Trust A Southern Grandmother -- This Surprising Ingredient Belongs In Your Cornbread

Josh Miller

March 8, 2025 at 2:02 AM

My respect for mayonnaise has been well documented here at Southern Living. As a kid I loved mayonnaise on sandwiches and saltines -- just mayo, nothing else. As an adult, I can't live without it in my pimiento cheese, chicken salad, and egg salad recipes. I've tried it in quiche, soup, and even cake -- and appreciate it in all three.

Related: The Magic Of Mayo

Before you clutch your pearls and run out of here, I'm not asking you to drop a dollop of mayo on your soup or stir it into your chocolate cake (although I wish you would, it's SO GOOD). But I am going to ask you to try one thing.

Why You Should Add Mayonnaise To Your Cornbread

Before you balk, consider this: Mayonnaise is mostly fat and egg with a little vinegar. Think of it as buttermilk's thicker, richer college roommate. So it makes sense that mayonnaise makes baked goods more tender and moist, right?

That's the only reason folks add it to chocolate cake. Nobody wants to eat cake that tastes like a sandwich! The mayo flavor disappears, leaving only its texture-improving qualities.

Why It's Grandmother-Approved

The first time I ever tasted "Mayonnaise Cornbread" was at my friend Lane's house. We were chatting while he was stirring up some cornbread batter and he opened the fridge and grabbed a jar of mayonnaise. When he spooned out a generous, jiggly dollop, I froze in horror -- was he going to eat it off the spoon? ALL of it? How do I react? Do I pretend like it didn't happen?

Much to my relief, he turned to the bowl, rapped the spoon on the side, and proceeded to stir that mayonnaise right into the cornbread batter. "Mayonnaise in cornbread?" I asked, genuinely curious. "It's a Granny Ollie thing," he said, referring to his beloved maternal grandmother who grew up in Heflin, Alabama. "Mayo is just egg and oil with a tangy bit extra."

Granny Ollie's "Recipe" For Mayonnaise Cornbread

Like the most cherished heirloom recipes, there's not a lot of precision to Granny Ollie's cornbread directions. Her recipe relies on experience and a generous helping of common sense. Here is my friend Lane's recollection of his grandmother's recipe:

Ingredients

2 cups or so of self-rising cornmeal

about a tablespoon of self-rising flour

a serving spoon dollop of mayo

an egg

Directions:

Combine and add buttermilk until desired wetness.

Heat skillet with butter and veg oil in oven until hot.

Sprinkle large flake salt in skillet then pour in batter.

Bake at 450° or 500° even until done."

I can personally attest that Granny Ollie's recipe yielded some of the best cornbread I've ever had. And to this day, I use her "salt the skillet" trick with every pan of cornbread I make. When it comes to Southern cooking, grandmothers always know best.

Related: Our 28 Favorite Cornbread Recipes

Read the original article on Southern Living