Easy Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

This easy jalapeño cheddar cornbread is wonderfully light, moist, and flavorful with a sweet, savory, and slightly spicy flavor thanks to thinly sliced jalapeno and salty, savory cheddar cheese. Perfect for serving at BBQs, Thanksgiving, with soups and stews, or slathered with honey butter!

I’ll admit, as a non-American, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I tried cornbread for the first time – but I think it may be my new favorite “corn” recipe (closely followed by oven-roasted corn on the cob and spiced corn riblets). I’m aware that there are tons of varieties of cornbread recipes out there and arguments about which is best and most authentic (with buttermilk, with sugar, with corn kernels, etc.) However, as a non-American with no particular opinion, I decided to first try my hand at this Southwest-inspired jalapeno cornbread. And I may have fallen in love!

This spicy cornbread recipe is infused with heat thanks to finely chopped jalapeños. They pair with the salty cheddar cheese and just enough sugar for the perfect salty, savory, sweet, and spicy blend. The result is a semi-sweet jalapeno cornbread that will entice all your tastebuds! Better yet, this spicy cornbread is tender, moist, fluffy, and just a little crumbly – perfect for serving with soups, stews, at BBQs or Thanksgiving, or simply doused in honey or maple (delicious!)

Not only will this jalapeno cheddar cornbread have your tastebuds in heaven, but you can enjoy it as part of a breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even snack! All it requires is a few bowls, minimal mixing, and then transferring to the oven to bake to perfection (you can even ditch the large baking dish and prepare jalapeno cornbread muffins instead!). Enjoy warm for a warming, comforting fall-perfect dish, or allow to cool first.

The Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread Ingredients

This easy jalapeno cornbread recipe requires primarily pantry and kitchen staples, including:

• Cornmeal: I recommend using fine yellow cornmeal for my preferred texture, though coarse cornmeal will provide extra texture and “bite.” You may also be able to use the blue cornmeal variety, though I haven’t tried. I often actually use homemade cornmeal!
• Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter. This will help to add moisture to the jalapeno cheese cornbread.
• All-purpose flour: you may be able to use a gluten-free AP blend, too, though I haven’t tried.
• Baking powder: this will leaven and provide lift and texture to the fluffy jalapeno cheddar cornbread.
• Eggs: I recommend using large eggs at room temperature (though chilled will be okay).
• Milk: use whole milk for moist and tender jalapeno cheese cornbread. Feel free to use a dairy-free option like canned coconut milk if desired.
• Jalapeños: I love to use green and red jalapeno peppers because the color pops against the yellow cornbread color and their “not too spicy” flavor. De-seed them to reduce the heat.
• Cheese: you’ll need shredded cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or really any melty cheese of your choice would work. Using a 50/50 combination of Gouda and cheddar makes for a wonderful “elevated” cheesy jalapeño cornbread.
• Sugar: I use organic cane sugar – feel free to use brown sugar, coconut sugar, or even a sugar-free sweetener like erythritol if preferred (though I haven’t tried the latter, so I am not sure if it will affect the bake in other ways).
• Red bell pepper: (optional) to add extra color and texture to the jalapeno cheddar cornbread.

Optional Add-ins and Variations

• Other vegetables: olives, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini (shredded and salted/squeezed to drain excess liquid), shredded carrot, diced onion, kale, etc.
• Herbs: scallions work well with the jalapeño cheddar cornbread recipe. However, you can experiment with various fresh herbs: chives, rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, oregano, etc.
• Corn: here, I’m referring to whole corn kernels (cooked – canned, frozen and thawed, or freshly cooked and cooled) to provide extra corn flavor and texture. You can use grilled/roasted corn to add a slightly smoky flavor to the cheesy, spicy cornbread.
• Toppings: instead of just dispersing the various ingredients within the jalapeno cornbread recipe, you could use some as toppings. For example, thin jalapeño slices, a sprinkling of cheese, or even a drizzle of honey.
• Other chilies: to adjust the heat in the cornbread, you can swap out the jalapeños for another chili.

When adding any extra ingredients, it’s best to chop them down to be at least as small as a corn kernel. I try not to overwhelm the jalapeno cheese cornbread with add-ins either, so I recommend adding only an extra ½ cup of add-ins of choice.

How To Make Cheesy Jalapeño Cornbread?

Step 1: Prepare the Various Ingredients

First, thinly slice the jalapeños, finely dice the red pepper (if using), and grate the cheese.

I recommend using gloves when dealing with any hot peppers as they can cause skin irritation and linger on your skin (so be careful not to touch your mouth/eyes).

Then, in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. You can also do this in a mixer.

In a separate medium bowl, sift in the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Next, in a final smaller bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until thoroughly mixed.

Step 2: Mix the Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread Batter

Then, preheat the oven to 400ºF/205ºC.

Next, it’s time to combine the three elements. First, add around 1/3 of the milk mixture to the creamed butter and mix. Then add 1/3 of the flour and mix, and continue, alternating between the milk and flour mixture until a thick batter has formed.

Be careful not to over-mix the batter, though, or you’ll overwork the batter and end up with a dense, tough bake.

Then, finally, fold in the jalapeño, cheddar, and peppers until just combined/dispersed.

Step 3: Bake the Jalapeño Cornbread

Pour the jalapeno cheddar cornbread batter into a greased (or parchment-paper-lined) pan (I used one that’s 9×13 inch/23×33 cm). Then bake in the oven on a lower-middle rack for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges should be golden brown with a top that’s springy when prodded.

If you find the top is browning too quickly, tent the jalapeno cornbread with some foil in the last 10 (or so) minutes of baking.

To check that the cornbread is ready, insert a toothpick into the center of the cornbread. It should come out clean (or with just a few crumbs but definitely not wet).

Remove the jalapeno cheddar cornbread from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. When it initially comes out of the oven, it will be quite fragile, so don’t be tempted to slice it immediately.

How to Serve Jalapeno Cornbread?

There are tons of ways to enjoy this sweet, savory, spicy jalapeno cheddar cornbread. Some of my favorites include:

• Alongside chilies and stews to mop up all the sauce – like this chickpea stew, green bean stew, or even Lebanese okra stew.
• Also, to dip into soups.
• Plus, with other “saucy” dishes too like these meatballs or stuffed vegetables.
• At your Thanksgiving table and New Year’s Day’s table.
• Enjoy at any BBQ gathering.
• Serve alongside salads.
• Warm with a generous spread of butter (and optionally then drizzled with honey (or dandelion honey/maple syrup)
• Crumble the jalapeno cheese cornbread and use it to make jalapeno cornbread stuffing.

You can also use slightly stale leftovers to make jalapeño cornbread croutons. Chop into cubes, toss with a bit of olive oil, then bake in the oven at 350ºF/175ºC until golden brown (flipping once after 7-8 minutes).

How Make Ahead and Store?

Make ahead: you could assemble different containers of wet and dry ingredients and store them separately in the fridge for 1-2 days. When you’re ready to bake, allow everything to come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then assemble and bake.

Store: allow to cool and then store any leftover jalapeno cheese cornbread in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Freeze: you can freeze the jalapeno cheddar cornbread as a single “loaf” (wrapped in a couple of layers of plastic wrap) or pre-sliced with parchment paper between (to avoid the pieces sticking together) and then store in an airtight container/Ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to two months. When you want a piece, allow it to thaw either in the fridge or at room temperature.

Reheat: you can reheat the cornbread slices in the oven (5-8 minutes), microwave (around 30 seconds), or toaster oven.

FAQs

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Adjust the sweetness: I’ve found that everyone enjoys their own sweetness levels in cornbread – so feel free to adjust the amount to personal taste. For example, use 1/3 cup for a mildly sweet option, ½ cup (as I have) for a “medium” level sweet jalapeno cornbread, or 2/3 cup for sweet jalapeno cornbread.
• Adjust the heat: there are a couple of ways to do so. The first is simply to increase/decrease the amount of jalapeño used in the jalapeno cornbread recipe (and also choosing to include the chili seeds – which hold lots of heat). Alternatively, you can swap out the jalapeño for another type of milder or hotter chili – like Anaheim, poblano, etc.
• To make jalapeno cornbread muffins: divide the batter into a greased muffin tin and adjust the time accordingly. I recommend checking on the jalapeno cornbread muffins after 15 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center (it should come out clean).
• To make a skillet jalapeno cornbread: Preheat the cast-iron skillet in the oven – then lightly grease with cooking spray and spoon/pour the batter into the hot pan, then bake. This method will produce a crispier bottom crust, where the cold batter meets the hot pan.
• For more flavor, pre-cook your jalapenos: I like to charr them slightly with a broiler first to add an extra smoky flavor. You can also do so over an open flame if you have a gas stovetop. Then, place the jalapeños in a Ziplock bag or airtight container to steam for 15 minutes before peeling the skin and chopping.

More Easy Thanksgiving Recipes

• Easy mashed sweet potatoes
• Creamy mashed potatoes
• Quick and easy brown vegan gravy
• How to make a cheeseboard
• Turmeric roasted cauliflower head
• Waldorf apple salad
• Sweet corn – microwaved, boiled, grilled, roasted.

If you try this easy jalapeño cheese cornbread recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!