23 Solid Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes

Put your new or tried and true cast iron skillet to use for breakfast, grilling, dessert, and more.

By

Food & Wine Editors

Updated on October 11, 2023

Chicken and Chorizo Skillet Paella — Photo: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford

Cast-iron skillets are an incredibly versatile kitchen tool for frying eggs, searing steaks, and even grilling brownies (yes, brownies!). In this roundup, we've gathered some of our favorite ways to use cast iron skillets, from making a wild mushroom 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 — start here with our favorite cast-iron skillet recipes.

01 of 23

Sausage, Kale, and Potato Skillet Supper

Sausage, Kale, and Potato Skillet Supper — 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," says Klancy Miller, cookbook author and founder/editor of For the Culture.

02 of 23

Skillet Brownies on the Grill

Skillet Brownies on the Grill — 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 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 in the middle for a fudgy center and smoky brownie "bark" around the edges.

03 of 23

Wild Mushroom-and-Swiss Dutch Baby

Wild Mushroom Swiss Dutch Baby — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This puffy pancake gets an extra-savory touch from grated Swiss cheese and a hint of Dijon mustard, while a combination of mixed wild mushrooms, shallot, and arugula tops it off. Use room temperature milk and eggs to give the Dutch baby a higher rise than you'll get from fridge-cold ingredients.

04 of 23

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cornmeal Skillet Cake

Strawberry Rhubarb Cornmeal Skillet Cake — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Juicy strawberries and tart rhubarb stud the golden brown top of this simple skillet cake. The mix of all-purpose flour and fine cornmeal gives this dessert a pound-cake-like density, while goat cheese and buttermilk keep the crumb nicely tender and moist.

05 of 23

Smoky Skillet-Grilled Chicken with Crispy Bread

Skillet Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken — Antonis Achilleos

This hybrid skillet-on-the-grill method lets you capture all the delicious juices that the bird gives off as it cooks, while still allowing the chicken to absorb plenty of barbecue flavor. Smoky charcoal, plus the rich, deep notes of smoked paprika and chipotle chile, add plenty of depth.

06 of 23

Carrot and Spring Onion Toad in the Hole

Carrot and Spring Onion Toad in the Hole — Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kathleen Cook Varner

The traditional toad in the hole consists of whole sausages cooked in an egg-and-flour batter. This recipe delivers a taste of the British classic but stars tender baby carrots and spring onions for a flavorful, vegetable-forward spring variation.

07 of 23

Queso Flameado

Queso Flameado — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

In this irresistible snack, charred poblano pepper and pureed cilantro and serrano chiles serve as a built-in salsa, layering spicy, garlicky flavors into the rich, melted cheese. Flaming it with tequila makes the whole thing a little extra. The pickled carrots on top add acidity and brightness.

08 of 23

Latke Breakfast Hash

Latke Breakfast Hash Recipe — Anna Stockwell

This eggy, savory breakfast is a terrific way to use up leftover latkes, however unlikely. Pastry chef Caroline Schiff loves to fry up latkes the way her great-grandmother did, using a dash of pimentón for extra depth.

09 of 23

Skillet Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Chicken and Chorizo Skillet Paella — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford

While Spanish paella is traditionally made in its namesake pan, this cast-iron variation is a great alternative — and it can also go straight from stove to table. The recipe builds layers of flavors as you saute aromatics in the same pan you've used to sear the chorizo and chicken.

10 of 23

Spicy Peel-and-Eat Skillet Shrimp with Garlic

Spicy Peel-and-Eat Shrimp with Garlic Recipe — Eva Kolenko

Grill unpeeled raw jumbo shrimp by placing a large cast-iron skillet on the grates. The shells help insulate the delicate shrimp from the heat of the grill so they cook evenly without becoming tough.

11 of 23

Mixed Berry Crisp with Matzo Streusel

Matzo Berry Crisp — Abby Hocking

Sweet-tart berries, tossed with just enough sugar and lemon juice, get topped with salty-sweet crumbled matzos and baked in a large cast-iron skillet.

12 of 23

Kimchi Cheese Jeon (Kimchi Cheese Pancake)

Kimchi Cheese Pancake Recipe — 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 cheese.

13 of 23

Quick Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables

Quick Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Tender carrots, onions, turnips, and mushrooms simmer in a mixture of chicken drippings and butter in this simple, speedy dish.

14 of 23

King Oyster Mushroom Steaks with Pesto and Almond Aillade

King Oyster Mushroom Steaks with Pesto and Almond Aillade — 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 in this rustic French sauce.

15 of 23

Cheddar, Corn, and Jalapeño Cast-Iron Cornbread

Cheddar, Corn, and JalapeÃ±o Cast-Iron Cornbread Recipe — Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Chef Tiffany Derry's cast-iron cornbread combines sharp, tangy cheddar with a fresh jalapeño pepper for a kick that’s just right.

16 of 23

Blackened Skillet Pork Chops with Beans and Spinach

Blackened Skillet Pork Chops with Beans and Spinach — Victor Protasio

A stellar homemade spice blend amps up the flavor of this super simple meal, which comes together using just one pan. You cook the pork chops in a cast-iron skillet until they're blackened, then remove them from the skillet to cook the beans and spinach. The finished dish goes perfectly with a smoky, dark-fruited Malbec.

17 of 23

Platanos Foster

Plantains Foster — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Pastry chef Paola Velez gives Bananas Foster, the classic flambéed dessert, a Caribbean twist by swapping out bananas for plantains and adding warm spices and coconut water to the caramel sauce. Rum raisin ice cream is the perfect accompaniment to the caramelized plantains.

18 of 23

Crispy Skillet Latke with Kale

Crispy Skillet Latke with Kale — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

For Ashkenazi Jews, 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.

19 of 23

Buttery Cast-Iron Shrimp with Winter Salad

Buttery Cast-Iron Shrimp with Winter Salad — 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 the chicories' bitter edge without losing their color or delicate crunch.

20 of 23

Cast-Iron Blackberry Galette with Whipped Mascarpone

Cast-Iron Blackberry Galette with Whipped Mascarpone — 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.

21 of 23

Tater Tot Casserole

Tater Tot Casserole — CREDIT: © ABBY HOCKING

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

22 of 23

Phoenicia Diner's Breakfast Skillet

Phoenicia Diner’s Breakfast Skillet — © Cedric Angeles

Phoenicia Diner in Phoenicia, New York, offers an impressive list of breakfast “skillets.” This creamy egg scramble studded with smoked trout is meant for one, but it can be easily doubled or quadrupled.

23 of 23

Porterhouse Steak

Porterhouse Steak — © John Kernick

For a perfectly tender and crusty steak, chefs and brothers Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio salt their meat up to 12 hours beforehand and let it sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator.

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