Mexican Cornbread from Scratch

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!

Homemade Cornbread

Cornbread is a quick bread leavened with baking powder, not yeast. For my Homemade Cornbread I add corn kernels and diced pickled jalapeños to the batter then drizzle honey on top right out of the oven to soak in and give it a glaze.

4.86 from 7 votes

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Course: Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Tex Mex, Western

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

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

US Customary - Metric

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

For muffins: the recipe fills 12 muffin tins with a bit left over. Bake at 350°F for ~20 minutes and they are golden brown.

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 397mg | Potassium: 382mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 2.1mg

Have you made this recipe? Let me know on InstagramTag @KevinIsCooking and hashtag me #keviniscooking!