This simple and delicious Southern Skillet Cornbread recipe is made with real corn, cornmeal, buttermilk, and basic pantry ingredients and baked in a cast iron skillet.

Serve cornbread topped with homemade raspberry, strawberry, or peach jam or dip it in classic homemade Chili.

A cast iron skillet with baked cornbread in it.

If you’re looking for a super moist cornbread recipe that sticks close to its Southern roots in savory taste and crisp buttery crust, this recipe is for you! Lots of love and testing went into this recipe until I achieved what I think is the perfect blend of flavor, texture and density–I can truly say this cornbread is AMAZING!

We enjoy cornbread all year round, served with soup, or served at a summer BBQ with ribs and baked beans. If you’re looking for a sweet, more cake-like cornbread, try my Classic Buttermilk Cornbread recipe.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR SKILLET CORNBREAD:

  • Cornmeal – This is the other star of the dish.  Cornbread wouldn’t be cornbread without cornmeal.
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Baking soda – this get’s mixed with the buttermilk before combining with other ingredients.
  • Buttermilk – This is a star ingredient for this recipe as it helps keep the cornbread moist rather than dry and crumbly.
  • Sugar – Try using half white and half brown to enhance the dark molasses flavor
  • Oil
  • Eggs – room temperature
  • Corn kernels- give the recipe texture and flavor
  • Creamed corn- adds extra moisture
  • Butter – room temperature butter

A board with the Individual, labeled, ingredients needed to make cornbread.

How to Make Skillet Cornbread:

1. Combine dry ingredients: In small bowl stir together cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Measure buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup. Stir baking soda into buttermilk and set aside.

2. Combine wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl mix the oil and sugar together. Mix in the eggs. Add the buttermilk and creamed corn and mix to combine.

3. Melt butter. Add the butter to the cast iron skillet and allow to melt.

4. Stir together: Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir just until combined (don’t over-mix!). Gently stir in frozen corn.

5. Add batter to skillet: Remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the butter around to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour the batter immediately into the pan, smoothing into an even layer.

Cornbread batter with corn kernels next to a cast iron skillet with butter melting in it.6. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 27-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with few moist crumbs.

7. Serve. Cut into wedges and serve.

A wedge slice of skillet cornbread and cast iron skillet with cornbread in it, in the background.

Recipe Variations:

  • Gluten-free skillet cornbread: substitute gluten-free flour.
  • No-buttermilk: make a buttermilk substitute, or if necessary, use whatever kind of milk you have on hand.
  • No-cast iron skillet: Make this recipe or my classic cornbread in an 8-inch square pan.

Freezing Instructions:

Allow cornbread to cool completely and remove from cast iron skillet. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months.  Allow to thaw at room temperature.

Consider serving this with one of my favorite soups!

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Recipe

A cast iron skillet with baked cornbread in it.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Total 35 minutes
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup fine ground cornmeal
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk* , room temperature
  • ¼ cup sugar*
  • ¼ cup oil
  • 2 eggs , room temperature
  • ½ cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1/2 cup creamed corn
  • 3 Tablespoons salted butter , cut into pieces, or use bacon grease

Instructions
 

  • Place cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
  • In small bowl stir together cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Measure buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup. Stir baking soda into buttermilk and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl mix the oil and sugar together. Mix in the eggs. Add the buttermilk and creamed corn and mix to combine.
  • Add the butter to the cast iron skillet and allow to melt.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir just until combined (don’t over-mix! The batter doesn't need to be completely smooth). Gently stir in frozen corn.
  • Remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the butter around to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.
  • Pour the batter immediately into the pan, smoothing into an even layer.
  • Bake for about 27-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with few moist crumbs.
  • Cut into wedges and serve.

Notes

Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, mix 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar with 1 cup of milk. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before using.
Sugar: Traditional southern cornbread doesn’t have very much, if any, sugar and although this recipe isn’t very sweet at all, you could reduce the sugar if desired.
Freezing Instructions: Allow cornbread to cool completely and remove from cast iron skillet. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months.  Allow to thaw at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 374mgPotassium: 140mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 465IUCalcium: 47mgIron: 0.9mg

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Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

I originally shared this recipe February 2015. I’ve changed the recipe to be more of a southern-style cornbread and included process photos and tips, but you can find the other cornbread recipe here (and bake in a skillet if desired). 

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I always try different recipes for cornbread as I haven’t found one I like enough to repeat. My search is over. This recipe was delicious! It is very moist and has a nice fresh corn flavor. Baking it in the cast iron pan as the recipe calls for produced a nice lightly crunchy exterior and nice and soft interior and moist crumb. Even left uncovered the next day the bread was still moist. Highly recommend!

  2. 5 stars
    I made this as a side for chili and it was perfect! Followed the recipe exactly as written, very easy and turned out great. Will definitely make again!

  3. 5 stars
    From a French reader: I came across your web site as I searched a recipe for peach cobbler (which I had tasted while living in London). Sadly your recipe did not match my memory but I liked the creamy white chicken chili recipe and decided to try the cornbread too. I had used buttermilk before even though it is very uncommon in France but did not know at all what cornmeal was. Google Trad was of great help (“semoule de maïs”). I asked my husband if I could find some in French supermarkets and he said “maybe polenta?” Indeed we had polenta (Italian word for cornmeal I would say) in our pantry. Everything was simple to make and very yummy. Thank you for this exotic dish in our French meal plan!

    1. I’m just a reader about to try this recipe, but there’s something WONDERFUL about your description of skillet cornbread as “exotic.”

  4. 5 stars
    You have a way to taking traditional recipes to a new level. I tried this recipe cause, why not, and it turned out great! We love cornbread and is a regular around our house this time of year. I LOVED this version with the corn kernels and the creamed corn. So yummy!!

  5. I like cornbread but I don’t do summertime because make my kitchen hot, so until winter time.

  6. 5 stars
    I love this corn bread! It is delicious and easy to make! I didn’t have a cast iron skillet and just used a glass baking pan and it turned out great! I love all of the recipes on this blog, it’s the only site I go to for my dinner recipes ?

  7. 5 stars
    I love this cornbread recipe! We had people over for dinner and I used this recipe. I used GF flour because one of our guests has celiac. Otherwise I followed the recipe and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!