This Mexican Cornbread is light, fluffy, and filled with cheddar cheese and jalapeño. It has a bit of a nip and a lot of flavor.
While you can’t beat a classic cornbread, it’s sometimes nice to kick up the flavor a notch. This cornbread recipe is even spicier and cheesier than our Jalapeño Cornbread, and pairs perfectly with any of our Mexican Soups.
A Perfect Soup Companion
Hello again! It’s Alicia from The Baker Upstairs, and I have another super delicious recipe to share with you.
This Mexican Cornbread is the perfect side dish for any of your fall soups or chilis—especially with a Mexican soup, like Mexican Chicken and Corn Soup or even Taco Soup.
If you’re eating soup, though, it’s pretty much mandatory that you have some delicious bread to go with it (we prefer cornbread).
This Mexican Cornbread fits the bill perfectly. It’s loaded with cheesy jalapeño flavor, and takes just a few minutes to mix up. Pop it in the oven while your soup is simmering, and you’ll have dinner on the table in no time!
A One Bowl Recipe!
This cornbread can be mixed up in one bowl, with no stand mixer required, and uses ingredients that I nearly always have on hand. It’s perfect for a busy night when I just need something easy and delicious!
PREP. Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9 or 10 inch cake pan or cast iron skillet, and set aside.
MIX. Whisk together the dry ingredients—cornmeal, all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt—in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add the oil, beaten eggs and milk. Stir together until just moistened and no dry spots remain. Fold in the chopped jalapeños and cheddar cheese.
BAKE. Pour the batter into your prepared pan or skillet, and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
*NOTE*: I love using my cast iron skillet because it makes it super crisp around the edges. However, a greased 9 or 10 inch cake pan works too, as does a glass baking dish!
Recipe Tips + FAQ
Additions: Feel free to add some extra ingredients/vegetables for color or flavor! You could include bell peppers (red, green, or orange), diced onions, a small can of green chilis, or some frozen corn.
Which cheese to use? We used cheddar cheese for this recipe, but a Mexican blend, Monterey Jack cheese, or pepper jack cheese would work great too!
How to make it mild or spicy? Don’t be put off by this recipe if you’re not a big fan of spicy food! Removing the ribs and seeds from the jalapeños makes them much more tame. If you like things a little spicier, you could definitely leave the ribs on the jalapeños, or even use two jalapeño peppers.
How to make a crispy crust? If you are baking in a pan, cover the pan with butter before adding the batter into the pan. The Butter will help give a crispier crust. You do not need to add butter when using a cast iron skillet.
How to store? Mexican cornbread can be STORED in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.
How to freeze? You can also wrap it with plastic wrap and again with foil and FREEZE it for 1-2 months. Defrost and then reheat in the oven.
For more cornbread recipes, try:
Mexican Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 jalapeno medium, chopped, seeds removed
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9 or 10 inch cake pan or cast iron skillet, and set aside. Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Make a well in the center and add the oil, beaten eggs and milk. Whisk together until just moistened and no dry spots remain. Fold in the chopped jalapeños and cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
I love having soup at this time of year and this is the perfect addition! Delicious!
I agree! Thank you for sharing that!
A greased cake pan worked great- thanks!! Not too spicy either like I was afraid of.
I am glad to hear that!! Thank you for sharing!
This Cornbread is such a great twist to the regular flavor of cornbread!
Thank you so much for your helpful shearing post!
I am glad to share 🙂 Thank you!
Great recipe. I added 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 cup minced onion. Yummy!!
Sounds great! Thank you so much for letting me know!
I just to MAKE this corn bread decades ago but I had forgotten the recipe. After trying for many years to find it, I came ACROSS YOURS. is the cLosest i can find to the one I used to make. It was a success! My family loves it!!
Yay!! I am glad you found it 🙂 Thank you & enjoy!
Thank you for sharing your recipe
You are so welcome 🙂 Thank you for checking them out!
Excellent I did not peppers so substituted with some Rotel.
That works 🙂 Glad you liked it!
We added a lot more jalapenos, some more cheese and nuts, and we loved it. It makes an amazing breakfast.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Adding more of those ingredients sounds heavenly!
I’ve only made sweet cornbread for years, but thought I’d give this a try. Oh goodness, it was so yummy! My family gobbled it up so fast that I think next time I’ll have to make a double batch!
Oh yay!! So happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the cornbread!
Oh yum!!! I made this today so I could know if I wanted to make it for Cinco de Mayo and I LOOOVED it! Sooo good, thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing! I’m so happy you enjoyed the cornbread.
A quick and easy cornbread full of cheese and jalapeños. A nice side dish for your Mexican food.
The jalapeno definitely adds a nice little kick, which we love. This will be great to serve with any Mexican dish!
Nice twist to cornbread. I’ll have to make some Tao soup so go along with this delicious recipe.
I’ve yet to try the recipe, but am going to as soon as possible; looks and sounds delicious.
Yay!! Hope you enjoy it!
I used an 8” Wilton cake pan with parchment paper cut to fit the bottom. Grease the inside with Crisco Shorting. It was delicious! Freezes well too.
Thanks for sharing what you did! And yes, it a great one to freeze!
For me this recipe is to sweet and cake like.
Thanks for the feedback and giving the recipe a try!
My husband loved this cornbread.
Yay!! So happy to hear that!
My favorite cornbread recipe! It’s especially good since I like my chili a little on the sweeter side, so this adds a nice little kick to dinner to round it all out! Love it!
I’m so glad you love the recipe! A nice balance with your chili… I love it! Thanks for sharing.
This cheesy, slightly spicy, cornbread is AMAZING! LOVE it with White Chili! So much flavor ! Moist & delicious! Great idea to cook it in my cast iron skillet! Perfection!!
All my favorite flavors packed into cornbread! YUM – this recipe is a keeper!
This looks great- but how do you adapt it for high altitude baking?
I’m sure you could google some high altitude cornbread recipes and compare the differences to see how to adjust the recipe. This is also a good reference for converting recipes for high altitude baking. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Thank you!