26 Tasty Corn Recipes, from Succotash to Corn on the Cob

Kansas City, Missouri, chefs Colby and Megan Garrelts say that if you can measure and stir, then you can make a mean cornbread. These deliciously moist muffins get fantastic flavor from corn kernels and scallions.

This beloved and much-Instagrammed dessert — meringues flavored with charred cornhusk powder and filled with a luscious, sweet corn cream — is from chef Enrique Olvera's cookbook, Mexico from the Inside Out. A final sprinkle of cornhusk powder tops each meringue.

This sweet and spicy coconut milk–based stew gets lots of bright flavor from spinach, basil, chiles, and lime juice. The best part? It's ready in 30 minutes, and all comes together in one deep skillet.

Hot off the grill, charred sweet corn gets slathered in tangy lime mayonnaise and topped with extra-large crunchy quicos, or corn nuts, in 1995 F&W Best New Chef Traci des Jardins' version of elote. For a plated version, cut the kernels from the cobs and toss with lime mayo and quicos, then scoop and serve.

For this recipe, fresh pureed corn is wrapped in its husks and steamed until firm, and then processed with ingredients including milk and crème fraîche to create a filling. The resulting sweet corn tamales are delicious smothered with salsa verde and topped with crumbled Cotija cheese and Mexican crema.

Thick corn soup is a Taiwanese lunch-box staple; 2018 F&W Best New Chef Jonathan Yao also borrows from congees and egg drops for his luxe rendition, which surrounds a brilliant yellow, oil-poached egg yolk. A riff on Taiwanese corn soup, Yao's Corn Potage soothes with its deep flavor and silky-smooth texture.

For this fun, Southern-inspired dessert, Top Chef Season 16 winner Kelsey Barnard Clark uses entire ears of corn — broiling corn kernels and using corn milk from the cobs — to give her bread pudding recipe a summery, fresh-corn flavor. A topping of caramel popcorn adds a sweet crunch and whimsy. Lime zest in the crème anglaise and a splash of bourbon keep it from leaning too sweet.

This next-level summer salad turns heads with its punchy charred jalapeño–and-herb-spiked dressing and a palate-perking topping of toasted crunchy coriander and cumin seeds. It's ready in under an hour, too, so it's great for entertaining. 

Chef Sheldon Simeon's recipe for a Hawaiian twist on Mexican elote features grilled corn slathered in a creamy, cheesy calamansi mayonnaise, which gets its acidic twang from a sour citrus fruit native to the South Pacific (you can substitute Key Limes in a pinch). Ichimi togarashi (Japanese chile flakes) add heat; aonori (dried seaweed) flakes add umami oomph and island style. It's an easy and irresistible side dish for a luau-inspired cookout: Try serving it with Simeon's Huli Huli Chicken Wings.

Taleggio adds a funky flavor to this rich and creamy corn dish, which is inspired by a fresh corn banchan (side dish). Doenjang (Korean soybean paste); smoky bacon; and yondu, a gluten-free soy sauce alternative, add layers of salty, savory depth.

Cookbook author and F&W Cooks contributor Andrea Slonecker calls this dish "the perfect pre-dinner snack on a summer evening." Make sure to have grilled crostini on hand for serving.

With no cream or butter to dull the flavor, this dish showcases the sweetness and versatility of corn. The creaminess comes from the corn itself. The creamed corn may seem a little loose at first, but it will continue to thicken as it sits while the polenta cooks.

Red baby potatoes are ideal for potato salad because of their tender skins and creamy interiors that hold together, even when cooked. Quickly soaking the onions in vinegar mellows their bite and allows the summery fresh herbs to shine in the dressing. Be sure to taste the salad after chilling and adjust the seasoning before serving.

A combination of chickpea and rice flours yields a batter that makes these pakoras fry up light, lacy, and extra crunchy. Sweet summer corn and peppers join with hearty kale to give these vegetarian fritters extra heft.

This bright, buttery succotash by 1998 F&W Best New Chef Katy Sparks is a perfect summer side dish that comes together in minutes. "My inspiration for this dish is to take a fresh look at an American classic, succotash, which is usually sweet corn cooked together with lima beans or other green beans," Sparks says. "I like to lighten it up with summery snap peas and add meaty shiitakes for depth of flavor. Fresh basil in the smoked paprika butter elevates the whole recipe to something that pairs wonderfully with anything you want to throw on the grill: chicken, pork, fish, burgers, eggplant, and peppers."

1990 F&W Best New Chef Nancy Silverton's L.A. restaurant Pizzeria Mozza celebrates unfussy, straightforward, focused food that uses fresh California produce. This upgraded grilled cheese by Silverton is filled with a charred sweet corn-studded blend of nutty English-cheddar, sharp caciocavallo, and just enough mayonnaise to bind it all together. Thick slices of sourdough get a beautifully buttery, golden crust in a cast iron skillet, while Calabrian chile sneaks in with just the right amount of heat.

No need to hunt down an ice cream maker for this simple no-churn ice cream — just the sweetest fresh summer corn you can find. Corn kernels get blitzed in a food processor then strained and simmered down into a sweet pudding that forms the base of this dreamy dessert. A drizzle of store-bought dulce de leche provides the perfect buttery-sweet finish.

At his dinner parties in Harlem, chef and cookbook author Alexander Smalls pairs creamy, slightly spicy, fresh deviled crab with tender corn muffins, barely sweetened with brown sugar and studded with corn kernels, for a quick one-bite appetizer. Choose fresh crab over pasteurized for the best flavor.

Fresh corn melts into a creamy sauce that clings to every cranny of this pasta from Victor King of The Essential in Birmingham, Alabama. Any short noodle, like gemelli or casarecce, will work here. Using a vegetable peeler to shave the corn kernels is key to this summery dish: The peeler cuts juicy pieces of fresh corn while leaving rich and creamy corn milk behind to add body and flavor to the sauce.

Tender, juicy sweet peas and yellow corn kernels make for a light and refreshing salad atop a silky, creamy corn coulis in this easy-to-double recipe by Meg Bickford of Commander's Palace in New Orleans. Tangy sour cream and buttermilk balance the natural sweetness of the vegetables and Gulf shrimp. Corn may be sweeter or starchier depending on the season — adjust to taste with up to a teaspoon of sugar, if desired.

In this recipe, chef Bryant Terry fries rolled yuba, or thin sheets of tofu skin, in avocado oil until crispy, yielding a hearty vegan taco filling. Diaspora Co.'s single-origin turmeric lends its zesty, deeply floral flavor to the summery corn relish that tops these tacos.

In this quick-cooking recipe, corn is just lightly charred to add a bitter note, offsetting its sweetness. A simple pairing of that charred corn with crunchy breaded and roasted eggplant, tangy feta, and fresh mint makes a quick and satisfying dinner, while the glug of hot chile oil drizzled on top finishes off each plate.

The corn in this recipe gets a punch of flavor by being sautéed in oil that has had spices bloomed in it. "Vaghar in Gujarati means to sauté, and is used to refer to oil that has had spices tempered in it," explains cookbook author, blogger, and F&W Cooks contributor Hetal Vasavada. "This technique is also called chhonk, tadka, and poron, and has many other names in other Indian languages. Typically, vaghar is added to a dish after it's been done cooking (as with a dal). However, when you reverse the method and temper the oil and spices first and then add ingredients into it, it's referred to as vaghareli." For her inspired twist on Mexican flautas, Vasavada makes vaghareli makai (corn). The spiced kernels are combined with mild cheese, rolled up in tortillas, and deep-fried. Serve the flautas piled high with colorful garnishes alongside a ginger-lime avocado crema for a vibrant summer entertaining staple.

These loaded cornmeal waffles are your next brunch showstopper, balancing savory, salty, and sweet flavors all in one dish. Fresh corn kernels and honey lend their sweetness to the waffles, while cornmeal gives them a pleasant bite. Basil and chives are then blended into both the waffle batter and the silky crème fraîche topping, which gets piled on each waffle along with rich, salty smoked salmon and perfectly cooked poached eggs. A sprinkle of chives adds a final pop of brightness.

Make sure you grill corn for this salad before summer ends. It combines sweet, lightly charred fresh corn with a topping that stars ingredients including flaked coconut, curry leaves, and peanuts. It's a side dish or main that's bursting with flavor and texture — salty, nutty, crunchy, juicy, sweet, savory, and crisp. The chaat can be made in advance and stored at room temperature for up to one week, so it makes day-of prep easy. Just prep the scallions, grill the corn, and toss everything together.

Chef Lara Lee's Perkedel Jagung are all about sweet, tender corn. Packed with fresh or frozen kernels and layers of flavor from fresh ginger and shallots, fragrant makrut lime leaves, and floral ground coriander and cumin, these fried treats are delicious served with a balancing spicy Tomato Sambal.