Creamed Corn Recipe – Skip the canned, store-bought version and make your own with frozen corn kernels in only 10 minutes.
I’ve got a whole bunch of Thanksgiving side dishes coming at you guys this week but I couldn’t be more excited to start this sides parade off than with some creamed corn.
This recipe isn’t any ol’ creamed corn recipe though. It’s certainly not the stuff that comes from a can. You know me better than that!
This is a from scratch recipe and it’s no more difficult to make than a pot of mac and cheese.
Creamed corn has always been one of my favorite holiday side dishes but I don’t ever remember watching the women of my family make it so I threw this together the other night as if I were making mac and cheese because all creamed corn should have a nice, creamy base, yes?
How to Make Creamed Corn
All of the recipes I found for creamed corn involved fresh corn on the cob. But since it’s November and fresh corn on the cob is really hard to find, I used frozen corn instead! It’s cheap and there’s absolutely no mess made when using it!
I tossed a pound of thawed corn into a cream (bechamel) sauce, stirred in about a cup of shredded gouda, added lots of pepper and a little salt. Then I pureed about half of the mixture with an immersion blender right in the pan.
And the result?
The best darn creamed corn I’ve ever eaten. Like, seriously! This creamed corn recipe will rival your favorite bbq restaurant-worthy corn side dish any day of the week.
Creamed Corn Recipe with Frozen or Canned Corn
For this recipe, I used a 1 pound bag of frozen corn. I usually always have a bag of frozen corn in my freezer and this is always an easy ingredient to quickly add to recipes like taco lasagna.
Outside of using fresh corn for recipes, frozen corn is my go to. That’s because it’s fresher than canned corn. Frozen corn is simply corn that is cut off the corn cob and flash frozen. And the flash freezing really does a great job of preserving the freshness of the corn. There’s nothing added to the corn when it’s frozen; it’s just corn.
Canned corn is mixed with water and preservatives during the canning process to preserve its freshness. And the water tends to soak into the corn, making it a bit soggy.
So! You can technically use either frozen or canned corn to make homemade creamed corn. But know that this dish will taste better with frozen corn than with canned corn.
And on that note I must also say:
Seriously guys, forget the canned creamed corn the next time you’re thinking of making creamed corn and do yourself a favor. Take 10 minutes (yes, TEN MINUTES) from your busy meal prep schedule to make yourself homemade creamed corn.
What to Serve Creamed Corn With
If you’re down to make this creamed corn for Thanksgiving, let me suggest that you also add some Thanksgiving stuffing in the crock pot and homemade crescent dinner rolls to your dinner menu. And for dessert, some apple slab pie and you’ll be golden!
Or, if you’re having a BBQ or cookout this summer, maybe you want to make this corn to go alongside some ribs (either of the Korean or the smoky oven variety) or a big fat juicy bacon burger with bacon onion balsamic jam.
When you’re cooking inside, this corn would be amazing with brisket sandwiches, turkey meatloaf or crispy chicken with country gravy and some buttermilk drop biscuits.
Believe me, you won’t regret any of it!
Creamed Corn Recipe
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Creamed corn, when fresh corn is out of season, is a luxury everyone should have access to. My creamed corn recipe is easily made with a few pantry ingredients and frozen corn.It's a homey, comforting, and utterly delicious side dish you'll not soon forget.
Ingredients
- 1 lb frozen corn, thawed, and patted mostly dry
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 ½ tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup skim milk
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 oz gouda cheese, shredded (about 1 cup) - sharp cheddar would work well too
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, for about 1 ½ minutes.Whisk in the milk and cream until no lumps remain.Bring the milk to a simmer, stirring frequently until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes.Once the milk just starts to bubble in the center, stir in the corn and cheese.
- Reduce the heat to medium and using an immersion blender, blend about half of the corn in the pan. (Alternatively, transfer half of the corn mixture to a blender or food processor and pulse the corn a few times.It doesn't have to be completely smooth.)Blending the corn will release the natural juice from the corn and add instant flavor to the dish.Stir the blended corn back into the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.Serve hot.Leftovers will reheat well the next day.
Notes
You can quickly thaw frozen corn by running it under some warm water in a colander and separating any frozen chunks with your fingers.This takes about 2 minutes.Pat it mostly dry - it doesn't have to be completely dry.
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