Skip to content

Top Navigation

Food & Wine Food & Wine
  • Recipes & Cooking
  • Drinks
  • Travel
  • Holidays + Events
  • News
  • F&W Classic
  • Video
  • Lifestyle
  • F&W Pro
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • F&W Classic Insiders this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Wine Club
  • Podcast
  • Food & Wine Books this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Food & Wine

Food & Wine Food & Wine
  • Explore

    Explore

    • F&W Cooks

      F&W Cooks

      Food and Wine presents a new network of food pros delivering the most cookable recipes and delicious ideas online. Read More
    • Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes

      Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes

      Looking to amp up your beef stew but unsure where to start? A slow cooker can can take your comfort food to the next level. Read More
    • 50 Affordable Wines You Can Always Trust

      50 Affordable Wines You Can Always Trust

      We’ve assembled a list of 50 of the world’s most reliable, inexpensive wines – bottles that offer amazing quality for their price year in and year out. Read More
  • Recipes & Cooking

    Recipes & Cooking

    See All Recipes & Cooking
    • Chicken
    • Comfort Food
    • Breakfast + Brunch
    • Salads
    • Desserts
    • Vegetables
    • Pasta + Noodles
    • Chefs
    • Meat + Poultry
    • Soup
    • Appetizers
    • Side Dishes
    • Fruits
    • Seafood
    • Special Diets
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Steal This Trick
  • Drinks

    Drinks

    See All Drinks
    • Wine
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Coffee
    • Juices
    • Beer
    • Champagne + Sparkling Wine
    • Tea
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    • Wine Regions
    • Restaurants
  • Holidays + Events

    Holidays + Events

    See All Holidays + Events
    • Valentine's Day
    • Halloween
    • Passover
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • Gifts
    • Super Bowl
    • Easter
    • Thanksgiving
    • New Year's Eve
    • Holiday Entertaining
  • News
  • F&W Classic

    F&W Classic

    See All F&W Classic
    • F&W Classic Insider
    • Food & Wine Classic in Aspen
  • Video
  • Lifestyle
  • F&W Pro
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • F&W Classic Insiders this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Wine Club
  • Podcast
  • Food & Wine Books this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Recipes
  3. 29 Essential Southern Recipes

29 Essential Southern Recipes

Photo of Nikki Miller-Ka
By Nikki Miller-Ka February 22, 2022
Skip gallery slides
FB Tweet
Pork Belly Burnt Ends with pickles and white bread
Credit: Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey

Defined by an abundance of fresh produce, seafood and smoked meats with a blend of flavors and influences from Spanish, French, German and West African cultures, Southern cuisine is soul-warming comfort food at its best. These recipes represent the diverse genre of Southern recipes, from traditional classics such as Fried Chicken with Tomato Gravy passed down through generations to modern mash-ups like Summer Bean Salad with Potlikker Vinaigrette and Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Barbecue Sauce. Scroll through to see some of the best Southern recipes the region has to offer.

Start Slideshow

1 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Credit: © Tina Rupp
Get the Recipe

With this especially crispy and tender version, F&W's Grace Parisi has perfected fried chicken. A buttermilk marinade with a touch of cayenne ensures juicy meat, while a flour dredge spiked with garlic and onion powder delivers a crunchy, flavorful crust in every bite. 

1 of 29

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Summer Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla-Mascarpone Biscuits

Summer Fruit Cobbler With Vanilla Mascarpone
Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
Get the Recipe

Let the farmers market be your guide when it comes to this cobbler—any mixture of fresh stone fruits and berries can be cooked down to make the perfectly sweet-tart, jammy filling. Tender vanilla-mascarpone biscuits have a shortcake-like texture and a delightfully crunchy top from the turbinado sugar. They're also highly customizable: You can swap the mascarpone in the biscuit topping for crème fraîche or sour cream if that's what you have, and trade the semolina for fine cornmeal for a more crumbly texture.

2 of 29

3 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Quick Bread-and-Butter Pickles

Siphon Recipes: The Quickest Pickles Ever
Credit: Photo © John Kernick
Get the recipe

Even so-called "quick" pickles usually require several hours or overnight to marinate, but this recipe makes pickles in just over an hour. Richard Blais explains how to use a siphon filled with pickle brine to infuse cucumbers and turn them into pickles in a matter of minutes. He uses cucumber in this bread-and-butter-pickle recipe, but you can use the method with other thinly sliced vegetables—try it with red onion, radishes, and okra.

3 of 29

Advertisement

4 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Buttermilk Cornbread

buttermilk-cornbread-FT-RECIPE1119.jpg
Credit: Victor Protasio
Get the recipe

Former F&W food editor Josh Miller says this cornbread recipe is an amalgamation of best practices across families and generations. It will keep its crunch and retain its structure if cubed and folded into a dressing for Thanksgiving. But it's also delicious all by itself (well, with a pat of butter slathered on top, naturally).

4 of 29

5 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Smoky Collard Greens

Smoky Collard Greens
Credit: © Christina Holmes
Get the recipe

"I've been making collards this way ever since I can remember," says South Carolina chef Sarah Simmons. She gives the greens a double dose of smokiness with bacon and paprika and adds jalapeño for a good kick of heat.

5 of 29

6 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Pie with Praline Sauce
Credit: Photo by Adam Friedlander / Food Styling by Pearl Jones
Get the recipe

Sweet potato pie has become an all-American dish, but New Orleans chef Susan Spicer tops hers with bourbon-spiked praline sauce to accent its Southern roots.

6 of 29

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Bourbon-Pecan Pie

bourbon pecan pie
Credit: Con Poulos
Get the recipe

This easy pecan pie tastes of dark caramel, toasted nuts, and a little bit of bourbon. Savannah baker Cheryl Day created this recipe to work with a range of less-refined sweeteners, from honey to cane syrup. And the super easy press-in crust means you don't even need a rolling pin.

7 of 29

8 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy

Meat Loaf with Creamy Onion Gravy
Credit: © Con Poulos
Get the recipe

"This is a culmination of all the meatloaf I've ever eaten," says Andrew Curren, chef-partner of 24 Diner in Austin. "My mom always made a good meatloaf—it never had the tomato goo on top of it. Then I tasted a meatloaf that had cheese in it; that was a good idea. In Italy, I was introduced to sofrito and realized the importance of cooking with carrots, onion, celery." Curren serves this meatloaf with creamy gravy, which is also an excellent addition to lunchtime meatloaf sandwiches.

8 of 29

9 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Barbecue Sauce

Pork Belly Burnt Ends with pickles and white bread
Credit: Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey
Get the recipe

Burnt ends are, strictly speaking, the extra-dark, chewy, extremely delicious ends of barbecued beef brisket—not pork belly at all. But if you find burnt ends irresistible, then this recipe is for you. Slow-smoking chunks of spice-rubbed pork belly, then tossing them in a quick, not-too-sweet barbecue sauce and smoking them some more yields a crispy-chewy pile of pork that will win over the most passionate burnt-ends purist. Enjoy these with a stack of white bread slices to sop up the sauce, along with tangy pickles and raw onion to cut through the richness.

9 of 29

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Biscoff Banana Pudding

Banana Pudding
Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Get the recipe

The subtle spice of Biscoff cookies helps to balance the sweetness of each decadent layer of creamy custard and fresh bananas in this tall and impressive banana pudding for a crowd. F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi says he was inspired by one made by his aunt Yolanda in Beaumont, Texas; he got to taste it while on a recent trip to connect with his roots in Louisiana and Texas.

10 of 29

11 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Sweet Corn Succotash

Sweet Corn Succotash
Credit: © Lucy Schaeffer
Get the recipe

Birmingham, Alabama, chef Chris Hastings uses fresh field peas in this succotash, but says green peas are a nice, sweet addition if you prefer.

11 of 29

12 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Deviled Eggs With Country Ham

Deviled Eggs with Country Ham
Credit: © Wendell T. Webber
Get the recipe

Chef Ford Fry gives these deviled eggs a few European touches. They get their terrific flavor from goat cheese, Dijon mustard, and cornichons, plus a topping of country ham from the famed Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams in Madisonville, Tennessee.

12 of 29

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

The Best Biscuits

Fried Chicken with Tomato Gravy and The Best Biscuits
Credit: Greg DuPree
Get the recipe

Scott Peacock got this delectable biscuit recipe from the legendary Southern cook Edna Lewis, who was his dear friend and mentor. In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best.

13 of 29

14 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Fried Chicken with Tomato Gravy

Fried Chicken with Tomato Gravy and The Best Biscuits
Credit: Greg DuPree
Get the recipe

The bird is double brined, dredged in a mix of flour, cornstarch, and potato starch; and fried in a trinity of lard, butter, and bacon fat. It's best served with Edna Lewis' light, fluffy, irresistible biscuits; you'll have plenty of extra gravy to go with them.

14 of 29

15 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Barbecue Sauce

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Barbecue Sauce
Credit: © Con Poulos
Get the recipe

Roasted garlic seasons this pork shoulder, which slow-cooks until it is both tender and deeply flavorful. Shred it and top with barbecue sauce, coleslaw, and a spicy habanero vinaigrette for the perfect sandwich.

15 of 29

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake
Credit: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Get the recipe

This classic, over-the-top cake first garnered fame in Southern Living magazine in the 1970s and has been a potluck staple ever since. Bananas and pineapple are baked into a spiced yellow cake, which is bathed in a rich cream cheese icing. Its slightly tropical, down-home appeal makes it an ideal dessert for picnics or warm summer days.

16 of 29

17 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Fried Green Tomatoes, Pickles, and Okra with Crème Fraîche Ranch Dip

fried tomatoes, okra, and pickles
Credit: Caitlin Bensel
Get the recipe

Fried green tomatoes are a classic Southern treat, perfect for those early summer months when green tomatoes are plentiful. Served with fried pickles, okra, and a cooling crème fraîche riff on ranch dressing, these super-crunchy, tangy fried veggies will make you the star of every summer party or weeknight dinner.  Be sure to pat the tomatoes dry before you fry them so the breading will adhere to the tomatoes and stay crisp. Crème fraîche can be temperamental and break if you stir it too rapidly, so stir the herbs in gently to guarantee a perfectly creamy dipping sauce.

17 of 29

18 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Mom's Fried Catfish with Hot Sauce

Mom's Fried Catfish with Hot Sauce
Credit: Victor Protasio
Get the recipe

Chef Todd Richard's mother made catfish on Fridays as part of her weekly rotation of dishes, and he was always amazed by the crispiness of her fish. Her secret was to let it sit in cornmeal for about 5 minutes—a technique he uses today.

18 of 29

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Creamy Cheese Grits

Creamy Cheese Grits
Credit: © Lucy Schaeffer
Get the recipe

These luscious, creamy grits cook low and slow until they are thick and tender. Seasoned simply with salt and pepper, they're finished with butter and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to make an alluring side or as the base for a hearty main dish.

19 of 29

20 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Summer Bean Salad with Potlikker Vinaigrette

Summer Bean Salad with Potlikker Vinaigrette
Credit: Eva Kolenko
Get the recipe

Potlikker, as it's called in the South, is the savory, starchy liquid left over after cooking beans or greens. Here, chef Joe Kindred whisks the flavorful liquid into a vinaigrette, but you can also use it in soups and pasta sauces, or thicken it with butter and drizzle it over fish.

20 of 29

21 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Coconut Cake

Coconut Cake
Credit: © Karen Mordechai
Get the recipe

Coconut cake came into vogue in the 1920s as a dainty dessert for ladies' gatherings. Traditionally made with marshmallow frosting, the cake was famously served to President Truman during a trip to Florida in the 1950s.

21 of 29

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Beaten Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich with Tomato Jam

Beaten Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich with Tomato Jam
Credit: © Abby Hocking
Get the recipe

Chef Marcus Samuelsson adds a little bit of nutty brown butter to amp up the flavor in these incredible biscuits. He serves them warm, spread with tangy-sweet tomato jam, fried country ham, and perfectly scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese.

22 of 29

23 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Hoppin' John with Turnips and Turnip Greens

.
Get the recipe

Todd Richards spices up his family recipe for this Southern favorite (often enjoyed on New Year's Day) with harissa for extra heat. Richards makes the traditional ham hock optional so that vegetarians can enjoy the dish as well; he adds smoked paprika and cumin to deliver a similar savory depth. Turnips become soft and tender after a quick braise, adding body to the dish.

23 of 29

24 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Buttermilk Eggnog Pie

Buttermilk Eggnog Pie
Credit: Con Poulos
Get the recipe

Chef and cookbook author Carla Hall flavors her Southern buttermilk pie with rum and lots of nutmeg, which evoke the flavors of eggnog.

 

24 of 29

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

25 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Carolina Pulled Pork

Carolina Pulled Pork
Credit: © Antonis Achilleos
Get the recipe

Traditional Carolina barbecue begins with a whole hog smoked over coals. Here, chef Sean Brock cooks pork shoulder for 12 hours in a 275°F oven before smoking it for about 1 hour in a backyard grill.

 

25 of 29

26 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Southern-Style Mac 'n' Cheese

Southern Style Mac n Cheese
Credit: Photo by Noah Fecks / Food Styling by Drew Aichele / Prop Styling by Ethan Lunkenheimer
Get the recipe

Three different kinds of cheese—extra-sharp cheddar, Colby-Jack, and cream cheese—go into this creamy, savory macaroni and cheese recipe, which also gets hints of flavor from fresh bay leaves and dry mustard. Southern-style mac 'n' cheese is typically made with a milk-and-egg base rather than a roux. Here, the milk component is an infused milk-and-cream mixture reserved from cooking the noodles (which adds even more richness to the dish).

26 of 29

27 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Shrimp with Cheddar-Parmesan Grits

Shrimp and Cheesy Grits
Credit: Hannah Khan
Get the recipe

It's worth it to take the time to peel and devein your own shrimp, and in this recipe, chef Michael Reed gives us a lesson on why. He saves the shrimp shells to cook with vegetables and herbs to create a deeply-flavorful stock, which he then uses as a sauce for these shrimp and grits. Pan-fried shrimp are spooned on top of a mound of cheesy grits, and topped with the rich shellfish stock as the finishing touch. 

27 of 29

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

28 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Braised Lamb Neck with Turnip

Braised Lamb Neck with Turnip
Credit: © John Kernick
Get the recipe

Lamb necks, an underappreciated cut, are fantastic when braised, such as in this homey stew from Boston chef Tony Maws. The meat gets succulent and tender as it cooks in the slightly sweet braising liquid flavored with white wine and fresh herbs, while the neck bones, in turn, intensify and flavor the broth.

28 of 29

29 of 29

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Chess Pie with Crème Fraîche and Vanilla

Chess Pie with Crème Fraîche and Vanilla
Credit: © Bobbi Lin
Get the recipe

Southerners love chess pie for its sweet and buttery custard filling. In this version, crème fraîche adds a mellow tang and vanilla bean gives the sweetness some character. Because the alcohol in vodka evaporates quickly in the oven, using it in the crust makes for a dough that's easy to work with, and a finished product that's flaky and tender.

29 of 29

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Nikki Miller-Ka

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 29 Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken
    2 of 29 Summer Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla-Mascarpone Biscuits
    3 of 29 Quick Bread-and-Butter Pickles
    4 of 29 Buttermilk Cornbread
    5 of 29 Smoky Collard Greens
    6 of 29 Sweet Potato Pie
    7 of 29 Bourbon-Pecan Pie
    8 of 29 Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy
    9 of 29 Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Barbecue Sauce
    10 of 29 Biscoff Banana Pudding
    11 of 29 Sweet Corn Succotash
    12 of 29 Deviled Eggs With Country Ham
    13 of 29 The Best Biscuits
    14 of 29 Fried Chicken with Tomato Gravy
    15 of 29 Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Barbecue Sauce
    16 of 29 Hummingbird Cake
    17 of 29 Fried Green Tomatoes, Pickles, and Okra with Crème Fraîche Ranch Dip
    18 of 29 Mom's Fried Catfish with Hot Sauce
    19 of 29 Creamy Cheese Grits
    20 of 29 Summer Bean Salad with Potlikker Vinaigrette
    21 of 29 Coconut Cake
    22 of 29 Beaten Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich with Tomato Jam
    23 of 29 Hoppin' John with Turnips and Turnip Greens
    24 of 29 Buttermilk Eggnog Pie
    25 of 29 Carolina Pulled Pork
    26 of 29 Southern-Style Mac 'n' Cheese
    27 of 29 Shrimp with Cheddar-Parmesan Grits
    28 of 29 Braised Lamb Neck with Turnip
    29 of 29 Chess Pie with Crème Fraîche and Vanilla

    Share & More

    Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
    Food & Wine

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Books from Food & Wine
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithFood & Wine is part of the Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Food & Wine. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.foodandwine.com

    Sign in

    View image

    29 Essential Southern Recipes
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.