This Southern Skillet Cornbread with crisp edges is a Southern comfort food staple. This delicious cornbread uses simple ingredients and results in a savory, rustic, truly Southern textured cornbread.

A honey dipper being held over a slice of cornbread, drizzling honey over the cornbread.

“Truly Southern” – meaning that this recipe does not include flour or sugar. Traditional Southern cornbread is typically made primarily with cornmeal and doesn’t include flour or sugar. This results in a bread that’s denser and has a stronger corn flavor than versions that call for flour in the recipe.

Adding flour and sugar makes the cornbread lighter, sweeter, and more cake-like, which is a characteristic of Northern-style cornbread (although I love both versions!).

Skillet Cornbread Ingredients
How to Prepare
Helpful Tips
Serving Suggestions
Storing Leftovers

Skillet Cornbread Ingredients

Overhead view of ingredients for southern skillet cornbread recipe with overlay text.

Cornmeal – I use stone-ground cornmeal in this recipe because it results in the best texture.
Buttermilk
Butter – Unsalted butter that has been melted and cooled. You’ll also need a pat of butter (about a teaspoon) for greasing the skillet.
Eggs
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Salt

How to Prepare

Steps showing how to make southern skillet cornbread with overlay text of numbers for each step.

Preheat the oven and prepare the skillet. Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet with butter. Place the skillet in the oven as it preheats.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together cornmeal, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
Prepare the wet mixture. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter until combined.
Combine the mixtures. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined.
Pour the batter into the hot skillet. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Pour the batter into the skillet (you should hear it sizzle).
Bake the cornbread. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are browned and a toothpick inserted in the center is removed clean.

Overhead view of Southern skillet cornbread in a cast iron skillet beside a stick of butter in a butter dish.

If additional browning is desired on the top of your cornbread, broil on high for 1 to 2 minutes, watching carefully so that it does not over-brown.

Helpful Tips

Don’t skip preheating the skillet. This is a key step to create a crispy and deep golden crust.
Don’t overmix the batter. Stir until the ingredients are just moistened and combined.
Use fresh ingredients. Ensure that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh – these ingredients can lose their potency over time.
Use stone-ground cornmeal. Using stone-ground cornmeal will result in a more textured cornbread.
Use room temperature ingredients. If you have the time, remove the buttermilk and eggs from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before preparing. Using room temp ingredients help the batter to blend thoroughly. Also allow the melted butter to cool about 5 minutes before adding to the wet ingredients.

Overhead view of a skillet of cornbread with two slices removed.

Serving Suggestions

Serve warm with a pat of butter and/or drizzled with honey with the following main courses:

Front view of a slice of cornbread that is topped with a pat of butter and drizzled with honey on a white plate.

Storing Leftovers

Room temperature: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freezer: Wrap the cornbread in plastic wrap, then place in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.