Adapted from my favorite cornbread recipe, this honey skillet cornbread combines crunchy cornmeal, corn, butter, and delicious honey. Unlike traditional unsweetened cornbread, this skillet cornbread includes natural honey which complements the cornmeal’s flavor. Bake in a cast iron skillet for wonderfully crispy cornmeal edges!
It’s the return of my suppertime staple: cornbread!
From Baking Pan to Skillet
This recipe begins with my cornbread recipe as a base. Today’s variation uses all honey instead of a brown sugar blend. I also include real corn kernels which amplifies the flavor and adds wonderful texture. The biggest difference, however, is that I bake the cornbread in a skillet.
What’s So Great About Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet?
Pouring the cornbread batter into a hot skillet helps develop the cornbread’s crust. It sears the edges, caramelizing the delicious crust and sealing in the center’s softness. In order for this method to work, the cast iron skillet must be warm.
Here’s what I always do: You need melted butter for this cornbread recipe. Melt the butter in your cast iron skillet over the stove, then pour the butter into a mixing bowl for the remaining ingredients. The skillet should still be warm once the batter is done. And, as a bonus, it will already be greased with butter.
I swear this hot skillet trick makes a difference. This is the cast iron skillet I have, and I highly recommend it. Itโs inexpensive, comes pre-seasoned, works on all types of cooktops, heats evenly, and is made to last a lifetime. (Not sponsored, just a true pan fan!)
This 10.25-inch-diameter, 2-inch-deep size is what I use for skillet turkey pot pie, frittata, sea salt and herb rolls, bruschetta chicken, cornmeal cake, biscuits, this Dutch baby pancake, asiago-crusted skillet bread, and more. Talk about a useful pan to have in the kitchen! Any oven-safe skillet that is the right size is fine.
Overview: How to Make Skillet Cornbread
This is a basic 2 bowl recipe. Wet ingredients in 1 bowl, dry ingredients in another. Combine the two and pour into the warm cast iron skillet. Let’s review the ingredients.
- Butter: Butter adds the most delicious flavor and tender texture.
- Honey: Honey is crucial to the sweet flavor and caramelized edges. Yum!
- Egg: Egg binds the cornbread ingredients together.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk, an acid, is the moist maker and helps the baking soda do its job. Without it, the cornbread tastes dry and doesn’t rise. If you don’t keep buttermilk on hand, you can use this easy buttermilk substitute instead.
- Cornmeal: Cornmeal is the base flavor in cornbread.
- Flour: Flour holds the ingredients together.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Remember the differences between baking powder vs baking soda and why you use both in certain recipes?
- Salt: Salt adds flavor.
- Corn: Use frozen, canned, or fresh corn.
I use the same ingredients in my skillet cornmeal cake, too. Add fresh fruit and top with brown butter icing. It’s one of my favorite summertime recipes!
Skillet Cornbread Extras
This is a basic skillet cornbread recipe, but feel free to spruce it up with different flavors:
- 1 cup shredded cheese, such as cheddar or gruyere
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1-2 finely chopped jalapeรฑos for heat, like I Note in my cornbread muffins recipe
- 1 cup blueberries for a savory & sweet treat
- 6 strips of crumbled bacon (this will be devoured in approximately 3 minutes)
- 1 Tablespoon dried rosemary + sprinkle of crushed red pepper. This makes a wonderful Thanksgiving side dish!
As long as you follow the recipe’s base ingredients, you’ll have a mouthwatering treat on your hands. Sometimes I make two skillets and I’ve never regretted the double batch! This skillet cornbread doesn’t last long in our house and I’d be shocked if this lasts more than 48 hours in yours. ๐
Skillet Cornbread Side Dish
Serve with these favorites.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Homemade Minestrone Soup
- Crab Cakes
- Honey Teriyaki Chicken
- Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad
- Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
Try using it in my favorite cornbread stuffing or turn it into a whole meal by making cornbread chili casserole!
Print
Honey Skillet Cornbread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern
Description
Adapted from my favorite cornbread recipe, this honey skillet cornbread combines crunchy cornmeal, corn, butter, and delicious honey. Unlike traditional unsweetened cornbread, this skillet cornbread includes natural honey which complements the cornmeal’s flavor. Bake in a cast iron skillet for wonderfully crispy cornmeal edges!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (113g) honey
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- 1 cup (120g) cornmeal*
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon bakingย powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (175g) corn (fresh, frozen, or canned)*
Instructions
- While constantly whisking, melt butter over low heat in your 9- to 10-inch ovenproof skillet. Pour butter into a medium bowl and allow to cool down for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400ยฐF (204ยฐC).
- Whisk the honey,ย egg, and buttermilk into the melted butter. Set aside.
- In a separate larger bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Fold in the corn. Avoid over-mixing.
- Skillet should still be hot, but if notโheat the stove on low and warm it up for a minute or two. You want a hot skillet.
- Pour batter into hot skillet.ย Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges and top are golden brown and the center is cooked through. Use a toothpick to test to check.
- Cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Serve cornbread with butter, honey, honey butter (do it!), or jam. Wrap leftovers up tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions:ย For longer storage, freeze baked cornbread for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat up in the microwave or bake in a 300ยฐF (149ยฐC)ย oven for 10 minutes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9- to 10-inch Oven-Safe Skillet | Whisk | Glass Mixing Bowl
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. If you donโt have any, you can make a DIY buttermilk substitute by adding 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to make 1 cup total. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes before using. Whole milk is strongly recommended for moistest, richest texture, but you can use lower fat or nondairy milk in a pinch.
- Corn: If using frozen corn, thaw and drain well. If using canned corn, drain well.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This is one of the best recipes Iโve tried for cornbread. Wow!
Is it possible to reduce the honey to 2 tablespoons and adding 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar/icing sugar.
Would this make it dry? What would you suggest adjusting for the above?
Thanks!
Hi Roxy! Reducing the honey by that much would make it less sweet, but also less moist. We recommend sticking with the recipe for best results!
Iโm 65, Iโve been baking cornbread since I was 8, without question this is the best cornbread Iโve ever eaten!!! I did not have buttermilk, so I used fresh lemon juice in the 1 cup of milk. Worked great! Thank you Sally!
Do I need to make adjustments for high altitude?
Hi TD, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
So good!
I really enjoyed this recipe and have made it a few times now. It’s the perfect snack on a cold day!
Hi. I made this before and itโs come out great. Any thoughts on substituting maple syrup for the honey?
Hi Richard, we haven’t tried that, but if you do, please report back!
I used a twelve inch skillet and it worked fine! I may reduce the time a bit next time because the top of the corn bread was a little dark, but it was super good all the same! Loved this recipe!
Can I make this in a 12 inch cast iron skillet? Or do ingredients amounts need adjusting.
Hi Sam, We havenโt tested this in a 12-inch skillet, doubling may be too much but you can try 1.5 times the recipe. Let us know if you try it!
SO good!! i added honey butter on top and ate it with my chilli, will def be remaking!
Tried this for the first time today. It didn’t rise one bit! It tastes decent but I was pretty disappointed that it didn’t rise in the slightest. I did use GF flour mix which I always use and have no issue with rising. I also used suggested nondairy milk/vinegar mix. Any suggestions?
Would this recipe work with gluten free flour?
Hi Dot, we haven’t tested this recipe with a gluten free flour, but please let us know how it turns out if you give it a try!
I substituted the buttermilk with 3/4 cup sour cream and a quarter cup milk. It came out great.
Oh MY! great recipe! it worked magnificently! Thanks!
No flavor needed way more salt.
Hi – I am planning to make this for thanksgiving this year. Could you share tips for making it ahead of time? I see that it can sit room temperature. Would you recommend baking it in the morning and letting it come to room temperature throughout the day? Thanks!
Hi Liz, it would be fine to bake in the morning and let it sit at room temperature. If you want to enjoy it a little warmer, you can warm it up in the oven at 300ยฐF (149ยฐC) oven for 5-10 minutes right before serving. Hope you enjoy it!
hi, i’m going to make this later but I wanted to know if I could substitute the cornmeal for cornflour? thanks!
The textures of the two are quite different. Cornmeal is really best!
Best cornbread ever and so easy. I substituted about 3/4cup Greek yogurt & 1/4 milk for the buttermilk because I didnโt have any and Iโm generally not a fan of the milk/vinegar/lemon substitute. The yogurt/milk mix worked great and the bread was perfectly moist. I added about a cup of fresh corn that I sautรฉed in butter with a couple tsps of brown sugar. I donโt have a 9โ pan, so I used my 8×8 and baked for about 27min. Came out perfect with a wonderful golden brown crust and so tasty. This is my new go-to recipe from here on out!
Might be the 5th time making this recipe consistently great. Just made two for a bunch of folks who were in a western riding clinic. Served with extra honey butter that was a hit. Thank you again!
I am a sucker for Cornbread. We live in New Zealand and it’s not common here at all, so I decided to make this to go with a chicken & chorizo gumbo that I was making. It is ah-mazing! A few subs based on ingredients found here in NZ as we don’t have the grittier “Cornmeal” in supermarkets: I used 1/2 cup of Cornmeal Flour and 1/2 cup of fine semolina. I also used the buttermilk sub of milk+vinegar. It took 23 minutes in our oven at 200’C on fan bake. My partner absolutely loved it, and so did I but I found it just a little sweet – more like a sweet scone to me. Hope this feedback helps someone else ๐
We will absolutely be making this again!
That should say I found it a little bit TOO sweet, whoops! ๐
HI Sally! Really excited to try this recipe. I have either an 8 inch or 10.5 inch skillet. Will those work? Should I make adjustments?
Hi Sarah! Your 10.5 inch skillet should work just fine. Enjoy!
Hi! I’m so excited to try out this recipe. Is it possible to bake the cornbread in a 6qt dutch oven instead of a skillet? Thanks so much!
Hi Tata, it depends on the size of the dutch oven. Is it 9-10 inches in diameter?
This is the BEST cornbread! Moist with just a little crumble. Great corn flavor. Not too sweet. Absolutely delicious! We’re going to try it with Jalapeรฑos next time – but dang, this is a definite keeper recipe. Thank’s Sally!
I have made this recipe twice. Both times I left out the corn because I didn’t have it. The first time I made it with coconut milk with some ACV added, and the second time, I used oat milk with ACV. Both turned out great! The second time I added an additional tablespoon of butter to brown it, adding a faint toasty flavor, but not a necessary step. The cornbread is crumbly, tender, the right amount of sweetness, and four days later, the last piece was still moist! 10/10
Hi, would this work in a normal round metal pan or a cheesecake pan? Thanks !
Hi Kamee, this particular recipe requires a skillet, but you can try this cornbread recipe in a metal pan! Enjoy
Really awesome recipe!!!
Iโve made this recipe at least 6 times every time I make chili and itโs so versatile based on what you have on hand. Itโs delicious and my favorite cornbread recipe Iโve used.
I made this tonight to go with baby back ribs I made in my slow cooker. I left it in the oven for the full 20 mins and probably could have taken it out after 15. The issue I had was it wasnโt sweet at all. I went by the weight in the recipe for the honey (75g). However, I also made your recipe for honey butter which also calls for 1/3 cup of honey but it says 113g. I think maybe thatโs why it wasnโt so sweet?
Hi Alexandra, thank you so much for trying this recipe. It looks like the recipe should have read 75ml honey instead of grams. I remember authoring this recipe correctly (when compared to my written notes) so something must have gotten mixed up when we adjusted out recipe design. My sincere apologies. If you try the recipe again, you’ll want a little more honey. Yes, closer to 113 grams.
and can yogurt substitute for the buttermilk?
i just made a batch with yogurt (cause it was the only dairy we had!) instead of buttermilk and it turned out amazing!!
Love this! If made without the corn do adjustments need to be made? And can you double the ingredients for a 12โ skillet?
Hi Jojo, You can skip the added corn without any other adjustments. We haven’t tested this in a 12 inch skillet, doubling may be too much but you can try 1.5 times the recipe. Let us know if you try it!
If you have no buttermilk, milk and a gush of apple vinegar works fine. Really good recipe.