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This cornmeal fried mush recipe is the perfect Midwest breakfast. Delicious firm cornmeal (or polenta) is lightly fried in butter and drizzled with maple syrup. It’s incredibly simple and totally delicious.
Have you ever heard of mush? Or what about polenta?
It’s the same thing, but it’s different in the way it’s prepared and eaten.
Growing up in Ohio, we always gently fried it in butter and served it with maple syrup for dipping or drizzling.
It was the perfect side dish for dinner, breakfast for dinner, or even a fast and easy dinner for one.
I have always loved it because it’s the perfect pairing of sweet and savory and can be ready in just 20 minutes.
What is fried mush?
Fried cornmeal mush is cornmeal made into a thick porridge, set up and cooled, sliced, and then lightly pan-fried in butter.
If you don’t like butter, you can use bacon fat or your oil of choice.
It’s a very southern and midwest dish that takes me right back home with every single bite!
Looking for a different but similar Southern dish? Try these easy grit cakes!
How is mush different than polenta?
Polenta and cornmeal mush are the same thing but typically served in very different ways.
Often, polenta is made into a thick porridge and then mixed with savory items like herbs, spices, and cheese. Then, it’s usually served with roasted tomatoes or topped with cooked meats.
Mush is typically eaten in the fried sliced format and served with a sweet dipping sauce like maple syrup.
It is also expected to fry up polenta like mush, but instead of serving it with maple syrup, it is served with warmed marinara sauce.
Where can I find prepared polenta or mush?
If you’re looking for the preformed logs of polenta, you can typically find them in 2 different areas of the grocery store.
The first area is by the pasta, rice, and gnocchi aisle. It is typically shelf-stable, so you’ll find it in a plastic roll on the shelf.
If you don’t see it on the shelf, it can also sometimes be found near where you find fresh pasta or egg roll wrappers.
What do I serve with fried cornmeal?
Fried cornmeal mush can be served alone with maple syrup or as a piece to a full breakfast.
Growing up, we often ate it with sausage or bacon and a few fried eggs.
It’s an excellent substitute for potatoes, pancakes, French toast, or waffles.
I love serving it with sausage because I love that sweet and savory combination.
What does fried cornmeal taste like?
It tastes very mildly of corn, as it’s just dried corn kernels ground into a fine powder.
It’s slightly sweet (naturally from the corn) but overall very mild in flavor.
How do I store fried cornmeal mush?
If you don’t eat all your mush in one sitting it can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
I usually reheat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to warm it back up.
More breakfast recipes
- Chorizo Cotija Guacamole Toast
- Blackberry Lemon Dutch Baby
- 2 Ingredient Cinnamon Roll Wrapped Sausages
- Cranberry Apple Yogurt Parfait
Fried Cornmeal Mush
Ingredients
- 1 roll of firm polenta or cornmeal, sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- Set sliced polenta to the side.
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add butter.
- Once the butter is melted add in the cornmeal slices.
- Cook until brown, flip, and cook on the other side until brown, about 5 minutes per side.
- Serve warm with maple syrup for drizzling.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I grew up in central Illinois in the 70s, and my dad would often buy “corn meal mush” (a log/brick–can’t remember whether it was round or square), and fry it up, and we’d dip bits in syrup.
SO delicious!!!!!
Fried mush is excellent WITH eggs over easy. Polenta us not as good.
Need recipe how to mix corn meal when you cannot find it in rolls.
1c cornmeal added to 1c water.
boil 3c water
stir in cornmeal mix stir,stir,stir! (CAUTION bubbles plop and burst, use long handled spoon)
when thickened, reduce heat to simmer and cover ,
time 5 minutes then take off heat,
stir and cool,
I place in bread tin for loaf shape.
Refrigerate – ready to slice and fry,
This is so easy to make from scratch, too. Have to make it the night before, but all it takes is corn meal, water, and salt. Have been eating fried mush all my life—in Ohio.
Is not just a Midwest breakfast. I am 78 years old, was raised in Pennsylvania Dutch area near Lancaster. My great grandmother told me how they made breakfast on the farm, and for the workers and fried cornmeal mush was one of them. My mom used to make us mush for dinner and put the leftovers in the bread pan and in the morning we had fried mush with syrup for breakfast.
Thank you for this! I grew up in the midwest savouring a rustic weekend breakfast that included fried Ralson (a wheat porridge)cooked in bacon fat and served with maple syrup. Any porridge can be fried; I dredge the slices in whatever the porridge was made of, which makes for a nice crunchy crust. Did it with polenta when I lived in Italy. It works with oatmeal and the and the super fine corn meal in South Africa called mealie meal. I mix up the sweet and savoury; serve some with salt and pepper, others with honey. Yum.
I had never heard of Mush, and especially not made with maple syrup. A new friend from Ohio was craving it so I had to look it up. Now I can make it for her, and a new adventure for me! In Chicago I always made the savory version Italian style.
Hi Cheryl – Yes It’s definitely a real midwest treat!
Not much of a recipe. Go to store, buy roll of mush, slice, fry, and top. Where’s the instructions for making your own? Do you look for the shortcut in all you do?
Have a good day buying foods you don’t have to prepare.
LarryE
Hi Larry! Thank you so much for your kind comment! While I don’t always “look for the shortcut in all I do” I do sometimes like to share recipes from my childhood. Sorry my parents never made it fully from scratch. I hope you have a wonderful day.
I made a double batch of mush. How can I store that in can be frozen? I’ve got a whole 9 x 13 pan of homemade mush, and hoping to be able to store it, but I’m not sure how or if I can!!! Thanks for any help, you can give me on this
Sherry
Hi Sherry – you can easily freeze mush! I like to put the slices on a baking sheet pan, freeze on the sheet pan, pull off the pan and then add all the frozen discs in a freezer ziptop baggie. Doing it this way stops the disk from freezing together.