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This Jalapeno Chili Cornbread Casserole is an easy vegan comfort food casserole recipe with a quick jalapeรฑo cheddar cornbread crust baked right on top! Itโ€™s warm and savory and comes together in one dish. Jump to Recipe
overhead shot of a chili cornbread casserole with one square cut an served
I love baking of casseroles in fall and winter. Just put everything in one dish no standing around and you get hot steaming amazing food. Everyone loves a good comfort food casserole and this chili cornbread casserole is especially delicious – so saucy and flavorful. It all starts out with a savory vegan lentil bean chili which is topped with an addicting maple sweetened jalapeรฑo cornbread crust. Youโ€™ll find it difficult to stop nibbling away at that cornbread topping it’s so good with that hint of sweetness that balances out the heat from the chili and jalapenos. The cornbread is delicious and moist because of ย being baked on top of the chili!

overhead shot of a casserole dish with chili cornbread casserole
Not only is it this vegan cornbread casserole hearty, but itโ€™s also quick to pull together in one dish. You mix all the chili ingredients in the dish and pre-bake the chili, top with the cornbread mix, and pop this back in the oven until itโ€™s all ready and bubbly.
No oneโ€™s going to be mad that there are fewer dishes to clean tonight!
side view of a square of chili cornbread casserole on a white plate
This Vegan Chili Cornbread Casserole is the perfect vegan comfort food dinner on a chilly evening.ย  A complete meal coming out of one skillet. What’s not to love about that?
overhead shot of chili cornbread casserole with one square cut
ย 

Vegan Jalapeno Chili Cornbread Casserole

4.96 from 43 votes
By: Vegan Richa
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Jalapeno Cornbread Chili Casserole is an easy vegan comfort food casserole recipe with a quick jalapeรฑo cheddar cornbread crust baked right on top of the lentil chili. Itโ€™s warm and savory and comes together in one dish.ย  Nutfree soyfree. Glutenfree option.
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Ingredients 
 

For the Chili

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Split red lentils, use 1/3 cup if you like less lentilly chili
  • 15 oz can black beans, drained or 1.5 cups cooked beans
  • 1 tbsp chili powder blend
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground oregano
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 cups diced canned tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, add in 1 tbsp of tomato paste as well.
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the Cornbread

  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk, Such as almond , oat, soy or light coconut
  • 1 tsp vinegar

Dry Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Medium grain cornmeal, or fine grain or grits
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp chopped pickled jalapaneo
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup of vegan cheddar shreds, or use 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 jalapeno thinly sliced for topping

Instructions 

  • In a 9x9 casserole dish, add all of the ingredients under "for the chili" and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and mix in, and even out the mixture
  • Place in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F(205 C) . Bake for 35 -45 minutes. (Cover with parchment to help cook faster, optional)
  • Meanwhile make your cornbread mixture .Mix all the dry ingredients, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch in a bowl, then add in the wet ingredients and mix well.
  • Add in the pickled Jalapenos and vegan cheddar shreds and mix, and let the mixture sit for five minutes to hydrate. Check if you need more non-dairy milk and add a tablespoon or more if needed to make a thick but spreadable batter.
  • Take the chili casserole out of the oven, the lentils by now should be al dente, or just about done. There should be barely any liquid in the mixture. If it's too liquidy, then bake for another 10 minutes.
  • -Spread the cornbread mixture over the casserole, and even it out with a spatula, spread the sliced jalapenos on top.
  • Put the casserole back in the oven to bake for another 25-30 minutes, check if the cornbread is done in the center and the sides are starting to turn golden, thats when the casserole is done.
  • Take the casserole out and cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve large helpings and enjoy!
    Store: Cover the baking dish and refrigerate for upto 3 days.

Video

Notes

You can enjoy the casserole as is, or top it with vegan sour cream or more pickled jalapeno, hot sauce, and other things
Glutenfree option: Use gluten-free flour blend or oat flour for the cornbread. Do not skip the oil.ย 
Oil free option. Omit the oil and add 1 tablespoon applesauce to the cornbread batterย 

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 549mg, Potassium: 792mg, Fiber: 14g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 404IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 156mg, Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!

 

Ingredients for Chili Cornbread Casseroleย 

  • The base for the chili layer is made with onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and lentils
  • The chili layer would not taste like chili without that signature South-of-the-border blend of cumin, oregano, onion powder, and chili powder
  • For the cornbread topping, we use typical cornbread ingredients like cornmeal, mixed with flour and cornstarch.
  • maple syrup adds a nice sweetness to the cornbread layer
  • a mix of non-dairy milk and vinegar mimics the buttermilk that is used in traditional recipes
  • baking soda and baking powder are our raising agents and responsible for that perfect light and fluffy texture. Make sure to check the expiry date to be sure they are still active.
  • To add some oomph to the topping, stir in some chopped pickled jalapenos and vegan cheese or nutritional yeast
  • Glutenfree option: Use gluten-free flour blend or old flour for the cornbread. Do not skip the oil.
    Oil free option. Omit the oil and add 1 tablespoon applesauce.
    This recipe is soy free and Nutfree with Nutfree non dairy milk.

Tips:

  • Why not serve this with a big dollop of vegan sour cream or homemade guacamole
  • If youโ€™re not tolerating any spice or make this for children, feel free to swap the jalapeรฑos for green bell pepper
  • Or you can swap the chopped jalapenos for a few tablespoons of a drained can of diced hatch chili peppers
  • You can add taco seasoning or chili powder blend instead of the spices used in the chili
  • Bake in individual ramekins for personal size servings

How to make Chili Cornbread Casserole:

chili mix being tossed in a white casserole dish
ย 
ย ย In a 9×9 casserole dish, add all of the ingredients under chili and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and mix in, and even out the mixture
chili mix in casserole dish
chili mix in white casserole dish for cornbread casserole
-Place in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F, and cook for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, make your cornbread mixture, and keep ready.
ingredients for cornbread topping for chili cornbread casserole
Mix all your dry ingredients, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch in a bowl, then add in the wet ingredients and mix well.
dry cornbread mix in white bowl
cheddar shreds being stirred into cornbread batter
Add in your pickled Jalapenos and cheddar shreds and mix, and let the mixture sit for five minutes to see if you need more non-dairy milk.
cornbread batter with pieces of jalapeno and cheddar shreds
Take the chili casserole out of the oven and the lentils by now should be al dente or just about done. There should be barely any liquid in the mixture. If it’s too liquidy, then bake for another 10 minutes.
Spread the cornbread mixture over the casserole, and even it out with a spatula, spread the sliced jalapeno on top.
vegan chili cornbread casserole before baking
chili cornbread casserole topped with jalapeno rounds
Put the casserole back in the oven to bake for another 25-30 minutes. Check if the cornbread is done in the center and the sides are starting to turn golden, that’s when the casserole is done. Take the casserole out and cool for 5-10 minutes, and just take large helpings and enjoy!
 side view of a slice of chile cornbread casserole on a white plate
ย 
You can enjoy the casserole as is, or top it with vegan sour cream or more pickled jalapeno, hot sauce, and other things.

CAN THIS BE FROZEN?ย 

ย I think this casserole should hold up fine in the freezer for a couple of months. Youโ€™ll always want to defrost it in the refrigerator overnight. Then heat it through in a 350ยบF hot oven for roughly 30 mins depending on how much you have left.

About Richa

Hi, I'm Richa! I create flavorful plant based recipes that are inspired by my Indian upbringing, including many gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free options.

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4.96 from 43 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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113 Comments

  1. Jamie says:

    5 stars
    I have made this plenty of times, especially right when you published it. Made it again last night. Always incredible! This mightโ€™ve singles deadly made me like cornbread again ๐Ÿ˜€

    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      So good to hear!

  2. Mae says:

    5 stars
    I just made this with some changes to suit what I had on hand. It came out really good, exactly what I hoping for! I didn’t have any bell pepper, and I added in some celery and diced carrot. I used 1 cup water + 1 cup tomato paste in place of the diced tomatoes. I didn’t have any plain cornmeal, so I used a waffle mix I made containing cornmeal and chickpea flour. It already had the cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and whatnot, so I just added half a cup of AP flour to it and used that. The cornbread is delicious and fluffy, and chili holds up well, doesn’t fall apart when I cut into it. Great recipe! Thank you for sharing it.

    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      awesome! thank you!

  3. Toni Furan says:

    5 stars
    Iโ€™ve made this several times and itโ€™s a great and easy recipe. Iโ€™m having guests that I want to make this for and we will be busy out of the house for several hours before dinner. What, if anything, can be prepped ahead to save time? Can I bake the chili part and prep the cornbread and leave in the refrigerator before putting together?

    1. Richa says:

      Yes keep the batter ready but not non the chili and bake the chili. Then spread batter and bake as neeeded

  4. Rebecca says:

    5 stars
    YUM! Thank you so much for yet another amazing recipe!

    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      ๐Ÿ™‚ thank you for making it!