How to Make Cornmeal (Gluten-Free, Vegan) (2024)

Run out of cornmeal? Don’t worry! Learn how to make cornmeal with dried corn kernels in just a few minutes! This homemade cornmeal recipe is so easy you’ll never need to buy this kitchen staple again. Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan too, you can use it to make our favorite skillet cornbread, a batch of easy cornbread muffins!

My Love for Homemade Flours

I love making kitchen basics from scratch. In particular, I’ve been grinding my own homemade flours for a few years now.

From almond meal, to cashew flour, to brown rice flour and buckwheat flour, making my own flours at home has became second nature to me.

While grinding your own flour sounds like a tedious task, it’s not true (it actually sounds tougher and more time-consuming than it really is!).

Since I make homemade flours in small batches to ensure that I don’t have too much flour leftover and going stale, it usually takes me just a few minutes to get a batch ready.

What is Cornmeal?

A staple food in many countries such as the US and Mexico, cornmeal is basically a meal ground from dried corn. Cornmeal can be ground to difference fineness, from coarse, to medium and fine textures. Most commonly available cornmeal tends to have coarser textures.

When cornmeal is ground till super-fine, it is usually referred to as corn flour (which I love using to make my easy corn flour bread or these amazing corn flour pancakes).

When fine cornmeal has been ground from maize that has been previously soaked in an alkaline solution such as limewater (this process is known as nixtamalization), it is known as masa harina or masa flour.

Note that cornmeal is not the same as cornstarch, which is made from only the starchy part of corn (as opposed to the whole corn kernel).

Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, which makes it perfect for Celiacs or those with gluten allergies or dairy intolerances!

Why Make Homemade Cornmeal?

Given that cornmeal is a staple food, it is readily available in most supermarkets and stores.

However, sometimes when I need cornmeal (for making our favorite skillet cornbread or cornbread muffins), and have run out of it but don’t want to go to the store to buy it, I rather make my own.

Honestly, it’s so easy that once you learn how to make homemade cornmeal, I bet you won’t need to buy it ever again!

The Only Ingredient You’ll Need:

Making homemade cornmeal is super easy, and the only ingredient you’ll need is dried corn kernels. I simply use dried popcorn kernels (that I always have on hand in my kitchen for when I want to snack on my super simple homemade popcorn), but honestly any dried corn kernels will work.

Bear in mind that the color of your cornmeal will vary according to the color of the corn kernels used (white corn kernels will make a pale cream-colored meal, while purple kernels will make a purple cornmeal).

Since traditional cornmeal is yellow in color, I recommend that you stick to dried yellow corn kernels for the best results.

Making Dried Corn Kernels from Fresh Corn:

If you happen to harvest plenty of fresh corn, or have access to an abundance of corn on the cob during the summertime (lucky you!), and would like to make your own dried corn kernels so the corn doesn’t go to waste, here’s what you can do.

To make dried corn kernels from fresh ears of corn, you’ll have to cut the fresh kernels off the cob and then place them in a single layer on dehydrator trays to dehydrate them (for approximately 1 to 2 hours at 150F).

How to Make Cornmeal (in just a few minutes!)

1. Place Kernels in Blender

Place the corn kernels in a high-speed blender.

2. Process Corn Kernels

Process for a few minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary until you get a sand-like texture.

3. Sift the Processed Corn

Sift the processed corn through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any large pieces of corn that do not pass through the sieve.

4. Process and Sift Until No More Large Pieces

Return the large pieces of corn to the blend and process again for another minute, before sifting the cornmeal once more. If there are still any large pieces, return them to the blender and process once again.

Dish by Dish Tips and Tricks:

• Process in Small Batches: Depending on the size of your high-speed blender, you may need to process the corn kernels in smaller or larger batches. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend processing more than 1 1/2 cups of kernels per batch so as not to overwork the machine.
• Double or Triple the Recipe as Required: The recipe is for making 2 cups of cornmeal, but depending on how much cornmeal you’ll need (or wish to make at once), you can easily double or triple the recipe as required. Make sure not to process more than 1 1/2 cups of kernels at a time though!

Recipe FAQs:

Easy Cornmeal Recipes:

Now that you know how to make homemade cornmeal, here are a few of our favorite cornmeal recipes that you’re sure to enjoy!

• Easy Skillet Cornbread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Cornbread Muffins (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Blueberry Cornbread Muffins (Gluten-Free)
• Jalapeño Cornbread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Cornbread Madeleines (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Lemon Cornmeal Cake (Gluten-Free)
• Cornmeal Crepes (Gluten-Free)

Basic Homemade Recipes from Scratch:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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