Cast Iron Cornbread from 131 Main
This easy cast iron cornbread is just like the amazing appetizer served at the 131 Main restaurant group in Charlotte. It is crispy on the outside, fluffy and flavorful on the inside, and has a sweet corn with a touch of heat from diced green chiles. You'll want to add it to all your favorite cozy dinner menus.
One of the more popular restaurants in our area, 131 Main, is one of our family's favorite spots for a celebratory meal. We've been dining there for over 14 years and every time we go, we have to order their cast iron cornbread as an appetizer.
It is so buttery, so crispy, and just the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. A dish like this is the perfect way to start a special meal and works even better as a side dish alongside saucy BBQ and grilled dinners.
I finally discovered the secret to making this amazing recipe right at home and now we can have it any time we want! Though, there's just something special about having it made for you. So, it won't stop us from heading back to 131 Main again soon.
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Restaurant Quality: This is one of the most popular recipes at 131 Main and we have to order it every time we go.
- Amazing Texture: With a buttery, crispy crust and sweet, fluffy crumb on the inside, it is hard to stop at just one bite.
- Easy Skillet Recipe: The easy batter mixes up quickly and then is poured into a hot skillet for a quick, low prep side dish.
Ingredients
This short and sweet shopping list is budget-friendly:
- Canned Creamed Corn
- Diced Green Chiles
- White Cheddar Cheese: I buy cheese bricks and grate them myself. The cheese melts perfectly into the bread this way. If you buy pre-shredded cheese it may not melt as well.
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Butter
- Eggs
- Sugar
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cornmeal
- Baking Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Cooking Spray
Preheat the Skillet
The secret to perfect, crispy cornbread that pops right out of the pan is to preheat the cast iron skillet so it is piping hot when you pour the batter into it.
Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet on the center rack of your oven and preheat it to 400°F while you prepare the batter.
This blazing-hot surface will create a perfect golden brown crust as the butter sizzles in the pan!
Want to Save This for Later?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Make the Batter
In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar and stir them together with a wooden spoon. The sugar should be completely incorporated into the butter.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs, canned creamed corn, and diced chiles together.
Pour the egg mixture into the butter and stir it together until the butter has been incorporated and there are chunks no larger than a small pea.
Shred the Cheese
I prefer to use a hand grater to freshly grate my bricks of cheese because it is quick and makes for easy clean up.
You could use a food processor if you prefer.
Add the shredded cheese to the butter and eggs bowl and stir it in.
Add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt to the bowl and whisk it into the batter.
The batter will be quite lumpy, that's totally ok.
Carefully remove the hot cast iron skillet from the oven. Spray it generously with cooking spray and then scrape the batter into the skillet.
There's no need to smooth out the batter too much, it should be slightly domed in the center of the skillet.
Baking Instructions
Bake the cornbread for 35 - 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and springs back when gently pressed.
let the cornbread rest for 10 minutes before serving it from the skillet.
Make Ahead Tips
You can bake the cornbread up to 4 days in advance and reheat it in the oven to restore its texture. Just let it cool completely, wrap in aluminum foil, and store in the fridge.
You can also cool it, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.
NOTE: Do NOT store baked cornbread in the cast iron skillet you baked it in. As soon as it has cooled enough, transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Storing food in your cast iron skillet will ruin the seasoning coating and you'll have to re-season your pan.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the crispy cast iron cornbread warm with whipped butter and a drizzle of honey.
It pairs so well with chili, BBQ dishes, and roasted vegetables.
The last time I baked it, I served it with my Crockpot BBQ peach chicken and a scoop of vinegar slaw on the side. It would taste great with my Crockpot peach glazed meatballs or a simple roasted chicken legs quarters dinner, too!
I love the touch of sweetness it adds to a very seasoned dish like my jerk pork and pineapple sheet pan dinner.
What to Do with Leftovers
If you have any leftover cornbread (which is a little hard for me to imagine!), you don't need to let a single bite go to waste.
Simply slice the bread into large chunks and use them to make these easy homemade cornbread croutons.
You can pop the leftover bread into the freezer for making croutons another time or make the croutons now and freeze them.
More Easy Bread Recipes
Looking for more easy bread recipes to serve with dinner? Here are a few of my favorites:
📖 Recipe
Cast Iron Cornbread from 131 Main
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 (15 oz) can of creamed corn
- 1 (4.5 oz) can of diced green chiles drained
- 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese freshly grated from about 2 ounces of a brick
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese freshly grated from about 2 ounces of a brick
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Cooking spray
Instructions Start Cooking
- Place one of the baking racks in the middle of your oven. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven while it heats. Preheat the oven to 400°.
- While the oven preheats, prepare the batter. Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and mix them together with a wooden spoon. The butter should absorb the sugar.
- Lightly beat the eggs in a separate medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk in the creamed corn, chopped chiles, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses.
- Add the egg mixture to the butter and mix. The batter may still be lumpy but you shouldn't see butter pieces larger than a green pea. Add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt, and whisk together until just barely combined.
- Remove the hot skillet from the oven and coat it with cooking spray. Scrape in the batter. It should sizzle on contact and stay slightly mounded in the center, don't spread it out evenly just work quickly. Bake the cornbread until the top is golden brown and springs back when you gently press it, 35–45 minutes. Let it cool 10 minutes before serving straight out of the skillet.
Recipe Notes
Storage Note:
Do NOT try to store the baked cornbread in your cast iron skillet. Using the skillet for storage will ruin the seasoning. I made this mistake and had to re-season my skillet. As soon as it is cool, transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely and then wrap in aluminum foil and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box
Find this delicious recipe next time you visit by saving it to your very own recipe box on my site. All your favorites stored in one easy place!
I made this for Thanksgiving because my husband absolutely loves the 131 Main cornbread. We have not been able to travel to get the cornbread because he has pancreatic cancer. His appetite is not good but he will definitely eats this cornbread so thank you and it tastes exactly like the 131 Main cornbread.
Hi Elizabeth,
I'm sorry to hear about your husband's health but I'm happy to have provided a recipe that might bring a little comfort.
Best wishes,
Tiffany
Wow!!! I’ve searched all over for a copycat recipe for this cornbread. I absolutely LOVE 131 Main and could go for just the cornbread and double dip. I just made your recipe and it turned out wonderfully. I had heard they use some sweetened condensed milk, possibly, so I had a splash of heavy cream. I can’t wait to make some croutons with the leftovers. I am so thankful you shared this perfect recipe!!!!
Yes! It makes the BEST cornbread croutons for a salad. I hope you enjoy!