Gluten-Free Cornbread with Jalapeño and Bacon

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

Valentina K. Wein

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.

5 from 7 votes

Print

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Cooling Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course Side Dish, Brunch

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 327 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 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

Calorie count is only an estimate.

NUTRITION

Calories: 327kcal

Keywords great for brunch, gluten-free bread recipes, great sides for chili

Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.