Old-Fashioned Southern Spoon Bread

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Updated 01/19/21
Old-Fashioned Southern Spoon Bread Recipe
The Spruce
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
152 Calories
9g Fat
14g Carbs
5g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 152
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 5g 24%
Cholesterol 81mg 27%
Sodium 612mg 27%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 156mg 12%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 135mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Spoon bread is a Southern dish similar to cornbread, but it's more like a soufflé; many liken it in texture to the British Yorkshire pudding. To serve, it needs to be scooped with a spoon, hence its name. It's thought to be of Native American origin (where it was called Awendaw or Owendaw), and the term was first used in "The Carolina Housewife" cookbook by Sarah Rutledge in 1847. It became popular around the turn of the 20th century and has been a mainstay in Virginia and Kentucky kitchens ever since.

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup cornmeal (stone or water ground, if possible)

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup boiling water

  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

  • 1 cup milk

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Southern spoon bread recipe
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  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish or 1 1/2-quart casserole.

    Baking dish is greased
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  3. Combine the cornmeal and salt in a mixing bowl.

    Cornmeal and salt are combined in a bowl
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  4. Gradually add the boiling water while whisking out any lumps. Add the melted butter and stir to blend. Let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes.

    Boiling water and melted butter are added to the bowl
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  5. Whisk the milk into the cornmeal mixture.

    Milk is whisked into the cornmeal mixture
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  6. In a small bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly. 

    Eggs are beaten in a separate bowl
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  7. Whisk the beaten eggs into the cornmeal mixture along with the baking powder. Blend well with a whisk or electric mixer.

    Eggs are added to the cornmeal mixture
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  8. Turn the batter into the prepared baking dish.

    Batter is poured into prepared baking dish
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  9. Bake for about 35 minutes or until set and lightly browned.

    Southern spoon bread is browned from the oven
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  10. Serve the spoon bread hot with plenty of butter.

    Serving the Southern spoon bread with butter
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Recipe Variations

This simple spoon bread recipe is delicious as is but feel free to add some crumbled bacon or corn kernels to the batter, or add chopped green onions or some fresh chopped chile pepper or herbs.

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