Food and Recipes Veggies Corn 50 Creative Ways To Use That Bag Of Cornmeal In Your Cupboard By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Senior Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines and Kimberly Holland Kimberly Holland Kimberly Holland is a writer and editor with 17 years of experience in food, lifestyle, travel, and health content. She is an Associate Editorial Director for Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 30, 2023 Close Photo: 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. 01 of 50 Thyme-Cornmeal Pound Cake Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall This beautifully glazed loaf cake gets a bit of natural nutty flavor thanks to the inclusion of finely ground cornmeal in the batter. 02 of 50 Cornmeal Crêpes With Blackberries and Buttermilk Cream Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Treat brunch guests to these tender cornmeal crêpes that look (and taste) like they just came from the local bakery. 03 of 50 Fried Green Tomatoes Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey Coated with cornmeal and fried to perfection, there's no better way to serve green tomatoes. 04 of 50 Ginger-Fig Tart With Cornmeal Crust Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall The cookie-like crust on this fig tart holds it all together with a touch of nutty flavor and texture from cornmeal. 05 of 50 Ben Mims' Perfect Cornbread Brian Woodcock When we call something perfect, we mean it, and that's saying a lot when it comes to cornbread. 06 of 50 Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Cornmeal and cayenne pepper are staples in this signature Southern side. 07 of 50 Cornmeal Waffles Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner 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. 08 of 50 Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Medium-grind cornmeal and blueberries unite to create a texture-filled, fruity dessert. 09 of 50 Chicken and Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings Hector Manuel Sanchez 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. 10 of 50 Southwest Cornmeal Candied Bacon Southern Living 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. 11 of 50 Cornmeal Angel Biscuits Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Yellow cornmeal adds color, flavor, and texture to these anytime biscuits. 12 of 50 Cornmeal Cookie Berry Shortcakes Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox A touch of crunchy cornmeal sets this bright cookie apart from the rest. 13 of 50 Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 14 of 50 Classic Chess Pie Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Cornmeal is the secret ingredient that adds body to the filling of this super Southern pie. 15 of 50 Sausage Gravy Casserole with Cheddar-Cornmeal Biscuits Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 16 of 50 Cornmeal Popovers Laurey W. Glenn Preheat your oven with the muffin pan inside to achieve the perfect popover temperature before spooning in the batter. 17 of 50 Cornbread Dressing Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 18 of 50 Simple Salmon Croquettes William Dickey / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellersc 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. 19 of 50 Fried Pickle Chips Alison Miksch 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. 20 of 50 Classic Cornbread Dressing Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall This holiday staple starts with a Southern cornbread baked in a skillet for a crisp, golden crust. 21 of 50 Brown Butter Cornbread Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Brown butter brings a slightly nutty flavor while just a touch of sugar caramelize this cornbread's crispy the edges. 22 of 50 Deb Wise's Tamale Pie Mix-up Hector Manuel Sanchez This comforting casserole combines ground beef, cornmeal, tomato sauce, corn, and cheese for a hearty main the whole family will love. 23 of 50 Pinewood Fried Chicken Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Compare this gluten-free cornmeal crust to your traditional fried chicken, and we can guarantee you won't miss the flour. 24 of 50 Fish Fry Caitlin Bensel This crowd-pleasing fried catfish has the perfect ratio of savory and spicy, 25 of 50 Cracked-Corn Spoon Bread Peter Frank Edwards; Prop Styling: Kendra Surface; Food Styling: Anna Hampton 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. 26 of 50 Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole With Polenta Crust Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas A cornmeal crust seals in all the flavor of the meat and vegetable mixture in this one-dish dinner. 27 of 50 Apple-and-Pear Cornmeal Galette Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Keep the gorgeous center of this apple-and-pear dessert exposed for a simpler approach to autumn flavor. 28 of 50 Cornmeal-Crusted Soft-Shell Crab Sandwiches Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless Cornmeal in the breading makes for an extra crispy crab in this summertime sandwich. 29 of 50 Blueberry Cobbler with Buttermilk-Cornmeal Topping Ann Taylor Pittman/Southern Living Add a pleasant bit of texture to your summer cobbler with this recipe that uses cornmeal in the crust to contrast the gooey blueberry filling. 30 of 50 Cornmeal-Lime Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Stun friends and family with these gift-worthy cornmeal cookies that shimmer thanks to edible gold glitter. 31 of 50 Sorghum Custard Pie with Cornmeal Crust Johnny Autry; Food Styling: Keia Mastrianni; Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Swap out your traditional all-butter pie crust for our cornmeal variation that adds contrasting texture to the silky smooth sorghum pie filling. 32 of 50 Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake Alison Miksch Celebrate seasonal fruit with this gorgeous cornmeal cake that bakes up fluffy and perfectly golden brown. 33 of 50 Chicken And Drop Dumplings Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Cornmeal is a key ingredient in these light and fluffy dumplings that are extra easy to make. 34 of 50 Smashed Fried Okra Hector Sanchez Smashing whole okra instead of frying it sliced provides even more surface area to fry up extra crispy. 35 of 50 Air Fryer Hush Puppies Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist:Christine Keely Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Skip the messy process of frying in oil with this air fryer version of classic cornmeal hush puppies. 36 of 50 Sausage-and-Spinach Breakfast Casserole with Cornmeal Biscuits Photographer: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Missie Neville Crawford This casserole is topped with cornmeal biscuits, which aren't like your classic buttermilk ones. The yellow cornmeal makes them extra tender and crumblier, like a hybrid of biscuits and cornbread. 37 of 50 Buttermilk Spoon Bread Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall This ultra customizable recipe starts with humble ingredients like cornmeal, buttermilk, and eggs, but can be jazzed up with corn kernels, diced ham or sausage, herbs, or cheese. 38 of 50 Classic Fried Catfish Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Cornmeal is the secret to the extra satisfying and crispy crust on our classic catfish fry. 39 of 50 Hush Puppies You can't make fresh hush puppies without the grit and flavor of cornmeal. 40 of 50 Green Chile Spoon Bread Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Bread is a bit of a misnomer when it comes to this side dish, but nonetheless this spicy and fluffy spoon bread is extra savory thanks to cornmeal and chiles. 41 of 50 Air Fryer Okra Caitlin Bensel Cornmeal helps makes this easy air fryer okra crispy and crunchy. You won't get slimy okra with this recipe! 42 of 50 Egg Bread Southern Living Egg bread might conjure images of Challah or brioche, classic breads enriched with eggs, but for folks from the Cumberland Plateau egg bread refers to thick, fluffier-than-usual cornbread. 43 of 50 Herby Pecan-Cornbread Dressing Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Extra nutty and earthy, this cornbread-based stuffing captures all the flavors of fall and Thanksgiving in a single side dish. 44 of 50 Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes Alison Miksch Cornmeal is practically mandatory for fried green tomatoes, whether pan-fried or air-fried. 45 of 50 Fried Fish Sandwiches Greg Dupree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Our cornmeal crusted fish sandwich is so much better than anything you can get from a drive-thru. 46 of 50 Honey-Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is a classic (and for good reason), but we put a fresh spin on the cake with the addition of honey and cornmeal. 47 of 50 Pomelo Olive Oil Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Olive oil cakes are proof that not everything is better with butter. Fold in some cornmeal for added texture and fresh grapefruit for flavor, and you have an unexpected, but stunning dessert. 48 of 50 Crispy Fried Pickle Spears with Ranch Dipping Sauce Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Christine Keely Fried pickles are just one of those Southern treats we can't get enough of and cornmeal is how we ensure they come out extra crispy. 49 of 50 Crunchy Pan-Fried Chicken Southern Living Give your favorite fried chicken recipe a rest, and try this pan-fried version with a crisp cornmeal crust instead. 50 of 50 Buttermilk Cornbread Photographer: Isaac Nunn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn A little brown sugar plays beautifully off the natural sweetness of the cornmeal in this recipe to make a tender and ever-so slightly sweet cornbread. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit