Cornbread Waffles with Chili – 15 Minute Dinner Idea

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This easy Cornbread Waffles with Chili recipe takes 15 minutes to get on the table! The whole family will love adding their own toppings to this breakfast for dinner meal!

Using a basic Cornbread Waffles Recipe, you can make anything into breakfast for dinner. Check out these Taco Topped Cornbread Waffles and Cornbread Waffles with Pulled Pork, Beans, and Slaw for recipe inspiration!

Cornbread Waffles with Chili - 15 Minute Dinner

A Quick Dinner Idea Your Family Will Love!

My mom and I have really bonded over the blog. In the last 18 months or so we have spent tons of time on the phone talking about recipes, craft ideas, working through problems or comments that may have stung a little. She’s definitely my number one blog fan and it means the world to me. She came across a few recipes in her local newspaper and was excited to share them with me. She was on the phone telling me about cornbread, cooked in a waffle iron, with chili on top. Huh?? I’d never even heard of such a thing. It sounded easy enough and for some reason I just had to make it. I went to the store and picked up what I needed and made it that very night.

Are cornbread waffles easy to make?

Cornbread waffles with chili was shockingly delicious and probably the easiest thing in the world. You can’t beat a meal that takes 15 minutes to put together, and I didn’t have to turn on my oven in this summer heat either. Double win! I was shocked at how much my family loved it. If you have ever had Navajo Tacos, this eats a lot like those, which is a very good thing. The corn bread and chili were a great base for all of your favorite toppings. My kids love anything that they can customize and this was just perfect for them.

In the notes of the recipe, I mention how to use your favorite cornbread recipe and homemade chili instead of the store-bought stuff if that is more your style. I honestly had to go pick up the mix and the can because they aren’t things I keep on the shelf.

So trust me on this one and make it soon. It was tasty, fast, and needs no oven – always a good thing in my book.

cornbread waffles with chili and words

Tips and Tricks for Making Cornbread Waffles with Chili

  • To speed things up, the recipe calls for boxed cornbread and canned chili. If that isn’t your jam, make those elements from scratch.
  • Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili or Healthy Lentil Chili are two of our favorite chilis to put over cornbread waffles. I’ll make them, save part for this recipe later in the week, and serve the rest that day. Cook once and eat twice!
  • The Best Cornbread Recipe really does live up to its name. This is what I often use to make cornbread waffles.
  • Because you are using a waffle maker, you aren’t heating up your kitchen with the oven. Great recipe for hot summers or to get your kids involved in cooking!
  • The kids love that they can add what they like to the top, making this meal very family-friendly.

Craving more? Subscribe to Bless this Mess to get new recipes, meal plans, and a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment, pin it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #blessthismesseats on Instagram. I love to see your kitchen skills in action!

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Cornbread Waffles with Chili | Savory Waffle Recipe - Waffles for Dinner!

Cornbread Waffles with Chili


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  • Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 4 waffles 1x

Description

This easy Cornbread Waffles with Chili recipe takes 15 minutes to get on the table! The whole family will love adding their own toppings to this breakfast for dinner meal!


Ingredients

Scale

For the Cornbread Waffle

  • 1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter
  • 3/4 cups milk

For the Topping

  • 1 can of your favorite store-bought chili or a few cups of homemade
  • shredded lettuce
  • grated cheese
  • sour cream
  • diced tomatoes
  • salsa
  • hot sauce
  • pickled jalapeños

Instructions

  1. For the waffles, mix together the cornbread mix, egg, butter, and milk in a small bowl. Cook the cornbread in a waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions until golden brown.
  2. Heat the chili and prepare the toppings.
  3. When the cornbread waffles are cooked, top them with warm chili and toppings and enjoy.
  4. Easy!!!

Notes

  1. I had to buy canned chili and boxed cornbread mix just for this. We loved the meal and so I made a big batch of chili and put it in the freezer in 2-cup portions and I have also used my favorite homemade cornbread recipe and just added a bit more milk so that it was a little thinner than usual for the waffles. The store-bought stuff is super easy but if you have the time, the homemade stuff is probably a little better for you.
  2. The Best Cornbread Recipe we love this one. Feel free to try to cut it in half.
  3. Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili or Healthy Lentil Chili are favorites over the cornbread waffles. I’ll make them and save a portion for this meal later in the week. Cook once, eat twice!
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 5 min
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Waffle Maker
  • Cuisine: American

The recipe comes from my Mom’s newspaper in Kentucky and it sites the Jiffy Cornbread box as where it got the recipe.

corn bread waffle taco

So what do you think? Do cornbread waffles with chili sound good or weird you out?!

Other super quick and easy dinner ideas:

Enjoy from my kitchen to yours!

This post was originally published in June 2013 and is being republished in July 2018.

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26 Comments

  1. This was a winner! My 16 year old daughter made it on her own (inlcuding homemade chile and your homemade cornbread) and declared it’s going into our rotation. Thanks for the great recipes!

    1. Nope, not at all how it is. BUT it’s really easy to make it clean. I use this cornbread recipe: https://www.blessthismessplease.com/2014/02/whole-grain-cornbread.html
      and I’ll put leftover homemade chili on top or I’ll make a quick chili with some ground meat sauteed with onions and bell peppers and then cooked with a can of beans and a can of diced tomatoes until slightly thickened. Season with cumin, chili powder, and salt. The idea is great, but the recipe how it is, is just quick and easy. It takes me maybe 15 minutes more to clean it up though and it’s always worth the effort! I hope you try it!

  2. You can also make stuffing (homemade or Pepperidge Farm) and bake it in a waffle iron. Top with slicked chicken or turkey and gravy.

    1. What?! I’ve never thought of that buy my family would LOVE it! Thanks for the idea!

  3. Oh I forgot….using your BEST cornbread (regardless mix or homemade)… with anything Tex-Mex profile of flavors, I add 2-3 thinly sliced scallion and a clove of garlic. If i can find organic corn oil (instead of canola [which i don’t use because it’s controversial], i use that to oil the waffle iron. So it’ll be chili over scallion corn waffles for us!

  4. Melissa…..Thanks for inspiring my dinner plan tonight! Last night I made a batch of cornbread waffles to make strawberry “shortcakes” (except obviously become “corn cakes”) after a 16 lb strawberry picking session. Dorie Greenspan has an awesome Corn meal waffle recipe in her waffle cookbook (but reduce buttermilk a bit…). So it’s chili waffles tonight! Or perhaps I should wait a day before eating another carb loaded dinner (ha ha). Or add another run…..(wink)

  5. I am tweeting this recipe because it’s so fun and different. I didn’t have anyone to tag though. If you have a twitter account, I am sorry.

    1. Thanks girl! Oh twitter… I’m at @blessmessblog I need to get better about using it 🙂 Thanks again!