To make delectable Mexican Cornbread, I start with my favorite skillet cornbread and embellish it with jalapeños, green onions, and sharp cheddar cheese. You’ll need just 15 minutes of your time, a cast iron pan for those irresistible crispy edges, and a handful of everyday ingredients.
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When I’m serving chili, stews, or any Mexican-inspired meal really, I love how this cornbread rounds out the meal. The bits of sweet corn and melty cheddar cheese add substance, while the jalapeños bring just enough heat to keep it interesting without being overly spicy.
“This Mexican Cornbread is Fabulous. The crispy edges and bottom are the absolute best. I added green chili’s in mine. The flavor is fantastic!!! Thank You for sharing your recipe.”
tammy
Table of Contents
Recipe at a Glance
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Skill Level: Easy
Ingredients for Mexican Cornbread
- Yellow Cornmeal: I use medium-grind whole grain cornmeal because I love the added crunch, but fine-ground cornmeal works too.
- Flour: regular all-purpose flour
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter. If using unsalted, add an extra pinch of salt.
- Buttermilk: Use cultured buttermilk or see recipe notes for an optional plain yogurt substitute.
- Frozen Corn: I usually thaw it before adding to the batter, but you can add it frozen to the blender. Just let it blend for a few extra seconds.
- Eggs: Large or extra-large eggs
- Jalapeño: Fresh jalapeño adds the perfect kick to this cornbread. For less heat, remove the seeds and membranes (wear gloves to protect your skin).
- Green Onions: You’ll use both the white and green parts of the onions, so look for a fresh-looking bunch.
- Sharp Cheddar: I prefer sharp cheddar so the flavor comes through.
- Vegetable Oil: I use avocado oil, but whatever neutrally flavored, high heat oil you have on hand works.
- Baking Powder and Soda: You’ll use both baking soda and baking powder, just make sure they’re fresh.
- Sugar: This isn’t a sweet cornbread, but a touch of sugar balances the flavors.
- Salt: Use either fine sea salt or about double the amount of kosher salt.
How to Make Mexican Cornbread
Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in a cold oven and preheat to 400°F, allowing the pan to heat with the oven. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a blender, puree the buttermilk, corn and eggs until smooth. Fold the wet ingredients and melted butter into the dry ingredients. Add jalapeños, green onions, and cheese, stirring just until combined.
Remove the hot skillet with an oven mitt, add oil and swirl to coat. Pour in the batter, smooth the top, and bake for 25 minutes until a knife comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing into wedges.
Pro Tips
- Preheat the Skillet: Please don’t skip this because it’s what gives you crispy edges. Before you preheat your oven, slide the cast iron pan in so it heats with the oven.
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: It’s better to have a few dry bits in your batter than to overmix it, which will make your cornbread dense.
- Let the Cornbread Rest: Give the cornbread 5 minutes or so before cutting into wedges. Warm cornbread with a pat of butter is one of the true pleasures of life!
Recipe Variations
- Adjust the Heat: Leave some jalapeño seeds in for extra kick, or use canned, diced green chiles for milder flavor.
- Use a Different Cheese: Monterey Jack cheese or pepper jack are good substitutes for the cheddar.
- Make it Sweeter: Double the sugar if you prefer sweeter cornbread.
Storage and Reheating Tips
If you end up with leftover Mexican cornbread, don’t worry. It freezes beautifully! Cut cornbread into wedges of your desired size (I like to wrap one meal’s worth). Wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Or if you’re planning to eat it within 2 days, let it cool completely before wrapping tightly with foil or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Reheat frozen cornbread wrapped in foil (no need to thaw) for 10-15 minutes, or longer for a large wedge, in an oven preheated to 350˚F.
serve with
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole grain yellow cornmeal preferably medium grind
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 8 tablespoons butter (stick)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup frozen corn thawed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and finely chopped, (see recipe note #2)
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack, grated
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other high heat vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in a cold oven on center rack. Turn oven to 400°F, allowing the pan to preheat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
- Melt butter and set aside to cool.
- In a blender or combine buttermilk, corn and eggs; mix until smooth.
- Pour buttermilk mixture and melted butter into cornmeal mixture. Add jalapeño, green onion and shredded cheese; fold ingredients together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combined; don't over-mix.
- With an oven mitt, remove preheated skillet. Add oil to hot skillet and swirl to coat bottom and sides of pan. Pour batter into skillet, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Smooth top and place on the oven’s center rack.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until knife or toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes or more before serving.
Notes
- You can use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose if you prefer.
- I recommend wearing gloves when handling raw jalapeños as their juices can be highly irritating to skin.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
great recipe. I use two Serrano and a whole cup of can corn (split in half so I add some whole kernels to batter). I use mexican Chihuahua melting cheese (shredded in red bag). Add 1/4 garlic powder.
Love your variations, Darcy! Two serranos must add great heat, and the mix of corn textures sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing your tweaks – Chihuahua cheese is such a good choice for melting!
I made this. It turned out perfect, crispy & delicious! This recipe is a keeper!
I love to hear this, Miriam! Thank you.
This was very tasty. I went with a fine ground, instead of the medium ground cornmeal. I think medium ground would have been better, but my family is not cornbread fans, so I changed it up.
They loved it. They exclaimed how they didn’t think cornbread could taste so good. Took seconds and all that.
I’ll make it again, but next time I will use medium ground since I opened up their minds to the wonders of cornbread.
I love this, Diana! So glad you were able to convert your family to cornbread lovers!
I donāt have a 10ā cast iron skillet. Only 12ā. Any adjustments that you would make? Can these be baked in a muffin tin?
Hi Lynn! For a 12″ skillet, you can drag the ‘servings’ to “10” to increase the amounts by 25% – or go with the recipe as is and know that it will be a bit thinner and cook a few minutes faster. Yes, you can definitely make this in muffin tins, but you’ll need to reduce the baking time and you won’t get those crispy edges you get from cast iron (unless, of course, your muffin tin is made of cast iron! š )
In the nutrition information, what is the serving size?
Hi Melissa! A serving size is 1/8 of the recipe. I typically slice this into 8 wedges, so it would be 1 wedge.
This Mexican Cornbread is Fabulous. The crispy edges and bottom are the absolute best. I added green chiliās in mine. The flavor is fantastic!!! Thank You for sharing your recipe.
Tammy
This is wonderful to hear, Tammy! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
The crispy edges are so good when baked in a cast iron skillet. The cornbread is calling my name and the good thing is that I have all the ingredients.
The crispy edges are the best! I’m excited for you to try this, Karen. Hope you love it as much as we do!
I’ve never made cornbread, but this Mexican version looks like a good place to start. The cheese and jalapenos would seal the deal in my house. And I bet the skillet crust is amazing too!
Thank you, Leanne! I hope you give it a try. š
Marissa, I love corn bread and this one has my favorite Mexican flavors mixed in! This would definitely be a hit on our dinner table!
Love to hear that, Kelly! Thank you!