Easy 7 ingredient Skillet Cornbread! The perfect mix of sweet and salty, this moist and fluffy cornbread recipe with brown butter crust is incredible. Enjoy with chili!
This heavenly cornbread dunked in its best friends for life, my white bean chili and sweet potato chili...just wow. I take my matchmaking job quite seriously, ok?
Perhaps you've had the pleasure of making my vegan skillet cornbread. Or my fluffy cornbread muffins. Today's recipe is a stellar addition to the corn archives, with a brown butter crust I simply cannot get enough of. We all need a go-to cornbread recipe, now don't we?
How to make skillet cornbread
This is the most foolproof recipe for cast iron skillet cornbread. All you have to do is promise me you won't a) over-mix the batter and b) burn yourself on the skillet.
- Preheat oven to 400F and place 1 tbsp butter in a 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet. Place skillet in oven to brown the butter.
- Make buttermilk by whisking milk and vinegar in a liquid measuring cup. Then melt your butter.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Whisk eggs into milk mixture followed by melted butter.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until just mixed.
- Use oven mitts to remove hot skillet. Carefully add cornbread batter (it should sizzle) and make sure it's evenly distributed. Use oven mitts to return it to the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes.
Key ingredients and substitutions
- Yellow cornmeal: I like to use a bit more cornmeal than flour for the perfect pronounced corn flavor ratio. Organic whole grain cornmeal is my go-to!
- All purpose flour: I find cornbread is the most fluffy with unbleached all purpose flour. White whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, or 1:1 gluten free baking flour would all work. Do not use almond or coconut flour.
- Milk and vinegar: The liquid in our recipe for homemade buttermilk. Any unflavored milk works. If you have buttermilk on hand, you can skip the vinegar step!
- Eggs: Great for flavor and fluff. Flax eggs also work!
- Sugar: Just a quarter cup because I don't like crazy sweet cornbread. I use organic cane sugar but good ol' granulated sugar, honey, or maple syrup all work.
- Baking powder: For rise and fluffiness.
- Salt: I love the delicate balance of sweet and salty in this recipe. It may be more than you're used to, but I swear it works!
How to customize
I've made this with so many different add ins and they're always sublime! If you prefer sweeter cornbread, you can use ⅓ or ½ cup of sugar.
- Cranberry: add ¾ cup fresh or frozen cranberries and use maple syrup.
- Jalapeño: Add two seeded and diced jalapeños to the batter for a kick!
- Cheddar: Adding ½ to 1 cup of shredded cheddar is delish for cheesy cornbread.
- Corn: Corn kernels add lovely texture. Trader Joe's fire roasted is the best!
What if I don't have a skillet?
No skillet, no problem. You won't get the same buttery crispy crust but it will still be fabulous. Simply bake in a greased 8x8 inch baking dish.
Dietary swaps
To make this vegan, use flax eggs, non-dairy milk, and coconut oil or vegan butter. Or make my stellar vegan skillet cornbread!
To make this gluten free, use all purpose gluten free baking flour.
Can you make it ahead?
Yep! You can make this up to 2 days before you're making it. Simply keep it tightly wrapped on the counter until serving.
How to store
You can store leftover cornbread at room temperature tightly covered for up to 2 days and then refrigerate for up to 4 days days.
Can you freeze cornbread?
Yes! This cornbread freezes really well. Place cooled cornbread in a freezer baggie and freeze for up to 2 months. You can thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven until warmed through.
What to serve with cornbread
I love this cornbread smeared with salted butter and honey. And let's face it...it was made for soup and chili!
- Vegan Broccoli Soup
- The Yummiest Vegetable Soup
- Slow Cooker Chili with Walnuts
- Creamy Vegetable Pasta Soup
Click here to see the step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
Print
Skillet Cornbread
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 16 pieces 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Easy 7 ingredient Skillet Cornbread! The perfect mix of sweet and salty, this moist and fluffy cornbread recipe with brown butter crust is incredible. Enjoy with chili or with butter and honey! If you don't have a skillet, you can make this recipe in an 8x8 inch baking dish.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups milk + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (I used almond milk)
- 1 ¼ cups yellow cornmeal
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar (can sub honey or maple syrup)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt (use ¾ tsp if you're using table salt or fine sea salt)
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter*, divided
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. While oven is warming up, place 1 tbsp butter in a 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet (or metal baking pan) and place skillet in oven.
- Stir together milk and vinegar in a liquid measuring cup and set aside. In a small bowl, melt remaining ⅓ cup butter (I microwave for 1 minute).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk eggs into milk mixture followed by melted butter. (It's ok if butter solidifies.)
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir just until you don't see big clumps of flour. Do not over-mix!
- Use oven mitts to remove hot skillet. Swirl the butter around. Carefully add cornbread batter (it should sizzle) and make sure it's evenly distributed. Use oven mitts to return it to the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Let cornbread cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before cutting into squares or slices.
Notes
*If using salted butter, decrease salt to ¾ tsp.
Keywords: skillet cornbread
Dylan says
I don't make chili without making this to go along with it! I love adding a sprinkle of cheddar 🙂
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Me too! The best 🙂 Thanks, Dylan!
Terry says
OMG this was sooo good. I loved the salt! This is going into the regular rotation.
★★★★★