Southern Corn Pudding Casserole

Nothing says cozy holiday like a sweet, creamy casserole. This Southern Corn pudding Casserole is a great addition and super easy side dish for the holiday season if you're tired of the same recipes year after year. This dish is a crowd-pleaser and goes great for a Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas table spread. It'll be a big hit for your next family gathering.

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How this Recipe Came About

Living in Kentucky now, I've been trying hand at more Southern dishes, firstly because they're just so good and secondly because my husband and kids seem to really like them. Also, my husband has turned into a gardening fool the last few years and decided to grow some corn this year. I felt inspired to come up with some more delicious corn recipes to use his spectacular new harvest. Unfortunately, his corn harvest turned out to be a little sparse this year, we'll give it another shot next year. It was our first time trying to grow corn. This easy corn casserole recipe remained on my radar. It became a big hit with my guys, so I knew I had to share it. This might not be a true classic southern side dish, but it's my take on a Southern corn pudding recipe that you might love to add to your dinner table on the holidays.

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What's the Difference Between Corn Pudding & Corn Casserole

So, this question was one I had when I first sought to make this custard-like dish. We have tried the popular City BBQ corn pudding and were in love. That's wicked good stuff and I probably can't replicate that perfect creamy corn pudding, but I can try. If you look at the differences, it seems these classic American South side dishes differ with the addition of eggs in a corn pudding. Also, a corn casserole is like a cross between a semi-soft cornbread and a strata. I personally don't like really eggy dishes, and neither does my family, so that's where mine differs with just a couple eggs to add a little fluff, with a slight corn soufflé feel. This recipe is more like a creamy, fluffy cornbread muffin casserole.

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How to Make Corn Pudding Casserole

I use a mix of whole kernel corn and a little creamed corn to make this delicious corn pudding casserole. I also make my own take on "jiffy corn muffin mix" instead of using the boxed kind. If you want to use actual "jiffy cornbread mix" you absolutely can with the way I wrote the recipe, but honestly, it's not hard at all to put a few simple ingredients together to make your own.

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How to Serve this Side Dish

This delicious side dish would go great with a spiral Ham for Christmas Dinner. It can also be a perfect dish to go with Thanksgiving dinner if you're needing a different side, but need an easy recipe to not complicate your already busy holiday cooking. This recipe can easily be prepared ahead of time, refrigerated, and then warmed in the oven the day of. Just remember that your bake time might vary a bit.

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Southern Corn Pudding Casserole Ingredients

• Whole kernel corn- You can use cooked fresh corn, cut off the cob, but my go-to on hand is super sweet frozen corn. You may use canned corn if that's what you have available.
• Creamed Corn- Just 1 can adds a little creamy corn goodness to this fluffy sweet corn pudding.
• Cheddar Cheese- Medium or Sharp cheddar cheese is great, but you can also elevate this dish with a smoked cheddar cheese.
• Whole Milk Sour Cream- This is not a health conscious recipe, so use the real stuff if you can for that extra rich flavor a holiday dish deserves.
• Butter- Good old fashioned real butter! Is there a Southern recipe out there that doesn't include butter?!
• Brown Sugar- Just for a little added sweetness. Even though it's not a "wet" ingredient, I still add it here because it stirs in well with the melted sugar and the rest of the wet ingredients without clumping.
• Whole Large Eggs- You can use any kind of large chicken eggs you like, I get mine from my backyard chickens. 😉

DIY "Jiffy Mix"

These are the dry ingredients only. These are simple pantry staples you most likely already have. You can use this instead of store-bought "jiffy corn muffin mix." If you prefer though, you can use the boxed mix in place of these dry ingredients.

• All Purpose flour- I always prefer unbleached organic all-purpose flour.
• Yellow cornmeal- I usually use a fine granule corn meal for this recipe.
• Sugar- Yes, there is sugar, it's the third ingredient in "jiffy mix" so here's mine, I add less than the box probably has and there is a little more with the brown sugar I include in the "wet" mix.
• Baking Powder- this helps get that fluffy texture in the casserole.
• Salt & Pepper- a little salt accentuates the favors as well as a little black pepper. There is no black pepper in the "Jiffy Mix," but I just think it's easier to add to to the dry mixture here.

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Optional Additions for the Casserole:

Want to Add a little Heat?

• Green Chiles- Chopped-up green chilis can be folded into the batter before baking or sprinkled on top.
• Roasted Jalapenos- If these are chopped up, they can be folded into the batter before baking or sprinkled on top.
• Pickled Jalapenos- These can be added on top before baking.
• Smoked Cheddar Cheese- Want to Add a subtle smokey undertone to your dish? You can add smoked cheese of your choice. I would recommend smoked sharp cheddar for the best flavor. If you're doing it yourself, you would need to smoke the cheese 2 weeks ahead of time. Check out our other post on How to Smoke Cheese.

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