41 Sweet Corn Recipes To Make This Summer
Get the most out of this summertime staple.
It's corn! And yes, corn is a great beautiful lump of nobs, but it's also one of THE most versatile ingredients out there. All summer, we'll take corn any way we can get it—baked in a corn cookie, blended into an elote-style soup, or grabbing a smoked corn on the cob right off the grill. To make the best of summer's sweet corn while at its peak, we've rounded up all our favorite recipes in one place. Flip through for our top 41 sweet corn recipes for ideas—you wouldn’t want the summer to slip by without trying at least one of them.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t start with corn on the cob—it’s THE quintessential summertime side dish, and we try to eat as much of it as we can once it’s in season. Lucky for you, we’ve got tons of ways to make it so you too can eat a ton. Try out our recipes for boiled, grilled, steamed, microwaved, oven-baked, and Instant Pot corn on the cob. Once you’ve cooked your corn on the cob, take it one step further and turn it into a side dish worthy of all your summer BBQs. Grilling corn adds a special smokiness that improves even the most basic dishes—check our grilled creamed corn or grilled corn salad to see what we mean. Another favorite ingredient to add to jazz up corn—cheese, ofc! Cotija (think feta or Parmesan if you’re unfamiliar) is a favorite, particularly because it’s a main player in one of our favorite ways to eat corn—Mexican elote. You could serve it on the cob, in a Mexican corn salad, or even with more cheese in our Instant Pot street corn queso.
Feeling corny, but not so into the cobs? Try one of our many other recipes where corn plays more of a secondary role (shh, you can even use frozen corn in some of them!). Try our chicken chowder stuffed zucchini, our chicken tamale pie, or our sweet corn shrimp & rice skillet. They’re great when corn isn’t absolutely at its peak, or you just can’t find nice fresh ears.
Want more summertime produce inspiration? Check out our zucchini recipes, healthy eggplant recipes, peach recipes, and blueberry desserts too.
Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Nachos
During the summer, a recipe we keep coming back to again and again is elote, otherwise known as Mexican street corn, where the corn is simply paired with mayo, chili powder, and cotjia. It’s such an incredible flavor combination, we knew it shouldn’t be confined just to the summer. The solution? Turning it into skillet nachos that can be enjoyed all year long.
Smoked Corn On The Cob
This flavorful and healthy way to grill corn on the cob doesn't require a smoker. Instead, you'll infuse the corn with wood smoke using a clever foil packet of wood chips and a grill.
Get the Smoked Corn On The Cob recipe.
Elote Corn Soup
Fresh and bright, this recipe transforms a classic Mexican street food, elote, into an irresistible bowl of soup. Chili-spiced and lime-spiked, these sweet and creamy bowls take the corn off the cob, turning it into the perfect summer starter or main.
Get the Elote Corn Soup recipe.
Creamy Corn Pasta
Creamy corn pasta has always been one of my favorite dishes to make for any summer occasion, from outdoor BBQs to celebratory dinners. Don’t be fooled by the name—this pasta has no cream. Instead, you’ll puree fresh corn, sautéed garlic, and scallions into a luscious sauce that’s topped with Parmesan, basil, and even more corn. With just these few ingredients, you can have a crowd-pleasing pasta dish on the table in only about 30 minutes.
Get the Creamy Corn Pasta recipe.
Esquites Corn Chowder
Have you ever had esquites so good, you wanted to drink it straight out of the bowl? Esquites is the iconic Mexican street food made from corn kernels, mayo, lime, and chili powder, like elotes, but in a cup (literally elote en vaso!). When it came to making this soup, I looked no further than corn chowder—the quintessential New England comfort food that features loads of sweet corn, bacon, and potato. The warm, creamy soup and the cool, sweet, acidic esquites combine in one bowl to create an insanely good contrast of texture, temperature, and flavor.
Get the Esquites Corn Chowder recipe.
Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa
As we all know, Chipotle has many toppings we love to load our bowl up with. If you can't get enough of the corn salsa (and find yourself asking for a second scoop), this is the copycat recipe for you. Loaded with sweet corn, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño and citrus juice, it’s delicious served completely on its own with some chips, or if you’re looking for the full bowl, make your own with our copycat Chipotle chicken and all your favorite toppings.
Get the Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa recipe.
Succotash Gnocchi
Inspired by delicious and oh-so-summery succotash, this colorful dinner is extra hearty and full of fresh flavors. Though this rendition doesn't include beans, we think the chewy boiled gnocchi are the perfect bean-shaped stand-ins.
Get the Succotash-Inspired Gnocchi recipe.
Mexican Street Corn Flatbread
We’re fans of any food you eat off a stick, but Mexican street corn is one of our favorites. Juicy corn on the cob slathered with creamy lime and chili sauce, rolled in cotija cheese and cilantro? Sign us up. We’ve riffed on this classic street food more ways than we can count—nachos, tacos, even enchiladas—and we’ve loved every version, but this Mexican street corn flatbread is our new go-to. Here, we’re taking the creamy tangy sauce that usually goes on the corn, spreading it over pre-made pizza dough instead, and loading it up with corn, more chili, and lots of cheese. Twenty minutes later, it’s crispy, corny perfection.
Get the Mexican Street Corn Flatbread recipe.
Corn and Tomato Gnocchi Foil Packs
The foil packets here trap in steam from the wine and juices from the tomato and corn as everything grills, which in turn cooks the gnocchi to perfectly tender while infusing the pasta with all the flavors of the dish. Bonus: Some of the meal browns a bit on the bottom right before it finishes cooking, adding extra flavor.
Corn Fritters
Fluffy and crispy, corn fritters are our new favorite Southern-fried side (sorry, hush puppies). Littered with fresh sweet corn, these are the perfect addition to countless summer dinners, from a crab leg feast to a rack of saucy BBQ ribs or a taco spread. This recipe is based on my grandma’s favorite recipe for corn fritters, but with a few additions to make them extra special.
Get the Corn Fritters recipe.
Chicken Chowder Stuffed Zucchini
Using cooked rotisserie chicken, frozen corn, and sweet cherry tomatoes, you can have a summer chowder in under an hour, served in a crispy-tender stuffed zucchini boat. While bacon isn’t totally crucial in this dish, it's an ingredient packed with more potential than meets the eye: rendering it provides a salty, flavorful fat you can then brush onto your roasted zucchini and use to start your savory chowder with.
Pimiento Cheese Corn Muffins
The flavor squad is here to provide standard corn muffins with a mega boost. The result is pimiento cheese corn muffins, which take their cues from the classic Southern cheese dip. Packed with shredded cheddar, diced pimiento peppers, garlic powder, and a generous amount of cayenne, the result is a savory delight. Top the baked muffins with more pimiento cheese for a decadent snack.
Get the Pimiento Cheese Corn Muffins recipe.
Surf 'N' Turf Foil Packs
Worried about cook time with foil packs? Feel free to take a peek! The shrimp should be pink and opaque and the steak—depending on how you like it—should be slightly pink in the very middle. Do open the packs carefully and slowly, exercising caution to avoid the steam trapped within.
Get the Surf 'N' Turf Foil Packs recipe.
Corn Cookies
Momofuku Milk Bar's popular version dominates the results page for corn cookie recipes, but it calls for the use of an unusual ingredient: powdered freeze-dried corn. We've decided to create a version that uses another flavor powerhouse that's easier to find: canned creamed corn.
Get the Corn Cookies recipe.
Esquites Fritters
We’re happy to report that esquites, the irresistible and less-messy version of everyone’s favorite cotija-coated snack, elote, were the perfect inspiration for these bite-sized fritters. Paired with a lime and garlic-spiked sour cream sauce, these crisp patties are guaranteed to disappear in a crowd in minutes.
Get the Esquites Fritters recipe.
Sweet Corn Shrimp & Rice Skillet
This light but satisfying dinner starts with a vibrant sauce made with some of our favorite sunny, bright flavors: sweet bell pepper, nutty white miso, and earthy turmeric, along with plenty of garlic and ginger. Topped with garlicky sautéed shrimp, this meal comes complete with protein, carb, and plenty of veg.
Sheet-Pan Shrimp Boil
A mix of shrimp, andouille sausage, corn, and potatoes, this Cajun favorite is the most satisfying summer dinner.
Get the Sheet-Pan Shrimp Boil recipe.
Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
This side is perfect for any cookout staple—try it with BBQ chicken or grilled steak—or, at a party, you could set up all of the toppings (adding a few wildcards, like scallions, crumbled bacon and sriracha) and create a Build Your Own Elote Bar. 😱
Get the Mexican Street Corn (Elote) recipe.
Succotash
We love using this combo of sweet and savory veg to make a fresh summer side dish that will lighten up any warm-weather meal. Historically, the corn, zucchini, and lima beans would be cooked alongside some form of fresh or dried meat, but in this case, we've opted for bacon which adds some nice crispy texture and porky flavor.
Get the Succotash recipe.
Bang Bang Corn
Bang Bang Shrimp gets all the hype, but we're here to tell you that flavor-packed grilled corn deserves a little more time in the spotlight. The sweet-spicy sauce is perfect over almost anything!
Get the Bang Bang Corn recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine. If wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.