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  3. 28 Creative Ways to Use that Bag of Cornmeal in Your Cupboard

28 Creative Ways to Use that Bag of Cornmeal in Your Cupboard

Southern Living May 2021 Cover
By Southern Living Editors Updated July 08, 2022
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Apple-and-Pear Cornmeal Galette
Credit: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

When you think of cornmeal, you likely think of cornbread. The correlation is justified, especially for Southerners. Here, cornbread recipes are a practically part of the family inheritance and perfecting Grandma's seasoned variation is a right of passage. But just because the bag of cornmeal in your cupboard was purchased with cornbread in mind doesn't mean you can't get a bit more creative.  

Cornmeal is the ingredient that gives cornbread its distinctive grit and slightly-sweet flavor, and that texture and taste translates to cakes, pies, fried foods, and more. Whether you're baking, frying, or cooking, be sure you read your ingredient list closely. Cornmeal can be yellow or white, fine or coarse-ground, and you'll want to be sure you have the right bag on hand. Naturally gluten-free, it can also be a helpful way to meet dietary needs of all your guests come holiday season. To help you get started, we've rounded up a few of our favorite ways to get creative with cornmeal. From desserts to dinners to breakfasts, and of course some staple cornbreads, you just might have to run to the store to buy a second bag. 

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Thyme-Cornmeal Pound Cake

Thyme-Cornmeal Pound Cake
Credit: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Thyme-Cornmeal Pound Cake

This beautifully glazed loaf cake gets a bit of natural nutty flavor thanks to the inclusion of finely ground cornmeal to the batter.

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Cornmeal Crêpes With Blackberries and Buttermilk Cream

Cornmeal Crêpes with Blackberries and Buttermilk Cream
Credit: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Cornmeal Crêpes With Blackberries and Buttermilk Cream

Treat brunch guests to these tender cornmeal crêpes that look (and taste) like they just came from the local bakery. 

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Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes
Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes

Coated with cornmeal and fried to perfection, there's no better way to serve green tomatoes. 

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Ginger-Fig Tart With Cornmeal Crust

Ginger-Fig Tart with Cornmeal Crust
Credit: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Ginger-Fig Tart With Cornmeal Crust

The cookie-like crust on this fig tart holds it all together with a touch of nutty flavor and texture from cornmeal. 

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Ben Mims' Perfect Cornbread

Ben Mim's Perfect Cornbread Recipe
Credit: Brian Woodcock

Recipe: Ben Mims' Perfect Cornbread 

When we call something perfect, we mean it, and that's saying a lot when it comes to cornbread.

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Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal

Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal Recipe
Credit: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal

Cornmeal and cayenne pepper are staples in this signature Southern side. 

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Cornmeal Waffles

Cornmeal Waffles
Credit: Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: Cornmeal Waffles

Add a Southern spin to your breakfast table. Don't have a waffle iron? Use the batter to create cornmeal pancakes on the griddle instead. 

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Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake

Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake
Credit: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake

Medium-grind cornmeal and blueberries unite to create a texture-filled, fruity dessert. 

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Chicken and Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings

Chicken and Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Chicken and Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings

Yellow cornmeal and fresh herbs give these dumplings extra flavor and texture. Pair with a rotisserie chicken, and this dish is ready in less than 45 minutes. 

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Southwest Cornmeal Candied Bacon

Southwest Cornmeal Candied Bacon
Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Southwest Cornmeal Candied Bacon

Cover your bacon in cornmeal, light brown sugar, ground red pepper, and ground cumin for a candied delight you'll want to put on everything. 

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Cornmeal Angel Biscuits

Angel Biscuits
Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Cornmeal Angel Biscuits

Yellow cornmeal adds color, flavor, and texture to these anytime biscuits. 

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Cornmeal Cookie Berry Shortcakes

Cornmeal Cookie Berry Shortcakes
Credit: Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Cornmeal Cookie Berry Shortcakes

A touch of crunchy cornmeal sets this bright cookie apart from the rest. 

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Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel

Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel

Bake a batch of these cornmeal muffins with any combination of berries you have around for a treat that's just sweet enough to curb a craving.

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Classic Chess Pie

Chess Pie
Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Classic Chess Pie

Cornmeal is the secret ingredient to add body to the filling of this super Southern pie.

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Hush Puppies

Hush Puppies Recipe Still Image

Recipe: Hush Puppies

Made from a six-ingredient batter, these two-bite nuggets are fully submerged for an irritable, deep fry. 

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Sausage Gravy Casserole with Cheddar-Cornmeal Biscuits

Sausage Gravy Casserole with Cheddar-Cornmeal Biscuits
Credit: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Sausage Gravy Casserole with Cheddar-Cornmeal Biscuits

While we particularly enjoy these biscuits as a casserole crust, they go great with everything from slices of country ham to your go-to fall soups.

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Cornmeal Popovers

Cornmeal Popovers
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

Recipe: Cornmeal Popovers

Preheat your oven with the muffin pan inside to achieve the perfect popover temperature before spooning in the batter. 

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Cornbread Dressing

Cornbread Dressing

Recipe: Cornbread Dressing

Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, it's not Thanksgiving without a traditional cornbread dressing. This recipe using homemade cornbread is sure to complete any holiday table. 

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Simple Salmon Croquettes

Basic Salmon Croquettes Recipes
Credit: William Dickey / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellersc

Recipe: Simple Salmon Croquettes

While this speedy recipe takes less than 20 minutes, we recommend mixing up your salmon batter a few hours before you get cooking. This will help your batter firm up before you shape the cakes. 

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Fried Pickle Chips

Fried Pickle Chips
Credit: Alison Miksch

Recipe: Fried Pickle Chips

Toss your favorite kind of dill pickles into a mixture of ground cornmeal and flour, and then let your cast iron skillet fry them to perfection. 

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Classic Cornbread Dressing

Classic Cornbread Dressing
Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Classic Cornbread Dressing

This holiday staple starts with a Southern cornbread baked in a skillet for a crisp, golden crust.

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Brown Butter Cornbread

Brown Butter Cornbread
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Brown Butter Cornbread

Brown butter brings out a slightly nutty hint while just a touch of sugar caramelize this cornbread's crispy the edges.

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Deb Wise's Tamale Pie Mix-up

Deb Wise's Tamale Pie Mix-up
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Deb Wise's Tamale Pie Mix-up

This comforting casserole combines ground beef, cornmeal, tomato sauce, corn, and cheese for a hearty main the whole family will love. 

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Pinewood Fried Chicken

Mee McCormick’s Pinewood Fried Chicken
Credit: Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

Recipe: Pinewood Fried Chicken

Compare this gluten-free cornmeal crust to your traditional fried chicken, and we can guarantee you won't miss the flour. 

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Fish Fry

Fish Fry
Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Fish Fry

This crowd-pleasing fried catfish has the perfect ratio of savory and spicy,

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Cracked-Corn Spoon Bread

Ashleigh Shanti's Cracked-Corn Spoon Bread
Credit: Peter Frank Edwards; Prop Styling: Kendra Surface; Food Styling: Anna Hampton

Recipe: Cracked-Corn Spoon Bread

A nice change of pace from your everyday dinner roll, this spoon bread uses coarse-ground yellow grits or cornmeal to add a rich corn flavor and a bit of texture to your dinner table. 

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Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole With Polenta Crust

Ground Beef Recipes: Tomato ’n’ Beef Casserole With Polenta Crust
Credit: Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole With Polenta Crust

A cornmeal crust seals in all the flavor of the meat and vegetable mixture in this one-dish dinner. 

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Apple-and-Pear Cornmeal Galette

Apple-and-Pear Cornmeal Galette
Credit: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Apple-and-Pear Cornmeal Galette

Keep the gorgeous center of this apple-and-pear dessert exposed for a simpler approach to autumn flavor. 

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    1 of 28 Thyme-Cornmeal Pound Cake
    2 of 28 Cornmeal Crêpes With Blackberries and Buttermilk Cream
    3 of 28 Fried Green Tomatoes
    4 of 28 Ginger-Fig Tart With Cornmeal Crust
    5 of 28 Ben Mims' Perfect Cornbread
    6 of 28 Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal
    7 of 28 Cornmeal Waffles
    8 of 28 Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake
    9 of 28 Chicken and Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings
    10 of 28 Southwest Cornmeal Candied Bacon
    11 of 28 Cornmeal Angel Biscuits
    12 of 28 Cornmeal Cookie Berry Shortcakes
    13 of 28 Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel
    14 of 28 Classic Chess Pie
    15 of 28 Hush Puppies
    16 of 28 Sausage Gravy Casserole with Cheddar-Cornmeal Biscuits
    17 of 28 Cornmeal Popovers
    18 of 28 Cornbread Dressing
    19 of 28 Simple Salmon Croquettes
    20 of 28 Fried Pickle Chips
    21 of 28 Classic Cornbread Dressing
    22 of 28 Brown Butter Cornbread
    23 of 28 Deb Wise's Tamale Pie Mix-up
    24 of 28 Pinewood Fried Chicken
    25 of 28 Fish Fry
    26 of 28 Cracked-Corn Spoon Bread
    27 of 28 Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole With Polenta Crust
    28 of 28 Apple-and-Pear Cornmeal Galette

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    28 Creative Ways to Use that Bag of Cornmeal in Your Cupboard
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