Skillet Cornbread

This homemade skillet cornbread recipe has lots of sweet corn, spicy jalapeno peppers and cheddar cheese, baked right in the skillet. It's the perfect side dish.

Who's ready for some cornbread? I am! I love cornbread anytime of the year. It's a wonderful side dish for all sorts of dishes, from steaming pots of chili to beef stew to soups and so much more.

There are different ways to make cornbread, but one of my favorite ways, and the easiest, is Skillet Cornbread. With skillet cornbread, you cook it up right in your cast iron skillet. Super easy! And super tasty.

Cornbread and chili peppers are best buds, especially jalapeno peppers. I don't think I can have cornbread anymore WITHOUT some delicious chili peppers baked in. We made this for a party and it disappeared pretty quickly. The challenge with cornbread is to ensure it does not get too dry.

It can easily dry out if you're not careful, and nobody wants cornbread that just sort of clunks in your mouth. It needs to be moist, almost like a cake. The key to moist cornbread is creamed corn. Melty cheddar cheese adds a bit to the moisture as well, along with outstanding flavor. Melted butter, too. You'll get plenty of moisture in the resulting cornbread. So good!

Let's talk about how to make skillet cornbread, shall we?

Skillet Cornbread Ingredients

• Wet Ingredients. Use 1 cup whole milk, 4 tablespoons melted butter, 2 large eggs and 14.5 ounces creamed corn (basically one can).
• Dry Ingredients. Use 1 cup cornmeal (stone ground is best), 1 cup all purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon baking soda.
• Seasonings. I use 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper.
• Jalapeno Peppers. 1 heaping measuring cup of chopped jalapeno peppers. I use 4-5 jalapenos, though you can easily use more, or try it with other peppers. Skip the jalapenos for a milder version. I love jalapeno cornbread!
• Cheese. I use 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, though any melty cheese will work, like pepperjack or colby jack.
• Corn Kernels. 1 cup corn kernels or more, optional - use fresh, frozen or canned.

How to Make Skillet Cornbread - the Recipe Method

Prep the Oven. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Wet Ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, eggs and creamed corn.

Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt and pepper.

Make the Cornbread Batter. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix to form your batter. Stir in the jalapeno peppers, cheddar cheese and extra corn kernels, if using. I like to use a lot of corn, but you can skip it for a smoother cornbread. I also like extra cheese and jalapeno peppers.

Bake the Cornbread Right in the Skillet. Pour the batter into a lightly oiled cast iron pan or skillet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center pulls out dry. It could take up to 35 minutes.

Serve. Allow to cool. Slice and serve.

Boom! Done! Skillet cornbread is ready to serve! Easy enough, isn't it? So golden brown. I love cornbread. So good.

It's an excellent side dish, though we've also served it as an appetizer and it always goes fast, so you might want to make an extra batch. You can use muffin tins for this cornbread recipe, but the hot skillet works out awesome for corn bread, and you can serve it right in the skillet at room temperature.

It's my favorite cornbread recipe. Yum!

Recipe Tips & Notes

• Extra Ingredients. You can easily add in more corn kernels, jalapeno peppers and cheese to your own preference.
• Other Peppers. I deeply love a good jalapeno cornbread, but you can make this with hotter peppers if you'd like. Try it with serrano peppers or fiery habanero peppers. Care for an even hotter version? Try it with ghost peppers or even the hottest pepper in the world, the Carolina Reaper. Oh baby! Superhot cornbread!
• Serve with Honey or Jam. It's a nice touch for when you're looking to make an impact with your guests. I like to serve this with some sort of jelly or jam, like our homemade habanero jam or a good jalapeno jelly. Honey is a nice addition as well. Or try it with my hot honey recipe. So good!

Patty's Perspective

If you're worried about this being too spicy because of the jalapeno peppers, no need. This recipe isn't very spicy, so you can feel free to be generous with them. More jalapenos is better! And the sweetness from the corn is so tasty.

Serving Suggestions for Skillet Cornbread

Serve this skillet cornbread with a big pot of chili, like Chili Colorado, Chili con Carne, Slow Cooker Southwest Beef Chili, White Bean Chicken Chili, or Chili Verde. It's great with Black Bean Soup, Black Eyed Peas or Hoppin' John. Great stuff! What's your favorite dish to serve it with?

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

• Mexican Brownies
• Chocolate Covered Jalapeno Peppers
• Spicy Chocolate Covered Strawberries
• Candied Jalapenos
• Jalapeno Cornbread
• Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
• Arepas (South American Corn bread)
• Johnny Cakes (Cornmeal Pancakes)
• Jalapeno-Cheddar Dutch Oven Bread

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS.Also, please share it on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 10/5/20 to include new information and photos. It was originally published on 9/8/15.