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Free up oven space and your busy stovetop, and instead make this easy, cheesy, and buttery creamed corn in the Crock Pot! It’s a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving feast, or an easy side dish for your next weeknight dinner. Pair the cream corn with roast chicken, pot roast, smoked turkey, or fried pork chops. It’s sweet, savory, and totally decadent!
Cream Corn in the Crock Pot
When your oven and stovetop are occupied with the main dish, gravy, and other sides, it’s really helpful to have a handful of delicious recipes that you can make in the slow cooker. This old fashioned creamed corn gets a modern upgrade with help from a Crock Pot, frozen corn, and a block of cream cheese. The cream cheese adds that great rich, creamy, cheesy texture and flavor that we all love, and helps to avoid a thin, watered-down consistency. The simple recipe hits all of the notes that you’re craving — sweet, salty, and creamy — making it totally satisfying and delicious!
What’s the difference between creamed corn and regular corn?
There are endless ways to prepare creamed corn (or “cream corn”). A traditional homemade recipe includes sweet corn kernels cut off the cob and stirred into a cream sauce or white sauce. It might also feature cheese or a garnish of Parmesan.
By contrast, canned creamed corn (or “cream style sweet corn”) doesn’t include any cream at all. Instead, about half the fresh corn kernels are “creamed” or puréed, and the other half are left whole.
Still other versions of the dish involve combining pieces of whole sweet corn with the soupy, milky residue that you get from scraping the fresh corn cobs. The starches in the milky liquid help to thicken the dish as it cooks. This preparation obviously requires fresh corn, and is more time-consuming than using a canned cream-style corn or making a cream sauce from scratch with a roux.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for slow cooker creamed corn with milk. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Frozen corn kernels: you do not need to thaw them first, although you can if you’d like a shorter cooking time and a little bit less liquid in the slow cooker.
- Whole milk: use half-and-half or heavy cream for an even richer, more decadent taste and texture.
- Sugar: just a hint of sweetness in the background brings out the corn’s natural flavor without overpowering the dish.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the rest of the ingredients.
- Cream cheese: use a block of full-fat cream cheese — not a reduced-fat or spreadable tub variety.
- Salted butter: gives the cream sauce a rich, decadent flavor.
How to Make Creamed Corn in a Crock Pot
This recipe is about as easy as it gets, since everything goes right into the slow cooker and your job is done. Even if you don’t think you’re a fan of creamed corn, this recipe just might change your mind. I hope you’ll add it to your Thanksgiving menu!
- Place corn, milk, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large slow cooker.
- Add the cubed butter and cream cheese on top.
- Cover the Crock Pot and cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours. During the final 15 minutes, gently stir the ingredients together until the cream cheese and butter melt smoothly into the corn mixture.
Serving Suggestions
This Crock Pot creamed corn is a crowd-pleasing side dish for potlucks, for holidays like Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving dinner, or even for regular Sunday suppers. It goes well with any of these entrees:
- Meatloaf
- Maple Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast, Garlic and Herb Roast Turkey Breast, or Smoked Turkey
- Grilled Beef Tenderloin
- Fried Chicken Cutlets and Country Gravy
- Dutch Oven Pork Roast or 5-Ingredient Pork Sirloin Roast
- Baked Baby Back Ribs
- Ham Steak with Brown Sugar Glaze
- Grilled New York Strip Steak
- Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy
- Fried Pork Chops
- Crispy Fried Chicken or Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
- Roast Chicken
- Dutch Oven Pot Roast or Mississippi Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast or Oven Roasted Turkey
- Pineapple Glazed Ham or Crock Pot Ham with Cola Glaze
- Glazed Ham Steaks
- Crock Pot Pulled Pork, Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork, or Cider-Braised Pulled Pork
- Mississippi Pulled Pork or Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken
- Grilled BBQ Pork Chops
- Grilled BBQ Chicken
- Dutch Oven BBQ Beef
- Oven Baked Pork Tenderloin or Mustard and Brown Sugar Baked Pork Tenderloin
- Crispy Southern Fried Catfish
Storage
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish, as dairy-based sauces tend to curdle or separate when thawed.
To reheat, remove from the fridge and transfer the creamed corn to a skillet or Dutch oven. Warm over low heat on the stovetop until heated through. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave just until warm.
Crockpot Cream Corn Recipe Variations
- Use canned corn instead of frozen corn. Each 1-lb. bag of frozen corn is a little over 3 cups, so you’ll need a total of about 6 ½ – 7 cups of corn. That’s about 4 – 5 cans of corn. If starting with canned corn rather than frozen corn, you can reduce the cooking time slightly.
- Make a smaller batch. If you’re not feeding a large holiday crowd, prepare a smaller quantity of the creamed corn. To do so, cut all of the ingredients in half. It works best if you have a smaller slow cooker like this one.
- Instead of whole milk, use heavy cream or half-and-half for a richer, more decadent cream sauce.
- Make it spicy by stirring in a can of diced jalapeños, fresh chopped jalapeños, or a pinch of cayenne.
- Add savory flavor with onion powder or garlic powder, or use diced onion or minced garlic.
- Garnish the creamed corn with some crispy bacon for a little bit of smoky, salty flavor. Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme, basil, or chives, or add some green onions for a pop of fresh flavor.
Tips for the Best Creamed Corn Recipe
- Cooking times will vary. Every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature (which is why you’re given a range of cooking times). Keep an eye on your dish the first time you make it. The creamed corn is done when the butter and cream cheese soften and start to melt. The corn should be tender (but not mushy). Don’t let it cook for too long, or your sauce can curdle or separate.
- Use a brick of full-fat cream cheese — not a reduced-fat or spreadable tub variety. This will ensure that the cream cheese doesn’t separate or “break” in the heat of the slow cooker.
- Do not substitute with lower-fat milks or milk alternatives like skim milk or almond milk, which will not yield the same rich sauce, and may curdle or break in the Crock Pot.
- For a shorter cooking time and less liquid in the slow cooker, thaw the corn and strain off any excess liquid before placing it in the Crock Pot.
- Prepare the corn in a Dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot or skillet on the stove top. Just add all of the ingredients to the pot and cook over medium or medium-low heat until all of the ingredients come together. This will only take about 10-15 minutes.
More Easy Southern Sides to Try
- Southern Cornbread
- 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits
- Collard Greens
- Duke’s Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese
- Pineapple Casserole
- Ambrosia Salad
- Yellow Squash Casserole
- Succotash
- Jiffy Corn Casserole
Crock Pot Creamed Corn
Ingredients
- 2 (16 ounce) bags frozen corn kernels
- ½ cup whole milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, cubed
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, cubed
- Optional garnish: grated Parmesan cheese; chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, basil, or rosemary)
Instructions
- In a slow cooker, combine corn, milk, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Add cream cheese and butter on top.
- Cover the slow cooker with a lid. Cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours, or until the butter and cream cheese are soft and melty. During the final 15 minutes, gently stir the ingredients together until the cream cheese and butter melt smoothly into the corn mixture.
- Garnish with optional toppings and serve immediately.
Notes
- Cooking times will vary. Every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature (which is why you’re given a range of cooking times). Keep an eye on your dish the first time you make it. The creamed corn is done when the butter and cream cheese soften and start to melt. The corn should be tender (but not mushy). Don’t let it cook for too long, or your sauce can curdle or separate.
- Use a brick of full-fat cream cheese — not a reduced-fat or spreadable tub variety. This will ensure that the cream cheese doesn’t separate or “break” in the heat of the slow cooker.
- Do not substitute with lower-fat milks or milk alternatives like skim milk or almond milk, which will not yield the same rich sauce, and may curdle or break in the Crock Pot.
- For a shorter cooking time and less liquid in the slow cooker, thaw the corn and strain off any excess liquid before placing it in the Crock Pot.
- Prepare the corn in a Dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot or skillet on the stovetop. Just add all of the ingredients to the pot and cook over medium or medium-low heat until all of the ingredients come together. This will only take about 10-15 minutes.
- Use canned corn instead of frozen corn. Each 1-lb. bag of frozen corn is a little over 3 cups, so you’ll need a total of about 6 ½ – 7 cups of corn. That’s about 4 – 5 cans of corn. If starting with canned corn rather than frozen corn, you can reduce the cooking time slightly.
- Make a smaller batch. If you’re not feeding a large holiday crowd, prepare a smaller quantity of the creamed corn. To do so, cut all of the ingredients in half. It works best if you have a smaller slow cooker like this one.
- Instead of whole milk, use heavy cream or half-and-half for a richer, more decadent cream sauce.
- Make it spicy by stirring in a can of diced jalapeños, fresh chopped jalapeños, or a pinch of cayenne.
- Add savory flavor with onion powder or garlic powder, or use diced onion or minced garlic.