I always buy too much corn! I head out for six ears and come home with a dozen because it looks so good piled up at the stand, and then I spend the rest of the week finding ways to use it up.
That is really what this collection is: all my favorite ways to turn sweet corn into a side worth putting on the table.
The fresh-corn recipes are up top, worth making while the ears are still sweet. Further down are the make-ahead salads and the casseroles and dips that feed a crowd, most of them happy to use frozen or canned corn any month of the year.
⭢ Fresh Corn, Straight From the Cob
Fresh corn does not need much help. These are the recipes for the week you came home with more ears than you planned on, whether you want them whole and buttered or cut off the cob and cooked down in a skillet.
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Three ways to grill it: in the husk, straight on the grates, or wrapped in foil. Pick your method, then finish with butter and a little Old Bay.
How to Cook Corn on the Cob
Not grilling tonight? This one covers boiling, baking, and microwaving, with the exact time for each and a garlic butter that fits them all.
Southern Fried Corn
Fresh kernels cut straight off the cob and cooked down in butter until they turn creamy on their own. This is the one I make most in July.
Succotash
Corn and lima beans, the way it has been made in the South forever! Buttery, quick, and the best way to use up whatever the garden gave you.
Corn Fritters
Crisp at the edges and tender in the middle. Serve them with honey butter alongside fried chicken, or set them out with a dipping sauce.
⭢ Corn Salads (No-Oven)
Nobody wants to stand over a hot stove in August. Every salad here can be made ahead, packed in a cooler, and set out cold, and most of them are better after an hour in the fridge than they are right off the counter.
Fresh Corn Salad
Sweet corn, tomatoes, and cucumber in a light honey vinaigrette. Bright enough to sit beside anything off the grill without weighing the plate down.
Creamy Corn Salad
The creamy answer to the vinaigrette version above, loaded with bacon and sharp cheddar. This is the bowl that comes home empty from every cookout.
Southwest Pasta Salad
Black beans, corn, and peppers tossed in a zesty lime dressing. A good pick when the main dish is barbecue and you want a little heat on the side.
Rice Salad with Corn & Bacon
An old-fashioned potluck dish worth bringing back. Creamy, savory with bacon and pimentos, and easy to make a day ahead so the flavors settle in.
Shrimp Avocado Pasta Salad
Substantial enough to pass for a light supper on a hot night. The corn keeps it sweet and the avocado makes it feel a little more special.
Cornbread counts too!
⭢ Casseroles, Dips, & Other Crowd-Pleasers
These are the dishes for when the guest list keeps growing and you need something that stretches. They lean on canned and frozen corn, which means you can make them in February just as easily as July.
Jiffy Corn Casserole
The most requested recipe on my whole site. Five ingredients, one dish, and it earns its spot at the holiday table and the summer cookout both.
Old-Fashioned Scalloped Corn
Creamy corn baked under a buttery cracker topping. It is a holiday standby at my house, but nothing says you cannot make it in August.
5-Minute Corn Dip
Stir it together, chill it, and you are finished. Set it out with tortilla chips while the grill heats up and watch how fast it goes!
Corn season is short, so I would start at the top of this list and work down while the ears are still sweet. The rest of the year, the casseroles and dips have you covered.
Save this one to your summer sides board so you can find it again next July!
⭢ Working With Fresh Corn
A couple of minutes of know-how goes a long way with fresh ears.
⇢ Buying it: Bright green husks wrapped tight, damp golden silk, full kernels to the tip. Buy it in the husk when you can, since that is the only way to see what you are getting.
⇢ Storing it: Leave it in the husk in the fridge and do not shuck until you are ready to cook. Corn turns its sugar to starch fast, so it is sweetest within a day or two.
⇢ Cutting it off the cob: Stand the ear in a wide bowl and slice straight down. Then scrape the bare cob with the back of your knife. That milky scrape is what makes my Southern Fried Corn turn creamy without a drop of cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many ears of corn do I need per person?
For corn on the cob, plan on one to two ears per person, and lean toward two if corn is the star of the meal. People come back for a second ear more often than they do a second scoop of just about anything.
For the recipes that call for cut kernels, one medium ear gives you about three quarters of a cup, which makes it easy to scale a salad or casserole up or down.
Can I use frozen or canned corn instead of fresh ears?
For most of these, yes. Frozen corn is the closest stand-in and goes straight into cooked dishes with no thawing. Canned works well in the salads, casseroles, and dip, just drain it well first. The recipes where fresh really earns its keep are the ones where corn is the whole point, like my Southern Fried Corn and Succotash, so save your best ears for those.
Which of these corn side dishes can I make ahead?
Plenty of them, which is what makes this a good list for a party. All of the salads are happy made a day early, and the corn dip is actually better after a few hours in the fridge. The casseroles can be assembled ahead and baked right before serving.
The only two I would make close to serving time are the corn on the cob and the fritters, which are both best fresh and warm.
Keep the Summer Sides Coming
If you are putting together a spread, these collections are the natural next stop:
