Southern Staples You’re Missing Out On (Fix That With These 18)

Not gonna lie, some of the best comfort food I’ve ever had comes straight from the South—think flaky biscuits, rich gravies, and dishes that taste like they’ve been passed down for generations. It’s easy to overlook some of the southern staples you’re missing out on if you didn’t grow up around them, but once you try a few, it’s game over. These recipes are the kind that make you pause mid-bite and wonder why no one told you sooner. Let’s fix that real quick.

Pimento Cheese

Cheese balls with a toothpick on a tray. — Mini Pimento Cheese Balls With Bacon And Pecans. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

One of the most famous of Southern treats, these Pimento Cheese Balls are tangy, cheesy, and creamy—and the perfect appetizer for any event.
Get the Recipe: Mini Pimento Cheese Balls With Bacon And Pecans

Mac and Cheese

Warm Up Your Winter: Southern Classics!

FREE EMAIL BONUS: Southern staples made simply & cozy

This mac and cheese doesn’t just show up—it shows out with smoky pulled pork, golden topping, and all the comfort of a Southern potluck classic.
Get the Recipe: Southern Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

Cornbread

Sausage Cornbread pairs savory sausage and sharp cheddar with a sweet, crunchy exterior. It’s a meal full of Southern comfort.
Get the Recipe: Cast Iron Cornbread With Sausage And Cheese

Fruit Cobblers

A white baking dish filled with freshly baked berry cobbler topped with six golden brown biscuits. The dish is placed on a cooling rack. Two spoons and stacked bowls, one pink and one green, sit in the background on a light-colored surface with a gray cloth—reminiscent of vintage recipes. — An Old-Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler Recipe With Homemade Biscuits. Photo credit: Easy Southern Desserts.

This Blackberry cobbler has a syrupy blackberry filling topped with golden brown créme fraiche biscuits made from scratch.
Get the Recipe: An Old-Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler Recipe With Homemade Biscuits

Corn

Hot but refreshing, this dish is a popular snack in the South during the summer. It’s easy to make and doesn’t use much ingredients.
Get the Recipe: Hot Honey Butter Corn

Baked Beans

These easy baked beans with ground beef are a perfect side dish for cookouts. Smoky with a sticky sweet sauce, they’re a classic.
Get the Recipe: Southern Baked Beans With Hamburger Meat

Banana Pudding

This banana pudding recipe with cream cheese (or Marscapone!) is even better than the classic. The yummiest, easiest homemade pudding recipe!
Get the Recipe: Banana Pudding Recipe With Cream Cheese (With Mascarpone Option!)

Collard Greens

A plate of cooked leafy greens, topped with seeds, nuts, and shredded coconut, served on a white hexagonal-patterned plate—an elegant option for your Thanksgiving dinner ideas. — Southern Keto Collard Greens. Photo credit: Intentional Hospitality.

Southern Keto Collard Greens Recipe has a hint of maple sweetness & a punch of vinegar sourness for delicious collards.
Get the Recipe: Southern Keto Collard Greens

Grits

A bowl of crawfish etoufee over rice next to a bowl of green onions. — Easy Crawfish Etouffee Recipe. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Loaded with spicy gravy and tender crawfish tails, this etouffee is Southern Louisiana cooking at its finest—bold, rich, and unforgettable.
Get the Recipe: Southern Crawfish Etouffee

Gumbo

This gumbo brings big Louisiana flavor with smoky sausage, tender chicken, and a dark, flavorful roux—all the soul of the South in one pot.
Get the Recipe: Southern Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Pecans

This recipe for candied pecans makes for slightly sweet roasted nuts that are just what you need for your next get together. A quick and easy snack you’ll love.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Candied Pecans

Green Tomatoes

Crispy, tangy, and straight from the garden, Fried Green Tomatoes bring a crunchy charm to any Southern table. A classic southern food that deserves the spotlight.
Get the Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes

Chili

Close-up of a baked dish in a casserole, featuring a golden, herb-speckled topping. A serving has been scooped out, revealing layers of ground meat in a chili poblano tomato-based sauce underneath. The dish looks hearty and freshly made. — Chili Poblano Topped with Grits. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Southern folks know—when you top creamy grits with a spicy chili poblano, you’ve got a dish that sticks to your ribs and your roots.
Get the Recipe: Southern Chili Over Cheesy Grits

Butter Beans

A bowl of cooked lima beans in a broth, topped with shredded ham and garnished with a sprig of fresh thyme, evokes the comforting flavors of old school meals, with a spoon resting in the bowl. — Butter Beans Recipe With Smoked Pork Shank. Photo credit: Savor the Best.

This butter beans recipe with smoked pork shank is rich, hearty, and packed with flavor. A slow-simmered, cozy, Southern style dish that only gets better with time.
Get the Recipe: Butter Beans Recipe With Smoked Pork Shank

Southern Fried Chicken

A bowl lined with parchment paper holds several pieces of crispy, golden-brown fried chicken, reminiscent of old school southern recipes, placed on a white surface near a red and gold napkin. — Southern Fried Chicken. Photo credit: Lauren’s Latest.

If there’s one dish every Southerner knows, it’s this—crispy, juicy fried chicken that’s soaked in buttermilk and full of soul.
Get the Recipe: Down-Home Southern Fried Chicken

Dinner Rolls

buttermilk yeast rolls on top of a towel on a plate. — Easy Buttermilk Dinner Rolls With Yeast. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Every Southern meal needs a soft, fluffy roll—and these buttermilk yeast rolls are the kind that disappear the moment they hit the table.
Get the Recipe: Southern Buttermilk Yeast Rolls

Fritters

Cook up a batch of lobster corn fritters as an enticing appetizer or main course. Easy to make southern corn fritters with fresh corn are certain to be a hit.
Get the Recipe: Southern Lobster Corn Fritters

Biscuits

These aren’t your average biscuits! Made with crème fraîche, they’re lighter, slightly sweet, and soft as a cloud. Perfect for using as a base for strawberry shortcake or serving on their own!
Get the Recipe: Fluffy Biscuits With Crème Fraîche

Don’t Bake It—Fake It! 29 Easy No Bake Desserts Anyone Can Make

A collage of desserts including lemon pie, banana pudding in a glass dish, strawberry bars, coconut bars, and a pink strawberry cake with fresh strawberries—perfect endings after dinner in 30 minutes. — Don’t Bake It—Fake It! 29 Easy No Bake Desserts Anyone Can Make. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Whenever I’m craving something sweet but can’t deal with the oven, I remember all those easy no bake desserts anyone can make with just a few pantry staples.
Get the Recipe: Don’t Bake It—Fake It! 29 Easy No Bake Desserts Anyone Can Make

Explore Recipes

MSN Slideshows