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.
Delish!
Excellent. Best corn fritter recipe I’ve tried. Thanks!
These were amazing. Definitely a favorite among the family. I highly recommend using fresh corn. Had these as a kid with canned corn and they don’t even compare. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Out of regular flour but have self-rising if I omit the baking powder will that work? Got corn,have to use it or through out. Oops, what about using butter milk instead or regular?
I think those substitutions could possibly work but I haven’t tested either of them so I can’t say for sure!
Will these stick together well enough that I can deep fry them as opposed to pan frying?
It’s a fairly liquid batter so I would pan fry!
Yes “
Just made these this morning. They were perfect. I substituted one half cup of chickpea flour for 1/2 of the flour, omitted the sugar and added a dash of smoked paprika. Served them with Greek yogurt and scallions. Delicious!
Just made these this morning. They were perfect. I substituted one half cup of chickpea flour for 1/2 of the flour, omitted the sugar and added a dash of smoked paprika. Served them with Greek yogurt and scallions. Delicious!
This recipe looks amazing…. definitely going to give it a try today with some fresh cobs I have!! Here’s a trick that I use to remove kernels from the cob……slide a fork into them and give it a twist!
These have become a family favorite! Delicious and not hard to make.
The kids are always asking for these! I love them also!
YUMMY!! There corn fritters look SO delicious!
What a great recipe for summer corn! These look scrumptious; looking forward to giving these a try!
We loved this side dish. It’s one I never had before but the corn and other flavors were delicious. Thanks!!
These taste JUST LIKE the ones that my mom used to make! So good! Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
I love this easy fritters recipe, perfect for my busy life!
These are the perfect texture! I’ll definitely be making them all summer long!
These corn fritters look so good! I would like to make them tonight!
These corn fritters look AMAZING!! I can’t wait to try make them for my family!
These are by far the best looking corn fritters I have ever seen!
Ooh. these look wildly delicious and cheesy…