Hot Honey Skillet Cornbread

There was a time when cornbread didn’t need a thing besides butter. Nana Ruth made hers in a cast iron skillet that was older than anyone in the family, and she’d have told you it was perfect just the way it was. And she’d be right.

Mason puts hot honey on everything now — eggs, pizza, grilled cheese. But this cornbread is where it started. He drizzled so much on his slice that Jake asked if he needed a spoon. He did, actually.

But then I tried hot honey on cornbread — the kind where you warm up honey with a little hot sauce and butter — and I understood immediately. It’s sweet, it’s spicy, it’s buttery, and it makes that crispy skillet crust sing. Nana Ruth would have raised an eyebrow. Then she would have eaten three pieces.

Hot honey has been all over everything this year — chicken, pizza, biscuits, you name it. But cornbread is where it belongs. The sweetness of the honey, the gentle burn of the pepper flakes, the richness of butter melting into that golden top.

How to Make Hot Honey Skillet Cornbread

Preheat the skillet. Put your cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats to 425°F. Add a tablespoon of butter to the hot skillet right before you pour in the batter — this is how you get that incredible golden crust on the bottom.

Mix the batter. Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and a generous drizzle of honey. Pour wet into dry and stir until just combined.

Bake it hot. Pour the batter into the sizzling hot skillet — you should hear it start cooking immediately. Bake at 425°F for 20-22 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Make the hot honey. While it bakes, warm honey with butter, red pepper flakes, and a tiny pinch of cayenne. Let it steep for a few minutes so the heat infuses the honey. Drizzle generously over the cornbread as soon as it comes out of the oven.

This cornbread goes beautifully alongside my Slow Cooker Family Chili or a big bowl of Brothy White Beans. If you love baking bread from scratch, my Pull-Apart Garlic Bread is another crowd-pleaser, and my Nana Ruth’s Honey Butter Dinner Rolls are what I make when I really want to impress.

Print

Hot Honey Skillet Cornbread

Golden, crispy-edged cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet and drizzled with sweet-spicy hot honey. Old-fashioned Southern cornbread meets the hottest flavor trend of 2026.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword baking, breads & rolls, heritage recipes, hot honey skillet cornbread, side dishes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 8 wedges

Author Maggie

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus 1 tablespoon for the skillet
• For the hot honey:
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1-2 tablespoons hot sauce Frank's or similar
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more for topping
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats — you want that skillet screaming hot.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, honey, and melted butter until smooth.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined. A few small lumps are fine — don't overmix or the cornbread will be tough.
5. Carefully pull the hot skillet from the oven. Add a tablespoon of butter and swirl it around until it melts and coats the bottom. Pour the batter in — it should sizzle.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. While the cornbread bakes, make the hot honey: warm the honey, butter, and red pepper flakes together in a small saucepan over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Don't let it boil.
8. Drizzle the hot honey generously over the warm cornbread as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve straight from the skillet with extra honey on the side.

Recipe Notes

No buttermilk? Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. For the hot honey, start with 1 tablespoon of hot sauce and taste — you can always add more, but you can't take it back. This cornbread is best served warm from the skillet. Leftovers reheat well in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Pull-Apart Garlic Bread
• Old-Fashioned Matcha Pound Cake
• Old-Fashioned Lemon Bars
• Old-Fashioned Pickle Dip

What I Use for This Recipe

A couple things from my kitchen that make this one easier.

Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Slow Cooker(~$35)

Set it before school drop-off, come home to dinner. The most-used appliance in my kitchen after the stove.

Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Dutch Oven(~$60)

For every stew, pot roast, and soup that needs low-and-slow love. The pot I reach for on Sundays.

Lodge 10.25-Inch Cast Iron Skillet(~$20)

The skillet that never leaves our stovetop. Pre-seasoned, affordable, and built to last.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I actually use. See all my kitchen picks