A few years ago I bought myself a small cast iron skillet. It’s about 5 inches across the bottom (6.5 inches across the top!) and as cute as can be. I bought it thinking I'd make a bunch of small frittatas, but what I mostly use it for is small batch skillet cornbread. The hot iron combined with a little melted fat gives the cornbread that golden brown, crispy, crust.
This recipe is one of my best cornbread recipe. It's not too sweet, but it’s got enough sugar to taste balanced. In other words, my father (who insists cornbread should not be sweet) would like this recipe just fine. You can make this with unsalted butter, salted, or even a melted spread. Vegetable oil would work too, but in this case the flavor from the butter (or spread, which is what I used) really comes through and pairs nicely with the corn.
The full batch recipe calling for a 9-inch skillet is here.
Below is how I made it using the small skillet. If you want to keep the small batch but don't have the 6.5 inch skillet, you could do it in an 8x4 inch loaf pan or possibly two mini loaf pans. Or you could just do the full batch on the above link. Either way, it's a great cornbread recipe.
Skillet Sizes and Such
Note: Skillet capacity may vary. Mine measures 5 inches across the bottom, but it's actually 6.5 inches across the top and marketed as a 6.5 inch skillet. The capacity is 2 cups. Lodge does make a 5 inch skillet, but last time I checked it was out of stock. If you are cooking for two or want small batch skillet breads, the 6.5 inch measured across the top version is probably best. In addition to the 5 inch and 6.5 inch skillets, Lodge makes 3.5 inch mini skillets. I'm planning on buying a set to play with and will test the recipe in minis when I can. If you already have the little baby skillets and want to try this recipe, I have a feeling it will work quite well divided between the two tiny skillets and baked for a shorter amount of time.
Gluten-Free Skillet Cornbread
To make this gluten-free, use 50 grams of your favorite 1:1 gluten-free blend in place of the all-purpose flour. My daughter recently tested it with Measure for Measure and it worked well. She also doubled it and used a rectangular pan since her college house does not have a cast iron skillet. It is obviously not in the South.
Related Recipes
Recipe
Small Batch Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
Ingredients
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cornmeal fine corn flour works too (85 grams)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 50 grams
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 25 grams
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoons salted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a 6.5-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, and egg. Whisk in almost all of the melted butter, reserving about ½ tablespoon for the skillet later on.
- Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
- Add the reserved butter to the hot skillet. Pour the batter into the skillet (it should sizzle and butter should pool around it) and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve.
- Note: I've never had the cornbread spill over, as it tends to bake around the sides first and rise up. However, if you are worried about it you can put a rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drips.
Anna says
The maple sugar is brilliant! I wish it was more readily available.
Courtney says
this is my go to recipe now. I do tweat it slightly because I don't always have buttermilk. and my husband doesn't like what he calls "sweet bread" I live ti make small batches but also have multiplied this recipe for larger pans.
instead of 2 tbsps of sugar I do 1 tbsp of maple sugar. and instead of buttermilk (unless I actually have buttermilk) i use raw kefir or raw yogurt. sometimes I add the raw milk sometimes I don't I also mill freah flour (I use hard white) and I mill the corn for flour as well.)
i always get compliments when I make this for a crowd. even the kids say it's the best one ever.
i hate a dry cornbread and this is always perfectly moist with a nice crunchy crust.
thanks for this recipe!
Anna says
Dean, thanks for sharing your tips! I'll give your version a try too. With baking, all of those little changes add up so I think you created a new recipe. Looks like it's a sugar free cornbread, which I'm sure a lot of people will love.
Dean says
This was a great starting place for small-batch cornbread. A streamlined, cornier tweak worked well for me: 1 cup cornmeal, 1/3 cup flour, 1 tsp. Baking powder, pinch baking soda, pinch salt, 1 egg, 1 tbsp. oil, enough buttermilk to make a moist, muffin-like batter. 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
scotty says
This was really good. Moist but a nice airy crumb.
Anna says
Thanks for the review, Michelle! I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
Michelle Cook says
This is a great recipe! It turned out fantastic and is just the right size for two people. Thank you!
Anna says
Glad you like it, Mary! And thanks so much for taking the time to leave a good review.
Mary says
I have used this recipe many times, Great taste and more than enough for the two of us.
Leah says
this turned out great for me. kept all ingredients the same except used all buttermilk instead of the 3 tbsp of whole milk and omitted sugar for personal preference. I used my standard heating and timing for a pan this size - 425 x 10min, then lower temp to 400 x5min, then broil until desired browning. I like all the exterior crispiness this creates. it was my grandmother's way <3
Sue says
This is our new favorite cornbread recipe. I wanted to use up some buttermilk and this was a great choice with our dinner this evening.
Katherine Funfstuck says
this cornbread was so delicious,it was almostike eating a piece of poundcake will keep this recipe for sure
Anna says
Thanks Elsie! Glad it worked for you.
Elsie S. Stewart says
I tried this recipe and it's really good.
Anna says
I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the review, Sandra :).
Sandra Poirier says
Excellent! Perfect amount for two people
Anna says
Hi Cecil,
I loved reading your comment, so thanks for taking the time to share. I'm guessing you live in my part of the country since you have easy access to White Lily and Martha White. Here in NC they are in every grocery store. I'll have to experiment with the self- rising. Your stuffing sounds like the one I make in my slow cooker every year.
cecil says
OH yum. Been making southern cornbread forever. I use the 5.5-6" pans. Just bought my brother one and needed a basic recipe with ingredient amounts. I make mine loosey goosey and by sight and texture as the women in the family taught me! I use Martha White self rising and corn flour or White Lily with butter and high flash point oil heated and pour that into the batter then add a 1/2 cup of cheese too. It's a really moist texture and lasts several days. I don't use sugar but I'll include it in brother's recipe.Great to hear all the comments. I LOVE CORNBREAD!!! I freeze leftovers and make cornbread stuffing with cranberries, onion, celery, herbs etc I add a little dried torn italian bread too
Happy eating and thanks!!!
Anna says
Hi Rosanne,
I'm happy to hear it worked for you, and your soup sounds great! I'm also glad you own the tiny cast iron skillet. If you are ever in the mood to make a tiny cast iron skillet chocolate cake, here's a link to the recipe. https://www.cookiemadness.net/2018/06/10/mini-cast-iron-skillet-chocolate-cake/
Rosanne says
I tried this tonight to go with ham and bean soup. There is usually just my husband and I and I can not eat a lot at one time so whenever I make corn bread or biscuits of any kind we have left overs for a few days. This was perfect. We have enough left over for tomorrow to go with the other quart of soup. thank you . It also held together well when soaking up the broth.
Anna says
Alyssa, that's good. Yours must be about like mine because I can fit all the batter into it (though it's tight!) and it doesn't overflow.
Alyssa says
Perfect for my 5' skillet! I do own a few (cast iron my go-to item at thrift shops and garage sales), and I used the deepest one (2" deep). I filled it completely, and just let it rise past the edge of the pan like a li'l muffin.
Moist and tasty, will make again!
Anna says
If it didn't fit you would want to use the next size up. My skillet is probably a little deeper than yours. 8 inches is quite a bit larger. I would recommend using your 5 inch skillet and just leaving about 1/2 inch for the batter to climb. You can throw away remaining batter or bake it up in a custard or muffin cup. Set your skillet on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. You could try using the 8 inch next time, but that size might be a bit too large and the cornbread will be too thin.
Wendy says
Too much batter for 5” skillet should have used the 8”
Anna says
Cool! Thanks for sharing!
Shameenm says
I found a cast iron skillet that's a little deeper than most.
AMERICAN METALCRAFT - CIS51 - 5 IN CAST IRON FRY PAN
SKU: AMMCIS51
Tundra Restaurant Supply online
Dimensions: price: $9.23
5 in diameter
1 1/8 in high
3 1/4 in handle
Anna says
Hooray! Thanks for leaving a review :). Glad you found the small batch recipe helpful.
Tlg says
Great recipe! It came out so beautiful and was just enough for two. Delicious and the texture was perfect! Thanks for posting this!
Anna says
Hi Donna!
Yes, that's a pretty common thing. I was going by the diameter of the skillet rather than the volume when I posted this. You could bake the batter in a custard cup or make a muffin or two. The batter in the skillet should bake up nicely.
Donna says
I just mixed this batter up, and the little skillet is in the oven. There was at least 1/2 the batter left over. If I had heated another small skillet, I could have made two. Did anyone else have this happen?
Anna says
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for taking the time to write a review! I appreciate it. Maybe I'll add a few notes regarding the pan size. Maybe your pan was not quite as deep as the one I used? Next time I make it I'll take some careful measurements and see just how much batter my pan holds.
Courtney says
I impulsively decided to make some cornbread for lunch, but I just wanted enough for a single serving. A quick Google search brought me here, and I have to say this turned out pretty well! I used my mini cast iron that is supposed to be about 6-in diameter, but it nearly overflowed when I poured in the batter... Not sure why? The only change I made was to add a few frozen corn kernels, but not enough where I think it should have made that much of a difference. Anyway, it wasn't pretty, but it tasted great, so I will definitely make again!
Anna says
Thanks for the review, Whirleycook! Glad ou liked it. I just dug my very small cast iron skillet out of a box and plan on making it again soon.
Whirleycook says
I made a batch of this for dinner tonight and it was perfect. Made exactly as in the recipe, except baked in a small casserole dish and I used land of lakes light butter with canola spread. Served it with beans and bacon. The texture was light and airy, not hard, and it was slightly sweet, not too sweet. It baked up to a nice golden brown in 24 minutes. I will be making this a lot. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
JZ says
This turned out beautifully!
I didn't have buttermilk, so i used homo milk that i'd let sit for 5 minutes with 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice.
I also used butter in the pan with some cornmeal to make a bit of a crust.
(thanks for that bonus tip in the comments!)
Delicious!
Thanks heaps. this was exactly what i was looking for.
Anna says
I hope you like it! This is my favorite cornbread recipe.
Karen Schmidt-Dill says
Made a big batch of split pea and ham soup today, will put most in the freezer. But I wanted a small batch of cornbread to eat tonight for supper. Oh yum, this looks so good. I have the tiny cast iron pan along with 3 other graduating up sizes. Mostly I use the little one for my bacon and eggs in the mornings.
Anna says
Hi Scott,
I’m happy the recipe worked for you *and* that I’m not the only person in the world with a 5 inch skillet. Mine doesn't get a lot of use either, but I keep thinking one day I'll try to develop a very tiny frittata recipe.
Scott says
Just made this recipe and It was excellent. I confess that I used self rising corn meal / flour. Very light texture. I use Moss and Southern Biscuit brands respectively.
I inherited a 5" cast iron pan when I left home to live on my own in 1994. It had been so long disused at the time that my Uncle had to remove the rust from it with the wire wheel on his electric grinder. It doesn't get a whole lot of of use now either but no rust.
Anna says
Nina, thanks for taking the time to post a review. I'm really happy to hear the scaled down version came in handy for your.
Nina says
It was delicious! Funny thing is my mom is from dwn south...mississippi and so the cornbread is made alll the time n my family but I have thr same 5 inch cast iron skillet I jus took frm my mommas house to cook some cornbread n so I was lookin for recipes I could cut in half to make fit n ran across urs and girl was it good. I mite keep her skillet now. I'm stuffed with cornbread beans in rice. Yummm not good it s 105 in the morning but boy did it taste good
Anna says
Great news! I'm glad you were able to convert the recipe to metric fairly easily and that it worked. Now I feel like making cornbread.
Davie says
Just finished my first one ... tasted great! Now I'm off to make some for my guests! Thanks for this Anna.
Anna says
Davie, you were right! I just edited this. My book says 1 cup of cornmeal is about 4.8 oz or 134 grams, so 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons would be about 80 grams. Sounds like you've got it all right.
Small Batch Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
(83 grams) 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornmeal
(48 grams) 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
(24 grams) 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
(45 ml) 3 tablespoons whole milk
(120 ml) 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
(60 grams) 4 tablespoons salted butter
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a 5-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter.
In a medium size or mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, and egg. Whisk in almost all of the melted butter spread, reserving about 1/2 tablespoon for the skillet later on.
Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
Add the reserved butter to the hot skillet. Pour the batter into the skillet (it should sizzle and butter should pool around it) and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve.
Small Batch Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
(83 grams) 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornmeal
(48 grams) 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
(24 grams) 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
(45 ml) 3 tablespoons whole milk
(120 ml) 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
(60 grams) 4 tablespoons salted butter
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a 5-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter.
In a medium size or mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, and egg. Whisk in almost all of the melted butter spread, reserving about 1/2 tablespoon for the skillet later on.
Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
Add the reserved butter to the hot skillet. Pour the batter into the skillet (it should sizzle and butter should pool around it) and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve.
Davie says
Found it - 1/2 Cup is approx 75/80g - glad I checked 😀
Davie says
Okay thanks Anna,
I'm doing a Pedernales River chili for tomorrow's Calcutta Cup (Rugby) and want to serve it with skillet cornbread - I'd like to cook this recipe as it sounds perfect! Any idea what the approx weight of cornmeal in gram/oz is - I'm thinking 170g?
Anna says
Hi Davie,
Yes, those are US measurements. For a while I was including grams in the recipes, but I wasn't sure whether people were using them so I just stopped. I try to put in gram or oz weights for things like flour, though.
Davie says
Are these measurements US or UK cups? I'm assuming US?
Shanna C says
I've got two cast iron skillets, a 'baby' one like you have, plus a square 8". I did have my mother-in-law's round skillet but have now passed it on to my daughter. There's just nothing better than hot cornbread out of a cast iron skillet on a chilly evening; in fact, I made some tonight in the baby skillet for just Hubby & me!
bakingblonde says
I love my castiron skillet but rarely use it. I always forget.
My grandma used to make these one cookies in it, i should find that recipe. I remember them being almost carmelized on the bottom with a big scoop of icecream with each piece, MMM
Your cornbread sounds great!
Josie says
That is the cutest little skillet I've ever seen. Yum! And so psyched to hear more about your not-butter trip!
tamarindpup says
We use slightly less sugar, and because we happen to have it on hand - duck or goose fat instead of butter. Like the poster above, we put the fat in the pan in the oven and both preheating/greasing the pan while melting the fat. Once melted, the fat that's poured off goes into the batter. We've also tried the more traditional bacon fat, but that tends to make a greasier, sometimes unpleasantly too bacony cornbread. Duck/goose fat is lighter.
vanillasugar says
i love this. and do make it a lot, sometimes adding in a layer of mozza cheese w/ ketchup-hoisin glaze. yum
Anna says
Sue, I'm not sure what brand of cornmeal I used for this batch. It was something I got out of the bulk bin at the local grocery store. I think the one I usually buy is Aunt Jemima. I also liked the flavor of the cornmeal I made by grinding popcorn in the Nutrimill.
Paige, I have to look through my files when I get home. I'm actually on the road today, but when I get back in the kitchen I'll test some sweet cornbreads. I have one recipe made with buttermilk and honey that I remember as being good, but I haven't made it in a while.
Gloria, that's the method used here. It's what makes the crust so good.
Gloria says
My grandmother always made her cornbread in a cast iron skillet. A little trick I learned from her is to put a little oil or bacon grease in the skillet and sprinkle a little dry cornmeal in it and put the skillet in the hot oven while you're preparing the batter. Pour your batter into the hot pan and when done, you'll have a wonderful crust on the bottom side that you can't get any other way.
Helena says
I've never tried cornbread before, but I guess I have to start looking for cornmeal now 🙂
Paige says
Looks delish! Do you also have a good recommendation for sweet cornbread? Every once in a while, I do prefer a sweet version, but have never found a recipe that I've been happy with.
Sue says
We love cornbread and I'm looking forward to trying this. Do you have a favorite brand of cornmeal? For years I was happy with the Quaker Oats/Aunt Jemima cornmeal, but lately it seems so fine and bland. The Hodgson Mill seems too course. I'm sounding a little like Goldilocks, but I'd really like to find a cornmeal that's just right.
Erin @ what the fork says
Mmmmm! Sounds delicious! I've been looking for a tasty corn bread recipe I can't wait to try this.
Yet another Anna says
My grandmother made cornbread in a pan like that all the time! So good.
Caroline says
You had me at cast iron. There is nothing quite like cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet. Cast iron always reminds me of cooking over the campfire when I was younger. I can't begin to tell you how adorable your little skillet is! My cornbread is made in a cast-iron cornstick pan, usually. One of my favorites!