We think this cast iron cornbread is the best skillet cornbread recipe ever! It uses buttermilk, has no sugar, plus it’s super moist inside with a golden crispy crust! Naturally gluten-free and freezer-friendly. Serve as breakfast with butter & jam, or as a side with roasted chicken for dinner!
Would you believe that until just a few years ago, I had never made cornbread from scratch?
I’ve made lots of types of bread… white sandwich bread, flour tortillas, pita bread, fluffy biscuits, rosemary sea salt flat bread and even homemade seasoned breadcrumbs… but not cornbread.
Until now. Prepare to be amazed friends – this cornbread recipe will knock your socks off!
Why Make Cornbread in a Skillet?
We’re eating the kind of cornbread that doesn’t have sugar, because a few years ago we vowed to quit that processed stuff whenever possible. This cornbread recipe is also amazing because it’s:
- made in a cast iron skillet
- soft, savory and oh so delicious
- perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner
- naturally gluten-free
- freezer-friendly
Cast Iron Cornbread Ingredients
- cornmeal
- all-purpose flour (for gluten-free, use gluten-free all-purpose flour)
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- apple cider vinegar
- milk
- egg
- butter
- butter or bacon grease (for skillet)
(See the recipe card below for full ingredients with amounts)
Notes on Ingredients for Skillet Cornbread
It’s made with lots of butter…
As if we really need a reason to eat more butter, but the large amount of butter in this recipe (combined with the buttermilk!) makes for an INCREDIBLY moist cornbread.
We tested some recipes that didn’t use as much butter or buttermilk and they crumbled as we took it out of the pan. It was so frustrating! You couldn’t even spread butter on it because it wasn’t strong enough to withstand the butter knife.
Good thing that’s not this recipe!
… or bacon grease!
- If you run out of butter, or just want to use up the bacon grease you’ve been saving, you can use bacon grease instead of butter when you’re melting it in the skillet.
- A bit heads up though, bacon grease leans to the salty side. This means you might want to reduce the amount of salt you add to the dry ingredients IF you don’t like things salty.
- My husband and I both liked the extra salt flavor. The kids didn’t notice, but we took out a whole pan of cornbread in one night, so I’m thinking they liked it too!
Using a Cast Iron Skillet
Really, can you ever go wrong cooking in a cast iron skillet? Me thinks not.
We actually have two skillets – this 12″ skillet that we use for the above awesome cornbread, and a smaller 9″ skillet that I use for the best scrambled eggs and anytime I accidentally overflow my big skillet.
Tip: Don’t be overwhelmed by the idea of cooking with cast iron. Here’s the right way to season a cast iron skillet, and once you’ve done that, you’re good to go!
Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet (Step By Step)
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
Step 2. In a large glass measuring cup (I have these), measure apple cider vinegar. Add milk until you reach 1 1/2 cups of liquid total. Whisk together and set aside.
Step 3. In a large bowl (I have these), combine all dry ingredients and whisk together (you can use the same whisk). Set aside.
Step 4. When the oven is preheated, melt 2 Tbsp butter OR bacon grease in a 12″ cast iron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, add the egg to the milk and whisk together. Add the baking soda to the milk and whisk to incorporate.
Step 5. Carefully add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and incorporate well using a spatula, taking care not to over-stir. The batter may be lumpy.
Step 6. When the skillet is hot and the fat is sizzling, add the melted butter to the batter while stirring, and then immediately add the batter to the skillet.
Step 7. Set the timer for 1 minute and let the batter cook. The edges will get brown and crispy – you want this!
Step 8. When the timer beeps, place the entire skillet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Allow the cornbread to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm with lots of butter!
Cast Iron Cornbread Recipe FAQs
A definite yes! Since cast iron pans get really hot and they tend to heat evenly, you’ll get a beautiful golden brown crust.
Yes! Preheating your cast iron pan before you pour the batter in allows the cornbread to come out with a beautiful, crispy, golden crust. Yum!
Yes. The batter should be thick, but also pourable. If you need to thin it a little bit, add just a little bit more milk.
Yes! Cornbread freezes well. First wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then place it inside of a plastic freezer bag. Store in freezer for 3-4 months.
To Serve Cast Iron Cornbread
If you need serving ideas, may I humbly recommend:
- Easy Slow Cooker Brisket
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
- Lemon & Herb Sheet Pan Chicken
- Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Or you know what else would be good? Adding sliced jalapenos and cheddar cheese… Mmmm!
Homemade Bread
Sign up to get instant access to my FREE Homemade Bread Tutorial! Complete with 5 easy homemade bread recipes PLUS variations to keep it fresh!Watch How to Make Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
We think this cast iron cornbread is the best skillet cornbread recipe ever! It uses buttermilk, has no sugar, plus it’s super moist inside with a golden crispy crust! Naturally gluten-free and freezer-friendly. Serve as breakfast with butter & jam, or as a side with roasted chicken for dinner!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 8 wedges 1x
- Category: Breads
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt*
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- scant 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
To Cook
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 Tbsp butter OR bacon grease
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- In a large glass measuring cup (I have these), measure apple cider vinegar. Add milk until you reach 1 1/2 cups of liquid total. Whisk together and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together (you can use the same whisk). Set aside.
- When the oven is preheated, melt 2 Tbsp butter OR bacon grease in a 12″ cast iron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, add the egg to the milk and whisk together. Add the baking soda to the milk and whisk to incorporate.
- Carefully add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and incorporate well using a spatula, taking care not to over-stir. The batter may be lumpy.
- When the skillet is hot and the fat is sizzling, add the melted butter to the batter while stirring, and then immediately add the batter to the skillet.
- Set the timer for 1 minute and let the batter cook. The edges will get brown and crispy – you want this!
- When the timer beeps, place the entire skillet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Allow the cornbread to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm with lots of butter!
Notes
- If you run out of butter, or just want to use up the bacon grease you’ve been saving, you can use bacon grease instead of butter when you’re melting it in the skillet.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 94
Keywords: cast iron skillet cornbread
We love love love this cornbread! Thanks so much for the recipe. We never have bacon on hand, so I have used high-ratio shortening instead. It’s not my favorite ingredient, but it does eliminate the possibility of burned butter.
Also appreciated are your kind and upbeat responses–especially to commenters who use a lot of exclamation points to tell us all the Right!! Way!! to make cornbread. 😎
★★★★★
Thank you so much for sharing, Petra! We are so happy that you love it!
How would you suggest making this gluten-free? Is there an easy substitution, or a whole different recipe? Thanks!
Hi Jenn,
You can use an all-purpose gluten-free flour 1:1. Bob’s Red Mill has a good one. Trader Joe’s also does. Hope this helps. We haven’t tried it in this recipe, so let us know how it comes out if you do. 🙂
My husband gave me the biggest compliment possible when I tried this recipe. He told me it was actually better than his mother’s cornbread! We have been together a long time, and the “better than my mother’s” statement has NEVER crossed his lips. This recipe will always hold a special place in my heart.
★★★★★
What kind of cornmeal do you prefer? I know they can vary greatly.
I don’t have a cast iron skillet. 🙁 Do you think i could try to bake it in a corning ware dish instead? or a glass baking dish?
Sure! It will come out slightly different, but it will still be good. 🙂 Just omit the step where you melt butter in the pan. Just pour and bake!
but i would still need to add melted butter to the batter. Is that right? or omit butter altogether?
never mind. i went back and looked at the recipe again and see i need to add 1/4 cup meltd butter.
If I use buttermilk, do I use the same amount of buttermilk as I would have used of the milk?
Yes!
Made this exactly as printed. My husband and I loved it!! He commented how good the cornbread tasted. I made it in my Pioneer Woman iron skillet. So good!!! Had it with chili. Thanks for sharing your recipe with everyone. So glad I found your blog. Living here in Florida, we love the winter months. You feel like you can finally have all those more wintertime foods that we baked and cooked in Ohio. In the summer it’s so hot you feel like grilling, salads and sweet tea. Lol Thanks again 😊😎
★★★★★
I see nothing about buttermilk in the recipe. Am I missing something?
Milk + ACV is a homemade buttermilk hack. 😉
Can you use blue cornmeal the same as yellow cornmeal?
★★★★
I’ve never used blue cornmeal before Jan, but I’m betting you could!
I should have just given my entire recipe:
1 cup unbleached flour
2 cups white cornmeal
(1/4 c natural sweetener is used to freshen older cornmeal)
2 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 egg
Mix all dry ingredients together, then add in mixed wet ingredients. Mix lightly so as not to toughen your cornbread. When the 2 T of oil or grease/butter is screaming hot, pour the excess into your cornbread mixture, then immediately put it into the pan and bske st 450 degrees F. For 15-28 minutes. Immediately take it out of the pan before serving.
When I use buttermilk, most of the time I do add about 1/4 cup of sugar or honey to my cornbread for 2 cups of cornmeal and 1 cup of flour. The skillet should be screaming hot and have some fat added to make a lovely crust. Bake 450 for 15 minutes or until lightly speckled brow on the top, which is actually the underside of the bread when inverted onto your serving plate or cutting board.
Note: In order to convert a regular cornbread recipe to use buttermilk instead of sweet milk, simply add 1/2 to 1 tsp. of baking soda to the dry ingredients; do also include your baking powder, of course.
Thanks so much for this. I’ll be making it tonight. As the mom of a 1 year old i”m always looking for recipes where sugar and salt can be omitted. This looks great. I also read that you can use 3/4c. yogurt and 1/4c. milk as a way to create buttermilk….just in case you don’t have ACV on hand.
NEVER EVER ADD SUGAR TO CORNBREAD!
Only yankee versions of cornbread contain sugar! It ruins the taste!
It’s a bread, not a dessert!
★★★★
LOL, thanks Ken!
Where does the 1/4 cup
Melted butter come in? I’ve read it over and over thinking I’ve missed something 🙈
Step 6 Marissa!
My Mom used to make cornbread to die for. We never used sugar or eggs – just white corn meal, flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk. I have found That I can get a good result with Aunt Jemima white self-rising corn meal mix and milk. Love it fried as “hoe” cakes (like pan cakes) until brown all over and crispy. Delicious!
That is how my mom always made it. I found one of her old recipes and it says 2 cups of aunt Jemima self rising white cornmeal. I guess I’m gonna have to go on Amazon and find the aunt Jemima cornmeal.
That sounds wonderful Cindy!
Too many ingredients for cornbread. You only need a cup of self-rising flour, a cup of self rising cornmeal and if you like 1/4c of sugar. Heat some oil, shortening, bacon grease or butter in a cast iron skillet, then pour it in your dry ingredients. Add some buttermilk. Mix and pour into hot skillet and bake until golden brown. Simple southern cornbread.
There are lots of variations of corn bread recipes on the internet, Angela. I hope you’ll give mine a try to see if you like it!
Are you using buttermilk with the vinegar or making buttermilk by mixing the vinegar with regular milk?
I don’t keep buttermilk on hand, so I’m making it with milk and vinegar.
hi! i am excited to try this recipe. but i’m also confused about the milk and vinegar. under “wet ingredients” you list ACV and buttermilk…do you mean ACV and whole milk?
also, if i’m using an 8″ cast iron skillet…should i do 3/4 the recipe to ensure it doesn’t overflow? thanks!!!
Yes! I meant milk and I’ll fix that typo ASAP. I’d definitely lesson the recipe, maybe halve it just in case?
Tiffany, this recipe rocked! OMG, it was gone before dinner even started LOL!!
★★★★★
So glad you liked it!! ♥
Oh my goodness! This is really good!
Question….Just 2 of us at home, is there a great use for the leftovers (don’t want to waste) or a way to half the recipe?
Hi Gretchen! You can make breadcrumbs or croutons out of leftovers! I also freeze it so it’s ready to go for another night. 🙂
My husband just asked me tonight to make more cornbread. It’s a keeper!
Awesome!! So glad y’all like it Gretchen!
Or just eat it with honey for breakfast or dessert!
We never add sugar!! We also don’t use any flour in ours. The best cornbread is made from homeground corn meal which is nearly impossible to find now. I am not a huge cornbread fan more of a biscuit fan but there are just some foods you need cornbread with!
So all cornmeal, no flour at all Rebecca? Is it a really flat cornbread in the end?
No use self rising cornmeal add the egg, buttermilk and a bit of water and use the hot grease from the skillet add just a bit of that. mix up and pour into the still greased hot skillet. it will rise beautifully every time!
We always add sugar, but since on my reducing sugar kick we add honey and OMG is that 1000 times better!
Ooh – I’ll try honey next time!