This fried corn is cooked with bacon and chives until golden brown and caramelized. The ultimate easy summer side dish that pairs well with grilled meats, fish and hamburgers. A Southern classic that never goes out of style!
You can never go wrong when you serve corn as a side dish; some of my favorites include black bean corn salad, slow cooker creamed corn, and this simple yet flavorful fried corn.
There’s nothing better than fresh, sweet corn in the summertime. While corn is obviously delicious enjoyed on the cob with a little butter, it’s even better when made into Southern fried corn. That combination of caramelized corn and savory bacon just can’t be beat!
How do you make fried corn?
This recipe starts with bacon, which is cooked in a skillet until crisp. The bacon is removed from the pan and corn kernels and onions are fried in the bacon grease, along with some seasonings and a bit of sugar. The sugar helps the corn to get those flavorful caramelized bits. The final step is to stir the bacon back into the corn and add a sprinkling of chives. I always serve my fried corn alongside grilled chicken, and it’s the perfect easy side dish for a summer gathering.
Tips for Fried Corn
- You can use fresh or frozen corn kernels for this recipe. I don’t recommend using canned corn because it has added sodium and the texture isn’t as good. Yellow and white corn work equally well here.
- You’ll want to drain off some of the bacon grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon left in the pan to cook up your corn.
- If you’re concerned about adding sugar, you can omit it. That being said, the sugar doesn’t make this dish overly sweet, it just makes the corn kernels brown better in the pan.
How do you cut corn off the cob?
If you’re using fresh corn for this dish, 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 huge 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 bowl, then cut the kernels off so that they’re all contained within the bowl.
Fried corn variations
Traditional Southern fried corn has just a few ingredients to really let the corn flavor shine through. That being said, there are many different flavorings you can add to your corn to make it your own.
- Vegetables: You can add diced red bell pepper, fresh tomato, or a can of green chiles to the mix.
- Herbs: Instead of chives, try parsley, green onions, basil or thyme.
- Meat: Swap out the bacon for diced ham.
Once you taste this dish, you’ll find yourself making it all summer long! It’s the absolute best way to enjoy fresh corn.
More delicious side dishes
Fried Corn with Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon diced
- 1/3 cup onion finely diced
- 4 cups corn kernels fresh or frozen (thawed)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chives sliced
Instructions
- Place the bacon in a large pan. Cook over medium high heat until browned and crisp.
- Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain.
- Drain grease off pan until approximately 1 tablespoon remains.
- Add the onion to the bacon grease. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the corn, sugar, salt and pepper to the pan.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until corn starts to caramelize and brown on the edges.
- Stir the bacon back into the corn. Top with chives and serve.
Greg says
My Aunt (who was born in Kentucky and lived in Alabama most of her adult life). She used to cook it in her huge cast iron skillet all day, and would make it tender and flavorful by adding some buttermilk over and over again – as the corn would soak up all of that flavor – cooking over a low heat. You have to watch it though, as the buttermilk can caramelize and burn pretty quickly if you let it get too dry too fast. It was an interesting process. At the end you can add a hint of cayenne pepper to your taste as well.
Nicole says
Does anyone know if this has to be served hot? Or is it ok to be made the night before
Sara says
You could make it in advance and reheat it, but it’s best served hot.
AnnMarie Cardin says
Delish! This has become a staple in my repertoire as well as my friends’! The one thing we add to it is a finely diced fresh jalapeño pepper, no seeds. Sometime I just add half the pepper. It gives it zip that plays so nicely against the sweetness and the savoriness. And I’ve used scallions instead of chives if that’s what I happened to have on hand. It’s a great side at a barbecue or when you’re serving a southern style meal like baked ham and Mac and Cheese or sautéed green beans with shallots.
Nancy says
Very tasty! The bacon goes so well with the corn! Yum!
Linda says
Sounds delicious. I am going to try this tonight.
Jamie says
This was a quick go to for me.. Didn’t have onion .. I cut 3 strips bacon in half.. Cooked em hecka crispy. Set aside.( Cuz I know from past recipes bacon does get soggy). And I had 1 can of corn ( not fresh). remove bacon drain however. Drain corn put in hot bacon grease. Add remaining ingredients. Cook /stir 8 mins. Was good with only 1 can. Gonna try with a lil syrup an cayenne next round.. Thanks Peace Out.. J. 2020
Deedee says
I made this last summer but added diced red bell peppers and substituted green onion for the chive as I had them on hand already. It was delicious! In fact I think I’ll make it tonight as I just happen to have all those ingredients on hand right now! Yummy 😋
Barbara Miley says
If you wanted to prepare this ahead of time why not just set the bacon aside until you’re warming the corn to serve then add the bacon?
Sara says
That would be fine!
Blair says
This looks AWESOME! I can’t wait to try it out for Thanksgiving!! Can I make this a couple of hours before and the bacon still be crispy?
Sara says
The bacon will soften, you can reheat it on the stove to crisp the bacon back up.
LaChelle Rininger says
Can this be made ahead of time?
Sara says
Yes, reheat on the stove until bacon is crisp.
Steve Becker says
This is a great recipe. Reminds me of corn on the grill. I added a pinch of habenero powder for an extra kick.