Brown Butter Jalapeño Cornbread

This quick and easy brown butter jalapeño cornbread takes traditional cornbread to the next level. With cheese, jalapeños, fire-roasted peppers, browned butter, and honey, it delivers a bold Southwest twist with a perfect balance of savory and sweet. A total holiday standout recipe!

Why I Love This Jalapeño Cornbread Recipe

Cornbread is often a super simple side dish, but I love turning it into a star on the table by layering in bold flavors. This brown butter and jalapeño version gets a sweet-and-spicy kick from two types of peppers, while shredded cheese adds a creamy contrast. Instead of sugar, honey steps in as the sweetener, giving it a bit of a richer, more natural touch.

Holiday dishes tend to play it safe when it comes to spice level. But this bread is the perfect opportunity to change that, as peppers can easily be added to the batter, giving it a new level of flavor. The peppers bring just enough heat, balanced beautifully by buttermilk and honey, so it stays true to its comforting roots. Serve it warm with a drizzle of hot honey or a pat of butter, and watch it steal the spotlight!

Brown Butter Jalapeño Cornbread Ingredients

The ingredients for this jalapeño cornbread recipe have a few unique components, but they’re easy to purchase at the store:

• Butter gets browned to bring a nutty and rich quality to the cornbread, deepening the typical taste.
• Cornmeal is the start of this dish and its namesake ingredient. It gives the iconic mild taste and texture.
• Flour offsets the cornmeal to create a balanced texture in the bread and helps provide structure.
• Baking powder creates lift in the bread, allowing it to rise while baking.
• Kosher salt seasons the dish, allowing the flavors to balance out.
• Buttermilk brings the bread the classic moist and tangy flavor, creating a soft texture.
• Eggs enable the ingredients to bind together and bake properly.
• Honey acts as the sweetener in the dish, providing a smoother texture than traditional sugar.
• Jalapeños add a bit of crunchy texture and spice to the bread, playing off the sweetness of the dish.
• Fire-roasted peppers bring powerful bell pepper flavorings to the dish, complementing the spice from the jalapeños.
• Cheddar cheese creates a creaminess in the dish, pushing it to a more savory side with its mild flavoring.

How to Make Brown Butter Jalapeño Cornbread

There are four steps to make this brown butter jalapeño cornbread:

1. Brown the butter
2. Assemble the batter
3. Prepare the flavorings
4. Bake the cornbread

Step 1: Brown the butter. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the milk solids brown, creating an amber color.

Step 2: Assemble the batter. Add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and kosher salt to a large bowl. Mix until combined. In a small bowl, combine the eggs and buttermilk until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Then, add in the honey and whisk everything together.

Step 3: Prepare the flavorings. Dice the jalapeños and roasted peppers. Add to the batter along with the cheddar cheese (or Pepper Jack cheese) and browned and melted butter. Fold into the batter until evenly combined.

Step 4: Bake the cornbread. Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Spread into an even layer and place into a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the bread becomes golden brown and fluffy and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Let cool slightly before cutting and serving.

Pro Tips for Success

• Mix the eggs into the buttermilk before adding them to the dry ingredients. This will allow them to be broken up and combined more easily.
• Use prepared red roasted bell peppers instead of chopping up a regular red bell pepper. They come jarred and speed up the process tremendously while packing robust flavor into the bread.
• Use freshly grated cheese, if possible. It provides more flavor and melts into the dish more easily.
• Fold in the flavorings gently, being mindful of overmixing. Otherwise, the batter can become flat and not puff up as desired.

Variations and Substitutions

This cornbread is a twist on a traditional dish, so it can be altered to return to its more conventional state or to fit your preferences:

• If you desire a more traditional cornbread, the honey in this dish can be replaced with an equal amount of sugar. Mix it in with the dry ingredients instead of the wet ones.
• Omit the jalapeños if no spice is desired. Alternatively, add a spicier pepper, like a habanero, to increase the heat significantly.
• Pepper jack is a great substitute for cheddar cheese. It adds more spice while maintaining a similar texture.
• Pour the batter into a muffin tin pan to create cornbread muffins instead of a single loaf. Or make it in a cast iron skillet instead (I also have a recipe for a cast iron skillet cornbread that’s very traditional.)

Frequently Asked Questions

More Thanksgiving Recipes

• Cheese, bacon, and sausage stuffing
• Pumpkin tart with chocolate crust
• Cranberry sauce
• How to make homemade gravy
• Spiced butternut squash with tahini sauce
• Hearty kale salad with lentils and pears
• Herb cheese biscuits
• Turkey roulade with bacon and kale stuffing

Watch How to Make This Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Recipe