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Spicy, sweet, and your new favorite thing to eat, my jalapeño cornbread recipe is perfect anytime you need mouth-watering side dishes!
Need a fluffy side with your chili? Cornbread! Need a dish that’s borderline dessert? Cornbread! Need something to warm your heart and soul? CORNBREAD! There is nothing cornbread recipes can’t do — and adding jalapeños makes it extra punchy!
I’ve got a cornbread recipe to suit all your tastes. Our very authentic Southern cornbread is the recipe you reach for when you want a savory version rather than a sweet one. Sweet cornbread is my go-to when I’m feeling like having some sweet cornbread.
Our Jiffy cornbread recipe takes the box mix to whole new levels of moist and tender cornbread. If you’d like a sweet cake-like version, you won’t believe how amazing our Bisquick cornbread tastes.
Let’s bake this!
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE
- Sweet, savory, spicy, all in one!
- Great with any main dish
- This cornbread recipe has BACON (oh, did I forget to mention that?)
- Less than an hour, start to finish
JALAPEÑO CORNBREAD INGREDIENTS
- Buttermilk: This recipe is a variation of old-fashioned cornbread. One thing that I love about it is that it does not use buttermilk! Thanks to the oil, it’s still moist and tender.
- Jalapeños: Most of the heat contained in a jalapeño is in the ribs and seeds. You can control the overall spice of the cornbread by removing all of them or adding some or all, per your preference for spice.
- Bacon: This adds a delicious smoky flavor to the cornbread.
- Flour: All-Purpose flour. I use Gold Medal.
- Sugar: Granulated Sugar.
- Corn Meal: This is a meal (coarse flour) ground from dried maize.
- Baking Powder: This recipe relies only on baking soda for its lift. No baking soda is needed.
- Salt: Regular table salt.
- Milk: Whole milk.
- Eggs: I use large eggs.
- Oil: Use any neutral-flavored vegetable oil.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter. It adds rich buttery flavor to the cornbread.
TIPS + VARIATIONS
Overmixing: Do not overmix the batter. Mix just until the batter is moistened. It’s perfectly normal to have lumps in the batter. Overmixing will create a dense bread.
When Is My Cornbread Done? Remember, recipes can only give you an approximate baking time. Every oven runs differently. Insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of the cornbread. It should come out with a few moist crumbs.
Give It A Rest: After baking, that is! By letting it rest for a few minutes, the cornbread will be easier to cut and slice. It doesn’t need to cool completely. In fact, I love to eat it warm from the oven.
Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread: Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese into the batter. You can switch up the type of cheese. I really love it with Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese!
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
- 8-inch baking pan or an 8-9-inch diameter cast iron skillet. A 10-inch cast-iron skillet will work if it’s the smallest one you have, but the cornbread will be thinner.
- Mixing bowls for your wet and dry ingredients
- Skillet for the bacon
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? You can store your leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend waiting to slice them if you know you’re going to store them — that way, the edges don’t get dried out! Cover well with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.
- Reheating Leftovers: I place them on a microwave-safe dish, cover with damp paper towels, and microwave until warm.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes! Cornbread is very freezer-friendly. Simply wait until it’s cooled (and again, don’t cut it yet—you don’t want to get the edges dry if you don’t have to!) and store it in the freezer for up to three months.
- To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight or even on the counter. Reheat in a toaster oven if you want the crust to be crispier!
- Make-Ahead Tips: This cornbread stores so well that I love making it ahead of time! Don’t worry about the flavor — it’ll taste just as good a few days later as it does fresh. That’s the magic of cornbread!
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety, check out this link.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
We love this cornbread with our Texas chili, my Mom’s famous classic chili, steak chili, chili mac, or Pioneer Woman’s chili.
It’s also great with most soups. We love it with our chicken noodle soup, vegetable beef soup, beef barley soup, busy day soup, chicken tortilla soup, and Mexican chicken soup.
HOW TO MAKE JALAPEÑO CORNBREAD RECIPE
- Start by preheating your oven and prepping your baking dish.
- Then, in a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy.
- In a separate large bowl, combine your dry ingredients; in another separate bowl, mix your wet ingredients, but add the bacon and jalapeño as well.
- Add to the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined.
- Pour batter into your prepared baking pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
- Done!
***See the full instructions below.
MORE CORNBREAD RECIPES!
Try serving your cornbread with our whipped honey.
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Jalapeno Cornbread
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon chopped
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a 12-inch skillet, add chopped bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp and cooked through. Remove cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour (1 1/2 cups), sugar (2/3 cup), cornmeal (1/2 cup), baking powder (1 tablespoon), and salt (1/2 teaspoon).
- In a small bowl, combine milk (1 1/4 cups), eggs (2), vegetable oil (1/3 cup), melted butter (3 tablespoons), bacon, and jalapeno, and mix well. Add to flour mixture and stir just until combined.
- Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
A really nice balance of flavors! It’s on my repeat list for chili, Mexican or just cravings. I always find that bringing eggs, milk, etc. to room temp makes for better results in recipes where cold ingredients aren’t specifically needed. If you’re in a hurry, you can put eggs in lukewarm water for a few minutes and microwave milk for a short burst. Everything mixes better, you get good egg volume and it makes for better textures.
Thank you for the tips, Kathleen! And I’m happy you liked this cornbread 🙂
I love this cornbread
This looks so incredibly good!!! By the way, I love your recipe card, what is it called?
Thanks Matt, not sure what it’s called. I’ll ask my tech person 🙂