# The best Southern comfort foods

The dishes of the American South that define comfort food, according to Southern Living, Taste of Home, Allrecipes and CookUnity.

- 65 votes · 14 items
- Jun 10, 2026 · Amber Watson
- https://even.best/en/l/872/the-best-southern-comfort-foods

## Top 12

1. **Shrimp and grits** (8 · ▲8 ▼0) — Lowcountry shrimp over creamy stone-ground grits, from Charleston.
2. **Southern fried chicken** (7 · ▲7 ▼0) — Buttermilk-brined chicken fried crisp in a cast iron skillet.
3. **Fried green tomatoes** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — Cornmeal-crusted unripe tomatoes, fried.
4. **Peach cobbler** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — Baked peaches under a biscuit topping.
5. **Biscuits and gravy** (4 · ▲5 ▼1) — Flaky buttermilk biscuits smothered in sausage gravy.
6. **Gumbo** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Louisiana stew thickened with roux and okra, with sausage and seafood.
7. **Jambalaya** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Creole rice with sausage, chicken and shrimp.
8. **Chicken and dumplings** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Chicken stew with soft dumplings.
9. **Collard greens** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Slow-cooked greens with ham hock and pot liquor.
10. **Banana pudding** (3 · ▲4 ▼1) — Layered custard, bananas and vanilla wafers.
11. **Chicken-fried steak** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Breaded, fried beef steak with cream gravy, from Texas.
12. **Cornbread** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Skillet cornbread, sweet or savoury.
13. **Mac and cheese** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Baked macaroni with plenty of cheddar, a soul food side.
14. **Hush puppies** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Fried cornmeal balls served with fish.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.