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Two stacks of cornmeal griddle cakes on a patterned plate.
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4.75 / 51 votes

Cornmeal Griddle Cakes

These cornmeal griddle cakes are a simple Southern staple, made with a handful of inexpensive pantry ingredients including cornmeal, baking powder, salt, egg, and water. Entirely gluten-free and amazing at breakfast and beyond. Here's how to make them.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Sides
Cuisine: Southern
Servings: 8 to 12 cakes
Calories: 208

Ingredients

  • 2 cups white or yellow cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup water, plus more if needed
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup mild-flavored vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a second bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk the
 egg and 1 cup water until smooth. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, using as few strokes as possible.
The batter should be soupy but not watery.
  • Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Ladle 1/4 cup of batter into the heated skillet for each cake, being careful not to crowd the skillet. When the batter hits the hot oil, the edges will sizzle and become very crisp.
  • Cook the cakes until the bottoms are a rich brown and bubbles form on the tops and along the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, an additional 2 to 3 minutes. For best results, be sure to cook the cakes until the edges are deep, rich, golden brown.
  • Serve immediately, flipping those little babies onto a plate and passing them along while you fry up the remaining cakes, adding oil to the skillet as needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cake | Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 231mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g