Mexican Cornbread
Hot out of the pan, fully stuffed, and primed for pairing with your favorite warm-you-up soup, it’s Mexican Cornbread. It takes all the fluffy, buttery bliss that’s there to love about classic cornbread, then adds gooey, melty cheddar, fresh jalapeños, and, YES, corn. I normally have strong feelings about actual corn in my cornbread (they go like this: please don’t), but here it doesn’t merely work. It triumphs!
If you are looking for a simple, classic Southern cornbread recipe, this isn’t it. It’s stuffed with spices, cheese, and includes another ingredient that would make many a cornbread purist squirm: honey. If you are in the camp that doesn’t believe in sweetening cornbread, I volunteer as tribute to eat your slice.
If you are trying to make cornbread with Jiffy mix, I hope you’ll stay. This Mexican cornbread is made from scratch (not the box), but I pinky promise homemade cornbread is truly one of the easiest, highest-payoff recipes you’ll try. This Mexican Cornbread is more moist than Jiffy cornbread and more wholesome (I took the healthy cornbread route; this one is 100% whole grain), and all you need to make it is a bowl and a wooden spoon.
And if like me, you just love cornbread and think that a bowl of chili, hearty stew, or game watch feels more complete with it than without, then this stuffed Mexican Cornbread is most assuredly the recipe for you. It’s a fun change of pace from classic cornbread and adds interest and flair to any meal at which you serve it.
How to Make Mexican Cornbread
This is a straightforward dry-ingredient-meets-wet-ingredient recipe.
Mix up the dry ingredients:
- Cornmeal. I like a medium-grind cornmeal like this one, which gives the Mexican cornbread extra texture, but if you don’t have it on hand, regular finer-grind cornmeal works too.
- White Whole Wheat Flour. For whole-grain goodness. Its mild flavor tastes just like all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- Baking Powder AND Baking Soda. For that perfect rise.
Mix up the wet ingredients:
- Buttermilk. I adore how tender buttermilk makes baked goods, and its light tang is a non-negotiable addition to cornbread. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, I included a tip to make your own.
- Butter. Not too much to be heavy, but enough to make this cornbread taste appropriately indulgent.
- Honey. We talked about this. Just do it.
- PSA: I am recently obsessed with these liquid measuring cups. They are flexible so the liquids (especially sticky liquids like honey) “squish” right out. They are easy to wash too.
(Gently) stir the dry and the wet ingredients together, then pile on the good stuff!
- Mexican Corn. Or Mexicorn. Or Fiesta Corn. Whatever your brand of choice calls it, it’s sold by the regular canned corn at the grocery store and is a fab shortcut. In addition to the corn kernels, which in this Mexican cornbread recipe taste welcome, appropriate, and in keeping with the recipe’s Southwest vibe, Mexican corn has bits of red and green pepper that add pretty flecks of color and extra flavor.
- Jalapeños. As long as you remove the seeds and membranes, they’re here for freshness and herbaceousness, not for spice. If you’d like more of a kick, I recommend swapping out the cheese (more below) or sneaking in a pinch of cayenne pepper with the dry ingredients.
- Cheese. Gooey greatness. I opted for a cheddar-jack blend because it is yummy and what we had in the refrigerator. If you’d like to up this cornbread’s spice-factor, swap a hot pepper jack cheese.
- Green Onion. For color, balance, bite, and further evidence that this is not your run-of-the-mill cornbread recipe.
How to Serve Cornbread
- Most recently, I’ve been loving this cornbread with my shortcut Green Chili, to the extent that anytime I eat one, I crave the other.
- Should you want to branch outside the classic chili/cornbread duo, try a big, fluffy slice of this cheesy Mexican cornbread alongside salsa- and avocado-topped fried (easy), poached (fancy), or scrambled (standby) eggs.
- For a meat option, Mexican Cornbread with sausage or bacon would be sublime and ideal either for a lazy gal brunch or fast weeknight brinner.
Storing Mexican Cornbread
- Mexican cornbread should be refrigerated and will last several days…or as long as you can resist it.
Recommended Tools to Make Mexican Cornbread
- Best 8×8-inch baking pan
- Liquid measuring cups
- Short-ish whisk (so much easier than the larger standard ones)
- Metal measuring cups
Mexican Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal — I like medium grind for the texture
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs — at room temperature
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk — at room temperature; or 1 cup 2% milk mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar, cheddar jack, or pepper jack cheese, or a mix — divided
- 1 (7-ounce) can Mexican-style corn — drained (about 1 cup)
- 1 large jalapeño pepper — seeded, membranes removed, and minced
- 2 green onions — chopped, divided (about 1/4 cup)
Instructions
- Line an 8x8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two opposite sides like handles. Lightly coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium microwave-safe mixing bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a large, separate bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the eggs to the bowl with the melted butter and whisk until blended. Stir in the buttermilk and honey. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and, by hand, stir gently just until combined. The batter will be lumpy. Gently stir in 1 cup of the cheese, corn, jalapeño peppers, and half of the green onions. Let the batter sit at room temperature for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining green onions and 1/2 cup cheese on top. Bake the cornbread for 28 to 32 minutes, or until center is set, the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan, then using the parchment paper, lift it onto a cutting board. For tidy slicing, let cool completely. For warm, messy slices, cut right away and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Amount per serving (1 slice, of 16) — Calories: 148, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Carbohydrates: 16g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Protein: 5gDid you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
I love cornbread and Mexican cornbread! My recipe is a little different, and as a southerner, I don’t sweeten my bread and use a skillet, but this sounds very good.
I have a question, though. Is the lack of an egg in the recipe an oversight, or is it really not necessary? I’ve never made cornbread without raw egg in the batter.
Your recipe sounds delicious, Brenda! Making it in a skillet sounds fun too.
Oops! I see now that eggs are included in the ingredients, just not in the article.
I will make this definitely but I have a question first. Rather than buying the Mexican style corn, can’t I use regular corn and add diced sweet peppers (sold in bulk or in bags, and are yellow, orange and red)? This is the kind of peppers in the Mexican corn and wouldn’t fresh be better? I use these all the time in sandwiches/wraps, in scrambled eggs, and on veggie platters to dip in dressing or other dips. They are so good.
Hi Janey! It’s mostly for convenience! It saves the step of having to sauté the corn and peppers, making this a faster, yet still super delicious recipe. I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!
Just made this – really good! I used regular corn as I didn’t want to make a special trip to look for Mexican corn and it still turned out really well. Will definitely make this again :)
Hooray! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Alicia. Thanks for sharing this review!
Made this cornbread the other night to have with chili – really nice flavor! I used a fairly large jalapeno and it wasn’t too spicy at all. We actually liked this better the next day…seemed like it was a bit firmer which made it easier to manage. Great cornbread recipe!!!
Chris, I am so excited to hear it (and I love it leftover too!)
Does this cornbread freeze well? I’m a little leery of doing so because of the cheese in it.
Hi Barbara, yes, it freezes well! Enjoy.
Thank you for this “great” recipe. I had to make a couple of adjustments – using fresh corn – and small can of green chilies – using what I had in my pantry. It’s 115deg. here today – not going to the store. (smile)
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Maureen! I’m so happy you loved the recipe!
I made this for a debate watch party and it got rave reviews, to the point I need to make copies. I made is as written.
I’m so happy to hear this was a hit, Jeri! Thank you for taking the time to share this review!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Made it exactly as stated. My family said I should never use Jiffy again. It went so well with my chili recipe. It was so good that i found the kids eating it for breakfast. Will need to make a double batch next time.
YAY! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit, Lynn! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
made this for dinner tonight and got rave reviews from everyone. They asked me to make it again and invite them over. It turned out perfectly
I’m so happy this recipe was a hit, Judyth! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
Question… I’m not much of a cook so this may be silly, but can you sub all purpose flour for the “white whole wheat flour”? Same measurement, I assume? Thanks!
Hi Mandy! Yes you certainly can. I hope you enjoy it!
Made it- loved it. And making it again today for a work potluck. Great option for a room temperature side to bring when fridge space is super limited! Thanks!
Thanks for taking the time to share this kind review, Mandy! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit!
Great Recipe. I tried it and it was a hit. I made Chicken Chili to go with it as we are on a healthy eating habit for now, so we choose to indulge with this Mexican Cornbread Recipe. It was so good. Thank you so much
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Donna! I’m so happy that this recipe was a hit!
Made this precisely by the recipe & thought the overall flavor was pretty good!
A few questions —
It’s specified that the eggs should be room temperature, yet no mention is made of the buttermilk’s temperature. Is it because the butter is melted & since the eggs are beaten into it they should be warm to keep from re-congealing the butter?
Can you please explain why the batter has to be stirred “gently” & also why it has to rest for 20 minutes while preheating the oven? I’m one of those curious types of cooks & if I understand the science of “why” it helps me understand the process much better :-)
Hi Trish! I love knowing the whys behind things too! 1) The buttermilk would be best at room temp, great point! I’ll update this in the recipe. But your reasoning overall is correct. 2) The gentle stirring keeps the gluten in the flour from activating too much, which would cause the bread to be tough, instead of tender. 3) Resting the batter lets the dry and liquid ingredients absorb, and I find that in this particular recipe, that time leads to a more tender cornbread. I’m so glad you enjoyed it overall!