This alapeño cornbread is easy to make, crispy on the bottom but moist and fluffy on the inside, and teeming with awesome savory flavor from jalapeños, creamed corn, cheddar cheese, and green onions.
In This Post
I may not be from the South, but boy do I love cornbread. It’s the perfect companion to a hearty bowl of chili, or juicy pork chops. When I’m craving the classic, I opt for the unadulterated version–this cornbread recipe is the bomb. But sometimes I want a little spicy-sweet, and when I do, I make my mother-in-law’s jalapeño cornbread recipe, which she adapted from the always dependable Ina Garten. The cornbread batter has all of the usual suspects and is basically the classic recipe from the side of the box of cornmeal. The mix-ins and the way it’s baked take this cornbread to the next level. It’s crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and studded with cheddar cheese and bits of jalapeño for a little heat. After the basic cornbread has been doctored up, the real magic of this recipe happens when it’s baked in sizzling bacon drippings. Game on.
Why You’ll Love It
- This jalapeño cornbread is crispy on the outside and tender, soft, and fluffy on the inside
- The additions of cheddar, jalapeño, green onions, and canned corn make this cornbread extra moist and flavorful
- Sizzling the cornbread in a super hot cast iron skillet with bacon drippings before baking ensures the perfect crunchy bottom and the best savory flavor
Jalapeño Cornbread Ingredients
- Yellow cornmeal—it’s crucial that you buy cornmeal and not a similar corn product, like grits or polenta. Cornmeal is a completely different product, and there’s no substitute for it.
- All-Purpose Flour—this recipe has the ideal ratio of cornmeal to flour, for a moist, fluffy cornbread that still has plenty of texture
- Baking powder—helps the cornbread rise and gives it a nice lift
- Kosher salt—always, for flavor
- Milk—I recommend using whole milk here (buttermilk would also work)
- Butter—I prefer butter to oil because of the flavor it imparts on this cornbread
- Egg—serves as a binder in this recipe, but also lends moisture, texture, and lift
- Canned creamed corn—for added moisture, sweetness, and texture
- Green onions—for color and flavor (it’s so yummy with the cheddar!)
- Jalapeño—we seeded ours, but if you like more heat, feel free to leave some of the seeds in
- Cheddar cheese—we used a medium cheddar but a Colby would be tasty too.
- Bacon drippings—or you could use vegetable or canola oil
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread
- Make your batter. To make this jalapeño cheddar cornbread, mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another. Combine the two, then stir in the creamed corn, diced jalapeño, green onions, and shredded cheddar.
- Sizzle the cornbread in bacon drippings. Preheat a cast-iron pan with the bacon drippings and enough cornmeal to cover the bottom of the pan and bake until the cornmeal turns a light brown. Then, add the batter to the hot pan. Don’t forget your oven mitt!
- Bake and serve. Bake the jalapeño cornbread until it’s slightly browned on top and the edges are pulling away from the sides of the skillet.
FAQ and Recipe Tips
- Does jalapeño cornbread need to be refrigerated? I recommend refrigerating this bread (it’s crazy-moist, so sometimes storing it at room temperature can encourage mold). It’ll just stay fresher longer if stored in the fridge.
- Do I have to use bacon drippings? No. If you don’t have drippings on hand, vegetable oil works too.
- Can I freeze jalapeño cornbread? Yes, cornbread freezes incredibly well. Let it cool to room temperature, then slice and seal it in a freezer bag. You can reheat the cornbread in the microwave, or set it on the counter to thaw.
- Feel free to experiment with the jalapeños. I’ve only ever made this cast iron skillet cornbread recipe with fresh jalapeños, but I’ve had readers report success using pickled jalapeños. If you try this out too and it works for you, please let me know in the comments below.
- To my knowledge, you can’t substitute any other ingredients in this recipe. Real milk and butter are key to achieving the right flavor and texture in this jalapeño cheddar cornbread, and creamed corn is also a must.
What Goes With Jalapeño Cornbread
- Classic Beef Chili
- The Best BBQ Chicken
- Creamy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- The BEST Split Pea Soup with Ham
- The Best Juicy Grilled Pork Chops
- The BEST Easy BBQ Baked Beans
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Jalapeño Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup + plus 1-2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal , divided
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 1 large egg , beaten
- ⅓ cup canned creamed corn
- 2 green onions , chopped
- 1 jalapeño , seeded and chopped
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1-2 tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat.
- In a medium bowl, mix the 1 cup cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl whisk the milk, butter, and egg together. Add to the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the creamed corn, green onions, jalapeño, and cheddar cheese.
- Remove the hot skillet from the oven (use hot pads!) and add 1-2 tablespoons bacon drippings to the pan to melt. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons corn meal or just until the bottom of the pan is covered. Place back in the oven (use hot pads!) and bake just until the cornmeal begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the batter to the skillet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the edges are pulling away from the side of the skillet. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
More Southern Recipes to Master
- The BEST Cornbread
- How to Make Fried Green Tomatoes
- Heavenly Funeral Potatoes
- The Best Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Homemade Creamy Coleslaw
- How to Make the Best Potato Salad
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Sandra
If you want a sweetness to your cornbread, this is NOT the recipe to use. Disappointed!
Hayley
We’re sorry you weren’t a fan of this one, Sandra. Creamed canned corn definitely has a fair amount of sweetness to it. You might find that you enjoy this recipe, which is less sweet: https://www.foodiecrush.com/cornbread/ Hope that helps.
David L Palenshus
Native born TEXAN here.. very similar to my GodMother’s recipe, called Caliente Cornbread.. cept she used some cottage cheese and creamed corn in her recipe… and layered either the green chilies or diced jalapeno’s after half the batter was poured into the hot skillet; then topped with the rest of the batter, and another 1/3 cup of cheese on the top before the cook in the oven. As a Pitmaster, I have kinda coupled all the above, but put it (after the oven indoors cooked it 90% done) in my BBQ smoker (a David Klose (Houston) custom offset stick burner smoker), so it developed a smokey crust on the top, similar to my smoked Mac-n-Cheese I use when catering events.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
That sounds absolutely incredible!
Lorana Hudson
My Mom would place enough cheddar cheese on the top of the cornbread after placing it in the skillet to cook which makes it nice also. She would also chop regular onion (I/2 cup) or so instead of the green onions.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
That sounds delish!! Thanks for sharing
Terri
We love this recipe in our house. It’s the only cornbread recipe I use. I substitute smoked Cheddar and pickled jalapeños and don’t use green onions. I’m sure it’s perfectly delicious as written, too.
BBQlover54
Best cornbread I’ve ever made. Moist and good!
Mary Irish
I was looking for a cornbread recipe to use for a fun cornbread and chili cook off at a friend’s home. This sounds so good. I will let you know how I fare later. ☺
Jim
My mother and grandmother would have called this cake. Too much flour and an egg. They used 90% coarse cornmeal to 10% flour. Buttermilk, but no egg. Fat in the skillet in a very hot oven until it begins to smoke. Then add the batter and spread the fat over the batter. Back into the oven until dark brown. This produces a very thick crust and moist, but grainy middle. Unbelievably delicious….though some will find it too coarse.
192.168.1.1
nice! thank you so much! Thank you for sharing. Your blog posts are more interesting and impressive. I think there are many people like and visit it regularly, including me.
Aileen
At which step does the creamed corn factor in?
Lou
This is really good but I am more of a spicy taste maybe 3 large jalapeños and more cheese
heidi
I like the way you think Lou :)
El Naismith
Lou – if you like it spicier, then you might want to try using pickled jalapenos. I make my own pickled peppers, and use about 1/3 cup, chopped up. Gives the cornbread quite a zing!
Angelina veronica
Very good recipe . Thanks for sharing this to the public.
Evi
Awesome! I made a few small changes and it was perfect and suited my needs. I used 2 jalepaneons instead of 1, left out the green onion and the creamed corn, and replace the 1 cup milk with 1 cup of light coconut milk soured with the juice of 1 lime.
heidi
Glad that you made it your own Evi!
Sue Able
This is pretty much the way I make my cornbread but I use Martha White self-rising corn meal mix (Hot Rize) INSTEAD of the cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder.
If you do this you may need to adjust amount of milk as I don’t measure the milk just add to right consistency. Easy…
Neil
The recipe leaves out when to add the creamed corn. Presumably its with the wet ingredients but in any event the recipe is deficient.
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
This cornbread looks incredible. I have always had trouble getting a nice crust, but I think it’s because I’ve been leaving out the bacon drippings. How shameful! Gotta fix that little oversight on my part! Cheers!
heidi
I’m telling you now…you’ll never go back :)
Melissa Lemire
They are great. Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits
This looks absolutely delicious. I’ve never made cornbread in a skillet before, but I’m definitely trying this soon. Thanks for the recipe!
Susan Byars
How much creamed corn is “a splash”? It seems to have been left out of the ingredients list…
heidi
Hi Susan, it’s 1/3 cup. Sorry about that, fixed now!
Stefanie
This corn bread looks delish, I’d like to make it for dinner tonight!!! But It doesn’t say when to add the creamed corn in the directions? -does it get added to the wet ingredients before mixing with the dry?
Jill Hull
The creamed corn isn’t in the directions although it isn’t rocket science to figure out when to mix it in
Dianna N.
Your reply is unhelpful and demeaning. Perhaps the person asking the question is new to baking and just wants to confirm about the directions. It’s a legitimate question that doesn’t deserve a sarcastic answer. Courtesy, please.
Gaby Dalkin
there is a seriously huge place in my heart for cast iron skillet cornbread!
Mary @ The Kitchen Paper
TASTY! I’m attached enough to my cast iron skillet that the idea of a cast iron skillet bed didn’t throw me at all… That might be a problem. They’re the best! Thanks for the recipe, Heidi! xo
heidi
I can only imagine what you whip up in your skillet Mary! You’re so good!
Erika
Those bacon drippings are important. :) I’m a lover of cornbread as I ate it almost everyday growing up. I love this recipe with the cheddar and jalapeño fixins. :)
Katrina
Your mother in law is one smart cookie! Sticking to a tried and true recipe can be so hard as a food blogger but my Nan keeps reminding me that “great recipes always stay great recipes”! I can’t wait to try this one! Cornbread is the best.
heidi
Tell your Nan she’s a smart cookie. In fact, you probably better make her some cookies :)
Lou
Very good