Best Creamed Corn

With a velvety smooth cream sauce and a buttery sweet finish, this recipe is also easy to prepare and can be done in less than 20 minutes, which makes it the Best Creamed Corn. It’s comfort food at its finest and perfect for any Thanksgiving spread.

Why This Recipe Works

Some of the best recipes are also the easiest and simplest in preparation. This is one of those recipes, which makes it a great side option for holiday gatherings and Thanksgiving, but is also common at barbecues or potlucks.

You certainly can buy canned creamed corn but this rich and creamy side has a salty and sweet finish that is better homemade. You can season it to your liking and make it extra chunky with tons of corn pieces or extra smooth with less.

If you’re planning on a simple Thanksgiving this corn pairs perfectly with Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast, or if you just want a simple but flavorful dinner serve it with some Baked Chicken Drumsticks.

Ingredients Needed

Ingredient Notes

• Flour: for this recipe, I used all purpose flour, however, you can swap this out for any gluten-free flour or use cornstarch. To use cornstarch dilute 2 tablespoon cornstarch into 1/4 cup of some of the milk before adding it into the mixture.
• Corn: I prefer to use frozen corn for this recipe, however, you can also use canned. Canned corn will need to be drained before adding it to the recipe.
• Sugar: regular granulated sugar is best, but you can swap it out for maple syrup or honey too. The sugar adds just a tiny bit of sweetness to the corn, which is a key flavor.

Add-Ins:

There are several additions you can make to this recipe to change it up slightly. Below are a few of my favorite options.

• Sauteéd Mushrooms
• Crumbled Cooked Bacon
• Sprinkle some cheese such as parmesan on top.
• Diced and sauteéd red bell peppers.
• Mix in some paprika, cayenne pepper, sriracha, or jalapenos for some spiciness.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Sauté the onions. In a large pot or Dutch oven melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Saute the onion until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Mix in the flour. Add the flour and toss to mix, cooking for 1 minute, using a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom.

• Add the corn. Place the corn in the pot and cook for 1 additional minute, until just heated.
• Add the liquids. Stir in the sugar, cream, and milk and let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

• Blend. Using a slotted spoon remove 1 1/2 cup of the corn and set it aside in a bowl. Blend the remaining ingredients using a handheld blender or a stand blender, making sure to leave some bits of corn (the mixture should be lumpy and not perfectly smooth).
• Season. Return the corn to the pot and season it with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme.

Other Cooking Methods

Slow Cooker

• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until transluecent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the flour to the skillet, toss to coat, and cook an additional 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to your slow cooker.
• Place the corn, sugar, cream, and milk into the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours or HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Remove the lid and use a slotted spoon to remove about 1 1/2 cup of the corn and set it aside in a bowl. Blend the remaining ingredients using a handheld blender or a stand blender.
• Return the corn to the slow cooker and stir together. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme.

Instant Pot

• Set your Instant Pot to SAUTÉ and melt the butter. Add the onions and sauté until transluecent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the flour, toss with the onions, and cook an additional 1 minute.
• Place the corn, sugar, cream, and milk in the Instant Pot and set it to MANUAL for 7 minutes. Return the lid and set the vent to sealing.
• Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove about 1 1/2 cup of the corn and set it aside in a bowl. Blend the remaining ingredients using a handheld blender or a stand blender.
• Return the corn to the slow cooker and stir together. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme

Helpful Equipment

• Dutch Oven: I use my Dutch oven weekly and it’s been one of the best investments I’ve made in my kitchen.
• Immersion Blender: I’m shocked at how much I use my immersion blender. It’s perfect for recipes just like this one where you still want some chunks to remain and some of the mixture to be smooth.
• Slotted Spoon
• Herb Stripper: this handy little tool is perfect for getting the leaves off of herbs and saves so much prep time.

Storage Information

• Leftovers: Place any leftovers you may have in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. It will last for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: This is not a recipe you can freeze. The corn will freeze but the sauce may not and thus cause the dairy to separate. This is best made close to when you plan on serving it.

Recipe Notes:

• When placing warm ingredients into a blender before to hold or lock the top. Warm ingredients explain when blended causing pressure to build.
• You can easily blend this into a smoother creamed corn by removing less corn from the mixture or make it chunkier by removing more corn and setting it aside before blending the rest.
• This creamed corn can easily be turned into a casserole by placing it into a casserole dish and sprinkling some cheese (try mozzarella) and some crushed Ritz crackers on top. Bake it in the oven at 400ºF until the cheese has melted and becomes bubbly.

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