Food and Recipes Recipes Famous Kentucky Recipes To Inspire Your Best Derby Day Spread Whether you're looking for a signature house cocktail, a cozy supper, or a party appetizer, you're sure to find a famous recipe from Kentucky to fit the bill. By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is an Associate Digital Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on May 2, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos Though its nickname is the Bluegrass State, Kentucky is most famous for its horse racing and its bourbon. Fittingly, some of the most famous Kentucky recipes revolve around the two. Of course, it's not a Derby Day party without a batch of mint juleps served in shiny silver cups. If you're not a fan of the classic, we have a few fun twists you just might love. Created around a century ago at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, the open-faced Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich is a staple recipe of the state. Since we love a recipe mashup, we couldn't help but rethink the traditional recipe, so our Test Kitchen developed fun recipes like Inside-Out Hot Brown Bites and even a Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole. During chilly months, the famous Kentucky dish you'll see on every dinner table is burgoo. This comfy stew just might replace your usual slow-cooker soup of choice. Whether you're looking for a signature house cocktail, a cozy supper, or a party appetizer, you're sure to find a famous recipe from Kentucky to fit the bill. Time to shine those silver julep cups, y'all! 01 of 22 Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches Southern Living Created in the 1920s at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, this open-faced sandwich is full of our favorite things (read: bacon, turkey, cheese, bread…). 02 of 22 Benedictine Spread Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist:Christine Keely Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Jennie Carter Benedict, a famous Kentucky restauranteur, created this recipe. It's often spread between two slices of white bread to make tea sandwiches, but in this fresh take, we paired it with fresh veggies that make for a pretty spring tablescape. 03 of 22 Harry Young's Burgoo Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox According to Kentuckians, "If it walked, crawled, or flew, it goes in burgoo." This comforting stew calls for a variety of meats and colorful vegetables, but whatever you have on hand will work just fine. This particular recipe for the Kentucky staple came to us back in 1987, and it's stood the test of time. 04 of 22 Kentucky Bourbon Pie Antonis Achilleos Modeled after George Kern's famous Derby Pie recipe, this isn't your Mama's pecan pie. Bourbon, chocolate, and pecans meet in this layered delight that has only five-star reviews to its name. 05 of 22 Mint Julep Forrest Mason It's not the Derby without it! Kentucky's famous liquor of choice is the star of the show in this quintessential cocktail. The ingredient list is simple, but don't even think about skipping the crushed ice and the classic silver julep cup. Both are requirements, y'all! 06 of 22 Kentucky Beer Cheese Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist:Christine Keely Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Benedictine spread isn't the only famous dip from Kentucky. Developed by Kentucky Chef Joe Allman in the 1930s, this regional dish has spread (no pun intended) across the country. Similar to another Southern favorite, pimiento cheese, this dip is delicious with dippers like pretzel sticks, cucumbers, and celery. 07 of 22 Bourbon Balls Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett If you still need something sweet for your Derby Day party but aren't in the mood to fuss with piecrust for a chocolate-bourbon-pecan pie, we've got you covered. These no-bake treats pay homage to the state's famed spirit, are oh-so-easy to put together, and they make great favors for guests. 08 of 22 Kentucky Oaks Lily Drink Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox The mint julep might get all the attention as the signature cocktail of horse racing, but don't worry: There's another famous sipper for the non-bourbon drinkers out there (we know, it's shocking). The Oaks Lily cocktail is the staple drink of the Kentucky Oaks, the race that takes place the day before the Derby. 09 of 22 Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke We have a thing about turning our favorite Southern recipes into big-batch casseroles, and this twist on the Kentucky Hot Brown is no exception. 10 of 22 Kentucky Benedictine Sandwiches Southern Living It's not a Southern luncheon without a silver tray full of tea sandwiches, is it? Test Kitchen Pro Ivy Odom developed this version of the classic Kentucky Benedictine Spread. 11 of 22 Black-Eyed Susan Slushies Victor Protasio; Food Stying: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Test Kitchen pro and Hey Y'all host Ivy Odom is changing it up with her Kentucky cocktail of choice. "Instead of the usual mint juleps, I like to make fruity Black-Eyed Susan Slushies," says Odom. "The mix of pineapple and citrus juices and ginger ale is more synonymous with the Preakness Stakes than the Derby, but it's a classic drink that tastes great with or without bourbon. My mocktail version is served frozen and gussied up with garnishes as flashy as those sensational hats." 12 of 22 Kentucky Slow-Cooker Burgoo Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Since Gustave Jaubert, employed by Frankfort's Buffalo Trace Distillery, made this cozy, one-pot stew popular in the late 1800s, Kentuckians have found plenty of ways to make it over. Our latest version comes together with the help of your trusty slow cooker, so you can sit back and relax while dinner makes itself. 13 of 22 Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie Hector Sanchez Because it starts with refrigerated piecrust (our little secret), this Derby Pie-inspired dessert takes barely any effort on your part. Just be sure to set aside time for it to cool completely before diving in. A spoonful of homemade whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top wouldn't hurt, of course. 14 of 22 Inside-Out Hot Brown Bites Hector Sanchez If you're looking for a crowd-pleasing appetizer for your Derby day menu, these cheesy Hot Brown bites start with a Parmesan crust. 15 of 22 Mint Julep Slush Caitlin Bensel By the first Saturday in May, it's already hotter than hot in many parts of the South, so cool off your favorite Derby Day drink with this slushy version. The secret to keeping your cocktail from melting too quickly? Freeze the glasses 15 minutes before you plan to serve. 16 of 22 Kentucky Derby Cheese Hat Southern Living OK, this might not be a "famous" Kentucky recipe, but it's too cute not to share. This Kentucky Derby Cheese Hat is the most adorable appetizer you can serve your guests. Plus, it genuinely couldn't get easier. 17 of 22 Kentucky Horsefeather Getty Images/bhofack2 It's practically required that Kentucky cocktails contain bourbon, and this fizzy concoction is no exception. Similar to a Moscow Mule, this drink contains ginger beer but includes a few dashes of bitters for a signature twist. 18 of 22 Hot Brown Party Rolls Victor Protasio; Food Stying: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Southerners have a love affair with Hawaiian sweet rolls, and our sideboards at holidays and potlucks are proof. This is our latest iteration on the classic Kentucky Hot Brown, and it just might be our best yet. 19 of 22 Transparent Pie Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Similar to a chess pie, this Transparent Pie is a lost recipe to many Kentuckians. Magee's Bakery in Maysville served it up for decades, and rumor has it that Kentucky native George Clooney even brought his wife Amal home to sample some of it a few years ago. We twirled our version of this confection up with Sugared Cranberries and Whipped Crème Fraîche for a little color and texture. 20 of 22 Bourbon Ice Cream With Bourbon-Caramel Swirl Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Great on its own, and even better in a delicious boozy milkshake (topped with a bourbon-infused whipped cream, of course), say hello to your new favorite Derby dessert. This ice cream is the real deal (not the no-churn stuff) so pull out the ice cream machine and get some spinning. 21 of 22 Louisville Rolled Oysters Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Regional lore says an Italian immigrant and saloon owner Phillip Mazzoni and his brothers served these fried oysters to the patrons that bought a drink at their watering hole. Soon, thanks to their success, every bar in town was also selling fried oysters, and this year, your Derby party can pay homage to the tradition with our recipe. 22 of 22 Kentucky Butter Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox If you're a believer in the maxim, "everything's better with butter," this is the cake for you. Not only is this dense, buttery pound cake made with a half pound of butter, but after baking it's soaked with a vanilla-butter glaze, containing another 1/2 cup of butter. The glaze absorbs into the tender sponge, for an ultra-moist cake with lots of rich butter flavor. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit