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Crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, Skillet Cornbread is perfect every time. Top it with a pat of butter or Fire-Roasted Corn Relish.
A good, traditional cornbread is a delicious side dish to so many things: BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Southwestern Chili, Black Bean Soup... I could go on. What makes this cornbread recipe great is that it's baked in a cast iron skillet. This gives in golden, crispy edges, and a soft center.
Skillet Cornbread with Corn Relish
Instead of serving cornbread with steak and corn, why not mix some of the ingredients right in, then top it off with even more goodness? My favorite way to eat this is to break it apart with a fork in the bowl, drizzle a little BBQ sauce on top, and finish with a drizzle of hot honey. Start with our basic recipe and let your imagination take you where it wants to go. Bottom line, cornbread is not just a side dish any longer.
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Ingredients
for the cornbread:
- BUTTER: we like salted butter for this recipe. You can also use unsalted butter.
- EGG: large or extra large egg
- HOT HONEY: we like Mike's Hot Honey
- BUTTERMILK: cultured buttermilk
- CORNMEAL: yellow cornmeal
- FLOUR: all pupose flour (AP flour)
- BAKING POWDER
- BAKING SODA
- SALT: kosher salt or sea salt
for the corn relish:
- CORN: fire-roasted corn
- ONIONS: fire-roasted onion
- POBLANO PEPPERS: fire-roasted poblano peppers
- BEEF: pre-cooked beef strips
- BLACK BEANS: canned black beans
- LIME: fresh lime juice
- CILANTRO: fresh cilantro, chopped
*see recipe card for quantities.
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Instructions
- Heat Skillet: Place 10-12" cast iron skillet on medium heat and melt butter.
- Preheat Oven: Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F.
- Mix liquid ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, ¼ C of the Hot Honey, and the buttermilk.
- MIx dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine: Combine the wet ingredients into the dry and combine (but do not over mix the batter).
- Add corn, peppers, onions: (OPTIONAL) Mix ¼ cup of the corn and ¼C Poblano and ¼ C onions and mix into the batter and transfer to the skillet being careful not to splash the butter.
- Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Cool: Remove from heat, allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.
- Slice: Cut into 6 portions.
- Make corn relish: In a separate bowl, combine remaining poblano, corn, and onions along with pre-cooked steak along with black beans, lime juice and cilantro. Divide mixture in six portions and top cornbread slices.
- Serve: Drizzle remaining hot honey on top. Serve warm.
Top tip
To prevent the cornbread from sticking to the pan: preheat the skillet in the oven and add a generous amount of oil or butter before pouring the batter in,
Substitutions and Variations
- Keep it Simple: Make the basic cornbread recipe (without the corn relish). It's incredible with just a pat of butter or a drizzle of honey
- Less Spicy: Substitute regular honey for hot honey. Omit the poblano peppers.
- Extra Moist: add an extra egg, a dollop of sour cream, or some creamed corn to the batter.
🌶️ What to serve with Cornbread
Storage
- Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a week
- Make ahead: make cornbread a day in advance. Reheat it in the oven just before serving to restore its warm, crispy texture.
FAQ
We highly recommend a cast iron skillet for making cornbread. It retains heat evenly, giving your cornbread recipe a golden crust and soft interior.
Yes, you can use a non-stick skillet, but it won't give you the same crispy edges that a cast iron skillet provides. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, a non-stick pan can be a good alternative.
Preheating the skillet in the oven and adding a generous amount of oil or butter before pouring in the batter will help prevent sticking. This also enhances the crust's flavor and texture.
Yes, you can substitute buttermilk with a mixture of regular milk and a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. This will give you a similar tangy buttermilk flavor.
Yes, you can make skillet cornbread a day in advance. Reheat it in the oven just before serving to restore its warm, crispy texture.
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Skillet Cornbread recipe
Crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, Skillet Cornbread is perfect every time. Top it with a pat of butter or Fire-Roasted Corn Relish.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 portions 1x
Ingredients
- ½ C butter
- 1 egg
- ½ C Hot Honey
- 1 C buttermilk
- 1 C cornmeal
- 1 C flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ C Fire-roasted corn
- ½ C Fire-roasted onion
- ½ C Fire-roasted poblano peppers
- 4 oz Pre-cooked beef strips
- ½ C canned black beans
- 1 Lime
- ¼ C cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Place 10-12" cast iron skillet on medium heat and melt butter.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, ¼ C of the Hot Honey, and the buttermilk.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients into the dry and combine (but do not over mix the batter).
- Mix ¼ Cup of the corn and ¼C Poblano and ¼ C onions and mix into the batter and transfer to the skillet being careful not to splash the butter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Remove from heat, allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.
- Cut into 6 portions.
- In a separate bowl, combine remaining poblano, corn, and onions along with pre-cooked steak along with black beans, lime juice and cilantro.
- Divide mixture in six portions and top cornbread slices.
- Drizzle remaining Hot Honey on top and serve warm.
Notes
- To prevent cornbread from sticking to the pan, preheat the skillet in the oven and add a generous amount of oil or butter before pouring the batter in.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: baked goods
- Cuisine: southern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Wedge
- Calories: 464
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 389.5 mg
- Fat: 19.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 66.2 g
- Protein: 11.6 g
- Cholesterol: 86.6 mg
Jackie says
We love skillet cornbread!! This recipe is great on its own, but it's even better with the fire-roasted corn relish. It turns this dish into a meal in itself!
miriam says
This was delicious, but the texture was off on mine. It was very crumbly. I wondered--should the melted butter be poured into the batter?
Keith says
Thanks Miriam, appreciate you trying our recipe and so sorry to hear it was perfect. I make this often and I would suggest a couple things. One try mixing it just until it’s wet. Over mixing can cause a dry bread. You could also add a little more buttermilk and turn the oven down 5-10 degrees. If you give it another try please let us know your thoughts. Again we appreciate you finding us and reaching out.
Miriam says
Thanks for responding. I'll give it another shot 🙂 I was specifically wondering if the stick of butter melted in the skillet should be stirred into the batter before turning it into the pan (that's how my mom always made it and it's pretty standard for cornbread). Otherwise, there's no butter or oil in the batter and I think that's why my first attempt was dry. Love the hot honey idea.
Miriam says
Should the melted butter be stirred into the batter before baking?
Miriam says
Hi Keith,
Everytime I visit the site I check to see if you've answered my question. I suspect, but am not sure, that this recipe is missing a step. It calls for melting an entire stick of butter in the skillet but never says to pour the melted butter into the batter and stir before turning the batter into the skillet. As written, this cornbread is very dry and crumbly. Should the butter be stirred into the batter?
Keith says
Hi Miriam, my apologies, for not catching your last comment. I did try this again and while I don’t usually mix the butter in. As it gets absorbed while cooking I can see why you would think it was dry, I did mix the batter in the pan with the butter and it may have helped. There would be no harm even adding half of it to the batter before pouring it in. That is the beauty of cooking because it can be changed to match everyone’s taste preferences. We are happy to see your comments so please forgive us for the delay.