• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Wimpy Vegetarian
  • Home
  • About Susan
    • About Susan
    • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • Recipe Index
  • Essential Pantry
    • Reduced Balsamic Vinegar
  • Contact Me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Resources
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Meal Plans
    • Resources
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » APPETIZERS + SNACKS

    Jalapeño Poppers Stuffed with Cornbread

    Modified: Jun 28, 2023 by Susan Pridmore · This post may contain affiliate links · 37 Comments

    Jalapeño poppers stuffed with cornbread! Jalapeño halves are filled with cornbread for a perfect party appetizer. (Includes instructions for baking at high altitude.)

    Jalapeño halves are filled with cornbread for a perfect party appetizer.

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Save Recipe

    Sometimes you see a recipe and instantly recognize genius simplicity. The genius perfection of peanut butter and jelly filling for a chocolate layer cake. Or whipping up cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract and piping it into hulled strawberries with a sprinkle of graham crackers for a lazy cheesecake dessert. Baking dollops of cornbread batter in hollowed out jalapeño shells is right up there now with my favorites.

    It's time for Secret Recipe Club again and I had the good fortune of being assigned Flying on Jess Fuel, written and published by Jess,  who's married to a Navy Pilot. They've moved around the country for his fighter jet training and work, and are now nicely settled in California where she and her husband raise quail in the backyard (sometimes up to 40 quail at a time!!!) and grow an incredibly prolific garden.

    There are so many things about Jess's blog to love, such as the wide selection of recipes (including a whole vegetarian selection), and her fresh voice. Some recipes that caught my eye were Springtime Vegetable Skillet Baked Ziti , Spiced Dal with Cilantro Yogurt, Orange Sage and Beer Biscuits, and at the top of my list: Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies. I've totally got to try those.

    But we've had a lot of little dinners and brunches in our new kitchen over the past couple of months, and what I really needed were appetizers. It's my weakest area of entertaining. Between planning and cooking the main meal, and getting the house ready for guests, appetizers are a last minute scramble as I dig around the pantry for crackers not (too) stale. I've got to do better. And these amazing little Jalapeño Cornbread Poppers are just the ticket (assuming I don't eat them all before guests arrive).

    Cook's Notes:

    I made these in Tahoe at ~6400 feet above sea level, so I used self-rising flour and nixed the baking powder. At sea level, that won't be enough to puff up the cornbread, so I recommend you follow Jess's direction of using all-purpose flour and adding 1 Tablespoon baking powder.

    I cut the recipe in half, and used a little more egg than recommended, again to compensate for the dryness in high altitudes. At sea level, use ½ egg if you cut the recipe in half as I did.

    I substituted coconut sugar for granulated sugar, and used coconut oil for the oil. The result was a subtle coconut flavor that was great with the jalapeños.

    Jess adapted these from Oh Bite It, which used a box recipe for the cornbread.

    I had a little cornbread batter left over as I was a little cautious on how much to spoon into the jalapeño cavities. Baking at high altitudes can present explosive surprises. So darn it, I had to make little cornbread muffins with the left overs. So, so good.

    Cornbread muffins

    Wimpy Tips

    Adding a little cooked, crumbled chorizo sausage to the batter wouldn't go amiss if you must add meat. Just make sure the chorizo has cooled off before you fold it in to prevent scrambling the egg in the batter.

    More Mexican Appetizer Ideas

    Texas Trash Dip (Warm Bean Dip)

    15-Minute Chile con Queso Dip

    Jalapeño Poppers Gougère

    Or if you want to make a different kind of cornbread, make this steamed sweet corn tomalito. Since it's steamed, it's super moist and soft. And it has both puréed sweet corn as well as whole corn kernels mixed into the batter. It's a guaranteed family favorite.

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Save Recipe
    No ratings yet

    Jalapeño Cornbread Poppers

    Print Recipe Save Saved! Pin Recipe Add to Recipe Collection Go to Collections Add to Shopping ListGo to Shopping List
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Southwestern
    Servings: 12 poppers
    Author: Susan Pridmore
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 6 medium-large fresh jalapeño peppers
    • ⅓ cup self-rising flour
    • ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
    • 1 ½ tablespoon coconut sugar
    • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
    • ¾ large egg
    • 3 tablespoon 2% milk
    • ⅔ cup shredded cheddar divided
    • ½ cup sweet corn fresh or frozen

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
    • Slice each jalapeño down the center, and remove seeds and ribs. Try to keep some stem on each half.
    • In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, oil, and milk until just mixed. Stir in ½ cup of the cheese and all of the corn. Carefully spoon the batter into each jalapeño half until barely mounded. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar.
    • Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm and cooked through. At sea level, the baking time should be closer to 15 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g
    « Mango Soup with Coconut and Lime
    Watermelon Salad with Feta and Verjus Vinaigrette »

    About Susan Pridmore

    Susan Pridmore is an award-winning cookbook author and the owner of The Wimpy Vegetarian. She has been featured in Huffington Post, Healthline, BuzzFeed, and has written for and developed recipes for The Food Network and Parade Magazine. She is professionally trained and focuses on easy vegetarian recipes for busy lives, bread-baking, and tips for new vegetarians. Susan lives in the mountains in Lake Tahoe with her husband and mini-labradoodle.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. April @ Angels Homestead

      June 22, 2014 at 10:53 pm

      I can just imagine how tasty these are, adding a cheesy cornbread filling to poppers is genius. I cant have them, but I know the rest of my family would absolutely love them. PINed it. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Couscous & Consciousness

      June 22, 2014 at 11:38 pm

      I love the idea of cooking cornbread in the cavity of the jalapenos. This would be great for an appetiser, or nice accompaniment to soup as well. Great choice.
      Sue

      Reply
    3. Debra

      June 23, 2014 at 3:15 am

      That is truly genius. What a great accompaniment to a chili.

      Reply
    4. Emily @ Life on Food

      June 23, 2014 at 3:25 am

      These little bites look delicious! Great pick! Happy Reveal Day!

      Reply
    5. Lauren Everson

      June 23, 2014 at 3:48 am

      You're right, stroke of genius. I'm getting excited for football season already! Nice pick this month.

      Reply
    6. Melissa

      June 23, 2014 at 3:58 am

      Jalapeño poppers is one of my all time favorite appetizers. I could eat an entire plate myself! These sound fantastic! Great pick this month 🙂

      Reply
    7. Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life

      June 23, 2014 at 4:22 am

      I am so excited to see these! I absolutely love jalapeno poppers!! Pinning (and stumbling too)! If you have a free moment, I would love it if you came by and linked them up with us at Foodie Fridays!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        June 23, 2014 at 11:30 am

        Thanks for the invite, Michelle! I'd love to!

        Reply
    8. Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere

      June 23, 2014 at 5:46 am

      I love the idea of adding cornbread to jalapeno poppers! Awesome pick!

      Reply
    9. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious

      June 23, 2014 at 6:11 am

      Genius!

      Reply
    10. JJ - 84thand3rd

      June 23, 2014 at 6:20 am

      These are such a great idea! Fab pick!

      Reply
    11. Rebekah @ Making Miracles

      June 23, 2014 at 6:36 am

      Those look amazing!! I'm scared of jalapenos (I'm a wimp) but I can drool over your photos! 🙂

      Reply
    12. Karen

      June 23, 2014 at 7:27 am

      What a FABULOUS recipe and as a hot and spicy lover, these would be perfect for before dinner drinks or a tasty snack! Great SRC pick, Karen

      Reply
    13. SallyBR

      June 23, 2014 at 7:34 am

      Very nice choice for your assignment this month! I had jalapeno poppers for the first time a couple of months ago, fell in love, but never made them at home

      you are tempting me! ;0)))

      Reply
    14. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie

      June 23, 2014 at 9:06 am

      Oh wow a jalapeno stuffed with cornbread sounds awesome.

      Reply
    15. Amy @ Fearless Homemaker

      June 23, 2014 at 10:54 am

      Oh, I love jalapeno poppers and these look SO good. I would LOVE a couple of these for lunch right now!

      Reply
    16. Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel

      June 23, 2014 at 11:21 am

      Your peppers came out beautifully! I'm so glad you enjoyed these... they are one of my all-time most popular recipes on my blog!! High altitude baking is so intriguing to me down here at ~250 ft. 😉

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        June 23, 2014 at 11:28 am

        I'm not at all surprised that they're so popular! And high-altitude baking has been a learning process. We spend most of our time in the Bay Area at ~0 feet, and I've had many ups and downs!!

        Reply
    17. Stephanie

      June 23, 2014 at 2:01 pm

      This cornbread sound so delicious and interesting! The idea of high altitude baking scares me, however.

      Great SRC post

      Reply
    18. Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories

      June 23, 2014 at 2:05 pm

      These look delicious! I love Jess's blog! Lucky you, being in Tahoe, one of my favorite places!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        June 23, 2014 at 10:38 pm

        We love it here! We've hiked the last few days and head home tomorrow.

        Reply
    19. Erika

      June 23, 2014 at 2:25 pm

      GUH. Those look so good. I'm not a huuuge fan of spicy and I rarely make stuffed peppers, but if you stuff them with CORNBREAD...oh my. I'm all in! On a scale of 1-10, how spicy would you say these are? Maybe I'll try this...in a bell pepper! I could totally make a meal out of cornbread in a pepper 🙂

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        June 23, 2014 at 10:38 pm

        They pack some heat, Erika. (And big welcome home from your worldly travels!!!) Not as spicy a Serrano, but some are spicier than others, so I'd definitely go the sweet bell pepper route. Anaheims could be another option. I don't think of them as very spicy at all.

        Reply
        • Erika

          June 25, 2014 at 6:51 am

          Okay perfect! And thanks Susan 🙂

          Reply
    20. apuginthekitchen

      June 23, 2014 at 4:18 pm

      That really is a genius idea, I love it. Baking the cornbread in the pepper, brilliantly delicious. So nice to highlight Jess, her quails and garden. Beautiful blog!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        June 23, 2014 at 10:39 pm

        I'm so glad you went over to check out Jess's blog, Suzanne. It really is a lovely blog to wander through - I love her garden and especially her quail. I have quail envy.

        Reply
    21. Tara

      June 23, 2014 at 4:20 pm

      These look delicious! Such a great appetizer. My husband would love them.

      Reply
    22. Kirstin

      June 23, 2014 at 4:30 pm

      oh wow! These sound yummy and I'm not even a fan of jalapenos.

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        June 23, 2014 at 10:42 pm

        Thanks so much for a great comment. I cracked up! You could do this with other peppers, if you prefer. Anaheims, I think would work well, and a friend of mine above (Erika) might try the cornbread in a sweet bell pepper.

        Reply
    23. Asiya @ Chocolate & Chillies

      June 23, 2014 at 6:07 pm

      These looks amazing!!! Love the cornbread topping..great SRC pick!

      Reply
    24. mjskit

      June 23, 2014 at 7:58 pm

      One of the best version of jalapeno poppers I've seen in a long time! YUM!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        June 23, 2014 at 10:40 pm

        High praise from you MJ! I consider you an expert in this area. Thank you so much 🙂

        Reply
    25. laurasmess

      June 23, 2014 at 10:53 pm

      These look AMAZING. I love jalapenos, I could eat them in every meal. I've never stuffed my own but I am definitely going to try this beautiful recipe. Yum, Susan!! So good!

      Reply
    26. cheri

      June 23, 2014 at 11:19 pm

      What a great recipe Susan, this would be perfect for entertaining. Love your presentation.

      Reply
    27. bakingaddict

      June 24, 2014 at 2:37 pm

      I baked with cornmeal too this month. This looks absolutely delicious and perfect for entertaining guests. Great SRC pick!

      Reply
    28. Oui, Chef

      June 25, 2014 at 5:57 am

      Can't wait to make these...they sound AMAZING!

      Reply
    29. Terra

      July 02, 2014 at 5:50 pm

      Oh my word I need these in my life! They are definitely a genius idea! I plan to for sure make them soon! Yum, Hugs, Terra

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Susan at The Wimpy Vegetarian

    about the author:

    Susan Pridmore

    Hi there! I'm an award-winning cookbook author, culinary school graduate, professional photographer and recipe developer. My cookbook Simply Vegetarian was named #1 best cookbook for new vegetarians, and I want to make it easier for you to cook fabulous vegetarian meals. Come join me in the kitchen!

    More about me →

    READER FAVORITES

    • Summer peach cake topped with fresh peaches and blueberries on a marble counter.
      Lazy Summer Peach Cake Recipe with Blueberries
    • A bowl of fresh strawberry salsa with a crostini spread with cheese and topped with salsa.
      Easy Strawberry Salsa Recipe with Chocolate Nibs
    • A bowl of cooked, fluffy brown rice topped with a little fresh thyme.
      How to Cook Fluffy Rice with Tips (White AND Brown Rice)
    • Four dishes from a vegetarian St. Patrick's Day roundup of recipes with text overlay.
      Irish Vegetarian Recipes (St. Patricks Day)

    15 Tips for Going Vegetarian (Updated!)

    A colander filled with freshly washed apples with text overlay.

    Purchase My Cookbook!!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Purchase my cookbook
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Recipe Index

    Copyright © 2025 The Wimpy Vegetarian

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required