This is my mom’s savory Southern cornbread, with no added sugar. It’s made with plain yellow cornmeal, buttermilk, and bacon fat in a hot 12-inch cast-iron skillet. The edges get crisp, and the hearty crumb is just what I want alongside a pot of greens.
Not Sweet, Just Like I Grew Up With
There are a hundred different ways to make cornbread. And everybody thinks their way is the best, right? When I was growing up, I really only knew of two cornbread rules: cook it in a cast-iron skillet and don’t make it sweet. Sweet cornbread is popular; it’s just not what we did in my corner of the South.
I have been known to add a tablespoon or two of sugar. You can do that if it’s what you like. But the recipe below is my mom’s method, and the savory version is the one I reach for when there’s pot liquor to soak up.
The Cornmeal, Skillet, and Bacon Fat Matter
Use plain, finely ground yellow cornmeal. This recipe already includes salt, baking powder, and baking soda, so a self-rising cornmeal mix is not a straight swap. Yellow cornmeal gives the bread its familiar golden color; white cornmeal makes a paler loaf.
There’s no wheat flour in this recipe. For gluten-free cooking, choose cornmeal and other packaged ingredients labeled gluten-free. That doesn’t make every dressing made with cornbread gluten-free; the rest of that recipe still matters.
The bacon fat does two jobs. Of the 5 tablespoons, 2 go into the batter and 3 stay in the hot skillet. When the batter hits that hot fat, the outside starts setting right away. You’re almost frying the bottom before the oven finishes baking the bread.
The tested pan is a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Give it time to get hot before you pour in the batter. That hot-pan step is part of the recipe, not just a way to grease the skillet.
How to Make Cast Iron Cornbread
1. Heat the Skillet and Mix the Dry Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Put 2 tablespoons bacon fat in your 12-inch cast-iron skillet and place it in the oven as it heats. In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups finely ground yellow cornmeal, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
2. Combine the Batter
In a separate bowl, whisk 2 cups buttermilk and 2 large eggs. Pour that into the cornmeal mixture and mix well. Carefully remove the hot skillet, pour its melted bacon fat into the batter, and mix again.
3. Heat the Remaining Fat
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons bacon fat to the skillet. Return it to the oven until very hot, about 5 minutes. Use oven mitts when you take it out; the handle is hot too.
4. Bake Until Set and Lightly Golden
Carefully pour the batter into the hot skillet. Bake at 450°F for 15–18 minutes, until the cornbread is set and lightly golden.
If You Prefer Butter
Bacon fat is my preference, but butter is an option I’ve included with this recipe. If you use butter in the skillet, heat the pan first, then add the butter. Pour in the batter as soon as the butter melts so it doesn’t burn while the pan preheats.
Cornbread for Greens and Dressing
This is the kind of cornbread I want with Southern collard greens. The pot liquor is the seasoned broth left in the pot, and a piece of this bread is a good way to make sure none of it goes to waste.
For the holiday dressing itself, use my Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe. It includes its own cornbread formula and the stock amounts for that pan. A hearty cornbread is useful in dressing, but the amount of liquid still determines the final texture.
📖 Recipe
Cast Iron Cornbread
Equipment
- 1 12-inch cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
- 3 cups finely ground yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 5 tablespoon bacon fat divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Add 2 tablespoons of bacon fat to a 12" cast iron skillet and place skillet in oven while preheating.
- Add dry ingredients to large mixing bowl - cornmeal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, add buttermilk and eggs and whisk together.
- Pour buttermilk mixture into bowl with cornmeal and mix well.
- Carefully remove the hot skillet and pour its 2 tablespoons of melted bacon fat into the cornbread batter. Mix well.
- Add 3 more tablespoons of bacon fat to skillet and return to oven until very hot (about 5 minutes).
- Pour cornbread batter into hot skillet. Place skillet in oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until set and lightly golden.
Notes
Nutrition
Made this recipe? Leave a star rating and tell me how it turned out.
Darrell C
Great recipe! Baked this up today to go with some Louisiana beans & rice! It did the trick! I've been wondering why my cornbread wasn't rising; it was because I didn't realize how wrong it is to sub 2% milk for buttermilk. Now I'm in "cornbread heaven."
Darrell C
Sorry; forgot the rating!
Barbara Poole
Delicious, just like my mom's and grandmother's!!! ❤
Deborah Verhoeven
I can’t rate your recipe yer, because I just found it. I am really happy to find a cornbread recipe without sugar. I plan on having it with some chili (no carne). The bacon fat put me off somewhat, but I did live in the south, so I get it. I plan to use olive oil. If the recipe fails, it’s probably because I live at 6,500 feet. 😉
Gary White
May I suggest using butter over olive oil?
Katyana Cook
This is my favorite cornbread because its not sweet and the coooking technique makes it delicious
Ali
This is one of the best cornbread recipes I have tried, and I have tried many!
My family likes a savory cornbread and this hits the spot. The crispy edges are divine!
I added 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper to the dry ingredients for a little kick. I also made this in a 13" x 9" glass baking dish. Just adjusted the time to 18-20 minutes at 400 F.
ncscot3
I loved the texture and the taste. This is my go to from now on.
Becky
Love this recipe, it turned out amazing! I wanted to eat the whole pan but forced myself to share.
Tamara
Your recipe doesn’t say what size for the pan. Seems that is important to know 🙁
Gary White
Oh my goodness, I can't believe I left that out. Thanks for the heads up. I added it to the first step of the instructions. This recipe is written for a 12-inch cast iron skillet.
Michelle Scheulin
What brand of GF cornmeal do you use for this recipe?
Gary White
I'm not particular about cornmeal. Just the plain store brand works fine, as long as it's not a mix. Anything labeled "cornmeal mix" probably has flour in it. If it says "plain" then it's usually safe. Just be sure to check the ingredient list.
Lady
Perfection! I got a newcast iron skillet for christmas.And this was the first I cooked in it, and I am in love!