This Jalapeño Cornbread is a flavorful twist on a timeless classic. Adding in diced fresh jalapeños creates a gentle heat that balances beautifully with the sweetness from the corn. When paired with your favorite soup or chili, it makes the perfect comfort food.
Every main dish shines more brightly when paired with delicious side dishes! If you are looking for more side dish recipes, try this Spicy Pasta Salad, it’s made with gouda, pepperoncinis, and pepper flakes. Or Creamy Mashed Potatoes, a great recipe that goes with everything.
Slightly Spicy Jalapeño Cornbread
Jalapeño cornbread takes classic comfort food and elevates it with bold flavor. Cornmeal gives the cornbread its hearty texture and natural sweetness, while the jalapeños add just a hint of heat to enhance, but not overpower, the flavor of the cornbread.
If you like you can add some shredded cheese into the mix, a good melty cheese like cheddar or pepper jack would work really well given this is a “spicy” cornbread. And I can’t resist adding a pat of butter to the cut cornbread and topping it with a drizzle of honey.
Regular cornbread is good, this jalapeño cornbread is extra good! Pairs so perfectly with your favorite chilis, like this white chicken chili or even soups like hamburger soup. And since it is made in a 9×13-inch pan, there is enough to feed a crowd
Jalapeño Cornbread Ingredients
- Cornmeal: Use a regular grind cornmeal.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is perfect here.
- Sugar: Some white sugar add a touch of sweetness. If you prefer sweeter cornbread, bump this amount up to 2/3 cup.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Eggs: Two large eggs helps bind everything together.
- Milk: Use any type of milk, I like whole milk for the richness. You can make keep this dairy free and use unsweetened almond milk (add a little more oil so it doesn’t end up too dry).
- Corn Oil: This creates a moist cornbread.
- Jalapeños: Fresh jalapeños add a hint of spiciness. Just finely dice them to go in the cornbread and add some slices on top if you like.
How to Make Jalapeño Cornbread
Here are the basic instructions to make this cornbread. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post with full ingredients and instructions to make it.
Cooking Tips and Tricks
- Don’t use fine cornmeal, it will make this cornbread too cakey and coarse cornmeal may dry out the batter.
- If you want a less heat, remove the seeds and the membrane from the jalapeños before chopping them up.
- When combining the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stir until just combined. Overmixing the batter can result in a denser cornbread.
Recipe Variations
- Add in cheese. Mix in 1 1 /2 cups of shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese to the batter when you add the jalapeños.
- Buttermilk. Use 1 1/2 cup of buttermilk and 1/4 cup of milk instead of all milk.
- Use different peppers. You could mix in a can of hatch green chiles, use pickled jalapenos (reduce the amount of salt added), or use chopped serrano peppers for more heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can cornbread be made without sugar? Yes, you could completely omit the sugar to make it unsweet cornbread.
Is this jalapeño cornbread spicy? It’s really not all that spicy, I would say it’s a mild heat.
How to Store & Reheat
How to store it? Let the cornbread cool and put in an airtight container. It should last about 2 days at room temperature or 5 days in the fridge.
How do you reheat? Pop a piece of cornbread in the microwave for a few seconds to re-heat.
How to freeze? Let the cornbread cool completely before wrapping it in plastic wrap and putting into an air tight, freezer safe container or zip bag. It can be frozen for 3 months, just be sure to label with the recipe and date. Thaw frozen cooked cornbread at room temperature until defrosted.
Try these other recipes!
- Salt and Vinegar Smashed Potatoes
- Brown Sugar Carrots
- Spicy Pasta Salad
- Lemon Butter Rice
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
If you’ve tried this jalapeño cornbread recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes.
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Jalapeño Cornbread
Ingredients
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 2/3 cup corn oil
- 3-4 medium jalapeños seeded or not, to taste
- cheese 1 cup shredded, OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan, set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and corn oil.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined.
- Fold in jalapeños (and cheese, if using).
- Let batter rest for 5 minutes .
- Pour into pan and bake 25-28 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- If you want a less heat, remove the seeds and the membrane from the jalapeños before chopping them up.
- When combining the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stir until just combined. Overmixing the batter can result in a denser cornbread.
- Add in cheese. Mix in 1 cup of shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese to the batter when you add the jalapeños.
Nutrition
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