There’s not much better than homemade sweet cornbread paired with chili. It may be a million degrees here in Texas, and it’s not even close to fall, but the other night I made pumpkin chili with this cornbread and I have no regrets about it! Whether you need a side for chili, or your favorite BBQ food, or you need an easy dish to take to a potluck, this Jalapeño Cornbread is sure to be a winner. And it’s really easy to make it mild or spicy, depending on your preferences! I used mild jalapeños, which meant my kids gobbled it up.
Ingredients and Susbstitutions
Pickled Jalapeños and the brine– I used homemade quick pickled jalapeños, but normally I would use store-bought. You can usually find store-bought in both mild and spicy forms. As a substitute, you can use fresh diced jalapeños and omit the brine in the recipe, or use canned diced green chiles.Cornmeal- I recommend stone-ground, but any cornmeal will do. Please note, corn flour (masa) is not interchangeable with cornmeal and is not recommended.All-Purpose Flour- you can use a gluten-free substitute if you prefer.Honey and brown sugar- I love the flavor of both in here, but you can use any combination of honey, brown sugar, or white sugar.Butter- You can use oil instead, or ghee.Milk- this can be substituted with a plant-based alternative if you prefer.Baking essentials- Egg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
How to make Jalapeño Cornbread
Tips and Tricks
By mixing the wet ingredients first and gradually adding the dry ingredients, you can save on dishes by not mixing the dry ingredients separately.Allow the cornbread to cool in the pan for 5-10 (or more) minutes before slicing- this will help it stay together and will be safer for you.
How to store cornbread
You can store the cooled, sliced cornbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend warming it up in the microwave if it’s been in the fridge. You can also freeze it- I recommend flash freezing the sliced cornbread on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then removing the pieces and placing in a plastic bag or airtight container. That way, you can grab pieces individually when you need them.
Recommended Equpiment
I recommend an 8×8 baking pan, but a 9×9 or similar size will do. I actually don’t own any square baking pans (whoops, food blogger fail haha!). So I used a random small casserole dish I got a Homegoods that’s about 10″ by 7″ which worked well. You could also use a 10-inch well-seasoned cast iron skillet for this. Here’s how to make cornbread in a skillet. Or, add the batter to a muffin pan for jalapeño corn muffins! You’ll also need a whisk and a large bowl. If you don’t want to use your hands, a pastry brush comes in handy for greasing the baking dish with melted butter.
What to serve with Jalapeño Cornbread
Homemade chili- I love pumpkin chili, crockpot turkey and vegetable chili, vegetarian chili, slow cooker white chicken chili, and instant pot chili.BBQ chicken with a side of coleslaw and potato salad.Homemade soup- split pea soup, lentil soup, black bean soup, or loaded baked potato soup.
I also love serving cornbread for breakfast, slathered with butter and grilled butter-side down in a skillet, and drizzled with honey. Yum!
Other cornbread recipes
Cornbread Dressing with Sausage (from I Heart Recipes)Hot Water Cornbread (from Grandbaby Cakes)Butter Pecan Cornbread (from Darius Cooks)Honey Skillet CornbreadInstant Pot Cornbread (from Recipes from a Pantry)
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