Food and Recipes No-Cook Recipes 25 Of Grandma's Best-Ever No-Cook Recipes She’s an expert cook and baker, but sometimes it’s just too hot (or busy) to turn on the oven or the stovetop. By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on August 7, 2024 Close Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Grandma is known for many legendary recipes. Whether her towering coconut cake, her perfect Easter ham, or her famous chicken and dumplings, she’s no novice in the kitchen. She’s an expert cook and baker, but sometimes it’s just too hot (or busy) to turn on the oven or the stovetop. That’s right—even Southern grandmothers can appreciate a cooking shortcut from time to time. The 14 Best No-Cook Recipes, According To Our Editors 01 of 25 Watergate Salad Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Readers have been making this retro “salad” for decades with no intention of stopping. Especially popular at holiday gatherings, this marshmallow creation will delight family members young and old. Get The Recipe 02 of 25 Corn And Tomato Salad Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox Two of Grandma's favorite summer ingredients, fresh tomatoes and corn, come together to create one perfect side dish. The best part, besides it being a no-cook dish, is that it comes together in just 15 minutes, Get The Recipe 03 of 25 Southern Tomato Sandwich Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Southerners dress up this sandwich in many different ways, but the classic is as simple as it gets—white bread (and only white bread!), thick, juicy slices of tomato, plenty of mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Get The Recipe 04 of 25 Lemon Icebox Pie Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Would you believe you need just six ingredients to put together this beautiful summer dessert? You can prep everything and leave it to chill the night before your gathering, but be sure to wait until just before serving to add the whipped cream topping. Get The Recipe 05 of 25 Orange Sherbet Punch Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ali Ramee, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Our grandmothers didn’t attend a single bridal or baby shower where a beautiful punch bowl full of this pastel concoction wasn’t served. Freezing a few scoops of sherbet ahead of time so they’ll float on top adds a whimsical touch to the presentation. Get The Recipe 06 of 25 Pear Salad Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Perhaps one of the most polarizing of our beloved Southern “salads,” we’re willing to bet this one causes mixed reactions around your table. Get The Recipe 07 of 25 Classic Coleslaw Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Classic coleslaw just like Grandma's still stands the test of time even today. Fresh chopped cabbage and carrots add lively color and crunch to this classic cookout side dish. Get The Recipe 08 of 25 Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Emily Laurae “As much as our Southern mothers and grandmothers espouse the importance of hand-grating for the pimiento cheese and brining the chicken in buttermilk, there are some things that even they respect keeping simple,” writes Digital Editor Kaitlyn Yarborough. This perfect pairing is one of those things. Get The Recipe 09 of 25 Éclair Cake Molly Bolton/Southern Living When we posted this vintage Éclair Cake to Instagram, we received over 100 comments from readers who have been loving it for generations. “My fave! Grandma used to make it and I make it today,” wrote one. Get The Recipe 10 of 25 Lemon Lush Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell Retro layered desserts like this pretty Lemon Lush were a hallmark of entertaining in Grandma’s day. For even layers and easy slicing, don’t rush the freezing process. Get The Recipe 11 of 25 Cranberry Fluff Salad Antonis Achilleos, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Classic cranberry salad is either loved or hated around the holidays, but this festive recipe will be the best surprise for Grandma on the Thanksgiving table. Get The Recipe 12 of 25 Texas Caviar Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Crunchy and colorful, this recipe is delicious as a dip or relish. It tastes better the longer it sits, so feel free to let it chill the night before you plan to serve. Get The Recipe 13 of 25 Chocolate Lasagna Courtney West There’s nothing better for large family gatherings than a big-batch dessert that comes together without even having to turn on the oven. Get The Recipe 14 of 25 Carrot Raisin Salad Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox If Grandma has been missing Chick-fil-A’s beloved carrot raisin salad over the years, make her our gussied-up version for Sunday supper. Get The Recipe 15 of 25 Kool Aid Pie Micah A. Leal You need just five ingredients for this cool and creamy pie recipe. Simply stir the ingredients together, let it chill, and serve! Get The Recipe 16 of 25 Quick-Pickle Cucumbers And Onions Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood Grandma always had some pickling jars in her pantry of things she was “putting up” from summer. This quick-pickle recipe doesn’t even require you to boil water on the stove, which is why we love it so much. Get The Recipe 17 of 25 Southern Pimiento Cheese Dotdash Meredith We know Grandma might not need a recipe for pimiento cheese (it’s already stored in her memory), but this is one of our favorite ways to whip up a batch. Get The Recipe 18 of 25 Ambrosia Ambrosia is a vintage holiday tradition in the South that Grandma doesn’t plan on giving up any time soon. This is our most basic recipe for it, but we’ve developed plenty of new iterations over the years. Get The Recipe 19 of 25 Heirloom Tomato-Cracker Salad Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Humble saltine crackers are the backbone of some of our favorite Southern recipes (looking at you, Firecrackers!). This new take on an old-fashioned tomato-cracker salad ups the presentation with thick slices of heirloom tomatoes and the dressing on the bottom of the platter. Get The Recipe 20 of 25 Cherries-and-Cream Icebox Cake Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Icebox cakes have long been our grandmothers’ go-to for hotter-than-hot Southern summers. This one has flavors reminiscent of cherry pie with so much less work on the cook’s part. Get The Recipe 21 of 25 Ham Cheese Ball Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely “It's not a Southern party without a cheese ball,” according to cookbook author and contributing editor Sheri Castle, and we know Grandma agrees. This creation will be gone first from the appetizer table. Get The Recipe 22 of 25 Bourbon Balls Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Whether Grandma prefers this no-cook version rolled in powdered sugar or the chocolate-covered Kentucky Bourbon Balls version, we’re willing to bet she’s made a batch or two of this boozy treat before. Get The Recipe 23 of 25 Ham Salad Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Torie Cox Chicken salad gets all the love at lunchtime, but there’s plenty to be said for old-school ham salad. We love to serve it between cheese puffs or on small white bread (with the crusts cut off!) for luncheon-worthy presentation. Get The Recipe 24 of 25 Best Waldorf Salad Southern Living This seven-ingredient fruit salad was a mainstay at ladies’ luncheons and showers back in Grandma’s day. Get The Recipe 25 of 25 Cheesecake Fruit Salad Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Whether you serve it as a side dish or as a dessert, Grandma knows everyone will love eating fruit any time of the day when it's served with cream cheese, yogurt, and whipped topping. Get The Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit