Southern Style Mexican Cornbread with Buttermilk and Creamed Corn

Made with yellow cornmeal, buttermilk, creamed corn, pepper jack cheese, and mild green chiles, this Mexican cornbread bakes up soft, cheesy, and full of flavor. It comes together in about 10 minutes, bakes in the oven (no skillet required), and makes the perfect side for chili, soup, or BBQ. Savory, hearty, and just a little spicy, it’s Southern comfort with a Tex-Mex twist.

 

You’ve Got Time to Make Mexican Cornbread

If you’ve only ever had skillet cornbread, this version’s about to change your dinner routine. It’s still got that tender, buttery Southern crumb, but it has some spicy flavor from pepper jack cheese, a can of green chiles, and that extra depth you only get from buttermilk and creamed corn. It’s not too spicy, just a gentle kick, and you can make it spicier depending on your crowd.

This is so simple that I end up making it all of the time. The batter takes all of 10 minutes, which means I can pop it in the oven while a pot of crock pot taco soup simmers away. And if you’ve got cornmeal in your pantry (which I always do, here’s why I keep a stash), you’re halfway there.

Not Too Spicy, Not Too Sweet

This isn’t “authentic” Mexican cornbread, real-deal versions are usually sweet. This one is more of a Southern Mexican Cornbread hybrid. Buttermilk and creamed corn make it soft and moist, and the pepper jack adds that cheesy little spark without taking over. If you don’t want it spicy, stick with mild chiles and skip the jalapeño.

And here’s the beauty of it, you can swap cheeses, play with the peppers, or even skip them entirely and still end up with something that makes people go back for seconds.

Ingredients You Probably Have in Your Pantry

Get a full list of the ingredients in the recipe card below.

• Yellow cornmeal: Use fine or medium ground cornmeal for best results. You don’t want cornmeal muffin mix, just plain cornmeal.
  
• Creamed corn: A can of creamed corn adds flavor and texture to the cornbread, you can use a can of whole corn, just make sure you drain it first. I use whatever I have in my pantry but I prefer the creamed corn. Frozen or fresh corn will not work for this cornbread recipe.

It’s so Simple to Make Cheesy Mexican Cornbread 

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. 

Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients. 

In a separate bowl (this one can be a little smaller), whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and oil. Then, add the can of creamed corn, chilies, diced jalapenos, and almost all of the cheese.

Step 3: Combine the cornbread batter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined, for this step, I recommend ditching the whisk and switching to a rubber spatula.

Step 4: Bake the cornbread. 

If you’re in peach season, I’ve been known to bake a sweet peach cornbread variation that disappears even faster than this one.

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