Perfect Creamed Corn

5 from 23 votes

This creamed corn is a classic Thanksgiving side dish recipe. But it's also great as a summer BBQ side when fresh corn is in season. It's rich, creamy, perfectly chunky, and so delicious! Watch the video below to see how I make it in my kitchen!

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Creamed Corn, Creamed Corn Recipe

Servings: servings

Author: Lisa Bryan

Equipment

Mini Food Processor This is great for sauces and blending small quantities!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon flour (arrowroot powder, cornstarch, or other flour)
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely diced shallot
5 cups (about two 12-ounce bags) frozen sweet corn thawed
1 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
pinch of cayenne pepper
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional: freshly grated parmesan

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dissolve the flour. Whisk the flour and milk together in a small bowl, then set aside.
Saute the shallot. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Saute the shallot in the melted butter for one minute, until softened.
Mix it together. Add the corn, cream, and thyme to the skillet. Stir for 4 to 5 minutes, until the corn has plumped up. Then add the milk mixture and stir for another 3 to 4 minute, until the sauce has slightly thickened.
Blend some corn. Take 1 to 2 cups of the creamed corn and blend it in a blender or food processor, until smooth. Alternatively, you could use a stick blender and spot blend a few times. Add the blended corn back to the skillet and stir together. Optional: If you'd like it extra creamy, stir in ¼ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Season and serve. Season the creamed corn with cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper, stir it again, then serve warm.

Video

Notes

While some people add sugar to creamed corn, I don't think it's necessary if you buy frozen sweet corn. It's naturally sweet! But, you can always add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter flavor profile.
You can substitute 2 cups of half-and-half for the heavy cream and milk. If you're dairy-free you can swap in your milk of choice and coconut cream.
If you save rendered bacon grease (as I always do!) you can use that as an alternative to the butter, to impart a slight bacon-y flavor. You can of course add bacon crumbles to the creamed corn as well, for even more bacon flavor.
If you prefer a chunkier creamed corn, blend only one cup in step 4. If you like a smoother creamed corn, blend 2 cups. Keep in mind that the blended corn plus the parmesan (if you use it) will thicken this recipe up, so it shouldn't be super thick in step 3. But if at the end you find that the recipe is a bit too thick for your liking, you can always thin it down again with a little bit more cream or milk.
If you're gluten-free, keep in mind that many brands of canned creamed corn you'll find at the market are not gluten-free, which is one more reason to make it at home (and because it just tastes better).

Nutrition