Creamed Corn

creamed corn in a dish next to cheese and a microplane

When you think of creamed corn you think of a tasty, rich, and maybe a little bit cheesy side dish to go with your steak. In fact, creamed corn is truly one of the most popular steak side dishes in America. My recipe kicks it up a notch with a good amount of chili for those spicy food lovers.

If you don’t want to make a hot creamed corn then it’s no issue at all to just leave out the chili flakes. They are completely optional, although I never make the dish without them.

What Is Creamed Corn?

creamed corn with cheese and microplane photo

There are two different schools of thought when it comes to creamed corn. The first, and the authentic, is a dish of corn kernels swimming in a milky broth of juice squeezed from the corn cobs. To be honest, I don’t actually like this version very much – and neither do most people I talk to.

The more popular version of creamed corn is sweet corn kernels in a cream sauce with herbs and spices for more flavor. This is one of the few instances where I reject authenticity as the ‘fake’ version is better.

How To Make The Best Creamed Corn

To make the best creamed corn you’ll likely want to do a recipe that involves…well, actual cream. Plus you want more flavor, right? Here are the ingredients you’ll need for a very delicious corn side dish.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Corn Kernels – you can use canned corn (about 2 cans) or fresh corn that has been boiled (about 4 cobs). You can even use leftover grilled corn so nothing goes to waste.
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream – this is about 250 ml. If you don’t want to use so much heavy cream you can sub in half cream / half milk.
  • 1 Yellow Onion – diced
  • 1 tbsp Duck Fat – this is one of my favorite ingredients in all of cooking, but if you don’t have duck fat you can use oil or butter instead.
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
  • 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano – grated, you can use any hard salty cheese you like, such as Gran Padano or Pecorino Romano.
  • Salt & Pepper – to taste
  • Parsley – chopped, for garnish

I know this seems like a lot of ingredients for what should be a simple side dish, but most of these are just seasonings. To prep the entire kitchen really just consists of dicing an onion before you begin.

Cooking Creamed Corn

melted duck fat in a white pan

My secret ingredient in plenty of dishes is duck fat. This usually gets people raving about dish and asking me for the recipe. If you don’t have duck fat you can just use oil or butter, but I do highly recommend it.

sauteeing onions and chili flakes in a white pan with wooden spoon

After the duck fat is hot and melted add in the onion and red chili flakes. You want the onion to get a bit translucent. You will notice the chili flakes start to dye the fat orange. This is good, just try not to burn the flakes. If you need to lower the temperature go ahead and do so.

Stirring corn kernels in a pan to make creamed corn

Next add in the corn kernels and mix everything together. I like to heat up the corn and maybe get a bit of a light char on them before adding the rest of the ingredients.

creamed corn in a pan with a wooden spoon

Finally add the heavy cream, garlic powder, paprika, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the cream starts to thicken up. Stir so nothing sticks to the bottom and burns.

creamed corn with cheese and microplane

Lastly I like to add in a tbsp of butter right when I turn off the heat. This is optional, but I find that often I allow the cream to reduce too much and the extra butter makes it silky smooth again. Plate the creamed corn and microplane over the grated cheese and some parsley. Enjoy!

creamed corn with cheese and microplane

Creamed Corn

This quick and easy recipe for creamed corn makes a tasty and delicious side dish.
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 622 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups Corn Kernels you can use canned corn about 2 cans or fresh corn that has been boiled (about 4 cobs). You can even use leftover grilled corn so nothing goes to waste.
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream this is about 250 ml. If you don't want to use so much heavy cream you can sub in half cream / half milk.
  • 1 Yellow Onion diced
  • 1 tbsp Duck Fat this is one of my favorite ingredients in all of cooking but if you don't have duck fat you can use oil or butter instead.
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
  • 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated, you can use any hard salty cheese you like, such as Gran Padano or Pecorino Romano.
  • Salt & Pepper – to taste
  • Parsley for garnish, chopped

Instructions
 

  • In a pan on medium-high heat add the duck fat (or oil or butter). When melted add in the onion and red chili flakes. If it seems like the chili flakes are going to burn, lower the temperature.
  • When onions are translucent you can add in the corn. Shake the pan around to mix everything.
  • Once the corn is hot and maybe a tiny bit charred add in the heavy cream. Also add in the garlic powder, paprika, mustard, and salt and pepper. Stir and allow the cream to come up to a simmer.
  • Stir the pan until the cream has thickened a bit. Turn off the heat, add in the butter and give a good mix. Plate the creamed corn and sprinkle over the grated cheese and chopped parsley. Enjoy.
Keyword Corn, Creamed Corn, Steak Side Dishes, Vegetarian
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6 thoughts on “Creamed Corn”

  1. 5 stars
    This is the second time I made this. I added more hot sauce since I’m a pepperhead but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. This is going in my Thanksgiving rotation.

  2. Bethany Leeti

    5 stars
    We made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. I knew I should have made more.

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