Cornbread Salad Recipe
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What do you get when you combine garden-fresh veggies, crispy crumbled bacon, homemade cornbread, and ranch dressing? This amazing crowd-pleasing Southern cornbread salad.
Cornbread salad is a wonderful old-fashioned Southern recipe that you need in your life! Thanks to follower, Linda Wood for sharing her amazing recipe with me. It’s kind of in the same family as potato salad and definitely something you’d expect to find at a family reunion, potluck, or barbecue. Featuring garden-fresh vegetables, crispy bacon, homemade cornbread, and a mix of ranch dressing and mayo, I encourage everyone to make this cold and creamy salad this summer.
Now, one of the key ingredients of this salad is cornbread. While you can simply use a package of cornbread mix, here is my recipe for hot water cornbread and my dixie cornbread recipe if you’re feeling traditional.
Recipe Ingredients
- Onion
- Corn
- Mayo
- Tomatoes
- Bell pepper
- Dry ranch dressing mix (optional)
- 1 pan crumbled cornbread
- Crisp fried bacon
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Cornbread Salad Recipe Step By Step
Pour the ranch dressing mix into a bowl with mayo.
You can skip this step if you just really like mayo. But if you’re like me and want a little something else or if you just love the taste of ranch, do what I’m doing here.
Then stir it up.
Dice up your tomato, onion, bell pepper, and drain your can of corn.
Dump all that in a big bowl.
Crumble up your cornbread and dump that on top of the veggies.
Add in your crumbled bacon.
Stir well.
Add in the salad dressing mix. We went a little crazy with the mayo this time because my son likes that extra mayo, but feel free to keep it at 2 cups if you don’t want as much mayonaise.
Stir that up really good until well coated. Now, cornbread salad is even better when made ahead of time, so cover your dish and refrigerate for several hours or until chilled well.
Garnish with beautiful sliced red tomatoes and serve cold.
DELICIOUS
Storage
This salad will last up to four days in an airtight container in the fridge. However, the cornbread does start to get mushy after only one day, so if this isn’t your style it’s best to avoid leftovers. Like most salads, you shouldn’t freeze cornbread salad.
Recipe Notes
- This recipe is great for using up leftover cornbread. Cut the recipe in half to make a smaller portion if you like as well.
- The secret ingredient in my easy cornbread salad recipe is bacon grease! If you saved any bacon grease from your bacon, add one teaspoon to your salad dressing, but don’t tell anyone because they’ll react as if you’d told them you didn’t like mayonnaise! I’m not going to put this in the recipe so only the folks who read this part of the post will know this little secret ingredient! It totally adds an extra KAPOW of flavor.
- One of the best things about this salad is that it’s so easily customizable. First, use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Then, don’t be afraid to add drained pinto beans, shredded cheddar cheese, diced pickles, black olives, or even jalapenos if you prefer a kick! You can even top with a sprinkle of green onion if you have some handy.
- For the best flavor, I recommend making this salad between one and six hours before serving.
Recipe FAQs
What goes well with cornbread salad?
Serve your salad alongside other popular Southern mains like fried chicken, pork chops, or slow-roasted beef brisket .
You may also enjoy these cornbread recipes:
Mexican Cornbread Recipe by Mama
Keto Cornbread Recipe Southern Plate
Peaches and Cream Cornbread with Maple Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pan cornbread see recipe here or use a package of cornbread mix
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 15 ounce can whole kernel corn drained
- 1 pound bacon cooked until crisp and crumbled
- 2-3 cups mayonnaise I used two
- 1 oz Package ranch dressing mix
Instructions
- Bake cornbread. Once cool, crumble and place in a large bowl. Add in onions, bell pepper, diced tomatoes, corn, and bacon. Stir until well combined.1 pan cornbread, 1 cup diced onions, 1 bell pepper, 1 cup diced tomato, 15 ounce can whole kernel corn, 1 pound bacon
- In a separate bowl, place mayo and ranch mix (if using). Stir until well blended. Skip this step if just using plain mayo.2-3 cups mayonnaise
- Add mayonnaise dressing mixture to salad and stir until fully mixed. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours before serving. ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
I’m happier than a bird with a french fry!
~Unknown, but an awfully good way to feel!
I’m from the north – PA, and had never heard of cornbread salad. I’m going to try it and take to a ladies’ church meeting. In place of mayo, could salad dressing be used or would that be too sweet?
Thanks, Christy, for your wonderful recipes and commentaries. I felt like I was right there at your family reunion running around with my pigtails flying, too.
I make a Southwestern version of this with a layer of black beans & green chilies & I use Mexican cornbread. It’s all good!
My husband and I are not fans of mayonnaise, so I will substitute Miracle Whip like I usually do.
Christy,
This sounds great. I will give it a try. It is funny that you put the saying, “happier than a bird with a french fry” because I just made a sign with that saying on it to add to the menagerie I already have in my kitchen.
Love your cookbook and your site as well.
Made this and it was soggy… not a good texture. Is yours a little soggy? Just seemed to be an unpleasant texture. Loved the taste but need to work on it next time… maybe thin crunchy cornbread…
Hey Suzan! I just posted this about half an hour ago so I don’t think you’re referring to my recipe in particular. Are you making another recipe for cornbread salad?
Mine wasn’t soggy at all. It was about the consistency of potato salad and wonderful!
Gratefully,
Christy
I never heard of cornbread salad until my mom made it last month and it was like heaven I’m my mouth. She didn’t use as much mayo and added sour cream, cheddar cheese and lettuce. It was in a beautiful glass bowl shaped like a giant wine glass and you could see every delicious layer. She said it ended up lasting 3 days and next time she makes it she will put the lettuce and tomato on the side to keep it from getting soggy. This is such an amazing dish and I’m sure it is good many different ways.
I had cornbread salad for the first time yesterday! It’s now going to be one of my go to dishes. I totally love it! Let me tell you, there was also lemon pie and real coconut cream pie…I chose the cornbread salad OVER the pies!
Yesterday was Election Day and At the polling place, everyone brings a dish to share as we are there from 6:00 AM till 8:00 PM with no break, we just grab what we can when we can. Elvira, a really good cook (she must be, she brought this!), made this awesome dish to share with all the poll workers. Like I said above, I’m in love with cornbread salad.
Suzan, I have a friend that maked this salad and she usually waits to add the dressing just a few minutes before serving and it is very good.
Cornbread salad is hard to beat. I usually add cooked pinto bean (none of the can beans for me).
Feeling as you do about mayo, I fully expected to come across buttermilk instead. I think that would be perfectly acceptable sub (esp with a little bacon grease) I grew up with the ranch dressing made with buttermilk and knox gelatin instead of mayo and sour cream. I was told it came from Weight Watchers but I really don’t know that for a fact. I think it would be good however, and perfectly southern.