Mexican Cornbread Muffins
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Moist and cheesy, and with just the right amount of spice, this Mexican Cornbread Muffin recipe makes enough for a crowd. Serve them at your next fish fry, chili supper, or soup night — or do what I do and freeze the leftovers to use later.
If you’re brave, you can adjust the heat in this sweet Mexican cornbread by adding a few of the jalapeño seeds.
Sharp cheddar cheese and a can of cream-style corn in the batter make these cornbread muffins so moist that they practically melt in your mouth when hot from the oven!
Watch the video for easy instructions for making my Mexican cornbread muffins from scratch.
Mexican Cornbread Muffins
What you may not know about me is that I love my cornbread. I mean, I really love my cornbread.
Of course, John knows this about me and has learned that when we eat at either Calhoun’s or Cracker Barrel and the waiter brings out a basket of bread, he should go for the biscuit or the sourdough roll and leave the cornbread muffin for me!
It was a hard lesson to learn, but very necessary — haha!
Growing up, we had a pone of cornbread (who knows what a pone is?) made with buttermilk in a cast iron skillet every week and it was the very best!
The next best thing is these Mexican Cornbread Muffins. I especially like to serve them with my Favorite White Chicken Chili, Crockpot Taco Soup, and even with Brunswick Stew.
Ingredient notes
Made completely from scratch, this Mexican cornbread with cheese recipe does not use a Jiffy mix. Instead, start with self-rising cornmeal.
- Self-rising cornmeal — not Jiffy cornbread mix
- Sugar — to add a little sweetness
- Salt — flavor enhancer
- Onion — a bit of savory
- Jalapeño peppers — a bit of spice (add the seeds if you’re brave)
- Sharp cheddar cheese — or hot pepper jack cheese if you like more heat
- Cream style corn — adds texture, flavor, and moisture
- Milk
- Eggs — to bind it all together
- Canola oil— fat for the bread.
Three tips for making moist cornbread muffins:
- Don’t over mix the batter! Avoid the urge and only stir the batter until all the dry ingredients are wet. For best results, follow this tip with all muffin recipes!
- Grease the muffin tin instead of using paper liners. Not only will the extra oil add moisture, the muffins will end up with a lightly brown crust.
- Don’t leave the muffins in the pan. Once out of the oven, allow the muffins to set for just 1-2 minutes and then remove them from the pan before they cool completely. This will keep them from continuing to cook and drying out.
Storage and reheating tips
- I freeze these muffins and then take out what I need to serve with soups or chilis. To freeze, let the muffins cool completely before storing in a resealable freezer bag. Muffins will keep frozen for up to 2 months.
- To reheat frozen cornbread muffins, wrap them in aluminum foil and place in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
Frequently asked questions
In this recipe, we’re adding onion and jalapeño peppers for spice. You could also add hot pepper jack cheese and a dash of ancho chili powder.
Normally, cornbread does not need to be refrigerated and can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days. However, with this Mexican cornbread I recommend refrigerating since the batter contains cheese and corn.
The most obvious sign that cornbread has gone bad is seeing mold on the surface. Also, if the cornbread feels sticky or has an odd smell, you probably should pass on eating it.
You may also like these muffin recipes:
- Jalapeno Jam Corn Muffins. A sticky-sweet—and slightly spicy—surprise in the middle will awaken your taste buds!
- Quick 3-Ingredient Dinner Rolls (muffins). With just three basic ingredients and ready in about 20-minutes, these quick and easy dinner rolls have become a family favorite!
- Easy Blueberry Muffins. Bursting with juicy berries, this recipe works well with either fresh or frozen blueberries.
- Pimento Cheese Muffins. These muffins make a great game day snack and are best served warm.
To make this recipe, you may need…
Heavy-duty muffin tins like these from Farberware. Properly cared for, these tins will last forever. They don’t warp or rust like some of the cheaper brands.
Mexican Cornbread Muffin Recipe
The ingredient list in my recipe will make two dozen muffins. Depending on your needs, you can certainly half the ingredients.
That being said, I usually make the full recipe. If I can’t use all of them at once, I let them cool and then freeze the leftovers in a ziplock bag.
To reheat the muffins, wrap them in aluminum foil and pop them into a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes.
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Mexican Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cups self-rising corn meal mix
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers diced
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1 15 oz. can cream style corn
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 cup milk
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray two 12-cup muffin tins with cooking spray; set aside. (Do not use paper liners.)
- In a large bowl, stir together the corn meal, jalapeño peppers, onion, sugar, salt, and cheese.
- In another bowl, break three eggs and beat lightly with a whisk. Add the corn, milk, and canola oil and stir. Add this mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not over mix!
- Evenly divide the batter among the muffin tins.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1-2 minutes before removing from the muffin tins.
- Serve immediately or place in ziplock bags when cool and freeze to use later.
Video
Notes
- To freeze: Cool completely, then place in a resealable freezer bag. Muffins will keep up to 2 months.
- To reheat: Wrap muffins in aluminum foil and pop them into a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
If anyone has had top of the river cornbread in AL, this is definitely a copy cat recipe for it. Will be making again!
I have made these a bunch absolutely love them.
Great recipe – and the muffins were great – I would warn you to be careful with the salt amount – and remember that usually self-rising corn meal meal already has salt in it – with the cheese – you might want to start with 1/2 teaspoon salt or none at all – I thought mine were a little too salty – but not much – I will make it again definitely. I also used 2 1/2 cups corn meal and 1/2 cup flour. They were just right !
Could I use butter instead of oil?
I haven’t tried making these with butter, but I think it should work. If you try, I’d love to know how it works out for you.
Is self-rising cornmeal the same as cornmeal mix? If not, what do I need to add to my cornmeal to use it as “cornmeal mix”?
Yes, self-rising cornmeal should work fine as a substitute.
Do you mean a 15 ounce can of creamed corn. I am using homemade cream corn so I would love a little more specifics.Looking forward to making these, they sound yummy.
Yep! I use a 15-ounce can of creamed corn in these muffins.
Do you use fresh jalapenos or pickled?
Lou, I always use fresh jalapenos when I make these muffins.
Would using mini muffin pans work? I want to take these to a Mexican potluck dinner and wanted to have smaller muffins. Would you adjust the oven temperature and the cooking time? If so, to what?
Hi, Delle. I think you absolutely could bake these muffins in a mini muffin tin. I would suggest leaving the oven temperature the same, and would start checking the muffins for doneness after 10 minutes.
Can you make this in an iron skillet like you can just regular cornbread?
Valerie, I do believe that would work.
Both pleasing to the eye and the taste buds. Thank you for the tips! Words to live by….not only with muffins
Can I substitute some flour for cornmeal to make it less course. If so, use plain or self rising? And, how much? Thanks
Phyllis, i suggest substituting 1/2 cup of self-rising flour for 1/2 cup of the cornmeal if you prefer the muffins to be less course.
I never see self-rising cornmeal here,. How much baking powder and soda should I use?
Thanks.
Hi, Peg! The general rule is this:
1 cup plain cornmeal + 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon salt = 1 cup self-rising cornmeal
Can you 1/2 this recipe?
Yes, absolutely!
I just made these and they are delicious! I omitted the onion and used buttermilk. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Would it be best to use buttermilk or regular milk for the muffins?
Rose, definitely use buttermilk if you have it on hand for the best results.
Hi
Cream style corn comes in different sizes, did you use the large size or the small size can.
Jackie, I use the large size can of cream style corn for this recipe.
Why not use muffin papers? I have serious bad allergy to cook spray.
Want to make these for gathering tonite 12/8/15, so appreciate quick answer
Hi, Lu. I don’t use paper liners with this recipe so as to get a nice crust on the cornbread muffin. The recipe calls for canola oil, so if you are not allergic you might just lightly grease the muffin tins with canola oil.
Hi
I wanted to know if I could omit the onion. Could I substitute it for something else so they stay moist?
Thanks
Carmen
Hi, Carmen. I think this recipe would still be moist without the onion because of the cream style corn and cheese. Let me know how they turn out for you…Happy Thanksgiving!
Yum, they look great!
Thanks, Beth!