50 Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes
If you want a good, hard sear on a piece of meat, grab a cast iron skillet. Looking to add minerals to your food? Ditto. Just want a workhorse of a pan that will take you from fried eggs to a free-form apple galette? You know what to do. The world of cast iron cooking goes way beyond cornbread (although we'll never turn down a pan of that stuff). First, brush up on the basics of cast iron care. Then, grab that skillet and get ready to do a deep dive into the world of cast iron cooking—these are our favorite ways to use it.
Alex Lau1/50Savory Dutch Baby
Is there any time of day when a pancake isn’t welcome at the table? What about a Savory Dutch Baby that mixes up in seconds? Didn’t think so.
- Laura Murray2/50
Kimchi Potato Hash
You can probably make this easy skillet kimchi hash with your eyes closed.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alex Massillon3/50
Giant Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
The batter for this large format dreamboat of a cookie (crunchy on the edges, chewy in the middle) is made in one bowl with no special equipment, and can be baked in either a cast-iron or large skillet.
- Photo by Peden + Munk4/50
Perfect Porterhouse Steak
Cast iron helps the meat get an aggressively brown sear—perfect for a porterhouse steak.
- Alex Lau5/50
Cast-Iron Pan Pizza
It's ready in fewer than 30 minutes, just like a certain pizza delivery service—but you don't have to answer the doorbell in your pajamas.
- Alex Lau6/50
Oven-Roasted Kimchi Chicken
A smaller chicken (something in the two- to three-pound range) will fit in a cast-iron skillet and can go straight from oven to table.
- Vincent Cross7/50
Giant Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
The batter for this large-format dreamboat of a cookie (crunchy on the edges, chewy in the middle) is made in one bowl with no special equipment.
- Alex Lau8/50
Skillet Phyllo Pie with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Goat Cheese
Store-bought phyllo dough makes you look like an impressive cook—with minimal effort.
- Marcus Nilsson9/50
Cast-Iron Roast Chicken with Caramelized Leeks
Nothing compares to cast iron. Whether you're using a standard skillet or an enameled baking dish, the material's heat-retention qualities can't be matched by any tempered glass or even stainless-steel vessels.
- Gentl & Hyers10/50
Schmaltz-Refried Pinto Beans
Most store-bought lard (the traditional fat in refried beans) is nearly flavorless, unlike chicken fat, which is delicious and readily available.
- Peden + Munk12/50
Roast Chicken with Harissa and Schmaltz
The real magic in this roast chicken recipe is in the pool of schmaltz, AKA rendered chicken fat, sizzling in the pan.
- Eva Kolenko13/50
Iron-Skillet Cornbread
Ultrarich and almost custardy in the middle, this is the kind of appetizer you should serve before a dinner of celery sticks.
- Alex Lau14/50
One-Skillet Chicken With Buttery Orzo
Why use a bunch of pots and pans when fennel, orzo, and chicken can be cooked in one?
- Matt Duckor15/50
Skillet Jam
You can use any berries you have on hand to make this easy, spreadable preserve.
- Photo by Alex Lau, styling by Claire Saffitz16/50
Cast-Iron Pizza With Fennel and Sausage
Cooking sausage in the pan before adding the dough infuses the crust with porky flavor.
- Photo by Marcus Nilsson18/50
Cast-Iron Roast Chicken
No overnight salting, brining, air-drying, temperature changes, or complicated trussing, just a simple roasted chicken.
- 19/50
Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Butternut Squash
Lay the puff pastry over the skillet for a pretty look. Use any brand; the weight may vary, but either way you'll have enough to work with.
- Jonathan Lovekin20/50
Skillet-Baked Eggs with Spinach, Yogurt, and Chili Oil
Serve this healthy breakfast right from the pan (don't forget the trivet).
- 21/50
Cornbread with Caramelized Apples and Onions
If you don’t have (or can’t spare) a cast-iron skillet, this can also be finished off in an 8x8” glass dish for baking.
- Alex Lau22/50
Reuben Dutch Baby
This Dutch baby is great for breakfast; sub out pastrami for roasted veggies to make this recipe vegetarian.
- Nicole Franzen23/50
Cornmeal Biscuits with Chorizo Gravy and Scallions
Biscuits and gravy meet loaded nachos.
- Hirsheimer & Hamilton24/50
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Harissa Chickpeas
Because this dish goes from the stovetop to the oven, you'll need a skillet that can transition. Cast iron to the rescue!
- Marcus Nilsson25/50
Cast-Iron Roast Chicken With Crispy Potatoes
Size matters. This isn't the time for a mammoth Oven Stuffer, nor do we want some petite poussin—a 3½–4-lb. bird has the proportions we're after. When the breasts are roasted to perfection, all that dark meat is on-the-nose-done too.
- Marcus Nilsson28/50
Cast-Iron Roast Chicken with Winter Squash, Red Onions, and Pancetta
Why wouldn't you throw some veggies around your bird while it roasts? You've got a hot pan that's about to be full of sizzling schmaltz just begging to bathe a mosaic of squash and onions with tons of chicken-y flavor.
- Alex Lau30/50
Chicken Pot Pie with Acorn Squash
Sauerkraut is our new secret flavoring weapon. It adds a little bit of acid and funk, and this chicken pot pie recipe proves there are so many other uses for it than a hot dog topping.
- Alex Lau31/50
Frittata with Chard and Chorizo
Chorizo adds smoky flavor to this vegetable-heavy frittata; use bacon if you prefer. If eggy bits get stuck to the pan, simply scrape them out with kosher salt and a kitchen towel.
- 32/50
Perfect Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs
Cook the thighs skin side down in a cast-iron skillet to render out the fat and make the skin as crisp and, dare we say, delicious as bacon.
- 33/50
Pan-Seared Sausage with Lady Apples and Watercress
A simple white wine pan sauce brings this one-skillet dinner together.
- Alex Lau34/50
Apple Dutch Baby
Summon your family to the table while this bakes; it will be fabulously puffed when it comes out, and you’ll enjoy hearing the oohs and aahs before it deflates.
- Alex Lau35/50
Butternut Squash Shakshuka
Extra crispy on the bottom, extra saucy in the middle—just the way we like it.
- Eva Kolenko36/50
Skillet Roast Chicken with Fennel, Parsnips, and Scallions
A beautifully browned bird and seasonal vegetables cook in a single skillet for an effortless dinner.
- Alex Lau37/50
Skillet Cornbread with Chives
A true Southerner wouldn’t dare add sugar to this cornbread recipe, but a Yankee might miss it. Do what you will; we don’t judge.
- Photo by Alex Lau, styling by Claire Saffitz39/50
Chicken Under a Skillet with Lemon Pan Sauce
The flatter the chicken, the more contact with the cast-iron pan and the more crackly skin to enjoy at the end.
- 40/50
One-Skillet Steak and Spring Veg with Spicy Mustard
The ultimate fancy-but-not-too-fancy date night dinner.
- Bobbi Lin41/50
Gluten-Free Skillet Cornbread
We follow the three tenets of traditional Southern cornbread: No sugar added, no flour, and baked in a cast-iron skillet.
- Marcus Nilsson42/50
Cast-Iron Roast Chicken with Fennel and Carrots
The only nonnegotiables for roast chicken recipes are a) being generous with the kosher salt inside and out and b) letting the chicken sit out for at least an hour, which gives the seasoning time to work its way deep into the meat, meaning every bite is delicious through and through.
- Nicole Franzen43/50
Pastrami and Potato Hash with Fried Eggs
You can substitute braised short rib, pork shoulder, or brisket for the pastrami—if it’s fatty and shreddable, it will make a good hash.
- Photo by Heidi's Bridge, styling by Molly Baz44/50
Chocolate Dutch Baby
Faster than a soufflé, easier than a molten chocolate cake, and more delicious than both.
- Alex Lau45/50
One-Skillet Shrimp and Cannellini Beans in Tomato-Chile Broth
Lightly browning the beans and aromatics for a few minutes before you add the tomatoes gives a lot of depth of flavor to the sauce.
- Alex Lau46/50
One-Skillet Hot Sausage and Cabbage Stir-Fry with Chives
Sauté hot Italian sausage meat with ginger and garlic, mix with veg, and dinner’s a wrap!
- Alex Lau47/50
Sambal Short Rib Stir-Fry
Partially freeze the short ribs before you slice to get really thin cuts.
- Danny Kim49/50
Bing Bread
At Parachute in Chicago, this bacon-studded, potato-filled, cheesy sesame bread is served in 6" cast-iron pans; we adapted it to work in a 10".
- Romulo Yanes50/50
Pan-Roasted Brined Pork Chop
Brining these pork chops makes them moist, tender, and seasoned throughout, and the sugar helps create a dark, caramelized sheen. Learn how to make this recipe and more in our online cooking class with Sur la Table.