Make homemade Cream Style Corn with frozen, fresh or canned corn kernels and have it on the table in less than 30-minutes!
There's nothing better than sweet, fresh corn in the summer! It's good on the cob or creamed, but if you're looking for a good ole' Southern cream style corn recipe, look no further!
You'll be amazed how easy this Southern recipe is--nothing fancy or gourmet...and you can use this recipe and learn how to make cream style corn from canned corn!
Southerners just love creamy side dishes and this one is fail-proof and delicious every time! It pairs well with just about everything from smoked barbecue to Easter ham!
Why this recipe works
The secret to making the best cream style corn is to start with a roux. A roux is a combination of equal parts of fat and starch - in this case, the fat is butter and the starch is all-purpose flour- so you'll use equal parts of butter and flour for this creamed corn recipe.
The roux forms a thickening base which makes the whole corn kernels turn into cream style corn.
The second important thing to really sweet corn is to soak the corn in milk. Yes, milk.
Even though some corn isn't as sweet as others, when you soak the corn in milk for a few minutes, the sugars from the milk permeate the corn kernel, resulting in a super sweet corn.
- Affordable - you can make a big "company" size batch for your next potluck without breaking the bank
- Quick and Easy - one pan cook and clean-up! This dish comes together in less than 30-minutes!
- Flavorful - creamed corn recipe has a nice touch of sweetness but isn't too sweet
- A family favorite--kids love this and it pairs beautifully with fried catfish or meatloaf
If you can, purchase corn from Iowa, Illinois or Nebraska. These states produce the best corn around! No need to add much to really good corn...but if you're like most of us, we have to get corn from the grocery store and let's face it, sometimes it's not as sweet as we'd like.
I like to serve this with meatloaf or salmon croquettes!
What you'll need
Sometimes, simple is better and in this case, in order to make the best cream corn, you don't need a lot of fancy ingredients.
- 4 cups (32 ounces) of corn, which yields 8 ½ cup (4 ounce) servings. I use canned corn but you can use fresh or frozen.
- Milk-2% or whole
- All-purpose flour
- Butter
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Sugar
- Salt and Pepper to taste
To make cream style corn from canned corn, you'll need only a few basic ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen!
The melted butter and flour make a roux, which is a thickening agent. This is what makes the cream style corn "thick and creamy."
How to make cream style corn from canned corn
First things first, take the heavy cream out of the refrigerator and let it rest on the counter. (if you add cold cream to the hot roux, it will form clumps and make a big mess; then, you'll have to start over.)
Soak the corn first in milk (2% milk or whole milk) for about 10-15 minutes. If you're using canned corn, drain it before you soak it.
In a large skillet on low heat, melt butter; whisk in flour and continue to cook on low heat, stirring constantly. This creates a thickening roux.
Add room temperature heavy cream and corn. Bring to high heat (uncovered) for 5-8 minutes; add milk and sugar (optional) and continue to cook on high for another 15-30 minutes or so-until the corn kernels are tender and the sweet cream corn in thick to your liking; taste for salt; and pepper; serve
Tips for making sweet homemade cream style corn
Make sure the cream is room temperature first
Sometimes yellow corn and white corn aren't sweet enough, so if you want really sweet cream style corn, soak the corn in milk for about 15-minutes. (If you're using canned corn, drain it first then soak it in milk.)
The sugars from the milk permeate the corn kernels, resulting in super sweet cream corn!
If you're using fresh corn on the cob, the best way to shuck fresh corn is to cut a flat end on the corn cob, stand it up, then slide a super sharp knife down and around the cob.
Storage
Store homemade cream style corn in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to three days or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Reheating
Homemade creamed corn may thicken after being stored in the fridge or freezer. Reheat and cook the corn on the stove top or microwave; if it's too thick, stir in a little water or milk.
What type of corn?
Unfortunately, corn is one of the most genetically modified foods in our food supply. For this reason, I recommend you use Certified Organic - either frozen, fresh or canned.
If your corn isn't "sweet corn", you can sweeten it by soaking the corn in milk first, or add a little sugar to the corn mixture when it's cooking.
Variations
Make this easy Southern creamed corn dish for any ethnic cuisine! In the South, you'll often find cream style corn as a side dish to fried catfish, fried chicken, chicken fried steak or Southern fried oysters!
Mexican/Southwestern - add in diced green chiles and/or chopped jalapeno; season with ground cumin, coriander and chile powder
Italian - add in drained and diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
Mediterranean - add chopped garlic, chopped kalamata olives and dill
You can make homemade cream style corn in advance and just reheat on the stove when you're ready to serve!
Related recipes
- Orange Glazed Carrots
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Sweet Heat Country Ribs
- How to Cook Sweet Pan Roasted Corn
- Potato Cakes (Potato Patties)
- Pan Fried Trout
- Fried Catfish
- How to season and cook purple hull or black eyed peas
- Roasted Red Pepper Corn Chowder
♥ If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a rating and comment below! Thank you!
📋 Recipe
Homemade Cream Style Corn
Ingredients
- 4 cups corn kernels , frozen, fresh or canned; rinsed and drained
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour , all-purpose
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup milk See recipe notes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- salt and pepper , to taste
- extra milk 2% or whole (to soak corn); optional
Instructions
- Set heavy cream out on the counter to get to room temperature½ cup heavy cream
- Prep corn: rinse and drain4 cups corn kernels
- If you want super sweet corn, let it soak in milk for 10-15 minutesextra milk
- In a large skillet on medium high heat, melt butter6 tablespoons butter
- Sprinkle in flour and whisk; let cook on low heat for 2 minutes; stir in milk and heavy cream and continue to whisk2 tablespoons flour, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup milk
- Add corn; bring to boil; stirring frequently4 cups corn kernels
- Turn heat to medium, stir in sugar if you want more sweetness; combine well1 tablespoon sugar
- Allow to cook about 20-minutes until kernels are tender; stirring frequently; taste for salt and peppersalt and pepper
Notes
- Be sure to use heavy cream that is about room temperature; otherwise, it may curdle when you add it to the hot butter
- If you want to ensure sweet corn, soak it in milk for about 15 minutes, then resume recipe. (just put the corn in a big bowl and pour milk over it)
- Use salted or unsalted butter; don't add salt until the very end after you taste it
- If your corn isn't sweet enough, add more sugar, but keep in mind, sugar is a thickening agent so...if you add more sugar, you may have to add a little milk back into the skillet
- Cook the corn until tender; add more milk if it's too thick
- Corn may thicken when stored in fridge
- Reheat on stove top or in microwave; if it's too thick, stir in a little water or milk
Tina says
This was the best cream style corn I have EVER tasted. I will definitely be making this again.
Anecia says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind comment.
phyllis says
takes a little time with the stirring but well worth it.
Anecia says
Thank you for sharing!
Gail J. says
I’m excited to try this recipe for thanksgiving this year. I love easy to do recipes. I have no doubt it’ll be awesome.
Jack Martinez says
I had a bunch of corn on the cob leftover from a crawfish boil, so I just took the corn off the cob and used that. I came out delicious with a little Cajun kick to it.
Anecia says
Oh I bet that was delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
Sandra Drake says
Can’t imagine making this with any corn other than fresh!!! Canned corn is okay but doesn’t give the same “umph” that one gets from fresh corn! Just my preference.
Anecia says
I agree! Fresh corn is best, but if you don't have it, frozen or canned works, too! Thank you !
Martha says
I used more cream because I thought it was to thick and I blended the corn. It was delicious.
Anecia says
Great idea Martha! Thank you!
Amanda Maxwell says
This recipe was super easy and super delicious!! I cut it in half because I only needed 3 servings, and I had to add just a little more cream to make it thinner for my personal preference. This will definitely go into a regular rotation of recipes for me!
Anecia says
Thank you, Amanda! I'm glad you liked it!