Easy Skillet Cornbread

This skillet cornbread recipe will become your go-to! Bake it up in an oven-safe or cast iron skillet and prepare to be amazed.

A good cornbread recipe is a necessity for the home cook, we’ve found. Cornbread is easy, goes with just about anything and it always, always satisfies. Here’s a favorite of ours: this Skillet Cornbread recipe! It’s great in a cast iron skillet, though you can use any type of oven-safe skillet that’s on hand. Bake it up and it has just the right thickness, moist crumb, and savory sweetness you want in a great cornbread.

What’s in a skillet cornbread recipe?

Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal that has roots in Native American cuisine, as well as the cuisine of the American South. There are many spins on this concept, and whether it’s sweet, savory, thick or thin often depends on the region in the US. This recipe is on the savory side, hinted with just a bit of sweetness.

Often cornbread is baked in a cast-iron skillet, which makes it crispy on the outsides and moist on the inside. Most cornbread recipes have similar ingredients and method. (For this one we were partially inspired by Toni Tipton-Martin’s cookbook Jubilee: which we highly recommend!) Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

Yellow cornmeal
All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt
Eggs
Whole milk
Salted butter

Use a cast iron skillet, or any oven safe pan

Why is cast iron skillet cornbread so delicious? You can preheat the skillet beforehand, and it becomes very hot to make a deliciously crispy exterior and soft interior. Here are a few notes on the type of skillet:

A 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet is preferable, if you have it. Some people like to preheat the skillet for the entire oven preheat time to get the bread even crispier. For our method we do just 5 minutes to melt the butter, but you can preheat longer if you wish.
Or, any oven-safe skillet works! Just make sure it’s around 9 to 10-inches in diameter to get the ideal bread thickness.

Ways to serve this skillet cornbread recipe

Skillet cornbread is one of our favorite easy side dishes, because it goes with just about anything! Here are some toppings and ideas for making it into a meal:

Top with butter and hot honey. Honey is delicious; hot honey is even more fun! For vegan, use agave syrup or maple syrup.
Serve alongside chili. A given! Some favorites: Black Bean Chili or Quick Chili.
Add to soup. Try it with a bowl of Red Lentil Soup or White Bean Soup.
Or, serve with seafood. It’s great with a Classic Shrimp Boil, Easy Cajun Shrimp, Cajun Shrimp Pasta or Blackened Salmon.

Vegan and gluten free variations

Want to switch it up for dietary restrictions? Try these vegan and gluten-free substitutions:

Gluten free skillet cornbread: Substitute 1:1 gluten-free flour for the all purpose flour.
Vegan skillet cornbread: Make our Vegan Cornbread and cook it in a skillet following the recipe below.

More cornbread recipes

And that’s it! Let us know how you get on in the comments below. And if you’re craving other ideas, try these variations on the theme:

Try Classic Cornbread Muffins
Opt for Easy Vegan Cornbread instead! It’s a fan favorite
Make beautiful Tomato Sage Parmesan Cornbread
Go breakfast with Sweet Cornbread Waffles

This cast iron skillet cornbread recipe is…

Vegetarian. For gluten-free, see the recipe below. For vegan, go to Vegan Cornbread.