This cast iron skillet jalapeño cornbread is wonderfully moist and is deliciously. Added corn kernels and cheddar cheese makes for loads of flavour! Bakes up perfectly in a cast iron skillet!
Why you’ll love this jalapeño skillet cornbread recipe!
- This skillet jalapeño cornbread is one of my favourites. It has tons of flavour and is always moist. Enjoy this cornbread with your Fall stews or soups, or as a great addition to late-summer barbecues.
- Using a cast iron skillet or cornbread always makes for a great cornbread – crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It also holds the heat well to keep the cornbread warm for serving.
- The added corn kernels and cheese makes this cornbread recipe extra special.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Corn – Do note that you need to use COOKED corn for this cornbread. You can get your cooked corn any number of ways. You can use left-over cooked corn or corn on the cob. You can use frozen corn, that you cook as you normally would ahead of time. You don’t want the corn to be hot and cold from the fridge corn is fine to use. If cooking before using here, allow enough time for the corn to cool at least to lukewarm or ideally completely, before using.
To change this up a bit, use grilled or roasted corn for a bit of a smoky taste to your cornbread.
Jalapeño – The amount of jalapeño listed is just a suggestion :) It’s how I enjoy it. You can adjust up or down, to taste. You can also add or substitute other peppers, if you prefer.
Cheese – I like regular cheddar cheese in this one, but feel free to use whatever cheese you like.
Cream or Milk – Any of heavy (whipping) cream, table cream, half and half cream (10%), whole milk (3%), buttermilk or even 2% milk will work here. The biggest difference will be in the moistness of the finished cornbread. Cream will produce the nicest results. I have not tested this recipe with non-dairy milks.
Sugar – The sweetness of cornbread is very subjective, so you can easily adjust the amount of added sugar here, to taste. Use 1/3 cup for a less sweet cornbread. Use 2/3 cup if you love it sweet! If you aren’t sure or if you like just medium sweet, try 1/2 cup sugar to split the difference.
Recipe Video
Recipe Tips
- I’ve used my mixer here, with a paddle attachment and always mixing to a minimum, on low speed. A mixer isn’t necessary though, as you can easily mix this one up with just a bowl and a wooden spoon.
- This cornbread is very fragile when very hot, so for best cutting and flavour, allow to cool in the pan at least 30 minutes (it will still be warm) or ideally, 45-60 minutes or completely.
- You can cut and serve this cornbread in wedges (as shown here), but if you’d like smaller pieces, simply make 3 slices diagonally from left to right, then 3 slices diagonally from right to left and you will end up with a skillet of smaller pieces.
- As mentioned, I think cornbread is best when baked up in a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use a similar sized baking pan (9-inch round), though you’ll want to skip a long pre-heat in the oven. You can pre-heat a metal baking dish for 3-5 minutes, but don’t pre-heat a glass pan at all. If not using a cast-iron skillet, it will still be delicious, it just won’t have the nice crispy outside edges.
- This cornbread can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days. It will also freeze well up to 2 months.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
I often will bake this one up in the morning, then re-heat in the skillet in a 350F oven to serve. Be sure to cover the top loosely with foil when re-heating. It will only take 8-10 minutes to warm it. I find it has even more flavour when it has had a chance to sit for a bit.
This cornbread should freeze well up to 2 months.
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Get the Recipe: Cast Iron Skillet Jalapeño Cornbread
Ingredients
- 3/4 - 1 cup jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and diced
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fine cornmeal
- 1 Tablespoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or 1 tsp fine salt (reduce slightly is using salted butter)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup corn, COOKED and cooled, fresh or frozen *see Note 1
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, half and half cream, whole milk or buttermilk, APPROXIMATELY **enough to equal 1 1/2 cups when measured along with the corn kernels **See Note 2 Below or Recipe Video to see this measured
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated, plus bit more for the top before baking
- 3/4 cup butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature
- 1/3 - 2/3 cup granulated white sugar, *see Note 3 below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F (regular bake setting/non-convection)with rack in centre of the oven. Lightly grease a 10-inch top diameter cast-iron skillet.
- When oven is preheated, place diced jalapeños in the cast-iron skillet, then place the skillet in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven, then spoon out the jalapeños to a small bowl to cool. Return the cast-iron skillet immediately to oven to PRE-HEAT.
- Meanwhile, In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a 2-cup measuring cup, add the 1 cup of cooked (and cooled!) corn kernels. Add enough cream or milk to the measuring cup with the corn, until the liquid reaches the 1 1/2 cup level of the measuring cup. (*See Recipe Notes below if this isn't clear, or watch the Recipe Video above this Recipe Card to see it done). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs to blend. Add the corn/cream mixture and the cheddar cheese and stir in. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a wooden spoon or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together at low speed (or with a wooden spoon), just until the butter absorbs the sugar. Add the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the cooled jalapeños. Mix in the flour mixture, mixing just until barely incorporated.
- Remove skillet from oven and lightly coat with nonstick spray. Spoon batter in to hot pan and quickly top with a bit more grated cheddar cheese. Bake cornbread until top is golden brown and springs back when gently pressed, 25-28 minutes when baked in a 10-inch skillet (may be longer if your skillet is smaller). Let cool in pan at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Cornbread can be made ahead and then re-heated in the skillet. Cover the top loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil and re-heat in a 350F oven until warm, about 8-10 minutes.
Notes
More Cast Iron Skillet Recipe to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
I followed the recipe. I used all buttermilk, and used about quarter cup duck fat and olive oil in the hot skillet. I have never tasted such great corn bread. It had a lovely brown crust that was crispy but the inside was perfect. Will certainly make this again even if it is a lot of work. Worth it.
Glad you enjoyed it, Joy! Thanks so much :)
This bread is amazing! I normally do not care for cornbread, I just make it for my husband but I find myself thinking about this bread time after time. Definitely worth making.
Thanks so much, Elizabeth :) So glad you are enjoying it!
This is just the most fantastic corn bread. I think the hot cast iron skillet really made the difference. The crust from the pan is so yummy
So glad you enjoyed it, Loree :) Thanks so much!
This was a very easy recipe. And…oh, my, goodness…when it comes out of the oven…it is a work of art. It was delicious. This is something to impress your invited guests.
So glad to hear, Chris :) Thanks!
Do you have any suggestions for using canned kernel corn or canned creamed corn since fresh corn isn’t available to me at this time? The recipe looks fantastic and I will definitely be trying it.
Hi Douglas, I just use a good quality frozen corn (thawed), when fresh corn isn’t available. Enjoy!
Tonight will be the forth time I have made this cornbread, I introduced it to a party in outback Australia and the guest couldn’t believe how good it was! It’s perfect! Can’t wait for tonight’s feed, thanks Jennifer
So glad to hear, Burnett! I like the sound of a party in the outback :) Thanks so much!
This just won a chili and cornbread cook-off at my office. And since I still have a bunch of corn and cream in my fridge I will be making another batch very soon.
That is awesome, Jason! Congratulations and enjoy your next batch, too :)
Sweet jesus this was good.
I used a trifecta of whole milk, buttermilk and cream. Fresh cut corn and farmhouse cheddar. VVS good.
So glad you enjoyed it :) Thanks!
This recipe is superb. I went against my better judgement and used the full amount of butter, although I cut the sugar by 1/2 because I prefer a savory cornbread. Also used frozen corn with jalapenos, as I had this on hand. I used a combination of 2% and half n half cream to top up the liquid. One thing I will try next time is … more corn. I might double it, in fact. Bread took 30 minutes in my (verified) 400 degree oven. If you follow the instructions, with minor modifications, you will enjoy a wonderful corn bread addition to your meal.
So glad you enjoyed this, Hannah! Thanks so much :)
Hi Jennifer!
This looks great – am going to attempt to make this tonight for a potluck tomorrow. Can i use frozen corn kernels (defrosted) instead of cooked corn? Or will this affect the texture?
Thank you!
Hi Shaz, yes you can but I would cook it first then cool.
Do you use canned corn that is drained?
Any cooked corn would work here, though fresh cooked corn kernels would probably have the best flavour and texture. That said, if you want to start with canned, you would need to drain for sure.
Hi, I know I’m putting this in the wrong place, so I hope you get my question (I’m a little technologically challenged when it comes to social media, blogging, etc.) I have a fairly large gathering coming up and I wanted to make cast iron skillet cornbread. Your recipe and comments look awesome. I measured the cast iron skillet that was passed on to me from a relative and it is 15 inches across the top. Obviously, I know I would need to increase the batter, but I’m trying to judge whether 1.5x or 2x would be best. How much room do you leave from the top of the pan? I really want to use the skillet and not a pan. Thanks!
Hi Kathy, my skillet (the one in the picture) is 10-inches across the top. So I’m going to say you should go the 1.5 route. It’s been a while since I made it and I don’t recall exactly how much it rose. From the pictures, it was nearing the top of the skillet cooked. I would guess the batter filled it 1/2-2/3. Hope that helps and enjoy!
This is bit confusing what you mentioned in the recipe. Please elaborate … 1 cup cooked corn kernels plus enough cream, milk or buttermilk to equal 1 1/2 cups…
Hi Latha, What it means is that you place cooked corn kernels in a 2 cup glass measuring cup, up to the 1 cup level. Then you pour milk (or buttermilk) into the measuring cup until the liquid reaches the 1 1/2 cup level when poured in over the corn. Hope that helps :)
This is the best ever cornbread. This will be my new go- to recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks :)
Hi there! Is this something I could make in a 9×13 baking dish or pan instead of in a cast iron skillet? If so, how do you think it would affect baking time? Thank you! Excited to try this.
Hi Aly, I think 9×13 is too large. Somewhere around a 9-inch round or square baking pan would work, with a similar baking time.
I’m just a bit confused on this direction… 1 cup cooked corn kernels plus enough cream, milk or buttermilk to equal 1 1/2 cups? Just to confirm do I place one cup of corn kernels in the measuring cup then add enough cream to the same measuring up to reach 1 1/2 cups? Thank you.
Yes that’s it exactly Ellen. Enjoy :)
This is the best cornbread in the history of the world! I made it. It made up just like the picture and the taste and experience is out of this world. Wow! Thank-you. It will be my go-to cornbread recipe. I might even open a restaurant. (Not really).
Lol! So glad you enjoyed it :) It’s my absolute favourite, as well. Thanks!