Spoon Bread
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Spoon bread—a creamy, comforting twist on cornbread packed with fresh corn flavor. This easy homemade spoon bread combines fresh ingredients for a rich, buttery side dish that’s perfect any time of year—from summer cookouts to holiday dinners.
Spoon bread, also known as corn casserole or corn pudding, is a creamier version of cornbread that you eat with a spoon. The most well-known recipe is from Jiffy and is typically made from Jiffy corn muffin mix, butter, sour cream, eggs, canned corn, and canned creamed corn. This from-scratch version barely takes any longer to make, yet it’s so much more delicious. Making your own cornbread mix — with flour, sugar, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder — and using fresh corn makes all the difference.
This is a wonderful summer dish to make when fresh corn is in season (check out my favorite corn recipes for more ideas). During the cooler months, it’s delicious as a Thanksgiving side dish or paired with roasted chicken or steak. (When fresh corn is not available, opt for frozen corn over canned.)
“Being from NH, I’d never heard of spoon bread. Lucky for me, my son-in-law is from the south. He encouraged me to try it and I’m hooked. We’ve had it once a week for the past month. He told me it tastes just like his Grams!”
What You’ll Need To Make Spoon Bread
- All-Purpose Flour: Adds structure and helps create the soft, tender texture of the spoon bread, balancing the cornmeal’s natural grit. To ensure accuracy, measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
- Yellow Cornmeal: Provides the classic corn flavor and a slight grit, giving the dish its signature texture and traditional cornbread taste.
- Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness that balances the savory elements, enhancing the corn’s natural sweetness.
- Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the spoon bread rise and achieve its light, fluffy texture.
- Butter: Adds rich flavor and moisture, ensuring each bite is tender and melt-in-your-mouth.
- Creamed Corn: Contributes moisture, creaminess, and a concentrated corn flavor, and makes the spoon bread richer and softer.
- Fresh Corn Kernels: Provide bursts of fresh, sweet corn flavor and texture, adding a nice contrast to the creaminess. (This is best with fresh corn but when it’s not in season, opt for frozen corn over canned.)
- Sour Cream: Adds tanginess, creaminess, and moisture, creating a rich, velvety consistency.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together, giving structure to the spoon bread and ensuring it sets properly with a custard-like center.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Use a serrated knife to cut the kernels off the cobs. Placing a kitchen towel on top of the cutting board prevents the corn kernels from bouncing all over the place.
Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder to a medium bowl.
Whisk together.
In another bowl, melt the butter.
Add the creamed corn and fresh corn kernels.
Add the sour cream and beaten eggs.
Fold in the sour cream and stir the mixture until evenly combined.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix until the batter is uniform.
Pour batter into the prepared 2-quart baking dish.
Bake until the top is golden brown and the center is set, 40 to 45 minutes (a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the spoon bread should come out clean).
Serve warm or room temperature.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Spoon bread can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. To reheat, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and warm in a 300°F-oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until warmed through.
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Spoon Bread
Spoon bread—a creamy, comforting twist on cornbread packed with fresh corn flavor. This easy homemade spoon bread combines fresh ingredients for a rich, buttery side dish that’s perfect any time of year—from summer cookouts to holiday dinners.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the baking dish
- 1 (8.5 oz) can creamed corn
- 1⅓ cups raw fresh corn kernels, cut from 2 ears of corn (frozen kernels may be substituted)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 2-quart or 8-inch baking dish with butter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, creamed corn, and fresh corn kernels. Add the sour cream and beaten eggs and mix until evenly combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is uniform. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and bake until the top is golden brown and the center is set, 40 to 45 minutes (a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the spoon bread should come out clean). Serve warm or room temperature.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Spoon bread can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. To reheat, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and warm in a 300°F-oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 370
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 363 mg
- Cholesterol: 92 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Definitely one of the hits of Thanksgiving dinner! I had to use frozen corn kernels instead of fresh but it turned out great.
I love to cook and cook every day. When I experiment, I invite friends over. I made this recipe in advance of Thanksgiving to test. This recipe is a delicious cross between spoon bread and corn pudding. It is moist, slightly sweet and full of corn flavor. My guinea pig friends loved it. So I’m taking as a side dish to Thanksgiving. Highly recommended.
I’m making ahead (just made the mashed potatoes!) and maybe a stupid question but is spoon bread stored in fridge or at room temp? Thanks!
Hi Robin, I would refrigerate. Enjoy!
Delicious 😋
TIP: For cutting the kernels from the cobs, take the large bowl and place the cut end of the cob in the center of the bowl. Cut downward all the way around, then turn the cob on its other end to get any kernels you may have missed. Every last one of those pesky kernels will stay in the bowl. Measure out what you need for the recipe and proceed with the remaining ingredients that go into the large bowl. I use this method for every recipe that involves cutting fresh corn from the cob. Game changer.
I’d asked Jenn, from Onceuponachef, if this recipe could be doubled, and she said she thought so. If doing so, she suggested using a 4 quart baking dish. I’m printing this, as I’m certain others who are reading this site are interested in feeding large crowds during the Holidays, as am I. Happy cooking!
I’ve lived in Southern Virginia (so the real South, not like NoVa) for all but the first five years of my life, and this recipe is an amalgamation of two traditional Southern corn dishes, spoon bread and corn pudding. Spoon bread uses just cornmeal without the canned or fresh corn, and corn pudding uses corn without the cornmeal, both with generous amounts of eggs and milk. So they’re basically a kind of custard. I’ve got numerous examples of both in my collection of community cookbooks. I haven’t tried this recipe yet, so I can’t give it a rating.
Can yogurt be subbed for the sour cream? Nancy
Sure – I’d use Greek yogurt. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn! I have done the spoon bread several times and its outstanding!! The first time I made it was for Thanksgiving, and it was an instant success. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful recipes with us. I’m your thankful fan!!!
💗
Hi Jenn,
Creamed corn Is not available in my region. What could I use instead?
Also: If I serve this as a main dish – what would be a good combination as a side dish?
All the best!
Nicole
Hi Nicole, Hi Nicole, I’d buy an 8.5-ounce can of regular corn, put it in a blender with a bit of the liquid from the can, and blend it until it’s mostly puréed but still with a bit of the corn intact. Hope that helps, and that you enjoy!