Our Best Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes

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

Cast-iron skillets are an incredibly versatile kitchen tool for frying eggs, searing steaks, and even grilling. 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.

Make this hearty breakfast or dinner in 25 minutes with red potato, smoked spicy Italian sausage, lacinato kale, and fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Impart a deliciously smoky flavor to this comfort food dessert by "baking" in a skillet over hot coals. Get a fudgy center with "bark" around the edges with this recipe from Valerie Gordon.

Liz Mervosh makes this puffy pancake extra-savory with grated Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard, topping with wild mushrooms, shallot, and arugula. The Food & Wine Test Kitchen shares how to make the Dutch baby rise like a pro.

This simple skillet cake is made extra special with Rosemary Whipped Cream. Jocelyn Delk Adams uses fine cornmeal to achieve a pound-cake-like density, and goat cheese and buttermilk for the tender and moist crust.

Use a skillet on the grill to capture all the bird's juice as it cooks, while allowing the chicken to absorb plenty of barbecue flavor. Smoky charcoal, plus smoked paprika and chipotle chile, add plenty of depth.

Justin Chapple riffs on the British classic with tender baby carrots and spring onions in place of the traditional sausage for a flavorful and fun, vegetable-forward version for spring.

Paula Disbrowe layers melted Asadero and Oaxacan cheese with charred poblano pepper, pureed cilantro, and serrano chiles before flaming with tequila and topping with pickled carrots. the snack is bright, acidic, and irresistible.

2022 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Schiff fries up latkes with a dash of pimentón for extra depth, then mixes with cooked onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño before adding eggs and cheese for this epic breakfast hash.

Cast-iron is a great alternative to a paella pan that can go straight from stove to table. Layer flavor by sauteing aromatics in the same pan you used to sear the chorizo and chicken, in this recipe from Adina Steiman.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Chef Tiffany Derry of Roots Southern Table in Dallas doubles up on flavor with cornmeal and thawed frozen corn kernels in this bread that adds cheddar and fresh jalapeño pepper for a substantial kick.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.