Pan y ReposteríaEasyFree

Mexican Cornbread

Name: Mexican Cornbread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 200 g Yellow cornmeal; 100 g Plain flour; 2 tbsp Sugar; 2 Eggs; 80 g Melted butter; 100 g Grated cheddar cheese; 2 tsp Baking powder; 0.5 tsp Bicarbonate of soda; 240 ml Buttermilk or milk with vinegar; 2 Fresh jalapeños, sliced; 100 g Tinned sweetcorn, drained

35 min (10 prep + 25 cook) Easy 8 servings Texas

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 29 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Dense cornmeal loaf with jalapeños, cheddar cheese and sweetcorn, baked in a cast iron skillet.

About this recipe

Mexican cornbread is the Tex-Mex take on the classic Southern American cornbread: a dense, moist loaf of cornmeal with sliced jalapeños, sweetcorn and melted cheddar cheese baked inside. The batter uses soured cream for moisture, melted butter for richness and buttermilk for a tender crumb. It is baked in a cast iron skillet - the traditional vessel - or a square tin to achieve the characteristically crispy, golden crust. Serve hot alongside stews, chilli con carne, Texan barbecue, or simply with butter and honey.

History & Origin

Cornbread is one of the pillars of Southern American cuisine, with roots in the culinary traditions of Native American peoples who ground corn to make flatbread. With European colonisation, butter, eggs and milk were incorporated to create the moist loaf we know today. The 'Mexicanised' version with jalapeños and cheese emerged in Texas, where the cultural border with Mexico has created a unique hybrid cuisine known as Tex-Mex. The cast iron skillet is essential because it conducts heat evenly and creates that golden, crispy crust that sets a great cornbread apart from a mediocre one. Mexican cornbread is served in practically every Tex-Mex restaurant in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico as an accompaniment to chilli or smoked ribs.

Estimated cost

£6.00

Total cost

£0.75

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

285

Calories

Protein

34g

Carbohydrates

14g

Fat

Fibre

480mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 200°C. If using a cast iron skillet, place it empty in the oven while it heats so it is very hot when you pour in the batter.
💡 The hot skillet creates the golden bottom crust that defines good cornbread.
2
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl: cornmeal, plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar. Stir to combine.
💡 Use yellow cornmeal for a more intense flavour, or white for a milder result.
3
In another bowl, beat the eggs with the buttermilk, soured cream and melted butter. Add the finely sliced jalapeños, drained sweetcorn and grated cheese.
💡 If you don't have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the milk and wait 5 minutes.
4
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix only until just combined. Don't overmix: the batter should have a few lumps.
💡 Overmixing activates the gluten and makes the bread rubbery. Stop as soon as the dry flour disappears.
5
Remove the hot skillet from the oven, grease with butter and pour in the batter. Bake for 22–25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.
💡 The bread is ready when the edges pull away from the skillet and the surface is golden.