Best Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Recipe | A Spicy Perspective (2024)

Best Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Recipe– Soft, moist, thick, and fluffy Jalapeno Cornbread loaded withcheese. It’s a classically delicious southernside dishthat’s ready in under an hour!

Why We Love This Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Recipe

Thick or thin, crumbly or soft, smooth or with kernels – if you’re from the south then you likely have an opinion (or two) on which cornbread is the best.

While we believe that all cornbreads are beautiful, in our family we preferthick and fluffy cornbreadprepared in a baking dish. Although dense and slightly crispy cornbread made in a skillet is certainly yummy, it just doesn’t quite give me theoomphI need in acarb-aliciousside dish.

To us, the taller the cornbread the better. Especially if it containsspicy jalapenos and cheese!

Besides having a fabulous taste and thefluffiesttexture possible, a thick cornbread is great for loading with all kinds of savory and spicy add-ins.

This Jalapeno Cornbread recipe with cheddar cheese is similar to ourFluffy Broccoli Cornbread, but kicked up a few notches thanks to the spicy peppers. The heat is balanced by cheesy goodness and sweet corn so that every bite is a party in your mouth. And it’s easy to tweak the ingredients and flavors to your liking!

Prep time is only about 15 minutes and this recipe uses justone bowl. The cornbread then bakes hands-off for 40 minutes, so inless than an hour, start to finish, you have a fresh and hot side dish on the table.

Once you realize how simple it is to makecornbread from scratchusing basic pantry items, I promise you’ll never buy the pre-made package blends again. All of these ingredients are easy to find at popular grocery stores, and you probably have most (if not all) of these in your kitchen right now!

Ingredients You Need

• All-purpose flour–or your favorite gluten-free baking mix
• Cornmeal–100% pure, not a mix
• Granulated sugar–or coconut sugar
• Baking powder–to get perfectly tall cornbread
• Salt–just a pinch
• Garlic powder–because all good things have garlic, amirite?
• Buttermilk–store-bought orhomemade buttermilk
• Eggs–room temperature if you can
• Unsalted butter–melted
• Sweet corn–frozen and thawed
• Sharp cheddar cheese–shredded
• Jalapenopeppers–diced

Pro Tip: Pair Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread with your favorite fuss-freesouthern mainsfor a comforting dinner any night of the week!

Equipment You Need

• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Measuring Cup
• Large Bowl
• Whisk
• Casserole Dish or Cast Iron Skillet

How to Make Jalapeno Cornbread with Cheddar Cheese

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set out a 9 X 13-inch baking dish and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.

Dice the jalapenos and shred the cheese.

Pro Tip:If you are sensitive to heat you might want towear gloveswhen handling the jalapenos.

Next, set out a large mixing bowl. Start with your dry ingredients and add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. Mix well with a wire whisk. Then whisk in the wet ingredients: buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter.

Whisk again until smooth.

Add the thawed sweet corn, 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, and the diced jalapenos into the batter.

Gently and evenlyfold and stir the ingredients into the batter. Youdo notwant to over-mix or your Jalapeno Cornbread with Cheese won’t get that fantastic fluffy rise.

Then pour the batter into the baking dish, and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese over the top.

Get the Complete (Printable) Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!

Bake for40-50 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles when you shake the pan.

You can insert a toothpick into the center to make sure it’s fully baked. If the toothpick comes out dry, remove it from the oven.

Let the cornbread cool for10 minutesbefore slicing and serving warm.

Recipe Variations

Make this cornbread just how you like! Here are just a few suggestions:

• Prepare as afairly mildJalapeno Cornbread recipe by seeding the fresh jalapenos before adding them to the batter.
• Like it super spicy?Leave the jalapeno seeds in when you dice them!
• Make iteven spicierby swapping cheddar withspicy pepper jack cheeseor adding in crushed red pepper.
• Elevate the flavors in your cornbread by usinggouda cheese. Or, use half shredded gouda and half shredded cheddar.

Tips & Tricks

• Some people argue that sugar should never be added to cornbread. If you don’t want sugar in your cornbread, feel free to omit it or use a little bit less!
• To make sure you get fluffy cornbread with crisp edges, don’t over-mix the cornbread batter! Mix just until everything is combined.
• Use a medium-grain cornmeal! This will provide the perfect amount of crunchiness to this jalapeno cornbread recipe.
• Use freshly shredded cheese! Freshly shredded cheese (from a block) will ensure that the cheese melts seamlessly into the batter while baking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What dishes go well with spicy Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread?

Serve the fluffiest, most flavorful cornbread loaded with cheese and jalapenos alongside nearly any classic southern dish. It is delicious with mains likeCoca-Cola Baked Ham,Grilled Pork Chops, orSlow Cooker Pulled Pork… And is a great addition to other sides likeSouthern Collard GreensandCheesy Southern Squash Casserole.

Generous chunks of warm and soft cornbread are also wonderful to enjoy with hearty soups and stews. Try this recipe as a side forSlow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup, theBEST Beef Chili(seriously), andCreamy White Chicken Chili.

How do you make gluten-free fluffy cornbread with jalapenos and cheddar cheese?

Cornmeal itself is GF so you simply need to swap the all-purpose flour with your preferredgluten-free baking mix.

Is cheesy jalapeno cornbread spicy?

This depends on how you make it! It definitely has a little bit of a kick to it. However, if you deseed the jalapeños, the cornbread won’t be as spicy. If you keep the seeds in the batter, then you will get more of a spicy flavor!

How long does homemade cornbread keep well?

Leftover cheesy cornbread with jalapeños will keep well for up to3-4 days. Wrap tightly in cling wrap or keep in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also place it in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Can Jalapeno Cornbread with cheese be frozen?

Yes! This is a great recipe to make ahead and freeze. Let the cornbread cool completely before wrapping it in cling film and then a layer of aluminum foil. For even more protection I recommend also storing it in an airtight plastic zipper bag. Defrost the Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread in the fridge overnight and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until warm, about 5-10 minutes.

Looking for More Classic Southern Side Dishes?

• Honey Cinnamon Cornbread Muffins
• Fluffy Broccoli Cornbread Recipe
• Apple Spice Cornbread Muffins
• Mexican Thanksgiving Cornbread Stuffing
• Retro Cornbread Salad