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This Jalapeno Chili Cornbread Casserole is an easy vegan comfort food casserole recipe with a quick jalapeño cheddar cornbread crust baked right on top! It’s warm and savory and comes together in one dish. Jump to Recipe
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 jalapeño cornbread crust. You’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 being baked on top of the chili!
Not only is it this vegan cornbread casserole hearty, but it’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 it’s all ready and bubbly.
No one’s going to be mad that there are fewer dishes to clean tonight!
This Vegan Chili Cornbread Casserole is the perfect vegan comfort food dinner on a chilly evening. A complete meal coming out of one skillet. What’s not to love about that?
Vegan Jalapeno Chili Cornbread Casserole
Jalapeno Cornbread Chili Casserole is an easy vegan comfort food casserole recipe with a quick jalapeño cheddar cornbread crust baked right on top of the lentil chili. It’s warm and savory and comes together in one dish. Nutfree soyfree. Glutenfree option.
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.
Oil free option. Omit the oil and add 1 tablespoon applesauce to the cornbread batter
Oil free option. Omit the oil and add 1 tablespoon applesauce to the cornbread batter
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 Casserole
- 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 you’re not tolerating any spice or make this for children, feel free to swap the jalapeños 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:
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
-Place in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F, and cook for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, make your cornbread mixture, and keep ready.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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?
I think this casserole should hold up fine in the freezer for a couple of months. You’ll always want to defrost it in the refrigerator overnight. Then heat it through in a 350ºF hot oven for roughly 30 mins depending on how much you have left.
This is delicious and easy and fun to make! Thanks Richa.
Hooray! my sentiments exactly
This is so good – I make it regularly and it’s great for leftovers!
so glad to hear, thanks Sue
This was yummy!! I’d make it again. Thank you!
Excellent
This is a great recipe! The chili part is not at all soupy, even when I added a small diced zucchini. I also added some frozen corn as a layer before the cornbread batter. I loved it and will continue to play with the combinations.
sounds yummy
This was okay but has potential. The good aspects of this dish are that it’s easy and requires less dishes. The down side is that I found the cornbread to be pretty dry and flavorless, and the dish didn’t have enough salt overall. Next time I’ll taste as I go and make sure the corn bread batter is wetter and has more seasonings. I followed the directions to the T and baked the lentils/bean mixture for 10 additional minutes as there was still water in the dish. Maybe that was a mistake and caused the bread to be dry.
Adjust the salt. Salt brings out all the other flavors as well. I think the extra baking prob did that. The cornbread baked and the. Absorbs some of the moisture from the chili. If that is tok dry then the cornbread continues to dry out after it’s done baking. You can also top the cornbread with tomato slices to add and keep in the moisture
Is there a way to sub the all-purpose flour for either coconut, almond, or oat flour? If so, what would the ratio be? My family enjoys your recipes and looking forward to trying this one.
Yes use oat flour. Gf options are mentioned in the notes section
I love all things jalapeño, so I can’t wait to make this recipe! One question…I haven’t found any cheddar-like vegan cheese that I like and for medical reasons* I can’t eat nutritional yeast, so can I just leave it out?
Thanks!
*Some people with Crohn’s Disease can’t tolerate nutritional yeast and I’m one of them.
Yea you can leave those out. For chewier flavor you can add 1/2 tsp miso to the wet
I absolutely love this recipe! My favorite thing is that it is so easily customizable. I’ve added corn and other leftover veggies I have around. I’ve used brown lentils or red lentils, and different types of beans. Whatever I have around, can so easily be used in this casserole!
I don’t have a 9×9 casserole dish so I always make it in a 7×11 casserole dish and it fits just fine. I use polenta from the bulk section of the supermarket for the cornbread and if I don’t have cornstarch I have just used a little extra flour.
The only thing is that the first few times I made this recipe I had to leave it on the oven for 30+ extra minutes at step 5 because it was still very watery. It might be because the tomatoes I used were too watery or because of the modifications I made. However, now when I make this, I just add a quarter cup of water at a time instead of the full 1.5 cups (I normally stop around .75-1 cup) and that tends to be just right!
This recipe is always a hit and even though it’s very filling, the leftovers go fast because it’s so delicious! Thanks Richa!
Love your recipes. Looking forward to making this one. I assume the beans are drained. But what about the tomatoes? If using canned, should they be drained or with the liquid added? Thanks!
Beans are drained. Tomatoes are not
This recipe was soooo good! Super simple to put together and tasted amazing !
hooray!
Love this recipe! It’s so easy and all in one dish. And the biggest plus for me is that my non-vegan family members like it too!
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
Quick question, could the cornbread topping be made as a stand alone? I’ve been looking for a good vegan cornbread to go with soups & stews, and I think this one would be wonderful!