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Creamed corn is one of my favorite side dish recipes.

Use fresh or frozen corn to make this creamed corn recipe. Simple ingredients come together to create a rich creamy sauce for the perfect side.

bowl of Homemade Creamed Corn

You’ll Make Homemade Creamed Corn On Repeat Because…

  • This homemade cream corn recipe needs just a few staple ingredients that you likely have on hand.
  • It’s a creamy, rich, and delicious one-pot side dish.
  • It’s quick to make, about 30 minutes from start to finish.
  • It tastes so much better than canned, with more flavor (and less sugar).

Variations of Creamed Corn

There are different variations and different ways to prepare creamed corn. In this family recipe creamed corn is made by cooking corn kernels in a seasoned cream sauce—similar to creamed peas! Blending a portion of the kernels with cream adds thickness to this creamed corn recipe.

Some creamed corn recipes include scraping out the milky pulp of the corn cob kernels, pureeing a portion of the corn, or even using a grater to remove the kernels from the cob (instead of a knife). Often, cream is added to the corn (but not always), and it is seasoned with butter.

Canned cream-style corn contains whole kernels mixed with pureed corn and added sugar, salt, and starch. I find canned cream corn bland, pale, and often too sweet in comparison to this recipe—but it’s great in Corn Casserole.

Ingredients to make creamed corn labeled

What You’ll Need To Make Creamed Corn

  • Corn: Use fresh corn, frozen corn, or canned corn for this recipe.
  • Dairy: Whole-fat milk and heavy cream provide the rich and creamy texture that creamed corn is famous for.
  • Roux: Butter and flour create a roux used to thicken the sauce.
  • Seasonings: I add salt and black pepper to season and thyme for flavor.

Variations

  • Sour cream and softened cream cheese can be added.
  • Bacon bits, sundried tomatoes, jalapenos, or some cheddar cheese blended in at Step 4 bring new flavor!

How to Make Creamed Corn

  1. Soften the onion in butter (or bacon grease).  Add flour to make a roux.
  2. Add corn and mix well.
  3. Stir in heavy cream and milk along with just a pinch of thyme.
  4. Simmer until thickened. Blend 1 cup of corn and add back to the pan. Season and serve!

Season generously before serving; salt is vital to this recipe! Creamed corn can be made ahead of time and reheated on low on the stove. This recipe can easily be scaled up or down to increase/decrease the servings.

creamed corn with serving spoon

Leftovers and Storage

  • Store creamed corn in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Warm it up on the stovetop or the microwave.
  • Freeze portions in zippered bags for up to a month. When you’re ready to eat, heat over low heat with a splash of milk. Easy peasy!

Comforting Corn Dishes

Did you make this Homemade Creamed Corn recipe? Leave us a rating and a comment below.

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a bowl of creamed corn with fresh herbs
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Homemade Creamed Corn

Sweet buttery corn in a creamy, buttery base is the perfect easy side dish for any entrèe!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 servings
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Ingredients  

  • 4 cups corn kernels drained if canned
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 ¼ cup milk
  • ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme or ⅛ teaspoon dried

Instructions 

  • In a saucepan over medium heat, cook onion in butter until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.
  • Add flour, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring. Add corn and mix well.
  • Add in milk, cream, sugar, and thyme. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Allow to boil for 1 minute while stirring.
  • Remove 1 cup of the corn mixture and blend with a hand mixer until smooth. Stir back into the creamed corn.
  • Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Notes

You can blend more than 1 cup of the corn mixture if you prefer a smoother creamed corn.
It is important to season generously before serving!
Creamed corn can be made ahead of time and reheated on low on the stove.
This recipe can easily be scaled up or down to increase/decrease the servings.
4.99 from 194 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 211 | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 580IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Homemade Creamed Corn in a bowl with a title
Homemade Creamed Corn with velvety sauce with writing
easy to make Homemade Creamed Corn in a bowl with writing
tender Homemade Creamed Corn in a bowl and close up with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. Added cream of chicken with herbs. My granny would spank me if she knew. This was always on the table during summer time back in the good ole days.5 stars

  2. Very delicious! I made it exactly as written, but with frozen whole corn kernels. Next time I will increase the amount of corn to make it slightly less creamy. It turns a gorgeous sunny yellow when you blend half of it!5 stars

  3. Tweaked it a bit, used my food processor to finely chop the onion and sauted with pressed garlic. Had to use frozen corn but I can hardly wait to make it again next summer right off the cob.5 stars

  4. Made this to use in corn casserole, SO SO GOOD! Way more flavor than the canned stuff, by a mile. Quick question: can creamed corn be frozen? I know it has lots of dairy in it, but since it’s higher fat I thought maybe leftovers could be frozen with decent success? Thanks in advance!5 stars

    1. Hi Claire, we haven’t tried freezing this but I think it would work well. I would store it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to a few months.

  5. Yep. Best creamed corn I’ve ever had. So good. I made it ahead of time for tomorrow (creamed corn is a controversial thanksgiving side, but we love it). And I’m having a realllllll hard time not eating like half of this right now thanks so much!5 stars

  6. Hi! I live overseas in Russia where we do not have canned cream corn, like in the states. I am trying to replicate Corn Casserole so we can eat something familiar for Thanksgiving. Do you think this recipe would work for substituting one can of creamed corn for this recipe? Thanks!

    1. This recipe will make more than the equivalent of one can of cream corn but I think it should work well as a substitute. You will have to let us know how it turns out, Lori!

  7. Very good recipe and very easy to follow! I added extra sugar because that’s the way my great aunt always makes it (noticeably sweet that is), but other than that I had no notes! I halved the recipe because I only wanted two servings and it was easier that way. Half of the recipe ended up filling an average size soup bowl to the brim for a better understanding of the size of this recipe!5 stars

  8. First time making homemade creamed corn. This recipe is easy to follow and is simply delicious, I only added 1 more tea spoon of sugar and it was awesome my husband loved it and so did I yum .5 stars

  9. I almost went with another recipe. This is amazing! Only thing I did different was add only one cup of milk. Highly recommended!5 stars

  10. My Shepard’s Pie has always had creamed corn in it. The grocery store had NONE! I mean NOT ONE CAN! I came home, googled a recipe, got yours, and cooked it. It was so easy and it came out absolutely delicious! I mean so good that I will NEVER buy the canned one again! Thank you.5 stars

    1. Oh Mary, that made my day! So happy that this creamed corn recipe worked so perfectly for you!

  11. This is by far a household favorite now. My son and my husband both love it. The only thing we can’t figure out is the blending part. So we don’t have an actual blender, we have a bullet. But on the bullet it says not to do hot things in it. So I have no way to blend it. I’ve tried using a hand mixer but its not great. Do you have any suggestions?5 stars

    1. I think it would work if you blended the corn with the cold milk before adding it as well. Let us know how it goes!