Gluten-Free Cornbread with Jalapeño and Bacon is smoky, spicy and subtly sweet. It's fabulous to serve with coffee for brunch or with a bowl of chili for dinner.
I love cornbread!
It's comforting, savory, subtly sweet and delicious with breakfast, lunch or dinner.
My son was diagnosed Celiac Disease when he was 5-years-old. At that time, I'd assumed cornbread would be safe for him. Not true!
Even though cornbread is made primarily with cornmeal or cornflour, it typically also has all-purpose flour in the mix.
So over the years, as I've done with cookies, cakes and other breads, I decided I would have to come up with some delicious gluten-free cornbread recipes.
* Cornbread is not always gluten free. *
Read the labels of breads and mix boxes. As I said, while corn meal and corn flour are both gluten free, watch out for what else might be added.
Recipe Tips
- I love making cornbread in my cast iron skillet, and the instructions below will tell you to do the same. You can however use an approximately, 9 x 13 x 3-inch baking dish, if you don't have one. It will still be great. I prefer the cast iron because the edges and bottom crisp up especially well, and it's a one-pan recipe this way.
- If you really love extra heat, do not remove the seeds from the jalapeños. I usually remove about half.
- Two things you can do to save time: 1) Use frozen, thawed corn and 2), use canned (well drained), chopped jalapeño peppers. (Please note that the seeds are usually included in the canned, and would be difficult to remove.)
- I use cornmeal in this recipe -- you can use corn flour for a smoother texture.
- Don't expect a sweet cornbread. This is subtly sweet.
Can you make it without the bacon?
Yes! Of course. The bacon is delicious in this -- but, if you're serving vegetarians, this is an easy change. Simply use olive oil to sauté the onions and jalapeño (instead of the bacon fat from cooking the bacon).
What to Serve With it
- Let's fire up the comfort foods of fall and winter. Serve this cornbread with Roasted Butternut Squash Chili or Chipotle Brisket Chili for a cozy gathering of friends or family over the weekend!
- Or, you could have the gathering for brunch, and serve this Jalapeño Bacon Cornbread with Honey Broiled Grapefruit and Grilled Avocado and Eggs. What a combination that would be. Oh, and don't forget the coffee!
- And finally, you can use it to make my Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Cornbread Stuffing! 🙂
Enjoy!
Oh, and here's a recipe for Hot Water Cornbread -- it's really interesting, delicious and is also gluten-free.
Gluten-Free Cornbread with Jalapeño and Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 strips applewood smoked bacon
- 1½ cups onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup jalapeño pepepr, washed and dried, finely chopped (seeds removed for less heat)
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups cornmeal
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1¾ teaspoons coarse sea salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons ground cumin
- 4 large eggs
- 3½ cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425°F and line a large plate with a paper towel. Set aside.
- Add the bacon to a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is brown and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the bacon -- but not the bacon fat -- from the skillet. Set the bacon aside on the paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the onion to the bacon fat in the skillet and cook over medium-low heat for about 4 minutes. Add the jalapeños and sauté until the mixture is aromatic and the onions are soft, about 2 more minutes. Crumble or finely chop the bacon and add it to this mixture, along with the corn. Now add the butter to the skillet, swirl it around the bottom and sides to melt it into the other ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and leave the skillet as it is to cool on the stove.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the cornmeal, baking soda, salt, sugar and cumin. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and lemon juice together. Then stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until smooth.
- Add the contents of the pan to the batter and mix until it's fully incorporated. Pour this back into the skillet and then place it in the 425°F preheated oven. Bake until the edges are golden and it no longer jiggles, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Let it cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve directly from the skillet.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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angiesrecipes
I am a firm believer that bacon makes everything taste better :-)) This cornbread looks yummilicious!
valentina
Ha! Me too! Thanks, Angie. Have a great week. 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
Jalapenos and bacon! That's a boost of flavor making delicious cornbread even better. I love that you've made this gluten free too!
valentina
Thanks, Kathy. Yes, I love that spicy-smoky combination, too 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced
Interesting note about the flour in cornmeal. Great recipe here, Valentina! Bacon makes everything better in my opinion, and I'm already a huge fan of cornbread! You can't have a good bowl of chili in the Fall without cornbread, too. Yum!
valentina
I'm with you on the chili, David. The two are a perfect pairing. Thanks so much. 🙂 ~Valentina
Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef
Your cornbread would have been perfect with my chili a friend brought over. I will pin it for later.
valentina
Thanks, Gerlinde. Chili is my favorite thing to have with cornbread. Such a comforting combination. 🙂 ~Valenntina
2pots2cook
We have stuffed turkey for Christmas and this i something I would try this year to spice the things up a little. I am sure guys will love this version. Thank you Valentina !
valentina
Thank you! I hope all of you love it. 🙂 ~Valentina
nancy buchanan
I always make cornbread with just cornmeal - I LOVE the texture! But, I've yet to add bacon to mine so clearly I have missed something major which I'm going to have to remedy ASAP with this recipe! I've got some turkey chili in the freezer for the days I teach and will be making this cornbread to go with it - can't wait!!!
valentina
Yum! Sounds like it'll be a great dinner, Nancy. I love the coarser texture of the cornbread, too. I hope you love the addition of the bacon, and thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
Good dish. LOVE cornbread, and we make it often. Don't have a good gluten-free recipe, though, and we do have friends who can't tolerate gluten. Yours looks excellent -- now I can serve those friends cornbread! Thanks.
valentina
Many thanks, John. Hope you (and the GF friends) love it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Coco in the Kitchen
My nephew can't have flour, either, and I've learned to read labels in detail now.
LOVE this cornbread of yours, V.
I've gotta make it for my nephew!
valentina
I hope he likes it. I hope you all do. Thanks for checking it out. 🙂 ~Valentina
Kim Lange
Sounds so fabulous! I love this jacked-up gluten-free cornbread with the jalapenos and bacon! YUM! xo
valentina
Thanks so much, Kim! Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Jeff the Chef
I love cornbread, too. Yours looks really good. I have a friend who follows a gluten-free diet, and I always love to find things that I can cook for her.
valentina
Thanks, Jeff. Hope it's a hit with your gluten-free friends. I'm always baking gluten-free goodies for my son. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Cornbread with jalapenos and bacon? Yes please! I love cornbread too and love the idea of having for breakfast with coffee. I usually have with chili or soup or something but totally trying next time for breakfast with plenty of coffee! Pinned! Happy (almost) Friday 🙂
valentina
It is almost Friday, isn't it!? Yay! Thanks, Dawn, and enjoy, and hope you have a great weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
Alene
I have an unusual question. I cannot eat fresh corn kernels right now because I am on a fodmap diet for i.b.s. Not fun. I can have a cup of canned corn. If I put less corn in the recipe, anywhere from a half a cup to a cup, would that change the consistency of the cornbread? Should I add a smidge more cornmeal to make up for it? I am mystified, but I love cornbread without any gluten free flour in it. Thank you.
valentina
Hi Arlene, Thanks so much for writing in. Yes, the recipe will still work with a cup of the canned corn. The kernels are more like a "mix-in" than part of the batter -- sort of like chocolate chips are to a cookie. 😀 I hope you love it and thanks for checking out my recipes. ~Valentina