1/2 tsp chipotle powder for a bit of heat, and it was fantastic. Also just as good (if not better) the next day. I've made it twice since last week already. Have you tried freezing it?
I have not but breads freeze well in general. 🙂
true! however there are never any leftovers so I might just have to make a batch just for the freezer!!
Cathy could I substitute the Oat flour with Stone Ground wheat flour please, and if so in what quantity would you suggest. Many thanks... I love the site, the presentation, and the recipes look just gorgeous...I don't know why I haven't seen your site prior to this. However I will not be leaving it any time soon. Happy New Year!!!
Hi! 🙂 Sure, and I would use the same amount as the oat flour measurement. Welcome!
This was wonderful! I liked that it was hearty and not too sweet. I was looking for a recipe that didn't called for plant milk because I was out, and this fit the bill!
probably the best cornbread i'v made I didn't have a pan so made them into muffins used parchment liners they turned out awesome no sticking nice for me to handle I freeze some for later. Use your cookbook a lot love it .
Great, thank you Dave! I love this cornbread with Beefless Stew and Caesar-y Salad. 🙂
Hi, is there a recipe for plain sweet cornbread?
Here is my Quinoa Cornbread recipe. You can always decrease/eliminate the dates so it's not as sweet.
I have made this recipe several times--fool proof and yummy! Thank you!
I absolutely love this recipe! I always have some slices in the freezer as a healthy treat.
Thanks Christine! 😉 Good idea to freeze some!
I made this recipe with masa farina instead of corn meal and it worked perfectly, as do all of Cathy’s recipes. I love using pumpkin purée in recipes. You can’t even tell there’s a whole can of pumpkin in the cornbread.
Cathy, I make several of your recipes that appear on the Forks Over Knives recipe app and have your cookbook, but would love a Straight Up Food app with all your recipes! I find it so much easier to shop and cook from an app. I just recommended this recipe today and made your blueberry muffins today.
Thanks Leah! 😉
I don't have dates, could I substitute maple syrup?
I think that would work. Maybe 1/4 cup maple syrup??
This is such a delicious recipe, I have made it several times now and I can’t thank you enough for it. This last time I added 1/4 cup of raisins...yummy
Very wholesome and yummy!
This is a great recipe and easy enough for a beginner. I combine it with a roasted autumn root vegetable soup I found elsewhere. This is a wonderful combination on a cool late October or early November day.
This time when I made it, I substituted a puréed fresh squash. I'm not sure what kind of squash it was, but it looked like an oversized acorn squash and the insides were a faded pale orange. Mmmm, how delicious!
Since we live at 6,000 feet, I find I need to turn the oven up to 375º and need to bake it about ten minutes longer.
Great feedback and suggestions; thanks Martin! 😉 Cathy