17 Traditional Southern Desserts That Never Go Out of Style

Southern desserts carry traditions that have lasted for generations, with flavors that feel just as timeless today as they did decades ago. These 17 recipes highlight the kind of sweets that never leave Southern tables, whether for holidays, Sunday dinners, or everyday comfort. They show how simple ingredients, bold flavors, and family traditions keep certain desserts alive year after year. As you scroll, you’ll find the comfort and nostalgia that remind you why some recipes truly never go out of style.

Butterscotch Peach Crisp with Fresh Peaches

Bourbon‑peach crisp topped with juicy peaches. — Butterscotch Peach Crisp with Fresh Peaches. Photo credit: Renee Nicole’s Kitchen.

Butterscotch Peach Crisp with Fresh Peaches shows how Southern desserts keep fruit at the center of tradition. Baked in under an hour, ripe peaches soften beneath a golden topping that feels timeless. The butterscotch adds depth without straying from what has long made crisps popular across the South. It’s a dessert that proves fruit and simplicity can carry a Southern table generation after generation.
Get the Recipe: Butterscotch Peach Crisp with Fresh Peaches

Strawberry Shortcake with Brown Sugar Biscuits

Strawberry Shortcake with Brown Sugar Biscuits highlights how Southern desserts elevate simple fruit into something memorable. Ready in less than an hour, this recipe layers berries, biscuits, and cream in a way that has endured through decades. The brown sugar biscuits tie it closer to Southern kitchens, giving the shortcake a regional feel. It’s the kind of dessert that still appears proudly at gatherings whenever berries are in season.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake with Brown Sugar Biscuits

Brown Butter Roasted Pecans

Brown Butter Roasted Pecans showcase how Southern desserts often begin with pecans as the foundation. Cooked quickly on the stovetop, the nuts toast in butter with a flavor that has graced Southern tables for generations. Though simple, this preparation shows why pecans remain central to the region’s sweet traditions. These pecans continue to remind people that even the smallest dessert recipes carry Southern history.
Get the Recipe: Brown Butter Roasted Pecans

Blackberry Crumble Pie

Blackberry Crumble Pie represents one of the Southern desserts that keeps fruit in the spotlight. In just over an hour, berries bake into a filling topped with crumbs that echo recipes passed down through families. This pie reflects the tradition of using seasonal fruit in ways that still resonate today. It’s the dessert that fills kitchens with an aroma that signals the South’s sweetest traditions live on.
Get the Recipe: Blackberry Crumble Pie

Spiced Shortbread Cookies

Spiced Shortbread Cookies connect to Southern desserts through their use of warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Baked in under 30 minutes, these cookies bring out the flavors often tied to Southern holidays and gatherings. Their simplicity shows how the South has long turned pantry basics into memorable sweets. These cookies remain a reminder that Southern baking often thrives in small, spiced details.
Get the Recipe: Spiced Shortbread Cookies

Butter Pecan Cookies

Butter Pecan Cookies carry the flavor that defines so many Southern desserts. Ready in under an hour, they combine toasted pecans with soft dough, giving them a place at cookie tables and gatherings across the South. Their reliance on pecans ties them directly to the region’s traditions. These cookies prove that one flavor can anchor a dessert to its Southern roots.
Get the Recipe: Butter Pecan Cookies

Spiced Pear Cobbler

A spoonful of oatmeal with diced apples hovers above a white bowl filled with creamy oatmeal. A green pear and a cinnamon stick tempt in the background, hinting at cheat day desserts that delight without breaking rules. — Spiced Pear Cobbler. Photo credit: Renee Nicole’s Kitchen.

Spiced Pear Cobbler represents a Southern dessert tradition that refuses to fade. In about an hour, pears soften beneath a biscuit topping that has been served across Southern kitchens for generations. The spiced filling reflects the way Southerners use seasonal fruit to carry flavor through cooler months. This cobbler shows that even small variations keep Southern traditions alive.
Get the Recipe: Spiced Pear Cobbler

Blueberry Cobbler

Blueberry Cobbler is among the most iconic Southern desserts, pairing fruit with a biscuit crust baked in under an hour. Its bubbling filling and golden topping remain a fixture at family gatherings. Southerners have passed down cobbler recipes for decades, and blueberries stand as one of the classic fruits. This cobbler confirms that no Southern dessert list feels complete without it.
Get the Recipe: Blueberry Cobbler

Coconut Custard Pie

Coconut Custard Pie is one of the Southern desserts that has stood the test of time. Baked in under an hour plus cooling, this pie transforms simple ingredients into a dish remembered for decades. The smooth custard with coconut topping reflects the balance of texture and taste Southerners value. This pie remains a staple that bridges past and present.
Get the Recipe: Coconut Custard Pie

Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake

A round pineapple upside-down cake topped with red cherries, displayed on a white plate. Pineapple and cherries in the background. — Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake. Photo credit: xoxoBella.

Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake reveals how retro desserts became part of Southern traditions. Ready in about an hour, its glossy, fruit-topped appearance made it popular for family gatherings and church suppers. The combination of ease and presentation helped secure its place across the South. This cake continues to remind people how a simple dessert can still carry lasting Southern charm.
Get the Recipe: Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake

Easy Banana Pudding

Banana pudding in a bowl with whipped cream and bananas. — Easy Banana Pudding. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Easy Banana Pudding is one of the Southern desserts that never left the spotlight. In less than an hour plus cooling, layers of bananas, cookies, and cream create a chilled dish loved across seasons. Its comfort and accessibility explain why it has been served at countless Southern gatherings. This pudding shows that some recipes are too tied to tradition ever to fade away.
Get the Recipe: Easy Banana Pudding

Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie

A bite of pecan pie on a fork. — Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie. Photo credit: Little House Big Alaska.

Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie may be the single most recognized of all Southern desserts. Baked in under an hour, it combines toasted nuts with a sweet filling inside a crisp crust. Its presence at holidays and gatherings has made it inseparable from Southern tradition. This pie continues to embody what people expect when they think of Southern dessert tables.
Get the Recipe: Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie

Chocolate Pralines

Chocolate Pralines display the candy-making side of Southern desserts that has lasted for generations. Made on the stovetop and set in under 30 minutes, they show how sugar, cream, and pecans became festive staples. Their association with Louisiana fairs and holidays keeps them tied to the South’s sweetest traditions. Pralines prove that not every dessert needs to be baked to stay rooted in Southern culture.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Pralines

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake represents one of the most lasting Southern desserts, known for its vibrant color and cream cheese frosting. Baked and assembled in about 90 minutes, it has been tied to celebrations for decades. Its striking appearance gave it a place on tables where families wanted something memorable. This cake continues to hold its spot as one of the most symbolic Southern desserts.
Get the Recipe: Red Velvet Cake

Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Round cake with white icing drizzled on top, sitting on a wooden surface. Cake has a cracked texture on the sides and a hole in the center. — Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake. Photo credit: Not Entirely Average.

Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake illustrates how Southern desserts often relied on longevity as much as flavor. Baked low and slow for about 90 minutes, this cake’s dense texture allowed it to last for days. Families turned to pound cake for its reliability and its taste. To this day, it remains a recipe that Southerners return to again and again.
Get the Recipe: Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Old-Fashioned Hummingbird Cake

A slice of Hummingbird Cake with cream cheese frosting and pineapple chunks on top, placed on a decorative green and white plate. The Southern cake appears moist with visible nuts, and a fork is resting at the base. — Old-Fashioned Hummingbird Cake. Photo credit: Not Entirely Average.

Old-Fashioned Hummingbird Cake stands as one of the South’s most iconic desserts. With pineapple, banana, and nuts baked into layers, it takes time but rewards with a cake that holds moisture for days. Its cream cheese frosting became part of its signature style, celebrated since the late 1960s. This cake continues to symbolize how Southern baking traditions adapt and endure.
Get the Recipe: Old-Fashioned Hummingbird Cake

Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

Slice of coconut cream pie on white plate with pink tablecloth in background. — Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie. Photo credit: Real Life of Lulu.

Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie ties directly into Southern dessert traditions that feature cream pies at nearly every occasion. Made with stovetop custard and finished with whipped topping, it takes about an hour plus cooling time. Coconut gave Southern pies a distinct flavor that kept them in regular rotation. This pie shows why cream-based desserts have remained cornerstones of Southern tables.
Get the Recipe: Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie