Food and Recipes Dish 41 Classic Spring Recipes to Make All Season Long By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jen Causey With spring officially in full swing, it's time to turn in those winter soups and heavy casseroles and bring back our favorite cold salads, fruit desserts, and fresh vegetable sides. Every spring party or shower needs a spring classic or two, like our Egg Salad Sandwiches or crowd-pleasing Tomato Tea Sandwiches. No backyard barbecue or picnic is complete without a big bowl of pasta salad and an icebox pie, and every Easter celebration can use a pineapple-glazed ham and platter of deviled eggs. Plus, there's no spring occasion that our fruit-inspired pound cakes and cobblers won't make a whole lot sweeter. Southerners love to ring in spring with a freshened-up menu, and these spring recipes are the best of the season. 01 of 41 Fried Green Tomatoes Jennifer Davick Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes We'll have these crispy 'maters any way you'll serve them—layered on a sandwich, thrown on top of a salad, or (our personal preference) dipped into a tangy sauce. 02 of 41 Egg Salad Sandwiches Jen Causey Recipe: Egg Salad Sandwiches Egg salad looks as ready for spring as we are. This nostalgic recipe never disappoints. 03 of 41 Strawberry-Lemonade Cake Jen Causey Recipe: Strawberry-Lemonade Cake We like to say that this fresh strawberry cake tastes just like spring in a slice. Why not decide for yourself, hm? 04 of 41 Lemon-Orange Pound Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly Recipe: Lemon-Orange Pound Cake Your senses will feel transported to citrus groves far, far away when served this classic pound cake. 05 of 41 Tomato Tea Sandwiches Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Tomato Tea Sandwiches Because we're too busy enjoying the spring weather to make anything complicated. A classic tomato sandwich is all we need. 06 of 41 Classic Deviled Eggs Southern Living Recipe: Basic Deviled Eggs From Easter lunch to a backyard barbecue, there's no spring event that wouldn't do well with a platter of deviled eggs. 07 of 41 Pineapple Glazed Ham Jen Causey Recipe: Pineapple-Glazed Ham Pineapple and ham go together like bees and honey. This vintage recipe is perfect for Easter brunch—and leftover ham sandwiches! 08 of 41 Radish, Avocado, and Citrus Salad Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Radish, Avocado, and Citrus Salad The peppery radishes in this salad are balanced by creamy avocado and sweet-tart citrus and pomegranate seeds. 09 of 41 Ham Salad Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Ham Salad This old-school spread never goes out of style. (And it's a great use of leftover Easter ham.) 10 of 41 Asparagus-and-Goat Cheese Quiche Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Asparagus-and-Goat Cheese Quiche This is a company-worthy quiche if we've ever seen one. 11 of 41 No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie From the creamy filling to the crunchy crust, this no-bake peanut butter pie is mile-high and ready to be served. 12 of 41 Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw We wouldn't deem these cakes the "best-ever" lightly. Spring means Maryland crabbing season is officially underway. 13 of 41 Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole We'll happily turn to this big-batch brunch casserole all season long. 14 of 41 Hummingbird Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Hummingbird Cake Spring is the perfect time to whip out this classic cake with its ultra-moist layers featuring pineapple, pecans, cinnamon, and bananas. 15 of 41 Skillet Pot Pie with Chicken and Spring Vegetables Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Skillet Pot Pie with Chicken and Spring Vegetables Pot pie gets a spring-ready makeover with seasonal veggies and a user-friendly skillet recipe. 16 of 41 Classic Banana Pudding Jennifer Davick Recipe: Banana Pudding This classic Southern treat always makes an appearance at the spring cookout or Sunday lunch. 17 of 41 West Indies Crab Salad Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: West Indies Crab Salad This little-known Southern salad hails from Mobile, Alabama. Made with fresh crabmeat and a citrusy vinaigrette, this recipe says hello to warmer weather. 18 of 41 Peach-Raspberry Buckle Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Peach-Raspberry Buckle This homey streusel-topped cake is filled with jammy pockets of fruit—it's like a scavenger hunt for your taste buds. 19 of 41 Fried Catfish Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Classic Fried Catfish Nothing gets a Southerner more tickled than crispy fried catfish. Stone-ground cornmeal makes for the crispiest crust you've ever tasted. 20 of 41 Honey-Mustard Baked Salmon with Vegetables Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Honey-Mustard Baked Salmon with Vegetables Panko breadcrumbs add extra crunch to this baked fish dinner. 21 of 41 Ham Biscuits Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Ham Biscuits We've never met a snack more suited for a spring brunch or shower than these ham biscuits. The recipe comes with several delicious homemade spread options like Creole Mayonnaise. 22 of 41 Chilled Sweet Corn Soup Becky Luigart-Stayner; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Chilled Sweet Corn Soup Ah, a soup so sweet you'll share it with everyone. This chilled corn soup is the perfect spring-summer soup. 23 of 41 Peach-and-Blackberry Crisp Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick Recipe: Peach-and-Blackberry Crisp A fresh fruit crisp complements any breezy spring night, if you ask us. Feel free to substitute your favorite berries or stone fruits. 24 of 41 Key Lime Pound Cake Jen Causey Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake Don't pick between your favorite pound cake and cool Key lime pie—this heavenly recipe gives the best of both worlds. 25 of 41 Classic Baked Beans Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Baked Beans This classic side belongs at any backyard barbecue, cookout, or picnic. 26 of 41 Grilled Clambake Foil Packets with Herb Butter Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Grilled Clambake Foil Packets with Herb Butter Something about scattering these ingredients on a newspaper-covered table or serving it all in a big community bowl is just oh-so satisfying. We added traditional Low Country boil ingredients: shrimp, potatoes, corn, and smoked sausage, such as Conecuh. 27 of 41 Classic Macaroni Salad with Ham Jen Causey Recipe: Classic Macaroni Salad with Ham You'll recognize this old-school cold salad. It might be one of our most nostalgic rifts on pasta salad to date. 28 of 41 Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy This cobbler-like dish likes it a little messy. The crust absorbs the sweet juices from the cooked fruit. 29 of 41 Potato Salad with Sweet Pickles Southern Living Recipe: Potato Salad with Sweet Pickles There's always room for potato salad on the spring cookout sideboard. 30 of 41 Cream Cheese Pound Cake Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Recipe: Cream Cheese Pound Cake You won't find a season when this classic pound cake doesn't fit right in. You can garnish with fresh produce from your spring farmers' market trip. 31 of 41 Orzo Salad with Shrimp and Lemon Dressing Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Orzo Salad with Shrimp and Lemon Dressing Seasonal vegetables and tangy dressing bring this shrimp salad to life. 32 of 41 Ham and Noodle Casserole Jen Causey Recipe: Ham and Noodle Casserole You won't meet a more family-friendly spring casserole than this one, made with egg noodles, chopped ham, and a mix of springy vegetables. (Put that leftover Easter ham to work!) 33 of 41 Tarragon Chicken Salad Jennifer Davick Recipe: Tarragon Chicken Salad This simple recipe gets a welcome pop of flavor from tarragon and lemon juice. 34 of 41 Oven-Baked Barbecue Chicken Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Oven-Baked Barbecue Chicken These sweet and sticky chicken drumsticks make the perfect addition to your cookout—but you can make them in the oven to free up precious grill space. 35 of 41 Southern Buttermilk Pie Iain Bagwell Recipe: Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie Buttermilk pie is an old-fashioned Southern dessert that doesn't quite get the attention it deserves. This spring, let's change that. 36 of 41 Skillet-Toasted Gnocchi with Peas Recipe Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling Torie Cox Recipe: Skillet-Toasted Gnocchi with Peas Recipe Sauté the gnocchi with butter and oil until they are golden brown on the outside and hot and tender on the inside. 37 of 41 Fresh Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Fresh Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel Say hello to the most perfect crumbly coffee cake, complete with sweet, juicy peaches. 38 of 41 Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad Jennifer Davick Recipe: Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad Pasta salad is a springtime staple in the South, and this refreshing recipe features a whole parade of tasty ingredients. 39 of 41 Classic BLT Alison Miksch Recipe: The SL BLT Nothing beats a basic BLT—but we still managed to do it. Punch up store-bought mayonnaise with lemon zest, fresh herbs, and lots of black pepper for a flavorful twist you never knew you needed. 40 of 41 Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie You're going to want a slice of this fruity pie on a hot day, trust us. It's one of our favorite spring dessert recipes. 41 of 41 Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie Jennifer Davick Recipe: Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie This classic fruit pie dresses up in its prettiest pink for all of your spring parties. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit