Vanilla Pumpkin Skillet Cornbread has a beautiful crunch and delicious flavor. A must have for your Thanksgiving table.
When it comes to the perfect seasonal addition to the tried and true Thanksgiving menu, I love playing with classic flavors in new ways. This vanilla pumpkin skillet cornbread recipe is just that!
A crowd-pleasing dish wrapped up in all the delightful tastes of fall. That’s why this is one of our most popular Thanksgiving recipes!
I have some basic rules in life…
- Never go to bed without washing my face – shockingly, I follow this one religiously even if I’m far too many drinks past the acceptable point!
- Always say “I love you” to my husband before he goes to work. As the wife of a police officer, I’m unwavering on this one too.
- Never do anything work-related before having at least 1 cup of coffee.
- Do not, I repeat, do not give into the pumpkin craze before Oct. 1 on any given year.
You’d think the first few would be the hardest to follow given laziness and typical marital arguments but let me tell you, the internet makes the pumpkin rule the absolute hardest of them all.
With pumpkin spice lattes showing up in August, bloggers shouting “pumpkin everything!” from the rooftops and Pinterest feeds turning into a sea of orange, the struggle is real when it comes to setting seasonal pumpkin boundaries.
If nothing else though, I’m strong willed, but once Oct. 1 came rolling around, however, this vanilla pumpkin skillet cornbread made its debut.
I feel like the saying “good things come to those who wait” couldn’t be more applicable than this cornbread recipe that’s about to become your new favorite.
To be clear, I don’t want pumpkin in August when I’m way too busy with peaches and tomatoes to be able to fully enjoy pumpkin.
I don’t even want it in September — that’s apple’s month.
But October? October’s got the market on pumpkin and it tastes all the more delicious when it’s eaten with leaves just starting to turn and fall, crisp breezes blowing through the house and mums in every garden bed.
Why I Love This Vanilla Pumpkin Skillet Cornbread Recipe
This cornbread is somewhere right smack in the middle of sweet and savory.
It could accompany your favorite chili easily (and deliciously) or it could be drizzled in maple syrup as part of your breakfast or at your next brunch.
I used Nielsen-Massey’s Madagascar bourbon pure vanilla paste for the perfect hint of vanilla undertone to this skillet cornbread.
Vanilla bean paste is actually my favorite type of vanilla product to use in baked goods because you can see the real vanilla bean seeds without having to deal with cutting a whole bean open and scraping the seeds out yourself.
It blends right into the wet ingredients and has the same potency as extract.
The best part of this bread is the crispy bottom and sides. Skillet cornbread is my favorite for this very reason
A hot skillet and a pat of butter swirled around the pan before the batter gets poured in does wonders for the exterior.
A crunchy bite that reveals a moist, textured pumpkin inside is pretty much everything I could ever want in a slice of vanilla pumpkin cornbread.
Pro tip: Check out our recommendations for what to serve with cornbread.
Vanilla Pumpkin Skillet Cornbread Recipe
To make this epic cornbread recipe, you will need:
Ingredients
- Yellow cornmeal
- Oat flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Buttermilk
- Pumpkin puree
- Maple syrup
- Eggs
- Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
- Coconut oil
- Butter
Gear
- Mixing bowls
- Cast iron skillet
- Wooden spoon
This pumpkin cornbread recipe is going to quickly become a new favorite — it’s perfect for all fall long but especially so for Thanksgiving.
Basically, you should make it any time you are craving a unique infusion of pumpkin into your life.
Editor’s Note: This author was compensated by Nielsen-Massey Vanillas for their time in developing this recipe. All opinions are their own.
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Vanilla Pumpkin Skillet Cornbread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 10 inch skillet
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
- 1 cup Oat Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1/3 cup Pure Maple Syrup
- 1 Egg
- 1 tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1 tablespoon Butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and place a 10 inch skillet inside to heat up.
- Combine cornmeal, oat flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl and mix together.
- Whisk the buttermilk, pumpkin, maple syrup, egg, coconut oil and vanilla bean paste together in a small bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together until just incorporated.
- Remove the skillet from the oven. Place the butter in the skillet and swirl around so that it coats the entire pan and sides.
- Add the cornbread batter to the skillet and bake for about 25 minutes until starting to turn golden brown on top.
- Remove from oven, let cool 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serve with additional butter and/or maple syrup.