These corn fritters are crispy cakes filled with corn kernels, cheddar cheese and seasonings, all cooked together to golden brown perfection. An easy side dish that is the perfect way to showcase summer corn!
I’m always looking for unique and exciting ways to serve vegetables. Some of my favorite side dishes include carrot souffle, fig salad, mushroom risotto, corn souffle, bacon wrapped asparagus, candied carrots and these delectable corn cakes.
When summer corn is in season, I make corn fritters almost every week. They’re just that good! This recipe can be made with fresh, frozen or canned corn, which means you can enjoy these fritters all year round.
Table of Contents
Corn Fritters Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need corn kernels, flour, sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, black pepper, eggs, milk, green onions, cheddar cheese and vegetable oil.
How Do You Make Corn Fritters?
This recipe starts with corn kernels, flour, a bit of sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add eggs and milk to the mix, then stir to combine. The finishing touch is a handful of sliced green onions and some shredded cheddar cheese. Stir all of the ingredients together until you have a thick batter. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet or pan, then add heaping spoonfuls of the batter. Cook the fritters on both sides until golden brown, and drain them on paper towels. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Corn Cakes
- I typically use fresh or thawed from frozen corn kernels for this recipe. You can use canned corn too, but canned corn often contains extra sodium, so you may want to cut back on the salt in the recipe.
- Use a neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil or safflower oil.
- Serve your fritters with a variety of toppings such as sour cream, green onions and bacon. Some people prefer to serve their fritters as a sweeter dish by adding a drizzle of honey over the top. You could also serve a dip for the fritters such as homemade ranch dressing.
- Pair your fritters with main course options such as baked chicken tenders, steamed clams, pesto chicken, baked cod or sirloin steak.
Quick Tip
The batter for the fritters can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 hours before you plan to use it.
Corn Fritter Flavor Variations
This is a basic recipe for corn fritters which are flavored with a hint of green onion and melted cheese. That being said, there are so many different ways to flavor your fritters!
- Sweet: Omit the cheese, pepper and green onions. Increase the amount of sugar to 1 1/2 tablespoons. Serve the fritters with a drizzle of honey.
- Protein: Add some meat to make these fritters more of a main course. I recommend trying bacon or finely diced ham.
- Mexican Style: Stir in some diced jalapeno, lime juice, garlic powder and fresh cilantro, and swap out the cheddar cheese with pepper jack.
Recipe FAQs
These fritters are best when served fresh from the pan. You can also save them for later and reheat them with good results. Store the cooked fritters in the fridge, then reheat them on both sides in a hot pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, until they’re warmed through.
The best way to keep your fritters crispy is to place them on a cooling rack in one layer. If you stack the cakes on top of each other, they could steam and soften. If you’re not planning to serve the fritters immediately, you can put them in a 275 degrees F oven to stay warm.
If you’re using fresh corn for these fritters, you’ll need to remove it from the cob before you can proceed with the recipe. There are a few simple ways to remove corn from the cob without making a big mess. One option is to buy a corn stripper, which is a tool designed for this exact use. If you’d rather not buy another kitchen tool, lay an ear of corn flat on a cutting board and carefully slice the kernels off. You can also stand the ear of corn inside a large mixing bowl. Slice the kernels off so that they’re all contained within the bowl.
You can freeze corn fritters for up to two months. Place them in a single layer in a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container. Heat the frozen fritters in a pan of oil until crispy and warmed through on both sides.
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These fritters are the absolute best way to enjoy fresh corn – they’re light, crispy and packed with flavor!
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Corn Fritters Video
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Corn Fritters
Ingredients
- 3 cups corn kernels fresh, thawed from frozen, or canned
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup green onions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- vegetable oil for frying
- toppings such as sour cream, sliced green onions and crumbled bacon optional
Instructions
- Place the corn kernels, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the eggs and milk. Stir until a thick batter forms. Add the green onions and cheddar cheese and gently stir to combine.
- Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a deep pan over medium high heat. Place 2 tablespoon size mounds of the fritter mixture in the pan, then flatten them.
- Cook the fritters for 3 minutes per side, or until they're golden brown and crispy. Repeat the process with any remaining batter.
- Add toppings if desired, then serve immediately.
Notes
- I typically use fresh or thawed from frozen corn kernels for this recipe. You can use canned corn too, but canned corn often contains extra sodium, so you may want to cut back on the salt in the recipe.
- Use a neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil or safflower oil.
Light and crispy! Absolutely delicious. I drizzled a cayenne-infused honey over them. Yum!
Yum. Can’t think of a thing l would change about this recipe. Went out with friends for a late lunch so wanted something easy but, tasty to fill the gap til breakfast. They were really light with not too much batter and just the right amount of corn, onion and cheese. I’ll definitely make again.
Wow, are these ever delicious. I had to stop myself from eating them all!
I have several gorgeous ears of fresh sweet corn in my fridge, and they’re just begging to be made into these fritters! Yum – corn and cheddar cheese are such a scrumptious combo!
Wonderful fritter recipe. Wd enjoyed.
Using fresh corn from the farmers market these were so delicious!! Made them for breakfast and added some hot sauce and I thought perfect but a friend suggested syrup plus the hot sauce 😈 so next time!
Easy and a treat!
I’ve just cooked these wonderful fritters. I did put some hot peppers in half the mix.
I would highly recommend this recipe.
I enjoyed these so much! Having grown up on the Canadian border we like any excuse for using a bit of maple syrup to dip bites in. These were no exception. I served it along with eggs and bacon(breakfast for dinner😋).
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Very easy, very delicious! This was a great side for my pulled pork. I dipped the fritters in white barbecue sauce. I will make these again for sure.
I’ve been trying so many corn fritter recipes and most were pancakey..or heavy..but these were amazing. Thank you!
A fabulous recipe. They were crunchy on the outside and light and moist inside. Very flavorful. When I was a child, my mom made them and aserved them with maple syrup or pancake syrup. I ate them with syrup tonight and they were delicious and brought back sweet memories of my mom’s wonderful cooking.
Love this recipe! Big hit. Will definitely make again.my only change was using a sharp cheddar. I also prepared the batter the nite before and let sit in the refrigerator overnight
We made these tonight to go with some vegetable soup. I omitted the sugar and subbed 1/2 cup of masa hair a for part of the flour. Everyone loved them and I will make them again.
Turned out amazing! I used canned shoepeg corn and added garlic and a little bit of paprika.
Amazing! I followed exactly. They are both gorgeous and delicious. I used the 10 serving recipe and all estimates were right on!
LOVE this recipe!
Our family loved these. Definitely worth using fresh corn to make them extra good.
I added some corn meal for crunch.