Mexican Cornbread

This MEXICAN CORNBREAD is soft, moist, delicious with a hint of sweetness and heat filled with corn kernels, jalapeno peppers, green chilies, Monterey Jack, and cheddar cheese. An amazing cornmeal comfort food that pairs well with soups and stews, entrees, or on its own!

Contents… Mexican Cornbread vs Southern Cornbread Recipe Ingredients Alternative Ingredients Cornbread Variations Storage and Reheating Instructions What Goes Good with Cornbread? More Cornbread Recipes to Try How to Make Mexican Cornbread

I love anything cornmeal! Growing up with it made me obsessed with making different versions of cornbread. In my quest for expanding my cornbread recipe collection, I bumped into this Mexican Cornbread recipe that closely resembles this South African Mealie Bread.

Oh boy, every bite of this soft and moist cornbread is just pleasing to the mouth. It has that spot-on tangy, sweet, cheesy, and mild heat flavors in every bite. No wonder hubby gets all fired up (pun intended) when he sees this paired with soups and stews. Buuut, take it with a grain of salt. You should try and judge it yourself. Enjoy!

Mexican Cornbread vs Southern Cornbread

Southern Cornbread

We all know by now how cornbread is a staple in every southern home. The southern version is quick, easy with just a handful of ingredients. Although, I must say that there’s a debate about whether to put sugar or not in Southern Style Cornbread.

Mexican Cornbread

On the other hand, this Mexican version of cornbread is spicy. Okay, it’s not that kind of spicy that burns your tongue. With chopped green chilies and jalapenos, which are common in Mexican cuisine, its mild heat balances the tanginess and cheesiness in this popular side dish. Add some sweet corn kernels, and you’ll have a burst of summer flavor in every bite!

Recipe Ingredients

What makes our Mexican Cornbread extra delicious? Well, you won’t be needing much. These are the things that make up our mouth-watering baked cornbread treat:

Cornbread Batter

• All-Purpose Flour – is used as a thickening agent. The all-purpose flour also holds together the wet ingredients for your cornbread such as oil, buttermilk, and eggs.
• Ground Cornmeal – the star of the show! You can choose any variety you like whether the grainy or smooth one.
• Baking Powder – is a leavening agent that gives our cornbread that beautiful rise and gives the baked goods that light and fluffy texture.
• Granulated Sugar – it balances the flavor and heat found in this recipe and also that wonderful golden brown color.
• Kosher Salt – Kosher salt is preferred for cooking cornbread because it has a cleaner, brighter flavor, unlike iodized salt that has a metallic taste.
• Buttermilk – adds that very much-needed softness and moisture to our recipe. Have you encountered cornbreads that are dry on the inside? Yes? Then it’s missing this key ingredient. Don’t have one? Then you can make it just click this How To Make Buttermilk and its substitutes.
• Eggs – whole eggs also add tenderness and moisture to baked goods. Want to know what you can use instead of eggs? Check out my list of best Egg Substitutes.
• Unsalted Butter – the primary reason that most recipes call for unsalted butter is that you cannot measure the amount of salt content in the butter and it’s very hard to adjust the rest of the flavors or seasoning in the recipe. And of course, that added buttery flavor in your cornbread is a major WIN!

Mexican Cornbread Ingredients

• Jalapeños and Chilis – two of the most-used ingredients in Mexican cuisine. These two add textures in every bite and that wonderful heat as well. Feel free to adjust the amount to suit your heat tolerance.
• Corn Kernel – corn kernel just makes every bite of this dish more interesting. Want smoother corn texture instead? Swap it with canned creamed corn.
• Monterey Jack Cheese and Cheddar Cheese – add that gooey savory cheesiness into our cornbread. Feel free to swap it with your favorite cheeses tho.

Alternative Ingredients

• Pepper Jack Cheese – Is the spicier version of Monterey Jack. You can use it instead of Monterey Jack if you like to add extra heat and savory flavor to the Mexican Cornbread.
• Whole Wheat Flour – A good source of protein, nutrients and it’s high in fiber. It also has a better flavor than All-purpose flour.
• Plain Yogurt – It has a similar flavor and makeup as buttermilk. Substitute with a 1:1 proportion. If you want a thinner consistency, then you can add water to thin out the yogurt.
• Chives – add this herb to the recipe for a more savory flavor. It also goes well with the cheese flavor.

Cornbread Variations  

There are just tons of ways to make your own version of cornbread. Below are just some of the most popular variations for this recipe.

• Maple and Walnut Cornbread – Sweet Northern-style cornbread with a crisp crust, enhanced by maple syrup and toasted walnuts.
• Orange and Cranberry Cornbread – Level up that sweet-style cornbread and make it even sweeter with honey—it’s the perfect counterpoint to the tart fresh cranberries and bright orange zest in this recipe.
• Cheddar, Bacon, and Scallion Cornbread Recipe – this cornbread recipe is loaded on its own with salty, sharp, and smoky flavors from cheese and bacon. It’s a great contrast to the sweet, moist bread that some of you would love.
• Roasted Pepper Cornbread Recipe – recipe calls for roasted poblano and red bell peppers, corn, and a little cayenne, for sweet, smokey, and fruity cornbread with an interesting heat.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Storage

1. Refrigerator: Keep any leftover Mexican Cornbread refrigerated for up to 3 days.
2. Freezer: Keep it for up to 3 months. Make sure to cover the cornbread in aluminum foil first, before you put it in an airtight container.

Reheating

1. From the freezer, first, thaw the cornbread then heat up a cast iron pan on a stove, add a bit of butter. Put the cornbread in the pan and wait until it’s hot. Serve.
2. Oven Toaster. Set the function to bake and reheat the Mexican Cornbread slices for 5 minutes. Add more time if it’s not hot enough for you.

What Goes Good with Cornbread?

Make a complete fiesta meal by pairing this cornbread with these other  Mexican recipes.

• Albondigas Soup
• Pinto Beans Recipe
• Refried Beans
• Chili Recipe

More Cornbread Recipes to Try

If you want to widen your cornbread recipe collection as I do, you can check out these other cornbread recipes below.

• Cornbread Salad
• Cornbread Dressing
• Skillet Cornbread
• Hot Water Cornbread

How to Make Mexican Cornbread

Prep

• Set-up. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 4×4 baking dish or 10-inch skillet and set aside.
• Add the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt. (Photo 1)
• Make the batter. Whisk in the buttermilk, and the eggs until well combined. (Photo 2)
• Add the other ingredients to the batter. Then, add melted butter, jalapeno peppers, green chiles, corn kernels, Monterey Jack, and cheddar cheese. (Photo 3)
• Thoroughly mix to incorporate all ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. (Photo 4)

Bake the Batter

• Transfer the batter for baking. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. If desired, sprinkle extra grated cheese and jalapeno peppers. (Photo 5)
• Bake and serve. Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until light golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. Cut and serve. (Photo 6)