The perfect combination of sweet and spicy, this crumbly Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread checks all the boxes for a delicious and easy side dish!
Jump to:
- Better Than The Rest - Here's Why
- Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread: What To Know & Recipe Highlights
- 🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- 🥣 Here's Exactly How To Make It
- 🙋🏼 Top Questions I Get Asked About This Recipe
- Expert Tips
- 🍲 Here's What I Love Serving It With
- 🧈 Try It With These Flavored Butters!
- Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
Better Than The Rest - Here's Why
✅ No Speciality Ingredients: I only use simple pantry ingredients and basic dairy products you can find at any local grocery store.
✅ Make Is As Sweet And Spicy As You Want: This cornbread is a delicious combination of both sweet and savory, with as much spice as you'd like tossed in with the Jalapeños!
✅ Quick & Easy: It takes less than an hour from start to finish to make this with only 10 minutes of prep time!
Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread: What To Know & Recipe Highlights
- Prep Time: About 10 minutes
- Bake Time: About 30 minutes
- Make It Ahead Of Time: If you want to prep ahead, the batter stores well in the fridge for 1-2 days.
- Storage & Freezing: This cornbread stores well in a covered container on the counter for 2-3 days. If you have leftovers, you can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat the in the oven on 250°F until warmed all the way through or in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
- Type of Pan To Bake The Cornbread In: After making several batches of this jalapeño cheddar cornbread, a 9x13 baking dish works best, but you can use different size pans if you want. Here are the pan sizes and baking times I tried. Keep in mind though...you need to make sure the cornbread is a nice golden brown color and that it passes the toothpick test (see below in Expert Tips) before you take the cornbread out of the oven.
- 8-inch cast iron skillet bake at 375°F for 28-30 minutes.
- 10-inch cast iron skillet bake at 350°F for 30-32 minutes.
- 8×8 pan: bake at 400°F for 20–24 minutes.
- 9×9 pan: bake at 400°F for 18–22 minutes.
- Muffin Tin: bake at 400°F for 13–16 minutes.
- Cheese: I love how the cheddar cheese tastes in this recipe, but you can also substitute it and use Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or even Smoked Gouda.
- Extra Spicy: If you like extra spicy cornbread, use two jalapeño peppers instead of one. You can also leave some of the seeds in, which will add in quite a bit of heat. If you want less heat, just use one pepper or even a half, and remove all of the seeds.
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Flour - Use a high quality all-purpose flour like King Arthur Flour or Bob's Red mill. For a gluten-free option, you can use a 1:1 all-purpose substitute like King Arthur Flour.
- Cornmeal - I like to use yellow cornmeal because it has a stronger "corn" flavor than white. I don't use actual corn in this recipe, so the cornmeal gives it a distinct corn flavor and crumbly texture.
- Sugar - Regular granulated sugar adds a little bit of sweetness to compliment the savory in this recipe.
- Cheese -For best flavor and texture results, shred a fresh block of cheese. Mild or medium cheddar is my favorite to use in this recipe. You can use a bag of pre-shredded cheese, but it won't taste as good or as fresh.
- Jalapeño peppers - They add a spicy kick!
- Buttermilk - Makes the cornbread have a super moist texture and adds a richer flavor.
- Butter - Make sure you use unsalted butter so you can control the salt level you want. Make sure you also use good quality butter like Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter. It helps make the cornbread super moist and more crumbly.
- Eggs - Use large whole eggs. They help the ingredients bind together really well.
- Honey - While sugar adds the bulk of the sweetness, don't skip the honey! It adds so much more flavor and moisture. I also love adding a little extra drizzle on top because it makes the sweet and spicy contrast even better! Try to find local honey instead of store bought...the taste difference will blow you away!
- Baking soda - Helps the bread rise while baking.
- Salt - It balances the flavor with the sweet and spicy.
👩🏼🍳 Scroll down to the recipe card below for all the details you’ll need to make this recipe!
🥣 Here's Exactly How To Make It
Step 1: Start by preheating the oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with butter and set aside.
Step 2: Using a sharp knife, remove the seeds and finely dice the jalapeño pepper. Set aside.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tip: Fresh jalapeños can burn your fingers during the dicing process, so it’s a good idea to wear plastic gloves while handling them!
Step 3: In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, sugar, eggs, and honey.
Step 5: Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir using a spatula until well combined.
Step 6: Add the diced jalapeño and shredded cheese to the mixture. Stir to combine.
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Step 7: Pour the cornbread batter into the 9x13 baking dish and spread evenly.
Step 8: Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Step 9: When done, remove from the pan from the oven and cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Step 10: Enjoy your warm, cheesy jalapeño cornbread with some butter and drizzle on some honey! If you can't wait until the rest of dinner is ready to dive in, I won't judge!
🙋🏼 Top Questions I Get Asked About This Recipe
Yes! You can make your own by mixing one cup of dairy milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice. Whisk together and let sit for 10 minutes on the counter until the milk is just slightly curdled.
Nope! Fresh is best!
Expert Tips
- To check for doneness, use the toothpick test. When the cornbread has baked for 30 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of the cornbread. If it comes out with any batter on it, the cornbread needs to continue to bake. Check every 2-3 minutes until the toothpick comes out completely clean.
- Avoid over mixing the batter to keep the final result light and crumbly, not hard and dense. Stir everything together just enough so that the dry ingredients are moistened.
- While adding a big drizzle of honey on top isn't necessary, it adds such a beautiful contrasting flavor to this cornbread.
🍲 Here's What I Love Serving It With
🧈 Try It With These Flavored Butters!
If you tried this Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
- sharp knife
- large bowl
- whisk
- spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, mild or medium
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan with 1 Tablespoon of butter. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of cornmeal, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of buttermilk, ½ cup melted butter, ½ cup sugar, 2 eggs, and 1 Tablespoon of honey.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.
- Stir using a spatula until well combined.
- Add in the diced jalapeño and ½ cup shredded cheese. Stir to combine.
- Pour the cornbread batter into the 9x13 baking dish and spread evenly.
- Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
-
- Toothpick Test - To check for doneness, use the toothpick test. At about 30 minutes, or when the top is starting brown, insert a toothpick into the center of the pan. If it comes out with any batter on it, the cornbread needs to continue to bake. Check every 3-5 minutes until the toothpick comes out completely clean.
-
- Avoid over mixing the batter to keep the final result light and crumbly, not hard and dense. Stir everything together just enough so that the dry ingredients are moistened.
-
- Add Some Honey - While adding a big drizzle of honey on top isn't necessary, it adds such a beautiful contrasting flavor to this cornbread.
-
- Different Types Of Cheese - Using different cheeses will give you slightly different flavors in this cornbread. Use mild cheddar cheese for a smooth and creamy taste or sharp cheddar, which will add a little tang. Medium cheddar is a good mix between the two.
-
Type of Pan To Bake The Cornbread In: After making several rounds of this jalapeño cheddar cornbread, a 9x13 pan works best, but you can use different size pans if you want. Here are the pan sizes and baking times I tried. Keep in mind though...you need to make sure the cornbread is a nice golden brown color and that it passes the toothpick test (see below in Expert Tips) before you take them out of the oven.
-
8-inch cast iron skillet bake at 375°F for 28-30 minutes.
-
10-inch cast iron skillet bake at 350°F for 30-32 minutes.
-
8×8 pan: bake at 400°F for 20–24 minutes.
-
9×9 pan: bake at 400°F for 18–22 minutes.
-
Muffin Tin: bake at 400°F for 13–16 minutes.
-
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Enter your email to receive this recipe, along with weekly food inspiration!
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