Best Southern Spoon Bread Recipe

Best Southern Spoon Bread recipe is an old-fashioned cornbread casserole with a soufflé pudding texture. This elevated recipe adds silky mashed sweet potatoes and warm cinnamon flavor to make a comforting side dish perfect for holiday gatherings or weeknight dinners. 

What is Spoon Bread?

Spoonbread is cross between cornbread, grits, and soufflé, with a slightly sweet pudding-like texture. It’s consistency is along the lines of corn casserole.

The difference between cornbread and spoon bread is the texture and firmness. Cornbread is sliced and served as bread. Spoon bread, on the other hand, is softer, similar to sweet corn tomalito.

Old fashioned spoon bread came about in colonial times when Native American ingredients, like stone-ground cornmeal were incorporated in European dishes, like yorkshire pudding and soufflé.

It has a firm, puffed crust with a slightly sweet, tender, and rustic interior. It marries the smoothness of a pudding with the texture of grits or polenta.

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread

This recipe for spoon bread adds roasted sweet potatoes to make it a perfect unison of sweet and savory. Cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, with a touch of brown sugar sweetness, are added to the cooked cornmeal.

A complementary dash of pumpkin pie spice  adds flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg to the sweet potatoes.

How to Make Spoon Bread From Scratch

1. Wrap sweet potatoes in foil and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. For a traditional, 0ld-fashioned recipe, replace sweet potatoes with one can of drained sweet corn kernels.
2. In a large saucepan bring milk, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt and pepper to a boil. Slowly whisk in cornmeal and stir constantly until mixture is thick and starts to pull away from the side of the pan. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile beat together cooled sweet potatoes, melted butter, egg yolks, and baking powder.
4. Add the cooked cornmeal mixture to the sweet potatoes and mix well.
5. In a separate small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold in egg whites to sweet potato mixture.
6. Pour in greased casserole dish and bake for 1 hour, or until edges are set and center is soft, but cooked.

Can the Sweet Potatoes Be Replaced with Corn?

Yes, if you are looking for a traditional recipe, replace the cooked sweet potatoes with 1 can drained sweet corn kernels. Also, omit the pumpkin pie spice seasoning.

Do the Egg Whites Have to Be Beaten Separately?

Beating the egg whites separately lightens the texture and gives it a more soufflé -like texture. To save time, though, the whole eggs can be mixed in.

The taste will still be just as fabulous, but it will have a slightly denser texture, more like cornbread casserole.

Can It Be Made Ahead of Time?

Yes, and you can do this in a couple different ways. If you wish to prep the recipe before hand, still plan on baking it right before serving because it is best served immediately.

1. Cook the sweet potatoes, cool, and leave securely wrapped in foil. Store in the refrigerator for a few days. Roasting the sweet potatoes before knocks a lot of time off the recipe.
2. Alternatively, put everything together except folding in the egg whites. Refrigerate the sweet potato / cornmeal mixture and egg whites separately, up to 3 days. When ready to bake, let the sweet potato mixture and egg whites sit out to come to room temperature. Beat the egg whites until stiff, fold into sweet potato batter, and bake as directed.

Is Spoon Bread Gluten Free?

Yes, since this homemade recipe is made without Jiffy cornmeal mix it is naturally gluten free.

Instead of using a cornbread mixture, this recipe uses a mixture of cornmeal and baking powder. Most old-fashioned versions are gluten free, as long as they don’t include a cornmeal mixture or flour in the ingredients.

How to Store Spoon Bread

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator after it has completely cooled. Wrap the casserole dish tightly with foil or transfer leftovers to an airtight storage container.

What Type of Pan Should It Be Baked In?

You have some options for what type of dish this should be baked in. The recipe calls for a 2 quart casserole dish, but anything that holds a similar volume will work.

For instance, an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan will also work. With a difference in depth, though, there may be some variations with baking times. Start checking at 45 minutes.

How to Tell When Spoon Bread is Done

The most definitive way to tell if spoon bread is done is to take the temperature using an instant read thermometer. The temperature should read 165°F when inserted in the middle.

Without a thermometer, look for the edges to be golden brown and firm. The top should be soft, yet set.  When inserting a toothpick in the middle there will still be crumbs on it, but not wet. 

Reheating Instructions

Leftovers can be rewarmed in the microwave, stirring occasionally.

For an even better day-after treat, try fried spoon bread. Melt butter in a hot cast iron skillet, or another heavy skillet. Scoop out portions, flatten slightly with a spatula, and brown on both sides.

Fried spoon bread can be served with breakfast, smothered with honey butter, drizzled with maple syrup, or a fruit sauce, like blueberry syrup.

Another amazing idea…sprinkle fried spoon bread slices with candied pecans. Yum!

What to Serve With Spoon Bread

This makes a perfect side for a holiday gatherings, such as Easter or Thanksgiving. I’ve also brought this dish to cookouts, served it with BBQ, and as a side dish for weeknight dinners.

• Baked Ham
• Roast Turkey
• Pork Tenderloin
• Roasted Sausage
• Baked Chicken, such as BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken
• Fish, such as Grilled Salmon or Oven Fried Fish

Differences & More Easy Spoon Bread Recipes

• Old-Fashioned Spoon Bread – This is similar to the recipe shared below, but without cooked sweet potatoes. It is a cornbread soufflé made with cornmeal, butter, milk, a touch of sugar, separated eggs, with beaten egg whites folded in.
• Corn Spoon Bread – This tastes more like a cornbread pudding with cream style corn, cream cheese, eggs, sugar, cornmeal or a Jiffy cornbread mix added in.
• Jiffy Mix Spoon Bread – If you are looking for a simple easy spoon bread recipe, this one is for you. It is a dump, mix, and bake recipe with Jiffy cornbread mix, melted butter, eggs, canned corn, cream-style corn, sour cream, eggs, and sugar.
• Virginia Spoon Bread – This is also known as Williamsburg spoon bread. It contains no corn, just cornmeal, and whole eggs are added. It tastes more like a cornbread mush. Sugar isn’t added to the recipe, but it can be served with honey.
• Kentucky Spoon Bread – This variation was made popular by Boone Tavern in the town of Brea, Kentucky. It has the same ingredients as Virginia cornbread casserole, but the eggs are separated, with beaten egg whites folded in.
• Sweet Potato Spoon Bread – A legendary twist on the old fashioned southern version is shared below! Instead of corn flavoring the dish, cooked sweet potatoes are used.

More Southern Comfort Food Recipes 

• Chocolate Chess Pie
• Cheese Grits Casserole
• Baked Mac and Cheese
• Bacon Cornbread
• Tomato Pie
• Crispy Grit Cakes

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