This Southern easy Jiffy layered cornbread salad recipe is a perfect side dish during the holidays or a barbecue! Layers of corn, cheese and more make it irresistible!

If you’re looking for a great side dish for the holidays this easy layered cornbread salad is delicious! I had a version of this when I was down South for a visit and decided to put a West Coast spin on it. Special thanks goes out to Del Monte® for sponsoring this post. (originally published 10/17, affiliate links present)
Jiffy Layered Cornbread Salad
The items I was given to incorporate into a tasty dish were Sweet Whole Kernel Corn, feta cheese, basil, and lemon. This whole thing starts with making a batch of Jiffy cornbread in cast iron skillet, or method of your choice.
You’ll want to do this first so it can cool completely, then you’re going to crumble it with your hands and use that as one layer. Let your kids get involved in the part of it, they will love you for it.

Layered cornbread salad
The beauty of this is that it not only tastes delicious but looks really pretty too. You have to have something like this trifle dish you see above so it is clear and you can see all the colors and textures from top to bottom.
- Glass bowl or trifle dish
- Cornbread
- you can use Jiffy cornbread mix in the oven or use our pressure cooker cornbread recipe
- you’re going to crumble cornbread so it doesn’t have to cook pretty
- 3 cans whole kernel corn drained
- Feta & cheddar cheese
- Tomatoes
- Pinto beans
- or black beans rinsed and drained
- Ranch mix salad dressing – 1 oz. dry mix in a packet or use larger container
- Sour cream
- Mayonnaise
- Bacon
- fresh, cooked, or use a package of real bacon bits
- Diced bell pepper is great
- Green onions for garnish on top
You could make air fryer croutons and serve those on top of each bowl too.

I like to say this is a sweet and savory dish because the slight sweetness of the cornbread and juicy Del Monte Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn pairs well with the cheeses and fresh vegetables. Now this is how you can customize this cornbread salad to your liking:
Jiffy Cornbread Salad Easy
- If you aren’t a big fan of green peppers, leave them out.
- Use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar
- You could us white whole kernel corn if you’d rather
- Some people say they have a hard time finding ranch dressing packets in the store, well you can make your own ranch dressing mix in a small bowl here.
That is why I love this easy side dish. If I forget something or know someone who doesn’t care for one of the ingredients, I can adjust accordingly and it still tastes fabulous. It’s a great recipe if you have a vegetable garden outside too!
Green tomatoes would be a yummy substitute if they were in season. Just make it yourself and see how much fun it is to make and create. 😉

You can see all the layers here. I decided to load it up this time and increased the amount of corn because I love the vibrant colors. It brings a sweet crunch to this layered cornbread salad too.
I happened to have bacon already so I included that. If you want to make it vegetarian you can easily leave that and/or the cheese out.
- Just cover and chill when you’re done
- Then serve this with your main dish
Southern corn bread salad
If you love layered salads like this you’ll love this 7 layer salad as well as our other side dishes below!
- Tuna macaroni salad recipe is always a favorite during the summertime
- Creamy pasta salad is a great side dish to serve for all occasions too
- Our bacon pasta salad is a great side dish with a protein.
Easy ambrosia recipe is a sweet treat my kids insist on for Christmas!

What are the most popular side dishes?
First of all it depends on what time of year you’re talking about. Most people like to use what’s in season so summer side dishes would differ from Christmas side dishes. This one uses canned ingredients though so you can make it year round!!
- Vegetables would top this list too for sure.
- French fries and steak fries rock but if it were up to me we are all about Jiffy hush puppies nowadays
- Our pickle pasta salad is hugely popular with crowds
- Potatoes – baked potatoes, ranch potatoes
- Salad – this category could have hundreds of varieties
Cornbread salad recipe
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Jiffy Layered Cornbread Salad
Ingredients
- 4 c Corn kernels, canned, drained
- 1/2 c Feta cheese or more if desired
- 3 tbsp basil finely chopped, plus 1 whole for garnish on the top
- 1 Lemon
- 4 medium Tomatoes diced
- 1 c Sour cream
- 1 c mayonnaise
- 1 pkt Ranch dressing mix dry mix
- 1 1/2 Bell peppers I use 1/2 of all 3 colors – optional
- 30 oz Pinto beans canned, drained
- 1/2 c Green onions diced, optional
- 2 c cheddar cheese shredded
- 7 strips Bacon optional, or use packaged real bacon bits
- 16 oz Cornbread mix and ingredients to make it, bake it, crumble it
Instructions
- Chop and dice all your vegetables.
- Mix together your tomatoes, bell peppers, and green onions if you included them.
- In another bowl whisk together your mayo, sour cream, and ranch dressing mix packet. (I then spoon it into a pint freezer bag so I can squeeze it out.)
- Bake your cornbread according to the directions on the package. Cook your bacon and dice it up when it is cooked and cooled.
- When cornbread is cool use a fork to mash it up into a sand like texture.
- In a tall trifle dish layer 1/3 of your ingredients at a time. Start with the crushed cornbread, then your tomato mixture, then your two layers of cheeses, followed by pinto beans, chopped bacon, corn, and sprinkle of chopped basil.
- Squeeze 1/3 of your mayonnaise mixture on top in a swirl.
- Do 2 more layers this way until all of your ingredients are gone.
- Put 1 whole piece of basil on top to garnish, and squeeze half a lemon over the top!
- Serve immediately or keep cool in your fridge for an hour or two and then serve.
Rosemary Whiting
Thursday 23rd of November 2017
I havepkî
Pj
Monday 16th of October 2017
My family, friends & co-workers love this recipe for cornbread salad. Depending on what I have on hand, I've substituted black beans for pinto, skipped the bacon & went with shredded Rotisserie chicken or ground beef , used Mexican blend cheese & added sliced black olives. Also good served over tortilla chips or fritos. I've even mixed in some spanish rice when I wanted to stretch the servings. This is such a versatile recipe! Thank you, Justine.