Honey Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins
Love sweet and spice together in one balanced recipe? Honey Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins are the perfect accompaniment to any meal. These fluffy cornbread muffins, sweetened with honey and given heat by a chopped jalapeño pepper, bake up quickly and serve a crowd. Makes 12 servings.
2025 Update: This recipe was originally shared in September 2014 at My Cooking Spot, where I was a contributor. The recipe and post has new images, as well as many more tips and tricks to help you make these.
I’ve got five little words for y’all this morning: Honey Jalapeno Pepper Cornbread Muffins.
If you’re a fan of cornbread, you are going to love this recipe.
These beauties are delicious, slightly sweet with a hint of spice, and they’re my new favorite side dish to pair with something like Beef and Buffalo Chili, Shiner Bock Chili OR basically any cozy soup or stew. After all, a carb goes well with a comforting main.
They’re perfect for dipping… and I want to whip up another batch immediately because I can think of so many meals I’d love to eat them alongside.
Why I love this recipe:
Honestly, this cornbread muffin recipe has just a hint of sweetness and really strikes a beautiful balance between sweet and savory and spicy.
These tender muffins are made with fresh jalapeno pepper, which provides a nice kick — but you can choose your own adventure on spice level by leaving in the jalapeño seeds or removing those before adding them to the batter. (So I would not call them spicy cornbread muffins.)
Unlike other recipes, we’re not using brown sugar or granulated sugar to sweeten these cornbread muffins. We’re using honey instead, which adds the right amount of sweetness.
The end result is a tender muffin that is the perfect complement to so many different dishes. They have a rich flavor without being overwhelming AND pair nicely with most main dishes. (Hello, all my favorite comfort foods!) And they’re excellent served warm with a little butter, homemade honey butter or a bonus drizzle of honey.
ALSO, they are made completely from scratch, so if you love Jiffy Cornbread mix, this recipe might be up your alley. It’s not much more complicated than the boxed mix stuff.
More homemade cornbread recipes to try: Hatch Chile Mini Cornbread Muffins | Honey Cornbread | Sweet Cornbread Muffins | Creamed Cornbread Casserole
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Muffin pan or tin (standard 12-cup muffin tin)
- Cupcake / muffin liners (I love the parchment paper kind)
- Large Bowl
- Liquid measuring cup or a medium bowl
- Kitchen scale or measuring cups
- Rubber spatula
- Cookie scoop
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you need to grab from your pantry, fridge and grocery store to make these jalapeño honey cornbread muffins:
- Stoneground yellow cornmeal — or white cornmeal, if you prefer that. This is not the same thing as cornbread mix.
- All-purpose flour — known as AP flour, we keep the unbleached kind in our house. The regular kind should work, though. I have not tried this with gluten free flours, so please do not substitute.
- Baking powder — this is our leavener. Make sure yours is fresh. If it’s not, the cornbread muffins might not rise.
- Kosher salt — or another medium-grain salt, like sea salt.
- Fresh jalapeños — you’ll just need two small or one medium jalapeno, minced. If you’re sensitive to spice, remove the seeds and consider wearing gloves while you chop these or chop, then immediately wash your hands vigorously. If you like it spicy, leave in the speeds or even add an extra pepper!
- Honey — we keep local honey at our house, but whatever type of honey you have will work!
- Egg — I like to use large eggs, at room temperature. You need one whole egg for this recipe.
- Unsalted butter — or you can use salted butter and cut out some of the salt above. I do not recommend using oil in place of the butter.
- Milk — use whatever you’ve got on hand. We’ve made this traditionally with whole milk, but 2% and 1% milk also work here.
This recipe doesn’t call for cheese, but you could very easily mix in a handful of shredded cheese and chopped green onions. Pepper jack cheese or sharp cheddar cheese would be scrumptious.
How to make the best Cornbread Muffins
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and spritz with cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine the dry ingredients. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and chopped jalapeño in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine, and set aside.
Combine the wet ingredients. Measure the honey, egg, melted butter and milk into a smaller bowl or a liquid measuring cup.
Whisk until incorporated, taking the time to ensure the egg has completely mixed with the other wet ingredients.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together.
Use a spoon or a cookie scoop to spoon the cornbread batter into the prepared muffin tray. You may add additional chopped jalapenos or a jalapeno slice to the top of each muffin cup before baking.
Bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops are golden brown. Also, an inserted toothpick should come out clean. The total time will depend on your oven and how it holds heat, so keep an eye on them.
Enjoy warm with your favorite main dish OR let cool on a wire rack before serving. Drizzle with extra honey or add a pat of softened butter for extra deliciousness.
How to store:
Store completely cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. Reheat in the toaster oven or oven, if desired, or enjoy at room temperature.
You may also place them on a plate and cover it in plastic wrap if you don’t have a container that fits the muffins.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
Corn Muffins are one of the recipes that I always trot out in the fall and winter months because they pair with so many dishes.
I especially love this recipe because they’re easy to make.
Here are a few ways to serve them:
- Serve ‘em as the perfect side dish alongside a spicy chili at a tailgate.
- Place them on the buffet table of summer barbecues to pair with barbecue ribs or any meat and veggie combination. (Hi, can you see my Southernness showing?)
- Make ahead alert: Bake ‘em a day or two before so you don’t have to sweat cooking them up the day of… they’re great at room temperature!
Quick tips for making Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
- Store the muffins in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature. (My bets are they won’t last that long, though!)
- For extra spice and flavor, add an an extra jalapeno pepper! Jalapeño slices would be really beautiful placed on top of the muffins before they go into the oven, too.
Also, tell me how you like your cornbread (and what you like served with it!) in the comments section!
Honey Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup stoneground yellow cornmeal (150g)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (8g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (4g)
- 1 jalapeño chopped finely (about ¼ when chopped or 44g)
- ⅓ cup honey (116g)
- 1 large egg (~50g)
- 4 teaspoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup milk warmed
Equipment
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and spray with baking spray. Set aside.
- Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and chopped jalapeño in a large bowl. Stir until combined, then set aside.
- In a smaller bowl, measure the honey, egg, melted butter and warmed milk. (You may melt the butter in the milk in the microwave using 30-second increment bursts.) Whisk until incorporated, taking the time to ensure the egg has completely mixed with the other wet ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Mix with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together.
- Use a spoon or a cookie scoop to measure the batter into the prepared muffin tin. You'll want to fill the muffin tins almost to the top with a heaping 3 tablespoons of batter each.
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops have browned slightly and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Enjoy warm with your favorite entree or main dish.
Video
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
These are a great breakfast to wake up to!
Thanks, Angie! I think it’d be great for ANY time of the day!
I love cornbread, but pretty much only have it with chili — I’m so boring!
Well, there’s certainly nothing wrong with pairing cornbread with chili, Kelly! I don’t think that’s boring at all — you’re just specific in your taste!
These look delicious!! I love jalapeno corn muffins, so i’m sure i’d love these!
Thanks, Jenna! You can’t beat corn muffins, in my opinion, and the addition of jalapeño and honey just makes ’em even better! If you try these, I’d love to know what you think!