Cast iron skillet cornbread is a southern staple and a must-have alongside any bowl of chili! Tender and savory with crunchy edges, you will quickly fall in love with this easy recipe!
There are some recipes from my childhood that were staples and that can instantly bring me back to a moment in time. And I love them for that. This cast iron skillet recipe is one of them!
My mom has so many different cast iron skillets, and they are all so old! Like I am talking about my great-grandmother's skillets that we were using on a regular basis for making cornbread growing up. She also had these fun corn-shaped and mini bundt muffin cast iron pans that she would make cornbread into too that I loved!
That is the beauty of cast iron. IT LASTS FOREVER! And the older and more seasoned it is, the better!
There is no other way to cook cornbread than in a cast iron. Period.
So today I am going to walk you through step by step how my mom made and how I now make old fashion southern cornbread!
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Ingredients Needed
The good thing about cornbread is it is a simple basic recipe. Requiring just a couple of pantry staples such as:
- Self Rising Buttermilk Cornmeal Mix
- Buttermilk
- Oil
- Egg
- Bacon Grease
How to Make Your Own Buttermilk
I never keep buttermilk in my fridge. So for those recipes that call for it, I just make my own!
For 1 cup of buttermilk, you will need just shy of 1 cup of whole milk and about a tablespoon of vinegar (to give you 1 cup in total). Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Use as directed in the recipe.
Whalaa! You know have your own buttermilk!
Where Can I Buy or How Do I Get Bacon Grease for This Recipe?
No proper southern home is complete without a mason jar of bacon grease in the fridge. I don't use it for anything but cornbread, but you bet I have a full quart jar in my fridge always! 😉
If you don't have bacon grease, buy a pound of bacon, fry it up in a skillet to eat for breakfast, or have it for any recipe, drain the drippings into a glass jar, and done!
You know have bacon grease. Keep covered and stored in the fridge - well - forever 🙂
How to Make
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. This is super important! You need the skillet to be smoking hot!
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together gently with a spatula.
- Once the oven is heated, remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Let melt. Pour the cornbread mixture right over top in the hot skillet.
- Place back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove and enjoy with chili, butter, or honey butter!
PRO TIP - store any leftovers in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and use for Southern Cornbread and Biscuit Dressing when Thanksgiving rolls around!
In my opinion, yes it is! A crucial part of this recipe is to place the skillet in the oven while heating it up, to be piping hot when you pour the cornbread batter inside. A well-seasoned skillet is thick and heavy enough to reach the temperature needed to cook cornbread properly. Resulting in a crispy crunchy edge and soft interior!
You have not put enough grease in it beforehand. Do not use cooking spray. Once you have removed the skillet from the oven, place 1-2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the hot hot skillet and then pour in the cornbread batter directly on top. This will prevent and ensure no sticking!
It doesn't matter - either works. The yellow color the cornbread gets is more from the eggs than the cornmeal.
More Bread Recipes
- Cheddar Swirl Bread
- Jalapeno Cheddar Drop Biscuits
- Cheesy Breadsticks
- 1 Hour Wheat Dinner Rolls
- Cheddar and Chive Popovers
Don't forget to use this in Southern Cornbread and Biscuit Dressing when the holiday season rolls around! It is also delicious smothered in honey butter!
Soup Recipes Perfect to Pair with Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread!
- Chili Con Carne
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot Taco Soup
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
Description
Cast iron skillet cornbread is a southern staple and a must-have alongside any bowl of chili! Tender and savory with crunchy edges, you will quickly fall in love with this easy recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Martha White Self Rising Buttermilk Cornmeal Mix
- 1 ⅓ Cups Buttermilk
- ¼ Cup Oil
- 1 Egg
- 1-2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. This is super important! You need the skillet to be smoking hot!
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together gently with a spatula.
- Once the oven is heated, remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add 1-2 tablespoons of bacon grease. Let melt. Pour the cornbread mixture right over top in the hot skillet.
- Place back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove and enjoy with chili, soup, butter, or honey butter!
Notes
- Keep leftovers in a ziptop bag for 2 days or store in the freezer to use in Southern Cornbread and Biscuit Dressing for Thanksgiving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 231
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 519.2 mg
- Fat: 11.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.8 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 29.3 mg
Keywords: Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
Jen says
We never use bacon grease in our cornbread mixture. Absolutely unnecessary. And I am very Southern.
★★★
Heather says
The bacon grease is added to the skillet so that the cornbread doesn't stick to it - the added flavor is just a bonus! If you don't prefer bacon grease you can sub a flavorless oil instead.