Southwest Spicy Mexican Cornbread Recipe
on Jan 14, 2025
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Flavorful corn, spicy peppers, and melty cheese are mixed into a batter to create this delicious Mexican cornbread recipe. You can even customize how spicy the cornbread is, making it easy to serve up at any dinner. This is the next level of cornbread, and I think it’s an absolute winner!
If you like cornbread then you will LOVE my Mexican cornbread! This fun, quick, and easy variation to traditional cornbread is always a hit in our house. The diced green chilis add the perfect amount of heat and the canned corns add rich notes of flavor that come through in every bite.
I think this Mexican cornbread can be served with pretty much any meal that regular cornbread goes with. From soups to chilis, you can’t go wrong with picking this spicy substitute. You can even enjoy it on its own topped with some sour cream, pico de gallo, or guacamole!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Mexican Cornbread Recipe
- Change It Up: I like mixing up the cornbread recipes since I have so many of them! This one is a fun, flavorful substitute for traditional cornbread.
- Spicy or Not: You can completely control the spice level by omitting or adding chilis or swapping them out for a different pepper such as jalapeños or even crazy spicy like habaneros!
- Lots of Serving Options: Even though this cornbread recipe is different than the regular-but-still-amazing cornbread, it’s just as versatile and can be served with SO many things.
🌽 Cornbread is just such an easy side dish to whip up, and I’m so thankful my family loves every type of cornbread I make!
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter
- Eggs
- All-Purpose Flour
- Self-Rising Cornmeal
- Granulated Sugar
- Diced Green Chilis — canned
- Corn — A combination of Mexican and Southwestern style canned corn.
- Shredded Cheese — Cheddar or your favorite shredded cheese.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Mexican Cornbread
Step 1: Whisk together the melted butter and eggs in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add the flour, cornmeal, chilis, sugar, and corn. Mix again until combined. Fold in the shredded cheese.
Step 3: Pour the batter into a baking dish that has been coated with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
Step 4: Bake in a preheated oven at 400° F for 25-30 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top.
Recipe FAQs
Of course! If you already have regular cornmeal at home then you can definitely use that instead of self-rising cornmeal. The only other change you are going to make to the recipe is adding 2 teaspoons of baking powder along with the other dry ingredients to help give your cornbread a nice rise.
Nope! Some cornbread recipes will have you add milk as an extra form of moisture. However, we are using so much melted butter in this recipe so additional wetness is not really needed. We are also getting some extra moisture from the canned corn and diced green chilis, so adding milk on top of all that would only make our batter too wet.
Looking to spice things up with your cornbread? Use pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar! You can also press sliced jalapeños into the top of your cornbread batter. Other additives we like to throw in sometimes include Rotel diced tomatoes, sliced olives, and chipotle chili powder.
Expert Tips
- Canned Corn: Most major grocery stores sell both Mexican and Southwestern style corn on the canned goods aisle. You will want to drain your corn before using it.
- Pepper Choices: You can swap out the diced green chilis with ½ cup of finely chopped jalapeños or, if you like a little more spice, habanero peppers.
- Grate Your Own Cheese: Freshly grated cheese is going to melt down much easier than bagged cheese, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. You can also switch out what kind of cheese you use. Pepper jack is our favorite substitute.
- Cornmeal: Using self-rising cornmeal makes this recipe easier since you don’t have to worry about measuring out rising agents.
How to Serve & Store Mexican Cornbread
Serving: Mexican cornbread makes a great addition to a variety of meals!
- For starters, any meal that you would serve traditional cornbread with can be served with Mexican cornbread.
- We especially love serving this cornbread with dishes like chicken enchilada soup. The blend of spices and flavors really ties these two dishes together.
- You can also enjoy a slice of this cornbread on its own topped with some sour cream or guacamole.
Storing: If you have any leftover cornbread then you should let it cool down completely and store it in an airtight container. You can keep your cornbread on the counter for up to 5 days. It can be stored in the fridge, too, but it will dry out faster.
Reheating: You can reheat a slice or two of the cornbread in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. I recommend starting on the lower end so you don’t overheat your cornbread. Doing so can cause it to become tough.
More Cornbread Recipes to Consider
Cornbread Recipes
Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing (With Make-Ahead Tips)
Cornbread Recipes
Crispy Cornbread Fritters: A Simple Southern Delight
Pancake Recipes
Stack ‘Em High: Golden Cornbread Pancakes
Cornbread Recipes
The Best Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe (Easy & Moist!)
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Southwest Spicy Mexican Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, melted
- 4 large eggs
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup self-rising cornmeal
- 1 4 ounce can diced green chilis
- 1 cup Mexican style corn
- 1 cup Southwestern style corn
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and coat an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and eggs. Whisk the two ingredients together until mixed well.
- Add the sugar, flour, cornmeal, diced green chilis, and both kinds of corn. Whisk again until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated and the other ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Gently fold in the cheddar cheese and then pour the batter into your prepared 8×8 inch baking dish.
- Bake your cornbread for 25-30 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Most major grocery stores sell both Mexican and Southwestern style corn on the canned goods aisle. You will want to drain your corn before using it.
- You can substitute the diced green chilis for ½ cup of finely chopped jalapenos or, if you like a little more spice, habanero peppers.
- Freshly grated cheese is going to melt down much easier than bagged cheese, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. You can also switch out what kind of cheese you use. Pepper jack is our favorite substitute.
- Using self-rising cornmeal makes this recipe easier since you don’t have to worry about measuring out rising agents.
