Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread is perfectly moist, filled with buttery flavor and a kick of spice from the freshly diced peppers. Once you realize how easily this all comes together, it will quickly become your favorite cornbread recipe.
A southern classic - cornbread made in a cast iron skillet. This recipe adds freshly diced jalapeños for a perfect kick of heat! I love to serve this with my savory pumpkin chili, slow-cooked greens, or just eat it as a snack with a little softened butter.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $0.69
- Total Cost (8 slices): $2.74
- Those Other Guys: $3.99 per serving
Ingredients
- Buttermilk - Our base of this cornbread lies in buttermilk. Using buttermilk over regular milk gives the cornbread TONS of moisture and a rich, buttery flavor. If you don't have buttermilk, check the substitution section below for a quick way to make it yourself!
- Yellow Cornmeal - Of course, we need cornmeal for cornbread. Cornmeal is simply ground field corn. I suggest the fine-textured cornmeal to make sure we have a light, beautiful crumb on the bread.
- Jalapeños - Using fresh jalapeños gives the perfect kick to jazz up your standard cornbread mixture.
- White Sugar - Just a tablespoon of white sugar helps with flavor balance. Not to worry though; this is definitely a more savory cornbread instead of the sweet kind!
- Eggs - These provide structure to the cornbread and help it rise beautifully.
- Butter - True, southern-style cornbread has a good amount of butter in it. If you're really worried about consumption, you can reduce the amount by half - but no more than that!
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda - A combination of both gives our cornbread the perfect amount of rise. It also helps with texture.
- Salt - Just a pinch of salt enhances the flavor of our dish.
Variations and Substitutions
Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread: Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar into the batter for a cheesy take on this classic.
Hot Honey Jalapeño Cornbread: Love the spice? Make a batch of hot honey sauce and brush on top while warm. My recipe for Hot Honey Chicken has the steps for it in the recipe card.
Jalapeño Cornbread with Corn Kernels: To double the corniness (I couldn't resist that pun!), add ½ cup of frozen corn kernels to the batter before baking.
How to Make Jalapeño Cornbread in a Cast-Iron Skillet
Step 1: To begin, crack two eggs into your room temperature buttermilk. Whisk until mixed well.
Step 2: Add in the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and minced jalapeños.
Step 3: Gently fold together until just incorporated. Your batter will be nice and fluffy.
Step 4: While your oven is preheating, add the cast-iron skillet. Use a knife to spread the butter on the bottom and sides of the pan.
Step 5: Pour any extra melted butter into the batter. This is optional - you can also just pour the batter on top of that extra goodness.
Step 6: Finally, add your cornbread batter to the hot cast iron skillet, and bake for 20 minutes until it's firm in the middle and the edges have slightly pulled away from the edge of the pan.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Start with room temperature ingredients. Make sure your buttermilk and eggs are room temperature (the butter doesn't really matter, as we're melting it anyway.) This makes for a more even batter after blending.
- Seeds or no seeds? Most of the spice in fresh jalapeños lie in the seeds. If you love spice, you can add them into the batter. If you want to be on the safe side, de-seed your jalapeños before mincing.
- Gently mix! Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything just comes together. If you overmix your batter, your cornbread will bake up dense and hard.
- Use a hot cast-iron. For a golden brown crust with a soft inside, add your batter to a hot, greased cast iron skillet.
- Get dairy, if you can. Even the substitute I list in the recipe should be fine, as long as it's whole milk. The non-dairy versions don't give you a final product that is as moist as using dairy.
Recipe FAQs
Technically, you don't need a castiron... but it makes ALL of the difference in the world. Especially for this recipe! Using a buttered cast iron skillet will give us a beautiful golden-brown crust with a moist and tender inside.
If you run out of prepared buttermilk, you can make your own by adding 1 tbsp. of lemon juice to a 1-cup measuring cup. Then, fill the cup up with regular milk. Let it sit for a few minutes until it's slightly curdled.
First, I recommend using a cast iron skillet for even heating. Then, use the technique I list below of buttering the skillet, setting it in the oven until hot, then pouring the cornbread batter into the hot skillet. That helps get a buttery, golden-brown crust!
Yes - I put the instructions in the recipe notes below, but can explain here as well.
If you're freezing after baking, If you're freezing after baking, let the cornbread cool completely. Wrap with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil. Add this to a heavy duty freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2.5 months.
If you want to freeze the cornbread batter, pour it into a heavy duty freezer-safe bag and press to remove any extra air. Seal and freeze for up to 2.5 months.
For fully baked, frozen cornbread - let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You can then serve at room temperature, or reheat using the microwave or oven until just warmed through.
For the raw, frozen batter - let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bake as directed. You may need to add a few minutes to the final cooking time.
Other Southern, Soul Food Recipes Like This!
If you tried this Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Chef's Knife
- Whisk
- Wooden Spoon
- Butter Knife
Ingredients
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 count eggs
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 count large jalapeños chopped
- ¼ cup salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs.
- Pour in the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chopped jalapeño
- Add in sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chopped jalapeños. Gently fold the batter until just incorporated.
- Place a cast iron skillet in the oven for a few minutes.
- Remove, and place your butter in the hot skillet. Use a butter knife to spread the butter around the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Pour any extra melted butter into the cornbread batter, stirring gently.
- Pour the batter into the hot, greased skillet.
- Bake for 22 minutes until golden brown and set. You should be able to tap the center of the cornbread with your finger, and it's completely firm. The edges should also be golden brown and slightly pulling away from the sides of the skillet.
- While hot, brush extra butter on the top of the cornbread. Let it cool for 5 minutes before slicing to serve. I love to pair this with Pumpkin Chili. Enjoy!
Nikki says
This has been my go-to cornbread recipe for family and friend gatherings! Since Thanksgiving is coming up nd I’m making it again, I wanted to leave a comment!
The jalapeños add the right amount of kick without being too spicy for kids or those with sensitive palettes. And I love the golden brown crust I get everytime! The butter in the batter and on the skillet takes this cornbread up a notch.
Thank you thank you thank you!
Shani W. says
Yesss - this is what I love to hear! That buttery crust is my favorite too. I appreciate you for commenting, Nikki 🙂