Camping Skillet Cornbread Recipe - Fresh Off the Grid (2024)

With golden brown edges and just a touch of sweetness, this Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread is a super easy to make on the stovetop or over a campfire. It’s the perfect side dish for any type of grilled meat, stew, or bowl of chili!

You might think baking at a campsite would be a little tricky, and generally speaking that is true, but this skillet cornbread is an exception!

This cornbread so easy to make, even without any fancy equipment. All you need is a cast iron skillet and some aluminum foil, and you’re ready to “bake” some delicious buttery cornbread right over your campfire or camp stove.

There’s a sharp divide in the world of cornbread between the Northern style, which tends to be sweeter and more cake-like, and the Southern style, which tends to be more savory and bit more crumbly. This recipe we’re sharing today is a blend between both styles—a little sweet, a little savory (which will likely offend everyone, equally).

But we feel this middle-of-the-road approach gives you a really versatile cornbread, that’s pairs great with anything grilled, stews, and chili. Or, you can spread a layer of butter and drizzle a bit of honey and eat it for dessert! It’s perfect both ways.

So if you’ve got a cast iron skillet and looking for a quick & easy camping side dish, this skillet cornbread is your golden ticket!

Ingredients

Cornmeal (or polenta): To get that classic cornbread texture, we suggest using medium-ground cornmeal. It’s large enough to give the bread some nice corn texture, without being gritty. You can also use ground corn that is sold as polenta, which is just the Italian version of medium-ground cornmeal.

Flour: Regular AP flour.

Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is aluminum-free. You’ll be using a decent amount of it in this recipe and if it contains aluminum you will definitely have a noticeable metallic-off taste.

Salt: Just enough to balance out the sweetness of the honey.

Milk: We used whole milk for the final recipe, but also tested it will oat milk. If using oat milk, opt for the extra creamy variety.

Eggs: This will bind the cornbread together. Bob’s Red Mill egg substitute can also be used as vegan sub.

Honey: The perfect sweetener for cornbread! Honey gives you a subtle, understated sweetness which plays so well with the next ingredient…

Butter: Half the butter goes to the skillet, for toasty delicious edges, and the other half goes to batter, for a buttery delicious flavor.

Equipment:

Cast Iron Skillet: This recipe is best prepared in a cast iron skillet, which will radiate the heat upwards and allow you “bake” the cornbread. We used our 10” Lodge skillet.

Aluminum Foil: It’s important to cover the top of the lid with aluminum foil to trap the rising heat. Cut small slits in the foil to allow steam to escape.

How to make Skillet Cornbread

Melt the Butter

Whether you’re making this cornbread over a campfire or camp stove, the first step is to melt the butter in your cast iron skillet. Do this over low, controlled heat. Swirl the butter around to coat the entire pan. Once completely melted, remove the skillet from the heat.

Make the Batter

Crack the eggs and add the honey to a large mixing bowl, and whisk vigorously. You really want to make sure the eggs and the honey are completely mixed together. No honey clumps! Next, add the milk. Then you will want to spoon out a half of the melted butter from the skillet and mix it into the wet ingredients.

Once all your wet ingredients have been incorporated, it’s time to add the dry ingredients. Add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold gently with a fork until you reach a smooth, wet batter.

“Baking”

Pour your batter into the cast iron skillet, which should still have half the melted butter coating the bottom.

Next you will want to rip off a sheet of aluminum foil and cover the top of the cornbread, crimping around the edges so it doesn’t accidentally blow off. Using a sharp knife, slice a few vent slits in the foil to allow steam to escape.

Place the skillet over medium-low heat, either on your camp stove or on the grill grate over a bed of embers or coals. You really want to err on the side lower heat to avoid burning the bottom before the top has a chance to set.

After about 20 minutes, take a peak under the foil. The batter will have risen considerably. Once the top of the cornbread looks to be set, take it off the heat. Keep it covered and let it rest for another 5 minutes.