Easy Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Jalapeño cornbread squares on top of each other

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!

Course Appetizer, Side, Snack

Cuisine American, South American

Diet Vegetarian

Freezer friendly 2 Months

Shelf life 5 Days

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings

Calories 333kcal

Author Samira

Ingredients

9.7 oz cornmeal 2 cups
7.6 oz all purpose flour 1.5 cups
3 eggs large
12.5 oz whole milk 2 cups or canned coconut milk
4.7 oz cane sugar 1/2 cup; OR brown sugar, coconut sugar, or a sugar-free sweetener (like erythritol)
3.9 oz butter 2/3 cup; unsalted
1.5 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4-5 jalapenos green or/and red; adjust the amount to taste or even use other chilies
1 red pepper optional
3.5 oz cheddar cheese 1 cup grated; OR pepper jack, Monterey jack, gouda, etc.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the Various Ingredients

Thinly slice the jalapeños, finely dice the red pepper (if using), and grate the cheese.
I recommend using gloves when dealing with any peppers as they can cause skin irritation and linger on your skin (so be careful not to touch your mouth/eyes).
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. You can also do this in a mixer.
In a separate bowl, sift in the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a final bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until thoroughly mixed.

Step 2: Mix the Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread Batter

Preheat the oven to 400ºF/205ºC.
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. 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.
Finally, fold in the jalapeño, cheddar, and peppers until just combined/dispersed.

Step 3: Bake the Jalapeño Cornbread

Pour the cornbread batter into a greased (or parchment-paper-lined) pan (I used one that's 9x13 inch/23x33 cm). Then bake in the oven on a lower-middle rack for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges turn 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 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 leftovers 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.

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 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.

Optional add-ins:

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.

Check the blog post for more tips, serving suggestions, and answers to top FAQs!

Nutrition