Spoonbread Recipe (Ready in 65 Min)

A comforting vegetarian built around yellow corn meal, grated sharp cheddar cheese and scallions, minced — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.

You'll mainly reach for oven and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 190C (375F) and generously butter a 2-litre baking dish.
Bring the milk to a gentle simmer in a saucepan, then whisk in the corn meal in a slow stream and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a smooth porridge, about 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, minced scallions and grated cheddar until the butter and cheese melt, then let cool until just warm.
Whisk the egg yolks together, then beat a spoonful of the warm corn meal into the yolks to temper them before stirring the yolks back into the rest of the mixture along with the baking powder.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks, then gently fold them into the corn meal batter in two additions to keep it light.
Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake until puffed, golden and set in the centre, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Serve immediately with a spoon while it is still tall and airy, as spoonbread will deflate as it cools.

You'll use: Oven · Saucepan · Pan · Whisk · Baking dish

Ingredient substitutions

Milk: any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Eggs: ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
Butter: olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine

Tips & common questions

How long does Spoonbread take to make?

About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.

What can I use instead of milk?

Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.

Can I scale this recipe up or down?

Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.

Is Spoonbread vegetarian?

Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.