Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

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This Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread is one of my go-to recipes—moist, tender, and full of bold flavor from fresh jalapeños and melty cheddar. It comes together easily in just 15 minutes of hands-on effort, and it always disappears fast at the table!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: jalapeno cheddar cornbread

Diet: Nut-free

Method: Oven

Servings:

Author: Meeta Arora

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1 ¼ cups All-purpose flour
¾ cup Yellow cornmeal medium ground
1 teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Baking soda
¼ cup Brown sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Wet Ingredients

½ cup Unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
1 cup Buttermilk room temperature
2 tablespoons Honey
2 Eggs

Mix-ins

2 Jalapeño peppers seeds removed, 1 minced and 1 sliced in rounds, adjust to spice preference
1 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese or pepper jack, shredded from a block

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8-inch baking pan or cover with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt. Gently mix all together.
In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, honey, and eggs until smooth. There can be some lumps, as the butter cools, but that is fine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Don’t overmix. Fold in the minced jalapeños and shredded cheese.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Optionally, top with jalapeno rounds.
Bake for 25-30 minutes (or 30-35 minutes if using a glass baking dish), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Let the cornbread cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy warm!

Notes

If you don't have buttermilk, squeeze 1 teaspoon of lemon juice into ¾ cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. As the milk starts to curdle, you will have perfect homemade buttermilk.

Adjust the heat level by seeding the jalapeños for mild spice or leaving some seeds in for a kick.

Use freshly shredded cheese from a block—it melts more beautifully into the batter than pre-shredded.

Extra Cheesy: Sprinkle additional cheddar on top before baking for a golden crust.

Pepper Jack Swap: Use pepper jack cheese for added heat and extra flavor.

Add Corn: Fold in ½ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels for delicious texture. Make sure to remove any excess liquid from frozen corn.

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