This jalapeno cornbread recipe is incredibly moist with lots of spicy jalapeno peppers and cheddar cheese. Great for the holidays or an anytime side dish!
Jalapeno Cornbread Recipe
Raise your hand if you love jalapeño cornbread! You can't see me, but my hand is nearly touching the ceiling right now.
For me, there is nothing better than a moist, almost juicy piece of cornbread that is jammed full of chopped jalapeno peppers and a bit of wonderful melty cheese.
The only person I know who loves cornbread more than I do is my wife, Patty. She is CRAZY for cornbread and wants it even more than I do. That's saying a lot!
What's so GREAT about cornbread is its versatility.
But first, let's talk about how to make jalapeno cornbread, shall we?
Jalapeno Cornbread Ingredients
- Whole Milk.
- Melted Butter.
- Eggs.
- Creamed Corn.
- Cornmeal.
- All Purpose Flour.
- Sugar.
- Salt.
- Baking Powder.
- Baking Soda.
- Black Pepper.
- Jalapeno Peppers.
- Cheddar Cheese. Or use a spicy pepperjack for extra heat.
How to Make Jalapeno Cornbread - the Recipe Steps
- Heat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Whisk together the milk, melted butter, eggs and creamed corn together in a small bowl.
- Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and black pepper in a separate larger bowl.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together.
- Stir in the chopped jalapenos and shredded cheese.
- Pour the batter mixture into a lightly oiled baking dish and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the cornbread sets and when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool slightly, slice and serve.
Makes 9 pieces of cornbread.
There is a secret, though, to making cornbread that is moist and not dry. You'll find that secret in the recipe, and more on that below.
The Secret to Moist Cornbread
The secret ingredient to baking moist cornbread is creamed corn. Creamed corn is made from sweet corn and includes the milky residue from the corn cobs.
The added moisture transfers to the cornbread to a practically fail-proof recipe. If you don't want dry cornbread, get yourself a can of creamed corn. You'll thank me for it.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Make Double. This batch makes 9 good sized squares of moist and fluffy cornbread. You can easily double or even triple the batch and bake it in separate baking dishes.
- Spread it Out. If you use a wider pan, you can make the same batch of cornbread, but thinner, so the slices are only half the size of mine. This will yield you roughly 18 pieces of smaller cornbread. This is a good way to stretch the recipe for larger gatherings. Just don't bake it for quite as long.
- Extra Jalapenos. If you'e like it extra spicy, you can easily include more jalapeno peppers into your batch.
- Make it Cheesy. Cheese is another ingredients here that's easy to include. I've use a cup for my recipe, but you can pretty easily include another 1/2 or more. Give it a go!
- Jalapenos on Top. I like to add extra jalapeno slices to the tops of the batter before baking for an extra decorative touch. It looks great this way!
- Drizzle with Honey. One of my favorite ways to serve up jalapeno cornbread is with a nice drizzle of sweet honey. Such a wonderful flavor combination. Or, try it with cowboy butter. Yum!
- Extra Corn. If you like your cornbread with lots of corn, add in a cup or 2 of extra corn kernels. The recipe will love you for it!
What to Serve with Jalapeno Cornbread - It's so Versatile!
Cornbread fits perfectly as a simple side dish to so many different meals, from big bowls of gumbo to chili to anything and everything BBQ. I can't imagine BBQ pulled pork or BBQ ribs without my cornbread!
Try it with my favorite Chicken and Sausage Gumbo recipe!
You can also serve it as a meal starter, just a bit of jalapeno cornbread before the main course is served.
One of my favorite ways to serve it, though, is as dessert. Try drizzling a bit of honey over a slice of jalapeno cornbread, or tomato gravy. Guaranteed it will become one of your favorite desserts ever.
The only downside to cornbread I've ever seen is that it can be dry. Oh no! Nobody wants dry cornbread! I sure don't.
Storage & Leftovers
Storing your Jalapeno Cornbread in an airtight container in the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 3-4 days. To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate it promptly.
Patty's Perspective
I will take Mike's jalapeno cornbread any day of the week! I don't care if he cooks it up in a baking dish, in a cast iron skillet, in big or little muffin tins, if he's making cornbread, I'm eating cornbread!
Mike likes to joke about how much I love it, but the truth is - it isn't a joke. I love cornbread. Period.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Skillet Jalapeno Cornbread
- Cheese Jalapeno Popper Cornbread Muffins
- Mexican Cornbread
- Johnny Cakes (Cornmeal Pancakes)
- Cornbread Dressing
- Hot Honey (drizzle it over your cornbread!)
- Honey Sriracha Chicken
- Mango-Habanero BBQ Chicken
- Grilled Pork Chops with Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
- Grilled Chicken Wings with Alabama White BBQ Sauce
- Red Eye Gravy
- Arepas (South American Corn bread)
- Jalapeno-Cheddar Dutch Oven Bread
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Jalapeno Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 14.5 ounces creamed corn 1 can
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup chopped jalapeno peppers + sliced jalapenos for topping
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or use a spicy pepperjack for extra heat
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Whisk together the milk, melted butter, eggs and creamed corn together in a small bowl.
- In a larger bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and black pepper.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together.
- Stir in the chopped jalapenos and shredded cheese.
- Pour the batter mixture into a lightly oiled baking dish and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the cornbread sets and an inserted toothpick comes out dry in the center.
- Cool slightly, slice and serve.
Video
Notes
NOTE: I like to add extra jalapeno slices to the tops of the batter before baking for an extra decorative touch. I love to drizzle mine with honey!
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This post was updated on 10/18/19 to include new photo, video and information. It was originally published on 5/19/14.
Cathlynn Groh says
I made this to put in the Southern Cornbread Stuffing for tomorrow…tasted a wee piece and it is….awesome! So I made the Chipotle sweet potatoes too and I am eyeing the leftover chipotles from that..could I make a batch of cornbread and toss those in??? I am thinking the flavors would work well but thought I’d ask the Mad Chileman! Having folks over Saturday for turkey tetrazzini with the leftovers and thinking some chipotle cornbread might be….a nice addition. Thoughts?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Cathlynn. Thanks. My answer is YES! Chipotle cornbread would be awesome! I love it. Go for it and let me know how you like it! I like how you think. Enjoy! =)
Garry says
Hi Mike,
I would like to try this recipe , I can’t find corn meal in Australia , but I can obtain Polenta is it the same ?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Garry, polenta and cornmeal are super close to each other. Polenta is a coarser grain. I've never made this with polenta, but if you do, let me know how it turns out for you.
RickW says
As Mike says, it is a coarser grain. But, polenta comes in different sizes, so look for the finest grind you can find. I have used it making corn muffins and it was too hard. It did not soften while baking. So through trial and error I learned to soak it first for about 20 minutes in a little bit of warm milk. (microwaved) Just a few tablespoons added to a cup of polenta. It will absorb the milk. You don't want it wet, just moist, and a bit softer.
Kathryn Luffman says
I am making this tomorrow! Im going to try it with cowboy candy jalapenos. I just found this site not long ago and love it!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Thanks, Kathryn! I hope you enjoy it!!!
Gianna Messina says
Question! - Can you provide baking dish size OR can how many muffins will this make?
Thank you!
Gianna
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Gianna, I used a 9x9 baking dish. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Teresa says
I plan on making for when my wife come home from a business trip. I just had a question about the sugar - can I use honey in place of it? If so, how much?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Teresa, yes, use an equal amount of honey for sugar for this recipe. Enjoy!
PHYLLIS S TOMLINSON says
I'm about to try this but am wondering about the measurement - 1 cup of jalapenos??? That seems like a lot. Most other recipes call for 2 jalapenos. Is that correct and if so is it EXTREMELY hot?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Phyllis, you can cut back on the jalapenos if you'd like. I like a LOT of jalapenos in mine, hence the web site name. Try it with 2-3 chopped, see how you enjoy it, then adjust from there. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Laurie Siegmund says
I have made this before and it is delicious. I would really love to know what size of pan you baked the bread in?
Thank you!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Laurie! I used an 8x8 pan for this one, though I often use a larger one for cornbread that is not as thick. Be sure to adjust cooking time if needed for that. Might be done sooner if it isn't so thick.
SandyRocks says
I just made this for dinner and it turned out really well. I can not get creamed corn very often where I live, so I used one can of corn with juice from the can and put half in a chopper, and pulsed until it looked somewhat creamy. I then added the other half and just pulsed a couple of times. Viola, you have creamed corn. No need to add extra sugar or thickener. Turned out very moist. I did use only one large jalapeno with a pinch of caynne as my husband does not like it as spicy as I do.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad you enjoyed it, Sandy. Just a note, though - creamed corn is very different from pureed corn as you have done. The creamed corn includes the milky residue from the corn cobs, which really makes a big difference in the resulting moistness. Something to look for when you can! Thanks!
Sandy Davis says
Do you have to use creamed corn? Creamed Corn and buttermilk are hard for me to get where I live? This recipe appeals to me because most require buttermilk or yogurt.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sandy, I use creamed corn because it helps with moisture and contributes to the corn flavor. It works great and I recommend trying it. You can use milk instead of buttermilk as well.
Celina says
Can you bake this in a cast iron skillet?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You certainly can, Celina. I have a recipe just for this - Skillet Cornbread: https://chilipeppermadnesscom.bigscoots-staging.com/chili-pepper-recipes/side-dishes/jalapeno-skillet-cornbread/. Enjoy!
Misty says
Can you omit the jalapeños and cheese? I would like to do one with and without. Doing this for our New Year/Thanksgiving because of Covid.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Misty, yes, you surely can. Let me know how it goes for you.
Lisa says
Quick, easy and delicious! I prefer my cornbread on the sweeter side. Since this recipe leans more towards savory, the honey really made it! This one is a keeper!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Thanks Lisa!
Amanda Roberts says
I'm excited to try this recipe. The only variation I'm planning is to drizzle it with maple syrup rather than honey. 🙂
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds perfect, Amanda!