Skillet Cornbread

There is nothing better than cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet. The skillet gives this cornbread buttery crisp edges and a tender, lightly sweet, crumb inside. It's the only way that this Southern classic should be made. Absolute perfection!

cast iron skillet cornbread

I remember the first time I had skillet cornbread. Ryan and I were dating and I was spending Thanksgiving at his home. It was my first Thanksgiving experience. His mom and grandma would start cooking the night before and they’d make enough food to feed an army!

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One of my favorite things she’d make was the cornbread! She would use a huge round skillet and make it from scratch. Straight out of the oven with some butter spread on it and it was heavenly!

top view of 12 inch cast iron skillet cornbread

Ryan has been making skillet cornbread ever since we started celebrating Thanksgiving in Honduras. He makes it once a year and unfortunately for me, he uses it to make the turkey stuffing! I get so sad every time he starts crumbling up the cornbread to make the stuffing. Don’t get me wrong, the stuffing is amazing, I just really love that cornbread!!

a slice of southern style skillet cornbread on a plate
Essential Items

Here are some essential prep tools, utensils, and appliances I used to make this recipe.

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Prep Tools & Utensils

Here are the prep tools and utensils that you’ll need:

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Making Skillet Cornbread

Even though this skillet cornbread is made from scratch, it’s still an easy recipe and I’d love to share it with you! There is a little bit of pre-prep required to help make this recipe go more smoothly. So, let’s get started with that.

Set the Eggs and Milk Out

The very first thing you’ll want to do is take your eggs and milk out of the refrigerator, pour the two cups of milk into a measuring cup and crack the eggs into a mixing bowl. Leave both the eggs and milk sitting on the counter while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

cornbread with eggs

This is important because you want the eggs and milk to come to room temperature before mixing the butter into them. This will ensure that they will all mix together well. Otherwise, if the eggs and milk are too cold, the butter will begin to solidify when you start to mix it in. This will make mixing the wet ingredients almost impossible.

Note: If you run into the issue where the butter starts to solidify, just put the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the butter softens again.

Now is also a good time to set your oven to 425.

Warm the Skillet

The other thing you’ll want to do before getting started is place the skillet on the stove and turn on the burner for about a minute to warm the skillet up. Once the skillet is warm (not hot), turn the burner off and place the stick of butter in the skillet so that it will melt while you are preparing the other ingredients.

homemade cornbread in a cast iron pan

Gather Your Dry Ingredients

You will need to gather the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a mixing bowl, first, add the two cups of flour.

cast iron skillet cornbread recipe

Then add the two cups of cornmeal.

best cornbread recipe 12 inch cast iron skillet

Add a half cup of sugar.

sweet cornbread recipe cast iron skillet

And, finally, add the baking powder and salt.

skillet cornbread recipe

Mix the Dry Ingredients Together

With a whisk, you will want to thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together leaving a well in the middle of the mixture.

how to make skillet cornbread from scratch

Mix the Wet Ingredients Together

Now it’s time to mix the eggs, milk, and butter together.

skillet cornbread made with milk

After pouring the butter from the skillet, leave any remaining butter in the skillet and, with a paper towel, rub the left over butter up the inside edges of the skillet to ensure that the entire skillet is greased.

southern sweet cornbread

Mix the ingredients vigorously to ensure that they are thoroughly mixed.

cornbread with milk

The egg mixture should look like this once it has been mixed thoroughly enough.

skillet cornbread recipe without buttermilk

Add the Wet Mixture to the Dry Mixture

You’ll now want to pour the egg mixture into the dry mixture.

making cornbread from cornmeal

Thoroughly mix them together.

old fashioned cornbread recipe

Add the Cornbread Mix to the Skillet

Pour the cornbread mix into the greased skillet.

homemade southern cornbread

You are now ready to place the skillet in the oven.

cast iron skillet cornbread 12 inch

Skillet Cornbread Fresh out of the Oven

Yum! Doesn’t that cornbread look so delicious? That skillet is just filled to the max with comfort for the belly 🙂

best cast iron skillet cornbread recipe

Serve Your Skillet Cornbread

Now it’s time to grab a knife and plate and cut you a slice of this warm southern comfort food.

a thin slice of cornbread skillet removed from the skillet

Please let me know how your skillet cornbread comes out by leaving a comment below.

Skillet Cornbread

BUTTERY CRISP EDGES WITH A TENDER, LIGHTLY SWEET CRUMB INSIDE

4.29 from 39 votes
Servings
12 slices
DifficultyEasy
Cooking Method(s)
  • Baking
Oven Temp425°
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
Recipe by: Valerie Cooper
Baked in a cast iron skillet, this cornbread has the perfect buttery crisp edges and a tender, lightly sweet, crumb inside.
cast iron skillet cornbread

Essential Equipment

  • stackable measuring cups

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425° F.
  • Set out the eggs and milk so that they can warm to room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients (this will prevent the butter from hardening when mixing it into the eggs and milk)
  • Set the skillet on the stove and turn on the burner for a minute just to warm the skillet. Make sure it doesn’t get hot or you will end up burning the butter. Once the skillet is warm, turn the burner off and then place the butter in the skillet so that it melts while you prepare the other ingredients.
  • Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt to a bowl and mix them together well. Create a well in center of the dry mixture and set it aside.
  • In a separate bowl, add the eggs, milk and melted butter and then mix well with a whisk. After pouring the butter from the skillet, grease the entire skillet by using a paper towel to rub the left over butter up the inside edges of the skillet. Set the skillet aside.
  • Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and then mix everything together well. Now, pour the mixture back into the buttered skillet.
  • Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 236mg | Potassium: 383mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 380IU | Calcium: 148mg | Iron: 2.2mg

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27 thoughts on “Skillet Cornbread”

  1. I have always used oil in my batter, and to grease the skillet. I was convinced using butter would burn the crust. I used your recipe to prove that it would. Best. Cornbread. Ever. This recipe is so simple to remember too. Thanks Valerie!

  2. I have used Buttermilk with this recipe and it turned out fantastic. I am making a batch right now and this time I added thinly sliced peaches to the top of it, I will let you know how it turns out!

  3. Hi Valerie,
    Today was the first time I ever tried making my own cornbread and chose your recipe. I have a question. Does your cornbread crumble? Mine crumbled. What can I do to stop this from happening?

      1. Hi Valerie,
        Thank you for answering my question. No, it did not completely fall apart. My cornbread just seemed too crumbly to me, but I guess it was just right! Thank you. I look forward to trying more of your recipes!

  4. I will most definitely be trying this the next time I make chili! Love cooking with cast iron here too. We inherited a small set of skillets from my husbands grandmother and they make everything better!

    1. Skillets are the best! Ryan loves them! Let me know when you try the cornbread. Thanks for stopping by, Amanda!

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