Jalapeño Cornbread

This sweet and spicy jalapeño cornbread recipe is a perfect side dish for soup or chili. Tip: slather your slice with honey butter to take it over the top!

Jalapeno cornbread

This jalapeño cornbread recipe is a spiced-up riff on my regular homemade cornbread. I always love cornbread, but lately, I’ve been especially smitten with this jalapeño version. It’s tender, moist, and a little crumbly in the way that good cornbread should be. In addition to adding jalapeños, I mix in scallions and shredded cheddar cheese, making this jalapeño cornbread spicy, sweet, and savory all at once. Even Jack, who doesn’t typically like cornbread, goes nuts over this recipe. Heads up: you’ll want to save room for a second piece.

Jalapeno cornbread recipe ingredients

Jalapeño Cornbread Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this jalapeño cornbread recipe:

  • Cornmeal and all-purpose flour – They make up the base of the batter and give the bread its perfect crumbly texture.
  • Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs – They help the cornbread puff up as it bakes.
  • Almond milk – Feel free to swap in whatever plain, unsweetened milk you keep on hand. Oat, soy, and cow’s milk would all work nicely here.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness. If you prefer, you can use a neutral oil like avocado oil in its place.
  • Maple syrup – It adds a touch of sweetness to this recipe.
  • Jalapeños and scallions – For spicy, savory flavor.
  • Sharp cheddar cheese – It gives the cornbread extra richness and tangy flavor.
  • Butter – For greasing the pan.
  • And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Diced jalapenos and scallions on a wooden cutting board with knife

How to Make Jalapeño Cornbread

This jalapeño cornbread recipe is super simple to put together. Here’s how it goes:

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Stick a 10-inch cast-iron skillet inside it as it warms up.

Meanwhile, prepare the batter. Combine the wet ingredients in a medium bowl and the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Dice the scallions and jalapeños.

Pouring wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients…

Hand folding cornbread batter in large bowl with rubber spatula

…and fold until just combined.

Hand folding jalapenos, cheddar, and scallions into bowl of cornbread batter with rubber spatula

Then, stir in the scallions, jalapeños, and cheese. Remember to reserve some of the scallions and jalapeños for sprinkling on top!

Hand mixing bowl of jalapeno cornbread batter with rubber spatula

When the batter is ready, remove the skillet from the oven. Careful, the handle will be hot!

Pouring jalapeno cheddar cornbread batter into skillet

Add the butter to the hot skillet and tilt the pan so that it coats the bottom. Pour the batter into the skillet and sprinkle with the reserved scallions and jalapeños.

Finally, bake! Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the top springs back to the touch. Let the baked cornbread cool for 20 minutes before you slice and serve it.

Sprinkling diced jalapenos over cornbread batter in skillet

Jalapeño Cornbread Serving Suggestions

This jalapeño cheddar cornbread is a delicious, versatile side dish. Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve it:

If you have leftover cornbread, it will freeze well for up to a month. Let it thaw overnight at room temperature, or reheat frozen slices in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Jalapeno cornbread recipe

More Favorite Baking Recipes

If you love this jalapeño cornbread recipe, try one of these baking recipes next:

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Jalapeño Cornbread

rate this recipe:
5 from 28 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves 12
This sweet and spicy jalapeño cornbread is moist, tender, and delicious. Slather slices with honey butter to take them over the top.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil or any neutral oil
  • 4 scallions, chopped, reserve some for topping
  • ¾ cup seeded diced jalapeño peppers, 2 to 3 peppers, reserve some for topping
  • ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon butter, for greasing the pan
  • Honey Butter, for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F with a 10-inch cast-iron pan inside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond milk, egg, maple syrup, and oil.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the scallions, jalapeños, and cheese.
  • Remove the preheated skillet from the oven using an oven mitt (be careful because the handle will be hot!) and grease it with the butter.
  • Pour the batter into the pan, sprinkle with the remaining scallions and jalapeños, and bake for 20 to 24 minutes or until the center springs back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
  • Serve with honey butter.

29 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Njean
    01.18.2024

    5 stars
    Thank you for cornbread recipe.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.19.2024

      Hi, so glad you enjoyed it!

    • Caroline
      01.31.2024

      5 stars
      I made these into muffins and they turned out very moist and flavorful. Most cornbread I’ve eaten are usually so dry and crumbly but this recipe is the complete opposite! I substituted honey for maple syrup and enjoyed the subtle sweetness.

      • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
        02.02.2024

        Hi Caroline, Great to know this recipe worked well as muffins! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

  2. Barbara
    03.17.2023

    I don’t have a 10-inch skillet. Can I use a normal 10 inch frying pan?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.17.2023

      Hi Barbara, yes, as long as the pan is oven-safe.

  3. Joe
    01.15.2023

    5 stars
    I just made some. It is awesome. I didn’t have any maple syrup and so, having considered it’s viscosity, I used honey and just halved the amount. It worked marvelously!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.16.2023

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  4. JC
    12.07.2022

    I need to make this the night before. What is the best way to reheat without drying it out?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      12.09.2022

      Hi, I recommend wrapping it in foil and warming it in the oven at 325°F. Hope you enjoy!

  5. Don
    08.11.2022

    5 stars
    This was the best cornbread I’ve ever had. I omitted the maple syrup because I don’t care for sweet cornbread. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a “T”. Since I didn’t have a 10” skillet, I used a 12” and it worked great. Definitely a keeper recipe!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.12.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  6. Hannah
    07.31.2022

    Hi! This calls for almond milk. Is it plain unsweetened or plain sweetened? Thank you!

  7. linda
    12.02.2021

    5 stars
    I have never been able to make decent cornbread from scratch ever.. This recipe turned out great although I noticed my cornmeal was self rising after mixing everything up. I thought once again my cornbread would be awful. Well all it needed was something sweet to make it perfect so honey butter is a must.

  8. Substitution question
    11.25.2021

    Thanks for this recipe! If I don’t have maple syrup, could I substitute it with either molasses or honey? Hmm!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.26.2021

      I haven’t tried it with either so I’m not sure. Both are thicker than maple so the results might not be the same.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.26.2021

      although I would try honey before I would try molasses.

  9. Jen H.
    11.17.2021

    5 stars
    I made this today to go with some lentil soup and it was delicious! A family hit. Thanks!

  10. courtney
    10.12.2021

    How can I make this recipe vegan? Ie. can i just remove the cheddar cheese altogether and sub the egg for maybe mashed banana or apple sauce?

    • Alisha
      11.11.2021

      I used a flax ‘egg’ for the egg, myokos butter, and vegan cashew cheddar cheese.

  11. Kathe
    09.19.2021

    This looks amazing, but I no longer have a 10″ cast iron skillet. Any thought on alternative cooking vessels??
    Is a 9″ square or a 7″x11″ too small? Would 9″x13″ too big? Muffin tins?

  12. Liz
    09.19.2021

    5 stars
    Made this and omg. So so so delicious

  13. Sabrina from newkitchenlife.com
    09.17.2021

    I’m a sucker for cornbread and for spiciness, you could say that jalapenos are a mainstay of mine, so this works doubly for me, thank you!

  14. Zara
    09.17.2021

    5 stars
    Hi! Is it in face 3/4 cup jalapeño? Seems like a lot even for someone who loves spicy.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.18.2021

      Hi Zara, yep, we started our tests with 1/2 cup and then felt that it was too mild. The cornmeal, cheese, etc, really balanced them but if you’re worried about it, you could always use a 1/2 cup instead.

  15. Sherri
    09.17.2021

    Can you substitute buttermilk for the almond milk??

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.17.2021

      Hi Sherri, yep, that should be fine!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.