The aroma of crackling cornmeal in a cast-iron skillet takes me back to my grandmother Ethel’s kitchen in Jefferson City, Missouri. On crisp morning visits, she’d serve golden-brown slices of fried cornmeal mush, crispy on the outside and creamy within. This humble dish, born from Depression-era resourcefulness, remains one of my most treasured breakfast memories.
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A recipe ahead of its time!
Are you looking for a gluten-, dairy-free, and egg-free breakfast menu item? This may be a great option for you. While cornmeal mush has been associated with being a food of the poor, and pan-fried cornmeal mush is a flavorful breakfast. This is a warm breakfast that will fill the bellies of your family.
Fried cornmeal mush has a crispy outside and is tender and moist inside. This can be topped with butter, fried in bacon grease, or even topped with maple syrup if you want to enjoy it sweet.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Versatile: Enjoy it sweet with maple syrup or savory with butter and salt
- Budget-Friendly: Using simple pantry staples, this recipe feeds a family for pennies per serving
- Dietary-Friendly: Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free
- Make-Ahead: Prepare the cornmeal loaf the night before for quick morning frying
The history behind the dish
Before becoming a Depression-era staple, cornmeal mush was a gift from Native American tribes to early American settlers. The dish crossed cultural boundaries, transforming into Italian polenta and Southern grits. During the Civil War, both armies relied on this hearty, economical food for sustenance.
Recipe ingredients for this fried cornmeal mush recipe
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Yellow Cornmeal, Martha White recommended – Provides the main structure and creates the signature texture
- Water – Cold water prevents lumps, boiling water gelatinizes the cornmeal
- Salt – Enhances flavor and helps balance the natural sweetness of corn
- Sugar – Adds subtle sweetness and helps achieve better browning
- Vegetable oil for frying – Creates the crispy golden-brown exterior
How to Make Fried Cornmeal Mush
- Bring water to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan
- Combine cornmeal, cold water, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
- Gradually add the cornmeal mixture to the boiling water, stirring constantly.
- Cook the cornmeal until thick.
- Reduce heat, cover the pan, and cook for five more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour the cooked cornmeal into a loaf pan.
- Cool the cornmeal, then refrigerate it for several hours or overnight.
- Remove the cornmeal from the loaf pan,
- Slice cornmeal mush into 1/4-inch slices.
- Heat oil in a skillet.
- Fry the cornmeal slices slowly in the hot oil over medium-high heat until browned, turning them over once while frying.
Serve homemade fried mush hot with butter and syrup.
Pro Tips for Success
- Keep the heat medium-low while frying to achieve a crispy crust without burning
- Don’t crowd the pan; leave space between slices
- Pat slices dry before frying to prevent oil splatter
- Use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet for the best browning
Common Questions and Troubleshooting
Q: Why is my mush too soft to slice? A: Ensure proper cornmeal-to-water ratio and adequate chilling time.
Q: How do I prevent the slices from falling apart? A: Cut cleanly with a sharp knife and handle gently when frying.
Variations and Substitutions
- Cornmeal Types: While yellow cornmeal is traditional, white cornmeal works too
- Cooking Fat: Try bacon grease for extra flavor
- Gluten-Free: Already naturally gluten-free, no modifications needed
- Vegan: Use plant-based butter for serving
Storage and Reheating
- Storage: Unfried mush keeps up to 5 days refrigerated
- Freezing: Slice before freezing, separate with parchment paper
- Reheating: Already fried slices can be reheated in a 350°F oven until hot
Serving Suggestions
Sweet Toppings:
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Fresh berries
- Whipped cream
Savory Additions:
- Butter and salt
- Cheese and herbs
- Fried eggs
- Bacon or sausage
Scaling the Recipe
- For smaller households, halve the recipe using a smaller loaf pan
- For larger groups, maintain the same ratios but use multiple pans
- The basic ratio is 1 cup of cornmeal to 3 cups of water
Looking for more ways to use cornmeal? Try these recipes!
- Blackeyed Pea Cornbread
- Boston Market Cornbread
- Homemade Hush Puppies
- Mexican Cornbread with Jiffy Mix
- Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Sour Cream Cornbread
- Tippins Cornbread
Popular Breakfast Recipes
Check out my easy breakfast recipes and my favorite family recipes here on CopyKat!
Fried Cornmeal Mush
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups water
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal Martha White recommended
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Bring 2 3/4 cups water to a boil over high heat.
- Combine cornmeal, 1 cup cold water, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
- Gradually add the cornmeal mixture to the boiling water, constantly stirring while adding the mixture.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and cook the cornmeal until thick.
- Reduce heat to low and cover the pan.
- Cook 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour cooked cornmeal into a loaf pan.
- Cool the cornmeal to room temperature then refrigerate it for several hours.
- Turn the cornmeal out of the loaf pan and cut it into 1-inch slices.
- Put just enough oil in a skillet to cover the bottom.
- Place the skillet over medium heat and heat the oil until hot. It will begin to shimmer. Do not let it get too hot or begin smoke.
- Fry the cornmeal slices slowly in the hot oil until browned on the bottom.
- Gently turn the slices over in the pan and fry them until browned on the bottom.
- Serve fried mush hot with butter and syrup.
Perfect!
My mom used to make this when I was little and I’ve tried many times with epic failures. I guess I was too impatient for it to fry properly! I followed your advice and let it sit there frying for a while! I sliced mine thinner. Probably half an inch but for it to come loose from the pan and keep the crisp coating it took 8 minutes per side for mine. Thank you so much for a great recipe!
We had cornmeal mush when I was a kid but never fried. Instead of frying it, ate it as a cereal, served with milk, sugar, etc. We loved it.
Arg!! Because of the many many ads popping up I had to screenshot the recipe! With that said, this was a delicious treat, my family and I thank you so very much 😁
Am going to try the mush.
I’m a native Yankee so, tho I’ve heard of cornmeal mush, I’ve never tried it. Am definitely going to make it for my AL husband.
For verification, scrapple is made from all kinds of the pig nobody wants to know about (sorta like what’s in hot dogs!).
I’ve always believed it originated with the PA Dutch people who lived in/around Lancaster, PA., not far from where I grew up.
It’s mixed with pork stock & yellow corn meal, some salt & some spices I don’t know about.
It’s shaped into an oblong loaf.
Refrigerate or freeze then defrost to fry until brown on both sides.
I use a cast iron skillet.
Grandma Schultz made this for us kids and it was my favorite breakfast. She sliced the corn meal thin and fried it in butter from her own cows. Nothing better for breakfast. Sausage gravy over all was the final touch. I can remember snatching hot crispy slices from her skillet, unable to wait for the gravy. Yum!
I have an elderly fellow friend that would like to have mush, but he told me that when his mother made it she made it in patties. Is this different than what is suggested with the pan choice? Is there a different recipe or would I use the same recipe for patties. I have never made but would like to surprise him with some. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks.
Claudia
You could make it any way you like, but the key is allowing the mush to cool and to become solid.
My grandmother would add cooked, long strips of chicken and lots of crushed red hot peppers. It was sliced and served cold. It was so heavenly!
How about gotta? Now served near Cincinnati at a small restaurant. Fried like mush. Yummy.
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Goetta pronounced getta……it’s a mixture of sausage and cooked steel cut oats. Then you let it chill and cut it up like fried mush and fry in hot grease in aLindnual goetta festival. We went there and ate a ton of fried goetta…..it is DELISH!!!
I have eaten this since I was small. I make it for my family All the time. My husband had never had it. It is really good if you add a little bit of garlic powder and dried Italian seasons.. Its a great family favorite
I bet this is tasty if you add a little garlic powder.
Bless your heart! My mother made this when we were children and we had no idea we were poor as church mice because it was our absolute favorite! My brother loved it so much my mom was astonished because it saved her having to give us bacon or sausage on the weekends which was expensive for her. I’ve tried to make corneal mush but didn’t realize it had to cook as long as it does. So mine always stuck to the pan and fell apart. I cannot wait to try this!
Thank you for rekindling one of my fondest recipes.
Use a Teflon surface for frying. Bacon grease was used to add flavor.
My mother in law says you should flour the slices when frying. Holds shape better and crisper too.
My father would cook a ham bone in the water first.
Then put the finished mush in a loaf pan to set before
removing the loaf and freezing it.
A great breakfast or other meal when sliced, fried and
served with syrup
Oh bet that tastes delicious!
We boil up pork neckbonea, pick off the little bits of pork then refrigerate over night so we can take off the fat. Once you use bone broth for the liquid you won’t want to use water again. My depression era grandmother made milk pans of this for her hubs and 10 children, sliced then dipped in flour and pan fried .delicious!
Sounds very similar to what my family used to make.
did you happen to see triple d when guy “refussed” to eat “”polenta”” with syrup—it was a scream–btw great site
Thank you. People are interesting with their food preferences.
I fell in love with your website when I saw this recipe. I was immediately transported back to Mom’s kitchen. This was a mainstay for my Grandma who raised 13 children on a miner’s pension. Although it is thrifty it is delicious and one never felt poor when eating it.
My family did a version of this that they called scrapple, it had pork, onions, and some sage in it. We fried it just like this and ate it. Loved it.
My parents made “scrapple” with the left over meat of the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving. My favorite treat. I can’t replicate it for anything.
My family made something similar with pork.
How about gotta? Now served near Cincinnati at a small restaurant. Fried like mush. Yummy.
sp error. it’s Goetta, a breakfast meat, fried like mush.
Recipe found on internet. Google the word.
Scrapple and gotta seem to be one of the same. My family loves it!!
I tripled the batch for mush. Made about 2 loaf pans. Made the night before, fried it in the morning. Grandma and mother made both…. A poor man’s breakfast!
my mother boiled down pork neck bones with some onions & celery and then pulled the meat from them after they had cooled. This liquid was strained before adding any cornmeal, etc. to it. A little sage was added also. It took me several efforts years ago to realize that you had to boil this until it was stiff almost before putting it in a loaf pan. This makes me want to make some more right now.
So that sounds like something my family used to make, and we called it ponas. Some people call that scrapple as well. It was so tasty!