Cornbread Salad Recipe
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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 have to try this! Never heard of cornbread salad before (but then I never heard of the wonderful tomato pie until last month). I love mayonnaise but can forgive you for not liking it since you at least acknowledge that character flaw. 😉
Best of all, the photo of ingredients shows Duke’s mayonnaise and for me there’s none better! As a young child, I grew up in Greenville, SC, the home both then and now of Duke’s. Sometimes as we drove around town we’d pass near the Duke’s plant and smell the wonderful aroma of fresh mayo in the making. I think their main “secret” is no added sugar! More at the following website: http://dukesmayo.com/about.asp
Sounds wonderful! Can’t wait to try this. I agree with you on the mayo – AND the bacon grease! I wanted to reply to a previous post about “leftover cornbread.” What’s that? – we never have any leftover at my house! And if there is – have you ever eaten cornbread and milk for a little late-night snack? Little salt & pepper to taste….just yummy!
broken cornbread with buttermilk and salt and pepper…..<3
Love the Cornbread Salad! Absolutely DELICIOUS!
I was also raised when my family had a pretty good size garden, picked the wonderful veggies & cooked them. YUM, what good memories!
Thanks for your recipes!
This sounds yummy, have some leftover cornbread in frige and I am on my way to the kitchen!!! God Bless Christy!!!
I love cornbread salad! I do mine a bit differently… kind of like a seven layer salad. A layer of cornbread, green bell peppers, tomatoes, corn, pinto beans, green onions, bacon and cheddar cheese. Ranch dressing on the side. It’s so good and a meal all by itself. It’s perfect for those days you don’t want to heat up the kitchen cooking a big meal.
Karen and I seem to have the same recipe. I go ahead and cover the top of my cornbread salad with ranch dressing before adding the cheddar cheese. Everyone who tries it always wants the recipe!!!
Karen, I also layer the ingredients. I sometimes add a half cup of diced celery (love the crunch). In the winter, I use Ro-Tel in place of the tomatoes (I love spicy food).
Will give this one a try.
I have always crumbled cornbread on my plate, added peas (crowder or purple hulled) along with some pot likker, fresh creamed corn, chopped tomatoes and onions all piled up. This is one of my favorite meals in the summer. I think I could eat it at least once a day.
What is pot likker??
Pot likker is the juice leftover from cooking greens…collard, turnip, etc….
We used to argue over who was going to get it after the meal was over! Put it in a cup with just enough salt in it to taste and drink it…loved it!
Pot likker can also be used in making corn bread…it makes it a whole meal …. that is how poor folks survived…they never drained and discarded the “pot likker” (its loaded with vitamins and calcium and other good things. )
Your recipes are always good so I know this one will be too! Christy, I wore my hair like that also, but we always called one a ponytail, and when you wore two, they were PIGTAILS!