Southern Corn Spoonbread is cornbread in its lightest, creamiest form! Made with cornmeal, milk, sour cream and cheese, it is irresistible. You’re gonna need a big spoon!
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I’ve never been a huge fan of vegetables. I mean, who is? I prefer my fresh sides to be cooked in butter, glazed with honey and seasoned to high-heaven. Although I probably should, I don’t force myself to eat things I don’t enjoy. Life is a little too short for that.
So, I eat the vegetables that bring me joy: smothered greens, glazed carrots, creamed spinach and corn, lots of corn. Corn is versatile and delicious in almost any form. I’ve shared a lot of corn-based recipes with you all but today’s is my absolute favorite.
Corn Spoon bread is a Classic Southern side dish that I grew up enjoying. It’s sweet yet salty, creamy with a bite and most importantly, cheesy. Polish your spoons and let’s get cooking!
The Heart and Soul of the Best Corn Spoonbread Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern Comfort Who said comfort food is just about large portions and timeless classics? This Corn Spoonbread is Southern comfort with a twist, bringing home the warmth with every spoonful. Dive into a dish that’s part pudding, part bread, and all sorts of delicious.
Primary Cooking Method: Baking Get your oven mitts ready, because this culinary delight is all about the art of baking. Transform simple ingredients into a golden, fluffy masterpiece that’s a testament to the magic of oven alchemy.
Dietary Info: Gluten-Friendly Waving a friendly hello to our gluten-sensitive buddies! This spoonbread sidesteps the traditional flour route, making it a darling in gluten-light diets. But, as always, check your specific dietary needs before diving in!
Key Flavor: Sweet Corn Bliss Corn is the star of the show here, folks. Its natural sweetness and incredible texture shine bright, making this dish a delectable treat that dances between savory and sweet.
Skill Level: Easy Peasy Nope, you don’t need to be a pro to nail this recipe. If you’re all about simple steps and fantastic results, this level of “easy does it” is your kitchen jam!
Sweet Highlights:Comfort in Every Spoonful: It’s like a hug for your taste buds. Rich, creamy, and oh-so-satisfying, this Corn Spoonbread is comfort food at its most comforting.
Versatile Side Dish: Whether it’s a fancy holiday dinner or a casual summer BBQ, this spoonbread fits right in. It’s the side dish that’s ready to mingle!
Crowd-Pleaser: Ready to watch your dish disappear fast? Everyone from kids to adults swoons over this spoonbread. Expect a chorus of “Yums” and “More, please!”
Simple Ingredients, Stellar Dish: You don’t need an endless ingredient list to create something unforgettable. Sometimes, simplicity steals the show!
Perfect Make-Ahead: Big day tomorrow? No problem! Whip up this dish in advance and save yourself some last-minute hustling. It’s just as delightful reheated as it is fresh from the oven.
What is Corn Spoon Bread?
There are just about a million and one ways to use corn. From succotash to creamed corn, cornbread to corn cakes, the recipes seem to pile higher than the Empire State Building.
Corn Spoon bread is a variety of cornbread that is intended to be eaten with a spoon. Fluffy, light and creamy, spoon bread is a mixture between a pudding and a souffle. Its base is made with cornmeal and milk which makes for a silky-smooth texture.
Spoonbread recipes have been recorded since the 16th century but most likely, they go much farther back than that. Each bite is a sweet yet nutty adaptation of European-Native American cuisine. Rich in history and rich in flavor: just how I like it!
Ingredients
From start to finish this recipe is made in under an hour, most of which is spent baking. That means more time to binge watch Tiger King on Netflix (I’m obsessed).
Here’s what makes it all come together:
Sour Cream
Sour Cream adds much needed moisture to this recipe; corn recipes can dry out easily. A couple cups of tangy cream layers in flavor while helping to create a smooth, light texture.
Whole Kernel Corn & Cream Style Corn
I love using a mixture of these two different styles of corn. Whole Kernel Corn is fresh, light and crisp meanwhile, cream style is well, creamier. The two come together to create a textural balance throughout the bread.
Cornbread Muffin Mix
We can all appreciate a quick, easy recipe and this one fits the bill. By using a muffin mix we significantly cut down on preparation time. Jiffy is my go-to brand!
Cheddar Cheese
This one is simple: everything’s better with cheese. Cheddar is sharp, salty and slightly bitter, all things that balance out the sweetness of the corn.
Bonus: Southerners have endless variations of this recipe. Make this recipe your own by adding in chopped vegetables, hot or sweet peppers, or something new and creative!
How to Make Corn Spoonbread
Prep Your Oven and Dish:
- Kick things off by firing up your oven to a cozy 375 degrees.
- Show some love to your casserole dish with a nice greasing. Set that bad boy aside ’cause it’s showtime soon!
Onion Lovin’:
- Grab a skillet and melt your butter like it’s summer in the South.
- Toss in those onions and give ’em a sauté until they’re tender and smelling like heaven.
Creamy Corny Goodness:
- Take those eggs and give ’em a whisk of their life with sour cream, both your sweet and creamed corns, and a dash of salt and pepper. It’s mixin’ time!
Cornbread Mix Magic:
- Here’s where the fun begins! Stir in the cornbread mix, but hey, easy does it – just until it’s combined.
Onions and Cheese, Please!
- Fold in those golden sautéed onions and half of your cheese like they’re long-lost friends coming home.
Into the Oven:
- Pour that glorious mixture into your casserole dish. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top because, let’s be honest, there’s no such thing as too much cheese.
- Pop it in the oven for 36-42 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean as a whistle.
How to Serve
There’s no shame in taking a spoon to this dish and gobbling it up for dinner. I mean, it is a spoon-bread isn’t it? But, if you’re looking for a little more variety tonight I’ve got your back.
This recipe can be paired with just about anything: steak, roast chicken, pot roast or roasted vegetables.
Here are few Grandbaby Cakes options that pair perfectly with this recipe:
- Creamed Spinach
- Classic Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Rosemary Chicken
- Honey Glazed Carrots
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken
BONUS: As much as I love spoonbread fresh and hot, it’s almost better served for breakfast in the morning! After being refrigerated overnight, the spoon bread will be firm enough to slice. Similar to french toast, cook the slices in butter until brown on each side. Drizzle with honey and serve!
How to Store and Reheat
Cooling Down:
- First things first, let your spoonbread cool to room temperature. No lid or plastic wrap just yet; we don’t want any condensation turning your perfect texture into a soggy memory.
Refrigerating:
- Once cool, cover your dish in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or transfer the leftovers to an airtight container. Your spoonbread will happily chill in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Freezing for Later:
- For those who want to relive the magic weeks from now, you can freeze it! Portion your spoonbread, wrap it securely in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil or place it in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. It’ll keep its charm for about 2 to 3 months. Don’t forget to slap a label with the date on it!
Reheating:
- When you’re ready to serve Round 2, reheat it in the oven at 350 degrees F until it’s warmed through (if refrigerated, about 15-20 minutes; if frozen, about 25-30 minutes). Add a sprinkle of cheese on top for an extra layer of joy.
Best Corn Recipes to Try
If you want more cornbread recipes, check out my Scalloped Corn, Creamed Corn, Corn Pone, Southern Cornbread, Honey Brown Butter Cornbread, Corn Pudding and Hot Water Cornbread.
Corn Spoonbread
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Ingredients
- 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 cups sour cream
- 15.25 oz whole kernel corn can, drained
- 14.75 oz cream style corn
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 8.5 oz cornbread muffin mix I use Jiffy
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thoroughly grease a large casserole dish and set aside.
- Saute onion in butter in a large skillet under tender.
- Whisk in sour cream, both corns, salt and pepper to eggs.
- Stir in cornbread mix until just combined.
- Finally fold in sauteed onion and half of cheese.
- Pour mixture into casserole dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
- Bake for 36-42 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Notes
- First things first, let your spoonbread cool to room temperature. No lid or plastic wrap just yet; we don’t want any condensation turning your perfect texture into a soggy memory.
- Once cool, cover your dish in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or transfer the leftovers to an airtight container. Your spoonbread will happily chill in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- For those who want to relive the magic weeks from now, you can freeze it! Portion your spoonbread, wrap it securely in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil or place it in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. It’ll keep its charm for about 2 to 3 months. Don’t forget to slap a label with the date on it!
- When you’re ready to serve Round 2, reheat it in the oven at 350 degrees F until it’s warmed through (if refrigerated, about 15-20 minutes; if frozen, about 25-30 minutes). Add a sprinkle of cheese on top for an extra layer of joy.
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This is sooooo tasty! It rivals a recipe from one of my favorite local restaurants. The only thing I did differently was use the honey recipe of Jiffy because it was all they had at the store today, and then it is fresh corn season now so I used 5 large cobs of sweet corn which equals 4 cups, about what the two cans of corn would yield. I lightly processed one cup of the corn with a few tablespoons of cream in an attempt to match about the amount of extra liquid that the canned creamed corn would have. Then I added a dash of garlic powder. I took it out of the oven at just under 35 minutes to be sure it stayed creamy. It is a very easy and very rewarding dish!
This was amazing! I followed your recipe but felt the batter didn’t look as thick as yours did in your pic so I added 3/4 of another box of cornbread mix. Wow! It was fluffy and full of deliciousness! Thankful for your fabulous recipes!
This looks yummy!
Looks yummy! How much cheese do you fold in and how much do you sprinkle on top?
Fold half in the mixture and the remaining half bakes on top.
3/4 cup each
This is an amazing recipe till now and my kid a lots of love it….i will definitely make it for my kid,,,,Thanks for sharing…..Jocelyn…!
This is really ahh-mazing! My kids loved it!
I love that this is done in under an hour! We love corn bread, so I can’t wait to try this recipe!
My definition of comfort food is this fabulously tasty cornbread! The cheese and sour cream combos here bring this over the top!
So so good!! The whole family loves this!
Before moving to the US, I had no idea what cornbread was. I still have never tried it, but I am seeing it so much now!! This looks so good, I’ll have to make it myself 🙂