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Creamed Corn

Creamed corn topped with chives in a serving bowl.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
  • Active Time

    30 minutes

  • Total Time

    45 minutes

To make the best creamed corn, you’ll need to start by shucking some ears. Fresh corn kernels maintain their texture better than even top-quality frozen corn, and you can extract a lot of flavor from the corn cob itself. The result is light-years tastier than any canned creamed corn you may have eaten.

To extract the corn’s juices, you’llflip your knife to the dull sideand scrape the sheared cobs, watching in wonder as the milky liquid pools into the bowl below. The technique may take a few tries to get right, but once you do, it’s simple. You’ll purée a portion of the parcooked corn kernels into the roux-thickened juices, but if you don’t have atraditional blender, you can easily use a stick blender or a potato masher until you’ve reached a texture you like.

While many recipes for creamed corn eschew dairy beyond butter, this one calls for a generous pour of heavy cream, making it a stand-outholiday side dish recipe.You can swap the cream for half-and-half or whole milk (or your favoriteplant-based milk), but you may need to boil just a bit longer to reach the proper creamy consistency. We also recommend giving yourpepper milla good workout. Black pepper and corn share a particular affinity, the floral notes of the spice enhancing the corn’s earthy sweet flavor.

Homemade creamed corn welcomes customization. Add cayenne pepper or diced jalapeños to the cream sauce for a spicier take. Or ladle into ramekins, sprinkle withParmesan cheese, and bake for 5 minutes at 400° to serve as individual cream-stylecorn casseroles.Either way you can prepare creamed corn up to a day in advance and store, covered, in the refrigerator. Warm in a large skillet over low heat, garnish with chives, and serve.

Ingredients

8 servings

12 ears of corn, shucked
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
  1. Step 1

    Cut corn kernels from12 ears of corn, shucked(reserve cobs) and transfer kernels to a large saucepan with 2 cups water,2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper.煨汤在炉子上,发现,机汇er medium heat, stirring occasionally until tender, 5–7 minutes.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, using the back of a knife, scrape reserved cobs into a small saucepan to extract "corn milk." Add2 tsp. all-purpose flourand whisk to combine, then whisk in1 cup heavy cream.Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 1 minute. Carefully transfer cream mixture and 2 cups cooked corn to a blender and purée, adding corn cooking liquid as necessary to make a creamy sauce (use caution when blending hot liquids). Stir purée into corn mixture and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, so flavors can meld. Stir in2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chivesand season with more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    Do Ahead:Creamed corn, without chives, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled (covered once cool). Reheat gently over low heat and stir in chives.

    Editor’s note:This recipe was first printed in the June 2008 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for our favoritemethod for boiling corn on the cob

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Reviews (11)

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  • You can add some tarragon instead of the chives for a really high-brow steakhouse side, I would add a pad of butter at the end though if you go that route. Simply devine, and corn loves tarragon, even though it is not a common pairing.

    • Sarah

    • Boulder, CO

    • 8/7/2023

  • Absolutely delicious. I've made this about 20 times. Always a group favorite. I've never had leftovers no matter how much I make!

    • jeaniushat

    • Los Angeles, CA

    • 10/16/2016

  • This is strange. Creamed corn does not have cream or dairy (except butter when served). The 'cream' is from creaming the refreshes sweet corn you can find. Cook briefly. Add additional corn kernels. Best warm, not hot.

    • amdunne

    • 7/2/2014

  • This recipe is the bomb! It's awesome (and I'm not even that crazy about corn - hubby is). I got the milk from the cobs and then boiled the cobs for a couple of minutes in the hot water before boiling the corn. Scraped the cobs again in the water and discarded them. Followed recipe as indicated otherwise. Immersion blender much easier than regular blender. Omitted the chives (because of hubby). Will make again, and again, and again! May even try roasted and skinned chopped poblano peppers. This recipes could easily be transformed into an awesome corn soup.

    • ChefCatherine

    • Houston, Texas

    • 12/25/2011

  • This was easily the BEST creamed corn I have ever eaten! I used milk instead of cream and didn't loose any of the taste. I also served it with the Fried Green Tomato "BLT" recipe and WOW!!! You must must try these two beauties together! (...but only if corn is in season)

    • luv2savr

    • Los Angeles

    • 9/22/2010

  • 原来如此美味! !用玉米穗轴left over from July 4th dinner. Instead of heavy cream I used a mix of 1/2 & 1/2, plain yogurt, and sour cream. Will make it again. Does anyone know if it freezes well? Might as well make some for the winter while the corn is fresh and plentiful in August! :-)

    • mizmelia

    • Hendersonville, NC

    • 7/9/2010

  • I followed the recipe exactly and loved it! I normally don't like corn, but this was delicious. Creamy with a nice sweetness to it. Perfect for a summer bbq!

    • ktbrk

    • Washington, DC

    • 9/4/2009

  • I followed this recipe exactly as written and ended up with something more like corn chowder than creamed corn. The dish tastes great - it's just got way too much liquid. I used fresh-from-the-fields corn so maybe it has more liquid? I'm thinking about adding bacon and serving it as chowder.

    • stowens101

    • Theresa, Hinsdale, IL

    • 8/31/2009

  • This was delicious. I used whole milk rather than cream, which was just right. This would also be a great addition to other dishes. I used the leftovers in a southwestern style layered casserole, which turned out perfectly.

    • rtthomson

    • Mill Valley, CA

    • 11/8/2008

  • This is the first time I've made creamed corn and I loved this recipe! Very, very easy, and you can definitely personalize it by pureeing as much (or as little) as you want. Next time I'll try it with milk to make it a bit healthier, but the cream was pretty luxurious tasting!

    • sjm182

    • Philadelphia, PA

    • 8/21/2008

  • I skipped the puree step and thought that the recipe was just fine. It was creamy but the corn was still slightly crunchy, just the way I like it. I think that the most crucial part of this recipe is to get good, fresh corn.

    • unacentava

    • Charleston

    • 8/11/2008

  • I used skim milk in place of the cream, and it was still very creamy and satisfying.

    • Anonymous

    • Chicago

    • 5/25/2008

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