Vegan Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins are simple, savory, and perfect as a snack or served with salad, soup, and chili. Loaded with fresh jalapeños, corn, green onion, and black or pinto beans, they're also a great grab-and-go breakfast. And don't forget the melted vegan butter and a drizzle of maple syrup!
Adapted from my recipe for Southern-Style Vegan Cornbread, this jalapeno cornbread is perfect for those times when you don't want to mess with a heavy cast-iron skillet.
Sometimes it's also nice to serve cornbread in pre-portioned muffin form, like for parties and backyard cookouts.
I won't rehash my opinionated cornbread dialogue here, but if you're into that stuff you can find it in the original cornbread post linked above. Needless to say, this Alabama girl was raised eating savory, gritty, stoneground cornbread, and my love for it hasn't faded.
So I don't usually add much sweetness to my cornbread recipes. But if you prefer a sweeter cornbread you can easily add more maple syrup or sugar to suit your tastes.
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Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Jalapeños - with three jalapeños in this recipe, maybe you're fearing the heat, but don't worry! After removing the seeds and membranes of the jalapeños, primarily what comes through is their delicious, garden-fresh flavor.
Beans - why add beans to cornbread muffins? Well, why not? It's so easy to open a can of beans, rinse and drain them, and toss some into the batter. And after making these corn muffins you'll still have a serving or two of beans leftover for your next quick meal.
Corn - oh, how I love frozen corn. We keep a couple of bags in our freezer at all times. It adds a delicious pop of sweetness to weeknight veggie sautes AND to this cornbread.
Butter - okay, so vegan butter is really the only "unhealthy" ingredient in this jalapeno cornbread, and it's totally worth it. There's just no substitute for the flavor, and actually, the ¼ cup called for in this recipe is pretty light compared to a lot of cornbread recipes.
*If you follow an oil-free diet I recommend this Oil-Free Vegan Cornbread. The mix-ins from this recipe can be added to that one, as well.
Cornmeal - I touched on this a bit in the post for The Best Vegan Southern-Style Cornbread, but to summarize: look for stone-ground, organic cornmeal. The flavor and quality of the cornmeal makes all the difference in your cornbread.
If you have a local farmer who mills their own corn, it's definitely worth seeking out. As far as store-bought, I've had good results with Bob's Red Mill.
Flour - use whole wheat, all-purpose, or your favorite gluten-free flour blend in these corn muffins.
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How to Quickly Thaw Frozen Corn
Simply measure out the amount of corn needed and place it in a bowl. If your stovetop has a vent at the back like mine does, sit the bowl over the vent while the oven preheats. The corn will be thawed by the time you're ready to stir it into the batter.
You can also quickly thaw corn in the microwave. Then drain away any excess liquid.
Is jalapeno cornbread spicy?
That depends on how hot your jalapenos are, as they tend to vary quite a bit. Overall, I wouldn't describe these muffins as spicy.
If you're worried about the peppers being too hot, you can tone down the jalapeno pepper flavor and heat by using 2 instead of 3 (one chopped up in the batter and one for decorating the tops).
You can also add shredded vegan cheese to the batter. The added fat helps to counteract the spiciness of the jalapenos.
Serving Suggestions
Eating these cornbread muffins while they're warm with a pat of butter on top is especially delicious. And if you're in the mood for a little sweetness, you can't go wrong with a drizzle of maple syrup or agave.
See how the butter and syrup soaked right into the muffins and made them all gooey and rich? So. Good.
In fact, I think a couple of these corn muffins paired with vegan maple breakfast sausages would make one seriously perfect weekend breakfast!
What to serve with jalapeno cornbread:
I hope you enjoy this easy Vegan Jalapeno Cornbread recipe. If you try it I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below to let us know.
Looking for a lighter cornbread made without butter or oil? Don't miss this super easy Vegan Oil-Free Cornbread.
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Recipe
Vegan Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups medium-grind yellow cornmeal
- ½ cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour - or your favorite gluten-free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk such as soy
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup
- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted
- 3 large jalapeños, seeded, membranes removed
- ⅓ cup chopped green onion
- ¾ cup frozen corn, thawed
- ¾ cup cooked black or pinto beans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and oil a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Prepare the stir-ins before mixing the batter (remove the seeds and membranes of the jalapeños and slice them; chop the green onion; thaw the corn; prep and measure the beans). This will allow you to work quickly once the batter is formed, taking full advantage of the leavening power of baking soda.
- Set aside 12 jalapeño slices for decorating the tops of the muffins, and chop the remaining jalapeno.
- In a large bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the milk, water, vinegar, sugar or maple syrup, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine.
- Stir in the chopped jalapeño (not the 12 reserved slices), green onion, corn and beans. Evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups, and place a slice of jalapeño on top of each one.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the centers are firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for at least 15 minutes before removing.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Marci says
Delicious! I love that these aren't really really sweet and the jalapeño flavor is great. Easy too. Will make again!
Lori says
Thanks for the review, Marci. Glad you enjoyed them!