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18 Great Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes

18 Great Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes

By Food & Wine

Updated January 11, 2020

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Credit: Jen Causey

Cast-iron skillets are an incredibly versatile kitchen tool, able to fry eggs, sear steaks, and even bake brownies (yes, brownies!). And in this roundup, we’ve gathered some of our favorite ways to use them, from making a polenta Dutch baby for the ultimate brunch to whipping up a skillet fruit crisp that can be adapted for any season. These long-lasting pans can be used to make breakfast, dinner, and everything in between—read on for even more of our favorite cast-iron skillet recipes.

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Skillet Buttermilk Biscuits

Credit: © CON POULOS

Bake these tender, buttery little biscuits in a cast-iron skillet, then bring them to the table still in the pan.

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Cast-Iron Roast Chicken with Lentils and Walnut Vinaigrette

This luscious roast chicken is weighted down and cooked in a cast-iron skillet so the skin is extra-crispy.

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Buttery Cast-Iron Shrimp with Winter Salad

Credit: Johnny Miller

Shrimp are seared and glazed in chipotle-honey butter in this warm seasonal salad from chef JJ Johnson. He serves the shrimp over gently sautéed radicchio and endive, which mellows their bitter edge without losing their color or delicate crunch.

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Cast-Iron Blackberry Galette with Whipped Mascarpone

Credit: Abby Hocking / Food & Wine

This galette is great baked in a cast-iron skillet because it’s easy to transport and serve. The secret to the sturdy crust is the buttery brown sugar oat crumble, which absorbs the jammy blackberries as they bake.

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Porterhouse Steak

Credit: © John Kernick

For a perfectly tender and crusty steak, brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio salt their meat up to 12 hours before and let it sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator. This step seasons the meat to its core and pulls out moisture for a better sear.

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Skillet Cornbread

Credit: © Abby Hocking

Carla Hall’s skillet cornbread comes together in just three simple steps. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Skillet Apple-Ginger Crisp

Credit: Antonis Achilleos

“There are few things better (or easier) than a fruit crisp,” Susan Spungen writes. “It’s extremely hard to mess it up—even if you aren’t a baker.”

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Skillet Brownies on the Grill

Credit: Victor Protasio

These brownies take on a deliciously smoky flavor on the grill from “baking” in a skillet set over hot coals. After you’re done grilling dinner, prepare to make brownies on the grill by adding a few more lumps of charcoal to maintain a grill temperature of around 350°F. Pull the skillet brownies when they’re still a bit moist, but not wet, in the middle for a fudgy texture in the center and smoky brownie “bark” around the edges.

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Crispy Ricotta-Kale Tacos

Credit: Victor Protasio

Be sure to heat the tortillas in a hot skillet before stuffing them with the ricotta-kale mixture. Warming them up first makes them more pliable and less likely to break during the stuffing and cooking process. Opt for high-quality organic yellow corn tortillas; they tend to be chewier and more satisfying when fried.

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Blackened Skillet Pork Chops with Beans and Spinach

Credit: Victor Protasio

This super simple meal is ready in 25 minutes. Want to pair it with wine? Go for a smoky, dark-fruited Malbec.

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Cast-Iron Cornmeal Cake with Buttermilk Cream

Credit: Victor Protasio

Pouring the batter into a hot skillet ensures a perfectly cooked, dark golden–bottomed crust with a fluffy, golden interior. To check for doneness, rely on the visual cues for browning—a cake tester will come out clean before the cake is cooked through.

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Polenta Dutch Baby with Ham and Swiss

Credit: Gregory DuPree

A large-format pancake with a light, airy interior and rich, savory toppings, this Dutch baby is perfect for brunch. Add the toppings around the edges, leaving the center clear to allow it to rise properly. Preheating the pan is also crucial to a beautiful rise; the batter should begin to puff immediately after you pour it into the pan.

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Kimchi Cheese Jeon (Kimchi Cheese Pancake)

Credit: Anna Stockwell

In her episode of Chefs at Home, chef Rachel Yang makes her own homemade Napa cabbage kimchi, and then shows how to use kimchi at varying stages of fermentation in a range of dishes. One of her favorites is this irresistible kimchi pancake, in which tangy, lightly spicy kimchi is balanced out by plenty of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

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Sausage, Kale, and Potato Skillet Supper

Credit: Jen Causey

“This is a single-serving recipe, but it can easily be doubled—just use a bigger skillet so you have plenty of room,” Klancy Miller writes.

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Crispy Skillet Latke with Kale

Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

For Ashkenazi Jews (those hailing from Central and Eastern Europe), latkes are the heart and soul of Hanukkah. Instead of frying batches of traditional pancakes, here the whole lot of shredded potato batter is pressed into a sizzling frying pan and finished in the oven. The oversized pancake emerges golden with a tender center and crackly shoestring curls around the perimeter. To amp this dish up for brunch, serve it topped with lox.

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Tater Tot Casserole

The secret to this casserole is the layer of creamed spinach in the middle. It adds elegance to the dish, as well as a nice contrast to the crispy, crunchy Tater Tot top.

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Skillet-Roasted Buttermilk Chicken

Credit: Greg Dupree

Simplicity reigns supreme in this classic roast chicken that browns to perfection in your favorite cast-iron skillet. An overnight marinade in buttermilk not only infuses the chicken with flavor, but also ensures a tender bird. We cover the chicken with parchment then foil during roasting to lock in moisture, then discard both for a final broil to get the skin extra bronzed and crispy. Served with a spoonful of lemony-garlicky-schmaltzy pan juices, this is one serious chicken dinner winner.

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King Oyster Mushroom Steaks with Pesto and Almond Aillade

Credit: Photo by David Malosh / Prop Styling by Amy Wilson / Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero

Chef Julia Sullivan employs a duo of cast-iron skillets to prepare the tender, crispy-edged mushroom steaks at Henrietta Red in Nashville; one for cooking the mushrooms, the other for pressing them flat so they cook evenly. Buttery roasted almonds balance the sharper notes of garlic and lemon this rustic French sauce.

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