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!
YES!! This is one of my most favorite ‘new’ recipes! And I am no quitter either
;-}…fortunately for me, my hubby isn’t wild about this so I get to eat most of it myself. YES again! I do add black beans to mine…you might want to try that sometime. Absolutely wonderful and I love that it keeps up to a week…if it doesn’t get eaten sooner. FYI – I am the head of our Operation Christmas Child program at church – I’ve been previewing the videos and was just so tickled to see you in one of them. God bless you richly Dear for giving yourself away in so many ways.
I also make cornbread salad and it is always a big hit…I take it to every church dinner and never have to worry about bringing any home…Mine is layered with the cornbread at the bottom and then a can of corn and pinto beans, drained very well. Then I put green onions next. Green pepper goes next with grape tomatoes cut in half to follow that. I mix my mayo with sour cream and a package of Hidden Valley Ranch mix and spread over the previous ingrediants. Then it is put into the refrigerator over night or until well chilled..Befor I serve it I sprinkle with mild Cheddar Cheese and the bacon (real) bits….A real Hit.
A small family restaurant by the name of “Grandma Peaches” (definitely located in the south – where else?) made this as a standard on Sundays. Lines formed out the door. It’s been 12-15 years or more since I stood in that line and tasted this wonderful cornbread salad, Thanks for the memories, Christy! Definitely using my bacon grease in this!!!!
Oh wow, where is this restaurant at Sheila? I hope you like the recipe!!
Oh gf..how I’m LOVING your site!!! You took me back in time reading about your family reunion. Stay true.
Oh and cornbread salad will be made for our women’s ministry meeting!
I just finished making this for Labor Day festivities. I was very wary of making it, but I was convinced that with all the reviews of people who had tried it, loved it. So I did. Well, let me join in–in singing the praises of this salad. It is truly delicious. I did not use Mayo/Ranch combo as Christy posted. I used 16 oz. of Ranch with Bacon (more Bacon!!) I’m thinking next time I’ll use Ro-Tel (green chilies and tomatoes), drain it off for a bit more kick. But frankly it’s perfect as is. Your not really ‘aware’ your eating cornbread, it blends so well and it is like a vegtable salad with the texture coming from the cornbread. I would like to suggest that if you are able, to consider using a fresh/crisp canned corn. Perhaps even frozen. The crispness of the corn is wonderful– you won’t go wrong if you don’t have it, just a suggestion. And!! If you can, make the whole batch of bacon plus any extra you find as that is just yumm-o!
I am so glad to hear that you tried it and liked it!!!
I consider cornbread to be one of the major food groups. Definitely making this soon!
The wonderful hard working guys and gals of our car care ministry meet tomorrow night and I’m taking this to add to their dinner. I guess I’m using them as guinea pigs but it’s cornbread and bacon, how can it be bad ?! We are United Methodists, there must be food !!