This Broccoli Cheddar Cornbread is one of the greatest Southern appetizers and is made with vegetarian jiffy mix. Less than 10 ingredients and an easy chop, throw in a bowl and mix recipe that has a sweet and cheesy flavor that's fit to be served at any tailgate or potluck!
This recipe comes from the tailgating days of my PhD and some hardcore SEC football. Traditional sweet cornbread gets a major upgrade with the addition of broccoli and cheddar cheese.
Originally shared by a friend from Auburn, I have tweaked the recipe a bit to reduce the number of eggs it called for and add in onions, jalapeno/serrano peppers, and cilantro.
I use Jiffy vegetarian corn mix along with a handful of other, super easy to find ingredients in this recipe and it takes less than 10 minutes to prep. If you take this to a tailgate or a potluck, I guarantee you that people are going to ask you for this recipe. This semi homemade cornbread recipe goes well with my slow cooker chicken tortilla soup and you can totally add this to your Thanksgiving recipes list along with my Mushroom stuffing.
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🌟 Why you'll love this recipe?
- Casserole and cornbread in one. Think of it as a cheesy broccoli casserole meets cornbread. It's perfect!
- Vegetarian. Unlike the regular jiffy corn muffin mix that has lard in it, use of vegetarian jiffy mix makes this recipe vegetarian.
- Does not need to be refrigerated. My biggest concern when taking food to potlucks or tailgates is that it will go bat sitting out in the sun. Or you have to figure out a way to keep the dish cold. Not for this cornbread. Though it tastes best when warm, room or outdoor temps are just fine.
📋 Recipe Ingredients
This broccoli cheddar cornbread recipe with jiffy mix uses a simple list of ingredients. Before we get started, here are a few notes on ingredients to ensure your cornbread turns out perfectly.
- Broccoli - I use frozen broccoli cuts/chopped broccoli for this recipe. You can easily find this in the freezer aisle of most grocery stores in the USA.
- Cheese - Use good quality cheddar in this dish. I prefer to shred my cheese myself. A food processor makes this really easy.
- Milk - I almost always opt for whole milk in baking, as its higher fat content enhances the richness of the recipe.
- Cornbread Mix - Jiffy Corn muffin mix has the perfect sweetness and just the right texture that is needed for this cornbread recipe. Using the vegetarian version of jiffy is a personal choice.
- Eggs - Use large eggs (US size) to act as binding agent while baking and add moisture and richness to the cornbread.
- Onions and green chili - I love the sweetness, crunch, and the slight spicy touch that the chopped onions, green chili (jalapeno or serrano), and cilantro add to this recipe. Use any white or yellow onion for mild flavor.
Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients along with the quantities.
📖 Substitutions and Variations
This is a vegetarian recipe!
- Frozen broccoli florets - instead of broccoli cuts will work as well if that is all you can find in your grocery store. Give the florets a chop after thawing them
- Cheese - use pepper jack cheese to add a kick to your cornbread. Colby or monterey jack cheese can be substituted as well
- Spicy - in addition to swapping cheddar with pepper jack, you can amp up the spice level of this broccoli cheddar cornbread by replacing jalapeno with serrano or thai chili peppers. You can also add some red pepper flakes to the batter
- Cilantro - if you do not like cilantro, you can leave it out. It's not going to break the recipe
- Mini Muffins - you can make it in mini muffin tin to serve as bite-size appetizer. Reduce the baking time to approximately 20 minutes.
👩🍳 How to make this recipe
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C and grease a 9 X 13 baking dish (for eg. Pyrex) with butter. Cook broccoli in microwave according to package directions (Image 1).
Step 2: In a large bowl, stir together broccoli, Jiffy corn muffin mix, salt, pepper, and mix (Image 2).
Step 3: Add melted butter, chopped onions, cilantro and green chili (Image 3).
Step 4: Stir in beaten eggs and cheese until well blended (Image 4).
Step 5: Put batter into the prepared baking dish (Image 5).
Step 6: Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the dish comes out clean (Image 6).
🥣 How to serve
Serve cornbread warm with butter or your favorite chutney. I like it A LOT with some sweet and savory tomato jam spread on it. It tastes great when served with all kinds of Fall Soups, especially with my Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.
We also like it with Hot n Sweet Tomato Ketchup 😜.
💡 Vaishali's Pro Tips!
- Save the butter wrapper. I save the wrapper of the stick of butter that I used in the recipe, and then use it to spread some butter on the baking dish.
- Melting the butter. My favorite way to melt butter is in a saucepan. But if you choose to do it in a microwave, make sure to do it in short bursts of 10-15 seconds so that the butter does not "pop".
- Don't overmix the batter. Just give all the ingredients a whisk together and do not overmix.
- Make a double batch. You won't regret it. Simply follow the freezing instructions given below.
🔌 Equipment
my favorite baking dish!
I have many other more expensive ones, but this is hands down the most used baking dish in my kitchen.
❄️ Storage, freezing, and reheating instructions
To store: Cornbread is best served fresh and warm. You can store it in the dish you baked it in, tightly covered and stick it in the refrigerator fro 2-3 days. Or you can cut the bread into pieces and store them in an airtight container.
To freeze: Cut the cornbread into pieces. Once the cornbread pieces are cooled to room temperature, wrap them immediately in plastic wrap or place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before reheating.
To reheat: Cut up a slice and toast in the toaster oven.
☝️ FAQs
Eggs and cheese in this broccoli cheddar cornbread recipe act as binding agents and prevent it from crumbling or falling apart. They also add richness at the same time so that the crumb of the bread is delicate and not dense.
Butter!!! It increases the moistness of the cornbread. The moisture of broccoli also results in this cornbread recipe being soft and moist.
😋 Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment and let me know how you liked it! Share it on Instagram with the hashtag #thekitchendocs or share on Facebook, too.
Love – Vaishali
Easy Broccoli Cheddar Cornbread Recipe (with Jiffy)
Equipment
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 10 oz frozen broccoli cuts see notes
- 1 pack vegetarian Jiffy corn muffin mix 7- 8 oz
- ½ cup salted butter 1 stick + more for greasing
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped about 1 cup
- 1 jalapeno finely chopped, see notes
- 5 sprigs cilantro leaves stripped and finely chopped
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C. Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish (foreg. Pyrex) with butter.
- Cook broccoli in microwave according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl,stir together broccoli, corn muffin mix, salt, pepper, and mix.
- Add melted butter, chopped onions, cilantro and green chili. Stir in beaten eggs and cheese until well blended.
- Put batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the dish comes out clean.
- Enjoy warm!
Sasha
This recipe looks soooo tasty! My stomach is growling! Thank you for sharing <3