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Carrot Top Herb Cornbread

Need an inventive way to use up those bountiful greens atop one of your favorite veggies? This Carrot Top Herb Cornbread is a wonderful and delicious solution!

Image of skillet cornbread on a cooling rack with a slice taken out, with text reading "Carrot Top Herb Cornbread"

Over the years I’ve had a love-hate relationship with carrot tops. Well, more like a love-annoyed relationship. I love how beautiful carrots are when sold with their full bouquet of greens.

Image of baking ingredients separated out into small bowls and ramekins

But, when it came to using them, I made a few sautés or stir fries and that was the extent of that. Otherwise, I’d usually compost them, because I found their flavor a little too strong for a solid green smoothie.

Image of chopped herbs and carrot greens on a cutting board

Now, what has changed? Well, I recently signed back up for a local CSA, and in my first delivery I had some top-heavy rainbow carrots. Pair that with my garden having the same issue, and your girl has a ton of carrot tops. I thought back to a couple of months ago, when I realized that carrot tops and parsley had really similar smells, and leaves. (At least flat-leaf parsley)

Image collage of steps in mixing batter and pouring it into a skillet

I mean, they’re in the same family so it made a lot of sense! Since then, I hadn’t thought about it much. But, now that the need has arrived, it was time to get to work. I put a list of possibilities together, couple with the fact that I was still aiming for mostly pantry-friendly ingredients. And this cornbread popped up!

Image of baked cornbread on a cooling rack

I am SO glad that it did, because this ended up very delicious. Now, to get into ingredients and substitutions, as I also aimed to reuse some of the herbs.

Ingredients/Substitions for Carrot Top Herb Cornbread:

  • Cornmeal – Ideally you wouldn’t substitute this because it’s the namesake of the recipe. Lol!
  • Gluten-free flour – I used a blend, but both 1:1 GF flour and all-purpose flour work fine.
  • Ground flaxseed – If you don’t have flaxseed on hand, use chia seeds, but try to grind them a little first to make them more absorbent.
  • OG Canola Oil – Any flavorless cooking oil will work in place of canola. I’ve used grapeseed and even melted coconut oil in this recipe before!
  • Agave Nectar – Maple syrup or just straight-up granulated sugar will work in its place. Though if you use sugar, you may not need as much.
  • Carrot Tops/Greens – As said before, these are very reminiscent of parsley, so use 1/4 cup chopped parsley as a replacement if needed.
  • Fresh Rosemary – No fresh herbs? Use 1 teaspoon dried rosemary in place of each tablespoon of fresh (this works for most herbs). Also, if you do have fresh, trim the bottom and root it in a glass of water to plant later!
  • Green Onion – We all know that we can save the bottom inch of these with roots and regrow them in water, right? Let’s do it!
Image of Carrot Top Herb Cornbread on a cooling rack with slice cut out

I’ve also made a video for this recipe so expect that to be here VERY soon! If you have YouTube, subscribe there for full cooking videos, as I continue to build my channel. <3

Yield: 8 servings

Carrot Top Herb Cornbread

Image of Carrot Top Herb Cornbread on a cooling rack with slice cut out

Need an inventive way to use up those bountiful greens atop one of your favorite veggies? This Carrot Top Herb Cornbread is a wonderful and delicious solution!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (161 g) medium-packed cornmeal
  • 1 cup (135 g) gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons (12 g) ground flaxseed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup (235 ml) plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
  • 6 tablespoons (90 ml) canola oil
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) agave nectar
  • 1/3 cup (11 g) finely chopped carrot greens/tops, without stems
  • 3 tablespoons (5 g) chopped green onions
  • 1 tablespoon (1 g) minced fresh rosemary

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C or gas mark 5), and have ready a lightly oiled, 9-inch (23cm) skillet or baking dish.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, flaxseed, salt, and baking powder and whisk to combine. Next, make a well in the dry ingredients and pour non-dairy milk, oil, water, and agave nectar into it, then stir together until there are no dry pockets.
  3. Then, fold the carrot greens and herbs into the mixture, stirring until just combined, and transfer batter to the skillet. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the edges are browning and an inserted toothpick draws clean.
  4. Cool on a rack for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting into and serving. Enjoy! (I love eating it with a pad of vegan butter)

Notes

*Please read blog post for ingredient substitutions!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 245Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gSodium: 484mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g

The nutrition information is calculated by a plug-in, and isn't always accurate. Please calculate your own with the products that you use, as it will be different for everyone.

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Image of Carrot Top Herb Cornbread on a cooling rack with slice cut out

This cornbread would go delectably with my Slow Cooker Potato Curry Chili!

Image of a bowl of slow cooker potato curry chili with green linen and spoon

Did you make the Carrot Top Herb Cornbread but are still looking for more recipes to use up those greens? Check out the ones below!

Carrot Top Chimichurri from Love & Lemons

Or chop up the greens and use them in place of parsley in my Kale Tabbouleh Salad!

Image of kale quinoa tabbouleh salad in a large ceramic bowl, on granite countertop.

Do you struggle with using carrot tops? Would you like to see more recipes with them? Let me know in the comments!

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[…] Need an inventive way to use up those bountiful greens atop one of your favorite veggies? This Carrot Top Herb Cornbread is a wonderful and delicious solution! Over the years I’ve had a love-hate relationship with carrot tops.… Continue Reading Carrot Top Herb Cornbread […]

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[…] This Slow Cooker Chili would go perfectly with my Carrot Top Herb Cornbread! […]

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