Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Apr 23, 2025 
Our Best Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Recipe is soft, moist, thick, and fluffy, loaded with cheese. It’s a classically delicious Southern side dish that is ready in under an hour!
Why We Love Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
Thick or thin, crumbly or soft, smooth or with kernels – if you’re from the south, then you likely have an opinion (or two) on which cornbread is the best.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
While we believe that all cornbreads are beautiful, in our family we prefer thick and fluffy cornbread prepared in a baking dish. Although dense and slightly crispy cornbread made in a skillet is certainly yummy, it just doesn’t quite give me the oomph I need in a carb-alicious side dish.
To us, the taller the cornbread the better. Especially if it contains spicy jalapenos and cheese!
Besides having a fabulous taste and the fluffiest texture possible, a thick cornbread is great for loading with all kinds of savory and spicy add-ins.
This Jalapeno Cornbread recipe with cheddar cheese is similar to our Fluffy Broccoli Cornbread, but kicked up a few notches thanks to the spicy peppers. The heat is balanced by cheesy goodness and sweet corn so that every bite is a party in your mouth. And it’s easy to tweak the ingredients and flavors to your liking!
Prep time is only about 15 minutes and this recipe uses just one bowl. The cornbread then bakes hands-off for 40 minutes, so in less than an hour, start to finish, you have a fresh and hot side dish on the table.
Once you realize how simple it is to make cornbread from scratch using basic pantry items, I promise you’ll never buy the pre-made package blends again. All of these ingredients are easy to find at popular grocery stores, and you probably have most (if not all) of these in your kitchen right now!
Ingredients You Need
- All-purpose flour – or your favorite gluten-free baking mix
- Cornmeal – 100% pure, not a mix
- Granulated sugar – or coconut sugar
- Baking powder – to get perfectly tall cornbread
- Salt – just a pinch
- Garlic powder – because all good things have garlic, amirite?
- Buttermilk – store-bought or homemade buttermilk
- Eggs – room temperature if you can
- Unsalted butter – melted
- Sweet corn – frozen and thawed corn kernels
- Sharp cheddar cheese – shredded
- Jalapeno peppers – diced
Pro Tip: Pair Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread with your favorite fuss-free southern mains for a comforting dinner any night of the week!
How to Make Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Find the full Jalapeno Cornbread recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Equipment You Need
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Measuring Cup
- Large Bowl
- Whisk
- Casserole Dish or Cast Iron Skillet
Recipe Variations
- Prepare as a fairly mild Jalapeno Cornbread recipe by seeding the fresh jalapenos before adding them to the batter.
- Like it super spicy? Leave the jalapeno seeds in when you dice them!
- Make it even spicier by swapping cheddar with spicy pepper jack cheese or adding in crushed red pepper.
- Use gouda cheese to elevate the flavors of your cornbread, or use half shredded gouda and half shredded cheddar.
Tips & Tricks
- Some people argue that sugar should never be added to cornbread. If you don’t want sugar in your cornbread, feel free to omit it or use a little bit less!
- To make sure you get fluffy cornbread with crisp edges, don’t over-mix the cornbread batter! Mix just until everything is combined.
- Use a medium-grain cornmeal! This will provide the perfect amount of crunchiness to this jalapeno cornbread recipe.
- Use freshly shredded cheese! Freshly shredded cheese (from a block) will ensure that the cheese melts seamlessly into the batter while baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Serve the fluffiest, most flavorful cornbread loaded with cheese and jalapenos alongside nearly any classic southern dish. It is delicious with mains like Coca-Cola Baked Ham, Grilled Pork Chops, or Slow Cooker Pulled Pork… And is a great addition to other sides like Southern Collard Greens and Cheesy Southern Squash Casserole.
Generous chunks of warm and soft cornbread are also wonderful to enjoy with hearty soups and stews. Try this recipe as a side for Tender Beef Mulligan Stew, the BEST Beef Chili (seriously), and Creamy White Chicken Chili.
Cornmeal itself is GF so you simply need to swap the all-purpose flour with your preferred gluten-free baking mix.
This depends on how you make it! It definitely has a little bit of a kick to it. However, if you deseed the jalapeños, the cornbread won’t be as spicy. If you keep the seeds in the batter, then you will get more of a spicy flavor!
Leftover cheesy cornbread with jalapeños will keep well for up to 3-4 days. Wrap tightly in cling wrap or keep in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also place it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yes! This is a great recipe to make ahead and freeze. Let the cornbread cool completely before wrapping it in cling film and then a layer of aluminum foil. For even more protection I recommend also storing it in an airtight plastic zipper bag. Defrost the Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread in the fridge overnight and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until warm, about 5-10 minutes.
You can reheat cornbread in the microwave in 30-second increments until soft and fully warmed. Or place the pieces in the air fryer and reheat for 2 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Looking for More Classic Southern Side Dishes?
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal (not mix)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 10 ounces frozen sweet corn thawed
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3-4 large jalapenos diced (about ¾ cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set out a 9 X 13 inch baking dish and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
- Dice the jalapenos and shred the cheese. (If you are sensitive to heat, seed the jalapenos before dicing, otherwise leave the seeds in.)
- Set out a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. Mix well. Then whisk in the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Whisk until smooth.
- Fold the thawed sweet corn, 2 cups of cheddar cheese, and the diced jalapenos into the batter. Mix well.
- Scoop the batter into the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese over the top.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes. The center should no longer jiggle when you shake the pan. (You can insert a toothpick into the center to make sure it’s fully baked. If the toothpick comes out dry, remove from the oven.)
Notes
Nutrition
My husband asked for jalepeno cheddar cornbread and in the past, I believe I’ve just put some cheese and jalepenos in the regular cornbread recipe that I usually make. I wanted something better, so I started looking for a recipe and came across this one. It looked good and pretty easy to make so I decided to try it. Oh my gosh- this is delicious! My husband and I have said it’s the best cornbread and this is how we should make it all the time from now on. Even my teenager, who doesn’t always like spicy things, said this was really good. Very good flavor and makes a nice, moist cornbread that pairs perfectly with soup but is great on its own.
I made this tonight as written. It is very good. The jalapeños I got from the grocery store were not hot at all but it still gave the cornbread more texture and its pretty. Cake like texture and it rose just like a cake. Beautiful presentation!
I was curious if you’ve ever tried cooking this recipe in a cast iron in the oven. I’ve usually preferred it that way on my other recipe but that is southern cornbread. I love your recipe but would like to know if anyone has tried cast iron and what temps and times and adjustments ??
Wow! Best corn bread ever. So fluffy and moist and perfect amount of spicy. Will definitely be making again!