Jalapeno Popper Corn Muffins with Bacon and Cheddar
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Corn muffins are a fall staple, but these Jalapeno Popper Corn Muffins with Bacon and Cheddar take traditional corn muffins to a new, delicious level. Whether served with a warming bowl of chili or your game-day favorite!

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Not only are they perfect for tailgating, game day treats, or frosty evenings with hearty foods, but they’re quite delicious all on their own with soup or simple for an afternoon snack.
Similar to the Jalapeno Popper appetizers we love, these corn muffins are just as tasty. Often, I bake these while making one of our favorite chili recipes.
There are two ways to prepare these muffins: a by-scratch method (which I love) and a shortcut method. We’ll take a look at both!
But first, why do I absolutely love these corn muffins? Here are a few reasons why.
What to Love About Jalapeno Popper Corn Muffins
- The savory additions to traditional, sweet corn muffins are like their own treat!
- Perfectly compliments hearty foods like chili, soups, and stews.
- Ready in under 30 minutes!
If you love to serve party bread for game days or special meals, especially when they’re easy, we love the cheesy garlic pull apart bread for a simple but festive bread!

2 Ways to Make Corn Muffins
When you have time, nothing beats by-scratch corn muffins. They’re moist and flavorful… with just a touch of sweetness.
But sometimes, life gets in the way. And you need a shortcut fix.
By Scratch Corn Muffins Recipe
The recipe at the bottom of this post details the easy steps to make these corn muffins. But essentially, it’s also a quick fix. You will need a handful of dry pantry ingredients, like cornmeal, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
For the wet ingredients, you will need eggs, milk, oil, and a little melted butter too, because these corn muffins are a tiny bit indulgent.
To the batter, you will fold in finely chopped bacon and jalapeno peppers along with shredded cheese. Mix it together and portion it into a standard muffin tin. After a quick 18 to 20-minute bake, these muffins are ready!
Shortcut Corn Muffins Recipe
With these Jalapeno Popper Corn Muffins, the shortcut works really well. The difference is that you will be using a store-bought corn muffin package instead of making the base corn muffin batter from pantry ingredients.
Choose your favorite 15-ounce corn muffin mix. I happen to like Fleischmann’s mix, or for a sweeter mix, you might prefer Krusteaz Honey Corn Muffins.
Follow the package instructions for corn muffins, and then, as with the by-scratch muffins, you will fold in finely chopped jalapeno peppers, bacon, and shredded cheddar to the mix for a delicious savory flavor.
How Spicy are Jalapeno Peppers
I always get questions on how hot or spicy jalapeno peppers really are. And although they have a 2,000 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which might sound like a lot, some peppers can fall into the range of 30,000-50,000 SHU range.
So, what does that mean? And how can I make the pepper more or less spicy?
Most of us consider the spicy part of jalapeno to be in the seeds. But actually, the heat of a pepper is found in the capsaicin located in the pith and ribs of the pepper near the seeds.
The more capsaicin in a pepper, the hotter it will taste. During the cooking process, some of the capsaicin molecules break down resulting in a milder flavor. Removing the ribs, pith, and seeds will result in a less spicy addition to the muffins.
You may want to consider substituting Anaheim peppers for milder peppers or for an even spicier pepper, a habanero pepper can be searingly hot!
What to Serve Corn Muffins With
Cornbread of any kind (like one of my personal favorites, Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread) is delicious with a number of savory, hearty foods like soups and stews, to chili recipes, which is almost a requirement in my book! It’s also perfect with gameday foods like ribs, sliders, and more and as a delicious accompaniment to your favorite Mexican dishes!
Here are a few of our favorites:
- 30 Minute Warm and Hearty Turkey Chili or Healthy Vegetarian Chili Recipe
- Irish Stew or for a fall, vegetarian favorite– 3 Sisters Stew
- Grilled and Tender Foil Wrapped Baby Back Ribs or a quicker Easy Instant Pot Ribs: Fall-Off-The-Bone Delicious

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Jalapeno Popper Corn Muffins with Bacon and Cheddar
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsp melted butter
- 2 bacon strips cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese plus more for muffin tops
- 1 medium jalapeno chopped finely
OR… (Shortcut)
- 1 15-ounce corn muffin mix Use your favorite cornbread box mix (I like Fleischmann's Simply Homemade – available at markets and Amazon.com) and fold in the bacon, cheddar, and jalapeno. Bake according to package instructions.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease or paper-line 18 to 20 standard muffin cups.
- Combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Then combine milk, eggs, vegetable oil and butter in small bowl; mix well. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture; stir just until blended. Gently fold in crumbled bacon, cheese, and jalapeno. Pour into the prepared muffin cups and top with additional shredded cheese.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool slightly. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.