We don’t know about you, but we find it particularly magical how food can transport you to another time or place just by its taste or smell. There may be no regional cuisine better for taking you out of reality than Southern food. There's no denying it—people in the South really know how to cook! From spicy stews to creamy side dishes to crunchy, fried, well, everything, Southern classics are the definition of comfort foods. We’ve curated this list of our 55 favorite Southern recipes for you to try at home, based on those passed through generations to create meals that can bring people together.
Make our gumbo, our jambalaya, or our red beans & rice, and you can imagine you’re listening to jazz while wandering the streets of New Orleans. Make BBQ brisket on your grill, serve it up with some sides like our Southern potato salad, our fried green tomatoes, or our black-eyed pea salad, and immediately get transported to your last big family outdoor BBQ. Make our easy sheet pan shrimp “boil” or our pulled pork, and you’ll practically be able to feel the South Carolina summer heat on your skin. Take a bite of Nashville hot chicken (or cauliflower!), and remember going to see your favorite band or listening to their album. Or simply make a pot of our Southern baked macaroni and cheese and envision whenever, wherever is your perfect comfort zone. We hope that even if you can’t travel as often as you’d like, these recipes will help warm your soul.
Tired of the same old dinners and want to do more traveling without ever leaving your kitchen? Check out our list of homemade Chinese, Mediterranean, Mexican, and Vietnamese recipes that are easy to make at home.
Southern Potato Salad
Tender Yukon Gold potatoes paired with hard-boiled eggs, celery, sweet pickles, and red onion make this Southern-style potato salad the perfect sidekick for your next BBQ.
Get the Southern Potato Salad recipe.
Fried Green Tomatoes
When green tomatoes are in season, this Southern staple is the first dish we think of. Nothing complements a juicy, tart green tomato quite like a crunchy, slightly sweet cornmeal crust. A classic remoulade is our condiment of choice, but if you don’t feel like whipping one up from scratch, making a simple two-ingredient spicy mayo will absolutely do the trick.
Get the Fried Green Tomatoes recipe.
Chicken-Fried Steak
Picture this: juicy, tender beef, a crispy, salty breaded exterior, and plenty of velvety, rich gravy. It's a Southern comfort food masterpiece, and we are here for it.
Get the Chicken-Fried Steak recipe.
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
Not to be mistaken for jambalaya or shrimp étouffée, gumbo comes in many forms, but it always absolutely must: 1) thickened by a dark brown roux, 2) be served over rice (or with potato salad if you’re extra Southern), and 3) feature the holy trinity of Southern cooking: onion, celery, and green bell pepper.
Get the Chicken & Sausage Gumbo recipe.
Southern Baked Mac & Cheese
Millie Peartree's baked mac & cheese is famous for a number of reasons. Our major takeaway—layering cheese and an eggy custard makes for the MOST creamy, saucy, and decadent dish ever. We might never make it another way again.
Get the Southern Baked Mac & Cheese recipe.
Pimento Cheese
If you love party dips like Buffalo chicken or spinach artichoke, you’ll LOVE pimento cheese. This soft, creamy spread loaded with shredded cheddar cheese and spiked with diced pimento peppers and hot sauce can be served hot or cold (so make it ahead of time!).
Get the Pimento Cheese recipe.
Southern Tomato Pie
Fillings for Southern tomato pies always include tomatoes, mayonnaise, plenty of cheese, and Dijon mustard, but our version's got a flavorful upgrade: chopped pimiento peppers, which lend the filling all the delicious richness of pimiento cheese dip.
Get the Southern Tomato Pie recipe.
Fried Okra
We think this Southern recipe is the best way to enjoy this tricky little vegetable. Dredging in buttermilk and cornmeal, then frying in a small amount of oil achieves that extra-crispy and golden crust that'll convert even the most ardent of okra-haters. Anti-frying? Try our air fryer okra instead!
Get the Fried Okra recipe.
Nashville Hot Chicken
WARNING! This chicken is hot. If you're worried about spice, cut down on the amount of cayenne in your hot oil. Start at 1 tablespoon, and increase to your liking. Love the heat, but not the chicken? Try our Nashville hot cauliflower next!
Get the Nashville Hot Chicken recipe.
Chicken Pot Pie
Truly comfort food at its finest, chicken pot pie represents the delicious marriage of a flaky, buttery crust with diced chicken, onions, carrots, and peas in a creamy sauce. While it's a dish that you can easily find pre-made in almost any grocery freezer aisle, we strongly believe that making your own is worth it.
Get the Chicken Pot Pie recipe.
Southern Fried Corn
Fried corn is a classic side dish from the American South. It's not fried as in deep-fried, but rather in the Southern sense of the word "sautéed." It's perfect served at any barbecue, alongside oven-baked ribs, potato rolls, and a summer salad.
Get the Southern Fried Corn recipe.
Classic Chicken & Waffles
Making fried chicken and waffles at the same time is quite a feat, but this Southern food classic is worth the effort. We think the best course of action is as follows: Get your chicken in a buttermilk brine, whip up your waffles, and pop 'em in a 200° oven to stay warm. THEN take out your chicken, bread, and fry. Viola! Perfectly timed brunch.
Get the Classic Chicken & Waffles recipe.
Spoonbread
Spoonbread is cross between a soufflé and cornbread and meant to be served by scooping out servings with a big, well, spoon! While this recipe is classic and pretty straightforward, true purists might say sugar doesn't belong in spoonbread—we say sugar and cornmeal belong together like biscuits & gravy, but a little cheddar cheese folded into the mixture instead would also be just as good.
Get the Spoonbread recipe.
Instant Pot Jambalaya
The Instant Pot is a great way to make jambalaya, a Cajun classic, in just an hour. On top of being super-quick dinner to cook, you won’t need pre-cooked rice or meats. All the rice, veggies, broth, and chicken go in the Instant Pot together and get cooked under high pressure for the perfect, fluffy jambalaya.
Get the Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe.
Brunswick Stew
Brunswick stew is a hearty chicken stew in a tomato-based broth with vegetables like white corn, butter beans (aka baby lima beans), and potatoes. Its history dates back to the late 19th-century American South, though its precise origin is a matter of debate. Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia all claim it, and it’s easy to see why they would—it’s a stew to be proud of.
Get the Brunswick Stew recipe.
Pulled Pork
If you're looking for the best pulled pork recipe to keep in your back pocket—this is it. Sandwiched between a soft potato bun, piled on top of a baked potato, or even eaten on its own, pulled pork is the versatile dish we crave year round.
Get the Pulled Pork recipe.
Shrimp Po’ Boy
Dressed with crunchy shredded iceburg, juicy tomatoes, and a creamy and briny remoulade-esque sauce, this imposing sandwich will take you to the fern- and Spanish moss-lined streets of NOLA in seconds flat.
Get the Shrimp Po’ Boy recipe.
Frito Pie
Originally created in Mexico but popularized in the American Southwest, Frito Pies (not actually pies) are comfort food perfection. The other name for them (and maybe the more fun one) is walking taco. It takes a lot of aspects of your favorite Tex-Mex taco supreme—ground beef, onions, cheese, jalapeños, and a corn-based vessel—and makes them portable!
Get the Frito Pie recipe.
Crawfish Boil
Between the fun of Mardi Gras in February and tunes of Jazz Fest in May, crawfish is the common thread through it all. This boil recipe is pared down for a stovetop rather than the large outdoor gas burners intended for group boils, meaning you can enjoy it even if you can't make it down South this spring.
Get the Crawfish Boil recipe.
Sautéed Mustard Greens
Akin to a stir-fry, these finely shredded greens retain a wonderful bite, with a balance of tender pieces and crispy edges. We particularly love cooking mustard greens this way, but you can sub in collards, turnip greens, kale, or any combination with equal success
Get the Sautéed Mustard Greens recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
