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

Chef Kevin Gillespie grates half of the corn here to make a luxurious puree that thickens without cream. He suggests scraping corn cobs with the dull side of a knife to remove the juices.

These crisp, light fritters taste like nothing but fresh lobster and sweet corn.

Here's a great way to celebrate the abundance of summer corn. If you can't get good fresh corn, though, use three cups of frozen kernels, thawed, and put them directly into the food processor with the cream. Since frozen corn is parboiled, the heat of the pasta is enough to finish cooking it.

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.

After seeing Bobby Flay slather corn on the cob with lime butter before grilling on a cooking show, Linton Hopkins came up with this skillet variation using kernels. To reflect the Central American influence on Southern cuisine, Hopkins adds sweet-hot Padrón peppers, but you can substitute jalapeños.

This sweet and spicy coconut milk–based stew gets lots of bright flavor from spinach, basil, chiles, and lime juice.

Traditional chaat, an Indian street-food snack, throws every flavor and texture together, from crunchy and fried to cool and creamy, tangy to sweet and fiery. Chef Biju Thomas uses grilled fresh corn for his summertime version. The chutney does much of the work here—tart, sweet, and layered with aromatic ginger and spices.

Hot off the grill, charred sweet corn gets slathered in tangy lime mayonnaise and topped with extra-large crunchy quicos, or corn nuts, in 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.

Fresh pureed corn is wrapped in its husks and steamed until firm. The resulting sweet corn tamales are delicious served with salsa verde.

Thick corn soup is a Taiwanese lunch-box staple; 2018 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.

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).

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.

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.

Earthy, savory blue corn brings a vibrant hue to these silver dollar pancakes. Drizzled with sweet, tart, smoky blackberry-piloncillo syrup and dolloped with tangy whipped crema, these pancakes are fruity, not too sweet, and filled with flavor.

"This recipe is an amalgamation of best practices across families and generations," Food & Wine's Josh Miller writes. "It will keep its crunch and retain its structure if cubed and folded into a dressing for Thanksgiving (like my Cornbread Dressing with Buttery Sage Croutons). It's also delicious all by itself. Well, with a pat of butter tucked between split slices, naturally. But most importantly, this recipe will politely indulge your whims and inspirations—your stir-ins and substitutions—and become whatever it is you'd like it to be."

This bright, buttery succotash by Katy Sparks (BNC 1998) 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."

Nancy Silverton's L.A. restaurant Pizzeria Mozza celebrates unfussy, straightforward, focused food that uses fresh California produce. This upgraded grilled cheese by the 1990 BNC alum 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 Calibrian 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.

Juicy strawberries and tart rhubarb stud the golden brown top of this simple skillet cake. The mix of all-purpose flour and fine cornmeal gives this dessert a pound-cake-like density, while goat cheese and buttermilk keep the crumb nicely tender and moist. A dollop of rosemary-infused whipped cream ties the sweet and savory flavors together.

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.