The South's Most Iconic Recipes Of All Time
These are the recipes we'll never stop making.
Peter Frank Edwards
Medically reviewed by Jerlyn Jones, MS, MPA, RDN, LD, CLT
They say that New Orleanians come out of the womb knowing how to make red beans and rice; same goes for Kentuckians with burgoo. Though there are some Southern dishes that every Georgian, Mississippian, and Tennessean alike should know, we like to give certain regions their "thing," whether it's shrimp and grits to the Lowcountry or chicken-fried steak to Texas. Really, Southern cooking is as diverse as those who cook it.
In almost every great memory we Southerners hold close, food was there. We'd bet large on that. All of our gatherings—from holidays to weekend cookouts—feature a long table full of plates and platters. From hoppin' John to chicken and dumplings to red rice, these famous Southern food dishes deserve to be kept on the family table for generations to come.
Classic Baked Macaroni And Cheese
Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
While there are times when a boxed macaroni and cheese will do, there's also occasions where making it from scratch is necessary. This recipe will help you perfect the art of making it from scratch in just 45 minutes. Just make sure to grate your own cheese so it will melt beautifully.
Buttermilk Biscuits
When it comes to biscuits, we've perfected the recipe and are here to help you make them like a pro. Requiring just four ingredients and some parchment paper, they're easy to pull together as long as you follow our steps exactly, which includes grating the butter and stirring exactly 15 times.
German Chocolate Cake
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Even though the name may indicate otherwise, the German Chocolate Cake actually has Southern roots dating back to the 1950s. The classic cake is defined by its decadent Coconut-Pecan Frosting. Just make sure to let the cake layers cool completely before lathering on the frosting.
Southern Fried Green Tomatoes
While certainly not the only way to enjoy green tomatoes, this is simply the most delectable and Southern way to do it. The best fried green tomatoes are crispy, lightly coated slices of tangy green tomatoes, fried in vegetable oil or bacon grease. Some buttermilk and a 50-50 blend of cornmeal and flour is all you need.
Southern Skillet Cornbread
Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
In our opinion, the only way to make classic cornbread is in a cast-iron skillet. Plus we skip the sugar and opt for bacon drippings instead. Once you have a skillet, all you need is a handful of ingredients and 10 minutes to get your cornbread cooking.
Tomato, Cheddar, And Bacon Pie
We love in-season tomatoes so much that we'll bake them into pies. With its mayonnaise and shredded cheese, old-fashioned tomato pie has a decidedly retro appeal. But unlike retro dishes such as congealed salad, we'll chow this down any day.
Tomato, Cheddar, and Bacon Pie Recipe
Pimiento Cheese
Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke
Pimiento cheese is one of those recipes that proves a recipe doesn't have to be complicated to be a crowd pleaser. It comes together in just 15 minutes with no cooking required, just a little bit of grating. Yes, grating your own cheese is vital for this recipe, don't dare buy the pre-shredded kind.
Jessica Harris' Red Rice
In the South, a dish can come with many names, and red rice falls into that family. Essentially a pilaf (also known as pilau, perloo, perlou, and so forth), red rice is a regional delicacy that might come packed with seafood, sausage, or chicken. Tomatoes, and often hot sauce, give its fiery hue. It's derived from the Gullah-Geechee culture in the Lowcountry.
Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings
Does it get any cozier than chicken and dumplings? Down here, definitely not. Part resourceful Southern cuisine, part comfort home cooking, this classic dish is a hug in a bowl.
Hummingbird Cake
It's the most popular recipe in Southern Living history. Enough said. Simple spiced cakes with canned pineapple and bananas popped up in community cookbooks throughout the early 20th century, and this three-layer dream became the clear frontrunner. If this cake hasn't graced your plate, well, you're surely not from around here.
Mama's Fried Chicken
All we can think is, "Where are the mashed potatoes, collard greens, and biscuits?" This is our most loved, most shared, most perfect fried chicken recipe ever. Mama's secret is to soak the chicken in buttermilk at least two hours before frying.
Fresh Peach Cobbler
Peach cobbler is the classic of all classics. Be it by way of buckles, slumps, pandowdies, crisps, or cobblers—Southerners love a sweet, stewed fruit. This recipe comes together in four easy steps and tastes just as good as you remember.
Kentucky Slow-Cooker Burgoo
Meet burgoo. This storied stew is traditionally heavy on the meats (chicken, pork, mutton, or all three) and vegetables. The old adage puts it best: "If it walked, crawled, or flew, it goes in burgoo."
Classic Hoppin' John
Originally a staple of antebellum cooking, this dish became a promise of prosperity when served for the New Year. It comes together as a perfect blend of rice and black-eyed peas, usually flavored with ham hocks or bacon. Don't forget the collard greens and corn bread.
Classic Sweet Potato Pie
Rob Culpepper; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Assistant Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
In the South, you might be served a slice of this instead of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. This recipe gains its sweetness from roasted sweet potatoes, accented with a light dose of brown sugar and fall spices. Don't use canned—roast the potatoes for the perfect amount of moisture and to concentrate their sweetness and flavor.
Kardea Brown's Okra Soup With Shrimp
A staple in Gullah-Geechee cooking, okra soup is time-honored and comforting. While the recipe is filled with delicious vegetables (you can use fresh or frozen), spices, and aromatics, one of the main components is the fresh shrimp stock. Use the shells from your peeled shrimp to make it.
Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding
This old-fashioned banana pudding takes a page straight from Grandmother's recipe box. It's a cool and creamy Southern staple that needs no other explanation. Homemade pudding and a fabulous meringue topping makes this version extra delectable.
Southern Tomato Sandwich
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
A Southern phenomenon, to be sure. A classic tomato sandwich is simple and statement-making, but with a no-frills attitude. Here's a cheat sheet: Slather one thick slice of good white bread with real mayonnaise, and top with one or two thick slices of fresh tomato and salt and black pepper to taste—though the more pepper, the better.
Shrimp And Okra Gumbo
In the realm of Louisiana cooking, gumbo is the original apogee. It's one of those dishes that real Southern cooks can conjure with heart and whatever's on hand—and it'll turn out amazing. This recipe from Jessica Dupuy includes fresh Gulf shrimp and a whole lot of okra.
Frito Pie
We should've known that Texas wasn't going to let a bowl of chili cut it for long. Instead, the Lone Star State went bigger by making this corn chip-laden chili dish. It's like a walking Tex-Mex taco that pays homage to the state's barbecue obsession. Often, it's served right out of the original chip bag.
Oyster Casserole
Whether we call it oyster dressing, oyster pie, or even scalloped oysters, oyster casserole is right at home on many Southerners' Christmas table. Typically, it includes a crunchy topping of soda crackers—or Saltines. Our Test Kitchen tinkered a bit and came up with what we think is the best version ever: plump oysters baked in a rich Parmesan cream sauce and topped with buttery breadcrumbs.
Sausage Gravy And Biscuits
You know it'll be a good day if starting with a plate of split biscuits smothered in sausage gravy. Making it at home? This recipe lets the skillet do all the work, combining sausage, milk, and Southern-style biscuits together in perfect harmony.
Fried Shrimp-And-Okra Po'Boys
When we say eating a real-deal po'boy is nothing less than a Southern (or New Orleans) rite of passage, we mean it. Because there are few moments in life quite like the one when you taste the perfectly crispy, deep-fried goodness that's packed into crusty, chewy French bread and dressed up with slatherings of gravy, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and pickles for the very first time. Hot sauce optional.
Sea Island Crab Fried Rice
A popular dish found throughout the Lowcountry and Sea Islands, particularly in Gullah Geechie communities, crab rice is hearty, savory, and totally unique. In cookbook author Sallie Ann Robinson's version, sweet crabmeat is paired with precooked rice, bacon, and sautéed vegetables.
Smoky Mountain Brunswick Stew
Imagine a whole community coming together to make a stew, throwing in meats (wild game and otherwise), spices, and seasonal vegetables with wild abandon. That's this dish. Each Southern cook has a secret combination of ingredients, but most agree that corn, butter or lima beans, and tomatoes are essential.
Our Best Jambalaya
One of the hallmarks of Creole cooking, jambalaya makes a play for most popular. That might be due to the fact that it can be as quick and easy as you'd like, using whatever meats and seasonings you have on hand. Some think the name derives from the French word jambon, meaning ham, the main ingredient in many of the first jambalayas.
Capitol Hill Bean Soup
If making any dish could be dubbed a patriotic act, this would be the one. This hearty bean soup has been on the menu in the Senate's restaurant every day since at least 1903. Plan ahead as the navy beans require an overnight soak for a proper soup.
Lowcountry Shrimp And Grits
Once upon a time, a Southerner along the Gulf Coast thought it would be a genius idea to combine creamy grits with fresh shrimp and a rich, tomato-based sauce. He or she was correct. In this take from Robert Stehling of Charleston's Hominy Grill, it all begins with stoneground grits blended with Cheddar, Parmesan, butter, and Tabasco.
Fried Pork Chops With Potatoes And Peas
Smothered or fried, fried then smothered, smothered then topped with something fried—we don't care which combination. Pork chops are the quickest way to a Southerner's heart. Especially when served with potatoes and peas.
Congealed Salad
Even if it just sits there, and nobody knows why it's there, a congealed salad just wants to be included on the spread. Congealed salads were once quite stylish in the South, and we're happy to have rediscovered this jewel of a holiday recipe. Turns out raspberry gelatin and cranberry sauce blend to perfection.
Southern-Style Potato Salad
Dotdash Meredith
No barbecue or church potluck is complete without it. Don't leave it out in the heat for more than an hour though—stick it back in the fridge until your party is ready for seconds. Creamy and tangy, our Southern potato salad includes hard-boiled eggs, sweet pickle relish, and bacon.
Nashville Hot Chicken
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Nashville Hot Chicken is not for the faint of heart, but you'll never forget biting into one of these sweet, spicy, buttery drumsticks. This dish has been a hit since the 1930s, and you can still get it at the original Prince's Hot Chicken Shack. At home, you can adjust the heat however you like–and make sure to keep a cold beverage at hand.
Southern Fried Corn
Will Dickey
This recipe should be cooked in a cast-iron skillet with fresh, not frozen, corn kernels. It's loaded up with butter and bacon grease—we did say Southern fried corn, after all. Onion and garlic amp up the flavor.
Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Traditional Carolina pulled pork is cooked until it falls apart, then drenched in a vinegar sauce. Not everyone has the room to smoke a whole hog, so we've got a kitchen-friendly version using a pork shoulder and your slow cooker. Use a soft white bun and top your barbecue with coleslaw, pickles, and extra sauce.
Shrimp Boil
Whether you call it shrimp boil, Lowcountry boil, or Frogmore stew, every Southerner knows the basic ingredients of this summertime classic. Choose a pot big enough to feed your crowd and go heavy on the Old Bay seasoning. For individual servings, scoop the ingredients into shallow bowls with a little liquid.
BBQ Brisket
Hector Sanchez; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey
Using a slow cooker takes all the guesswork out of cooking up a mouthwatering slab of brisket. First, apply a rub to tenderize the meat and load it with flavor before adding it to the slow cooker with a rich broth. Now work on those favorite barbecue sides, from potato salad to coleslaw.
Crawfish Étouffée
What's more Louisiana than crawfish? Crawfish in an étouffée. This recipe closely resembles the original '20s dish created at the eponymous Breaux Bridge Hebert Hotel. A longtime Lenten favorite, crawfish étouffée has dozens of variations.
Red-Eye Gravy With Ham
Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia are known for salt-cured ham, which is why some call the area the "ham belt." Red-eye gravy is nothing more than strong black coffee thickened in fried country ham drippings. Drizzle it onto your ham, a hot biscuit, or a creamy bowl of grits at breakfast.
Heavenly Key Lime Pie
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Florida's most famous dessert is always welcome on the summer picnic table. Use Key limes for the most authentic flavor. The tiny, dark green limes are slightly sweeter than standard grocery store limes.
Fried Okra
We intentionally didn't get fancy with this traditional recipe. Dredge your okra with plain cornmeal and salt, just like Southern families have done for generations. The best way to eat fried okra is to pop it in your mouth as soon as it comes out of the fryer.
Southern-Style Collard Greens
There are many delicious ways to cook collard greens, but this is the best-known way to do it in the South—low and slow with plenty of bold, smoky ingredients to amp up the flavor of the greens. The real deal may take a few hours to simmer, but collard greens only require a few minutes of hands-on cooking time.
Emily's Red Beans And Rice
Louisiana by nature, New Orleans by distinction, red beans and rice is a staple of the Cajun community. Every recipe is bound to be a little different, but that's what makes it so special to every person who cooks it. For some, ham hocks, andouille sausage, or bacon are a must; for others, it's pickled or salt pork. Some serve it with fried pork chops; others omit the smoked sausage in the pot and serve it with a link instead.
Classic Chess Pie
Chess pie hails from an era of make-do pies. Using cornmeal and vinegar to thicken and flavor, this vintage pie from the South is what Mama would make if there was nothing else to do. This recipe uses pre-made crust to keep things simple.
Chicken-Fried Steak
Most agree that this glorious chicken-fried creation should be dubbed the national treasure of Texas. To deserve the name, chicken-fried steak should involve tenderized beef steak that's breaded, fried, and blanketed with a pepper-cream gravy. (Or, if preferred, old-fashioned red-eye gravy.)
She-Crab Soup
Local legend traces the origin of Charleston's iconic she-crab soup to a presidential dinner served at the home of Mayor Rhett in the early 1900s. It's a rich sherry-infused soup with freshly harvested crabmeat and cream, augmented with the coral-colored roe of the female crabs. If local fishing rules prohibit using roe, try crumbled hard-cooked egg yolks as a substitute.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Southern cooking styles?
The multicultural and diverse history of the South influences the various cuisines. Some popular cooking styles include Cajun, Creole, Floribbean, Gullah, Low Country, and Soul Food.
What is traditional Southern food?
Southern cuisines use elements from various cultures and global influences to create some of the most recognized foods associated with the region. Several cuisines emerged using local crops and resources from the surrounding environment, from barbecue and fried chicken to seafood and vegetables.
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