Mexican Cornbread from Scratch
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Mexican cornbread is SO much better than Jiffy cornbread! Jalapenos and corn make it moist and delicious. Make this recipe from scratch in 20 minutes!
Mexican cornbread is a slightly spicier version of classic cornbread. The addition of jalapenos adds a nice little kick to the bread. Not so much that it’s spicy, but enough to add great flavor.
It’s delicious with chili, enchiladas and other Mexican foods, soups and beef stew, or just as a snack.
Types of homemade cornbread
I consider myself to be a fan of cornbread. If you feel the same way, you may already know that there are several different types of cornbread. For those of you who aren’t aware, here they are:
- SOUTHERN CORNBREAD
Good old fashioned, classic southern cornbread is something completely different from any other homemade cornbread. It isn’t meant to be sweet, and it’s not moist at all. In fact, it is very dry and crumbly.
For whatever reason, folks in the south like it that way. It is always made from scratch, and almost always served with other classic southern side dishes, like southern greens (collard greens) and beans.
- BOX MIX, aka JIFFY CORNBREAD
Some people like to make cornbread with Jiffy mix, mainly because it’s quick and convenient. Essentially, the dry ingredients are in the box. Wet ingredients like milk, eggs, and oil are incorporated.
The thing is, my Mexican cornbread is made from scratch. But it’s SO quick and easy to make, you’ll feel like you made it from a box mix!
If you need facts to justify making my Mexican homemade cornbread from scratch, I’ve got one for you.
Why cornbread from scratch is better
- BETTER FLAVOR AND TEXTURE
This cornbread recipe calls for a can of corn niblets and some finely chopped, pickled jalapenos. Both of those ingredients are wet, so the jalapeno cornbread is full of moisture.
Plus, there is a little bit of honey in the bread as well. If you don’t enjoy sweet cornbread, you can definitely cut back on the amount, or leave it out entirely. I have some suggestions for substitutes further down in this post.
To recap:
Mexican cornbread is sweeter and more moist than southern cornbread, and definitely has a fresher taste than Jiffy cornbread! But, it’s just as quick and easy to make as BOTH of the other versions.
How to make the recipe
Making this recipe is very similar to making a muffin recipe, or a quick bread, like banana bread.
You measure the dry ingredients into one bowl, and the wet ingredients go into a smaller bowl. Then, the wet ingredients are added to the dry ingredients.
The reason for this is because you want to completely incorporate the eggs, and to ensure that the dry ingredients become wet. Otherwise, you can end up with clumps of dry flour in your cornbread.
Can you use just one bowl?
To prevent dirty dishes, you can just use one bowl if you want to. Just combine the dry ingredients first, then add the wet ingredients on top of the dry ones.
Be sure to blend it well to incorporate the eggs, but don’t over mix the batter. Otherwise, your homemade cornbread won’t be as moist.
Watch how to make Mexican cornbread below!
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Homemade Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños diced (optional)
- 8.5 oz can of corn drained
- 3 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8” square pan, 9” round cake pan with the cooking spray. OR use a cast iron skillet.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, milk and egg until well mixed.
- Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt , stirring until the flour is moistened.
- Stir in the corn and chopped jalapeños (batter will be lumpy).
- Pour batter into the pan spreading evenly and smooth top of batter.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and brush honey on top, allow to soak in.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Good morning…me again!!!
I made your scratch cornbread last night to have with chili and there is no turning back now to any other kind! My husband (and I) loved it. My husband is a big fan of cornbread and gosh, it was so good. I used a cast iron pan and it was just delicious. Thank you for that recipe! (I used jarred sliced jalapenos and chopped them up and it was perfect…next time, I’ll try making your pickled jalapenos first.)
Have a great day!
Ha! You’re the best Eileen. Thanks for coming back to let me know!
I love Mexican cornbread but I don’t think I would add honey or sugar. I make it with lots of jalapenos and creamed corn. I suppose the sweet counteracts the hot but we like it hot. Oh and I add 8 oz of cheddar to mine too.
Thanks for stopping by Sally.
I needed a good corn bread quick with dinner tonight and Kevin’s is the first place I look for bold trustworthy flavor. Delicious and easy, just what I needed. In case anyone needs to know, I decided to bake the batter into muffins and the recipe filled 12 muffin tins with a bit left over. I baked at 350F degrees for ~20 minutes and they were golden brown, delicious. Thanks for yet another best recipe, Kevin.
Thanks so much Sally. Cheers to a happy and healthy 2022!