Creamed corn gets such a bad rap – the nasty stuff from the can doesn’t even come close to the flavor and texture of real Creamed Corn. When you’ve tried it this way, Chef Jenn style, you’ll never go back to the creamed corn in a can! Ready for flavor? Read on for all the details!
Loaded with flavor and plump, juicy kernels of corn, this simple recipe is a must at Thanksgiving or with BBQ. It’s very similar to Rudy’s creamed corn, if you’re familiar with the Southern BBQ chain, and unlike slow cooker creamed corn recipes, this one is ready in no time at all.
What You Need To Make Easy Creamed Corn
- A heavy-bottomed pot
- Corn niblets – fresh or frozen work fine – see notes below
- Butter
- All purpose flour
- Heavy cream
- Milk
- Salt and pepper
What Kind of Corn Do You Use For Creamed Corn?
Because I’m a huge food nerd, my preference is for corn that I’ve cut off the cob. There’s nothing quite so delicious as fresh corn. But honestly, frozen corn works just as well. Choose the peaches and cream variety, or sweet niblets – they tend to have the most flavor. Fully thaw the corn before adding it to your sauce, or it’ll end up in a frozen clump that’s hard to mix.
How to Make this Cream Style Corn
The foundation of this easy corn side dish is a béchamel sauce. That’s a fancy French term for white sauce – and if you’ll pardon me getting cheffy for a minute, it’s one of the “mother sauces,” meaning it’s one of the five basic sauces upon which many dishes are built.
It’s easy to master, with a few handy tips.
- Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot until it is melted but not sizzling.
- Add the flour and using a whisk (a whisk is important!) whisk in the flour and let it cook over low heat for a minute or two while whisking.
- Meanwhile, heat the milk and heavy cream in the microwave or in a pot on the stove until hot but not boiling. If using a pot, watch it doesn’t scald.
- Pour the milk/cream mixture into the flour and butter in a slow stream while whisking.
- Making sure the heat is on low, continue to stir the mixture until it has thickened and has gently simmered. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
That’s the hard part – the rest is easy!
- Add the corn niblets and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes or until the corn is heated through and comes back to a simmer.
- Season and dig in!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Nutmeg is often added to béchamel sauces but I find that the flavor of nutmeg doesn’t play quite so nicely with the corn. If you find the creamed corn needs a bit of something extra, try adding a pinch of chipotle or jalapeno powder.
- The sauce needs to be thick! Don’t worry if it seems too thick – the liquid from the corn will thin it out. If, after cooking the niblets, the sauce is still thick, you can thin it with a few tablespoons of milk, adding them a few at a time until you get it the consistency you want.
- Heavy cream too rich? Use all milk for this recipe, and it’ll be fine. I haven’t tested it with skim milk but other cow’s milk will be fine.
Recommended
What To Serve With Creamed SweetCorn
If you’re lucky enough to live near a Rudy’s BBQ, and I did for nearly 20 years, you know that creamed corn goes amazingly well with anything off the BBQ or smoker. I love this homemade creamed corn with Smoked Meatloaf, Smoked Pulled Pork, and Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs. It also goes splendidly with steaks, chicken, seafood, and more!
How to Store This Cream Style Corn Recipe
It’ll keep fine, if well-covered, in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat it, simply add it to a saucepan and heat it over low until it is hot. You can also heat it in the microwave.
This Creamed Corn recipe will also freeze, but after thawing it won’t be quite so thick and luscious because the corn will have given up some of its liquid, thinning out the sauce. This recipe is best eaten fresh, in my opinion.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is thickened with wheat flour, so no, it is not gluten-free. You could test it with other non-gluten flours as long as they thicken.
Sadly, no. Not only is this recipe thickened with wheat flour (not keto), but corn itself is too high in carbs to be considered a good choice on a keto or low-carb diet.
Sooo, no, not really. It’s loaded with butter, cream, carbs, and calories. It’s not a healthy dish unless you consider all the goodness from the corn. However, everything in moderation, right?
Step By Step Process
Easy Creamed Corn
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter salted or unsalted is fine
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup milk
- 5 cups corn kernels fresh or frozen (thawed)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium-size heavy-bottomed pot over low heat. When melted, add the flour and whisk over low heat for 2 minutes, cooking out the flour.
- Meanwhile, heat the milk and cream in the microwave or in a pot. It should be hot but not boiling.
- Add the hot milk/cream mixture to the flour and butter mixture in a steady stream, whisking while adding.
- When all the milk/cream is in, turn the heat to medium-low and cook while whisking for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is thickened and has started to bubble.
- Simmer the bechamel sauce for 2-3 minutes while whisking.
- Add the corn kernels, salt and pepper. Mix well and heat through over medium heat while stirring. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Adjust the salt and pepper if necessary, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
