20 Scrumptious Recipes That Start With Cornmeal

"This shrimp and grits can usually be made with on-hand ingredients. The best part: It's ready in under 30 minutes." —thedailygourmet

This cornbread-chili mashup gets its rich flavor from herbs, spices, sugar, and even unsweetened cocoa powder.

Blue cornmeal boasts more protein than the yellow cornmeal, but our reviewers attest that you can use either here.

"This versatile side dish would work great along with pork, chicken, beef or fish. The trick is to slowly add the cornmeal and whisk constantly to avoid lumps." —dadrules

"The flavor of the cake is actually quite delicate with no hint of a cornbread taste," Buckwheat Queen says. "The lemon glaze gives it a gooey texture, and the almond meal accents that. I kept mine in the fridge and served cool with warm toasted almond shavings on top. A nice light, cake that just happens to be gluten free — can't beat that!"

Though the recipe calls for polenta, you can replace it with cornmeal. With equal parts cornmeal and all-purpose flour, plus some seasoning, this recipe qualifies a pantry-friendly dinner.

No air fryer? No problem. This oil-free, cornbread-crusted fish relies on the oven to "fry" it to crispy perfection.

"My grandmother's fried green tomatoes were famous in our community. The recipe is so simple, but the results are delicious!" —HeyGoodLookin

"Sweet blueberries and savory corn are the perfect combination in this easy skillet cornbread that's perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner." —Jenine

"This is an adaptation of a popular dish from the Lombardy region of Italy. It typically uses fatty cheeses and butter. This version offers all the flavor without animal fats," recipe creator Buckwheat Queen says. 

"This is a scrumptious real cornbread recipe. It is not the yellow cakey sweet cornbread that some restaurants serve. It is a real corn-mealy cornbread. It is delicious as is or with the addition of chopped jalapenos or corn or whatever. The cayenne adds flavor but not heat. Don't leave it out," Jean Severance Ney says.

"Oh, how delightful! I wanted to use up some yogurt and cornbread, so I input those two ingredients into the recipe finder and this is what came up. It's like a dense, sweet cornbread. I used frozen blueberries because I wanted to save my fresh strawberries for another dish," Maria Brown says. "I had a slice with some vanilla ice cream while it was still just slightly warm, and it was delicious. This recipe is a keeper."

"This recipe combines two Wisconsin favorites: cranberries and cornmeal. These deliciously different cookies with their tangy cranberry filling are hard to resist!" —larkspur

If you're not a pickle person, you can use this method to fry other veggies. If, however, you are a pickle person, you're in for a treat.

Be warned: Once you cook these carnival-inspired corn dogs, you won't go back to the store-bought alternative. 

Persimmons and cornmeal don't seem like an obvious pair — until you try this dessert.

"This was a very easy recipe, and the fish was delicious, flaky, and crisp, without too much coating," says Kathy L. "I will make this again, for sure!"

"Oh my goodness! This is as good as you can get in any restaurant. I was a little worried because the egg coupled with the okra's natural 'stickiness' made sort of an ooey-gooey mess when I tried to roll them in the cornmeal mixture. But once they went into the oil, they fried up perfectly and were delish! In fact, I'm making them again tonight." —JBKINCAID

Sage adds a savory, herby flavor to creamy Parmesan polenta. 

"This recipe is a great alternative to pan-fried catfish. A combination of cornmeal and a variety of spices gives this recipe a savory kick in less than 30 minutes." —Mrs. Hermes