Food and Recipes Recipes 30 Classic Recipes Your Grandmother Always Had on the Table By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a 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 Updated on July 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez If there's one thing we know to be true, it's that you never leave Meemaw's house hungry—or empty handed. Whether you're visiting with family for a holiday or a casual Sunday supper, there's always plenty of food for everyone (not to mention a few desserts!). We've stolen a page of Grandma's recipes: These tried-and-true classic recipes are always present in the kitchens of Southern grandmothers. It wouldn't be a trip to Grandma's without a warm skillet of cornbread or a basket of angel biscuits to pair with dinner (and we know she always has a pretty little tin full of homemade cheese straws). There are some dishes you just won't find anywhere outside of Grandma's kitchen; nothing tastes quite as nostalgic as a bite of fluff salad or a retro strawberry-pretzel Jell-o salad. Serve up some sweet memories with recipes like Coca Cola cake and old-fashioned fudge. Thanks to these classic recipes, you can recreate the charm of Grandma's cooking in your own kitchen. 01 of 30 Classic Chicken and Dumplings Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Classic Chicken and Dumplings When we're picturing cozy Southern comfort food, a bowl full of steaming Chicken and Dumplings comes to mind. These oh-so-Southern chicken and dumplings take under an hour to prepare, and the dish is certainly worth the flavorful, hearty result. 02 of 30 Turkey Tetrazzini Alison Miksch Recipe: Turkey Tetrazzini While it's a traditional recipe to make with Thanksgiving leftovers, Turkey Tetrazzini can be enjoyed year-round. 03 of 30 Mama's Fried Chicken Southern Living Recipe: Mama's Fried Chicken We'd rather have chicken from Granny's kitchen than a restaurant any day. 04 of 30 Ben Mims' Perfect Cornbread Brian Woodcock Recipe: Ben Mims' Perfect Cornbread No matter the meal, cornbread is always on the menu. 05 of 30 Pecan Pie Southern LIving Recipe: Pecan Pie No matter the occasion, you'll find a pecan pie (or two) at Grandma's house. 06 of 30 Classic Deviled Eggs Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Classic Deviled Eggs Grandma probably doesn't even use a recipe for this classic dish—she's got the ratio down to a science. 07 of 30 Spaghetti Casserole Jennifer Davick Recipe: Spaghetti Casserole Spaghetti easily feeds a crowd, and is guaranteed to be enjoyed by every member of the family. 08 of 30 Million Dollar Pound Cake Recipe: Million Dollar Pound Cake A cake stand is always accompanied with a fresh pound cake. 09 of 30 Mamie Eisenhower's Chocolate Fudge Southern Living Recipe: Mamie Eisenhower's Chocolate Fudge We don't mind taking leftovers when fudge is offered. 10 of 30 Biscuits-and-Gravy Skillet Jennifer Causey Recipe: Biscuits-and-Gravy Skillet We're sure not eating cereal for breakfast if Grandma is in charge. 11 of 30 Basic Pimiento Cheese Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Basic Pimiento Cheese A classic Southern afternoon snack, accompanied with a glass of cold sweet tea. 12 of 30 Classic Southern Sweet Tea Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Classic Southern Sweet Tea Grandma only serves her tea one way. 13 of 30 Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies An all-time classic, chocolate chip cookies never disappoint. 14 of 30 Big Mama's Egg Pie Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Big Mama's Egg Pie This vintage pie recipe came right from a Southern grandmother's kitchen. Author Jocelyn Delk Adams of Grandbaby Cakes shared her Big Mama's recipe with us. "Egg pie has become my Big Mama's legacy, with each slice representing a small piece of who she was," she wrote. "And I will continue to serve it to honor her for years to come." 15 of 30 Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie Chicken Pot Pie is queen of Southern comfort food meals. Be sure to get our simple shortcuts for making chicken pot pie before you try to tackle Grandma's recipe, though. 16 of 30 Cranberry Fluff Salad Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Recipe: Cranberry Fluff Salad "The fluff salad isn't cool. And that's okay," writes Senior Food Editor Lisa Cericola. If you grew up eating fluff salad around Grandma's table, you probably share the same nostalgic penchant for the creamy, retro dish. 17 of 30 Coca Cola Chocolate Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Coca Cola Chocolate Cake "Soft drinks have long been the key to some of the South's most beloved cake recipes," writes author Toni Tipton-Martin. We know Grandma had at least one for a cola-filled chocolate cake. 18 of 30 Angel Biscuits Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Angel Biscuits "Light and fluffy, this combination of biscuit and yeast roll is often called Bride's Biscuits, because they are so easy to make even a new bride can make them," writes Assistant Food Editor Pat York. These fluffy biscuits taste like they were sent straight from heaven to your plate. 19 of 30 Chocolate Delight Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Chocolate Delight "My grandmother, Ouida Walters Rasberry, was the maker and keeper of our family's recipes," says HGTV star Erin Napier. Among them was her Mammaw's famous creamy layered dessert called Chocolate Delight, but your Grandma may have called it "Better Than Robert Redford" or a host of other quirky nicknames. 20 of 30 Spicy Bisquick Sausage Balls Photography: Caitlin Bensel Food Styling: Ali Ramee Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Recipe: Spicy Bisquick Sausage Balls Appetizers don't get much easier than a warm basket of sausage balls. Appropriate to serve from brunch to dinner, this is one retro recipe we'll never give up. 21 of 30 Old-Fashioned Tea Cakes Micah Leal Recipe: Old-Fashioned Tea Cake We don't know if you've heard, but afternoon tea is the new happy hour. Grandma will be delighted if you take out her old-school tea cakes recipe to celebrate. 22 of 30 Mamau's Cheese Straws Robbie Caponetto; Prop Styling: Mary Beth Wetzel; Food Styling: Pam Lolley Recipe: Mamau's Cheese Straws "As far back as I can remember, Christmas always started with my grandmother's cheese straws," writes Editor in Chief Sid Evans. "I can't promise you they're the best cheese straws ever, but I do miss walking into her house with a laundry basket full of gifts; seeing my aunts, uncles, and cousins; and finding those snacks in the same little bowls every year." 23 of 30 Strawberry-Pretzel Jello Salad Southern Living Recipe: Strawberry-Pretzel Jello Salad Church potlucks and family reunions weren't complete without a jiggly, gelatin-based dish on the table. Often, it was in the form of this sweet-and-salty creation. 24 of 30 Turkey-Noodle-Poppy Seed Casserole Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Turkey-Noodle-Poppy Seed Casserole This nostalgic casserole recipe was published in Southern Living in 1990, but we know Grandma has been making her famous version much longer than that. 25 of 30 Hello Dolly Bars Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Hello Dolly Bars Whether you call them Hello Dolly Bars, Magic Cookie Bars, or even Seven-Layer Cookies, this nostalgic treat starts with the can of condensed milk Grandma always had on hand. 26 of 30 Hashbrown Casserole Southern Living Recipe: Hashbrown Casserole No Southern supper is complete without a cheesy potato dish on the table, and this version with a hashbrown base is always welcome. 27 of 30 The Coconut Chiffon Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: The Coconut Chiffon Cake Grandma only brought out this towering confection for special occasions, like holidays and baptisms. 28 of 30 Classic Fresh Field Peas Iain Bagwell Recipe: Classic Fresh Field Peas If you grew up in the South, we're willing to bet you spent some summer days hulling peas with your Grandma on her porch. 29 of 30 Fresh Peach Cobbler Southern Living Recipe: Fresh Peach Cobbler This recipe for peach cobbler couldn't be simpler or easier to make, which is why Grandma magically has a batch of it ready for every summer dinner. 30 of 30 Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad Hector Sanchez Recipe: Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad Even if there's plenty of side dishes, there's always room for potato salad. 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