How to Cook Frozen Corn

It’s easy to make frozen corn taste great. Start with your favorite bag of corn, saute an onion in some butter and cook for a few minutes. Salt and pepper finish the dish. (10-minute recipe)

Frozen corn is a pantry staple. Like my recipe for frozen green beans, this easy recipe starts with a bag of frozen corn and makes it amazing. How do we do it? It’s simple! The secret to cooking great-tasting frozen corn is to add butter and sauteed onions. Remember when we made the recipe for frozen broccoli? We added a little lemon and that took the broccoli from drab to fab? This time, onion and butter do the job.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Easy Frozen Corn

• easy to make.
• the butter, onion and black pepper enhances the flavor of frozen corn
• perfect “last minute” side dish

Step One: Buy Frozen Corn

Any plain frozen kernel corn works in this recipe. Here are the varieties you might see at the store.

Sweet Corn. (sometimes called super sweet) This variety is really tasty. As the name implies, it’s sweet. Tender and small kernels. It reminds me of fresh summer corn off the cob. It’s my favorite frozen corn.

Whole Kernel Cut Corn. This is what many people think of when they think about frozen corn. Traditional corn flavor. Sturdy texture. Large kernels.

Yellow and White Corn Blend. A mixture of yellow and white kernels. Mildly sweet and crunchy. Makes for a pretty side dish.

Baby Corn. Sometimes available in all white or a blend of yellow and white kernels. This frozen corn is small and flavorful. The kernels are delicate.

Avoid
Corn with Sauce: Some brands offer frozen corn in a sauce. While tasty, this style of frozen corn doesn’t work for this recipe.

Step Two: Thaw the Corn

Remove the corn from the bag. Place in a microwave-safe container. Add a tablespoon of water and cover. Heat until the corn is thawed. The time this takes varies depending on the size bag of corn you use and the power of your microwave. For a 14 ounce bag, expect it to take about three minutes. Don’t worry about getting the corn steaming hot. You’ll saute it in the next step.

Step Three: Saute an Onion

Here’s the thing: you could simply thaw frozen corn, add a pat of butter, a sprinkle of salt and serve. This is how my mom served corn and it was tasty.

This recipe adds one additional step: a sauteed onion. Why bother? The sauteed onion adds great flavor to the frozen corn. Plus, quickly cooking the corn in a hot skillet improves the texture. It gives the corn a little crunch.

To cook the onion, start by melting butter in a skillet. You could use oil but the flavor of butter and corn are perfect together. Cook until the onion is soft and tender, about three minutes.

Tip: Cook the onion while you thaw the corn in the microwave.

Step Four: Saute the Corn

Add the thawed corn to the sauteed onion. Stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. You’ll notice that a few kernels might turn brown, this is normal.

Add a generous sprinkle of salt and, if you like it, some freshly ground black pepper.

5 from 3 votes

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How to Cook Frozen Corn

It’s quick and easy to make great-tasting frozen corn. Start with a bag of corn, saute an onion in some butter and cook for a few minutes. Salt and pepper finish the dish. (10-minute recipe)

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (10-14 ounce bag) frozen corn, sweet kernels recommended
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon butter, salted or unsalted
• 1 small onion, finely diced (about ⅔ cup)
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place corn in a microwave-safe container. Add water. Cover. Microwave until corn is thawed, about three minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the diced onion and saute until soft and tender, about three minutes. Add the corn. Cook, stirring frequently, until hot. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve hot. Top with an additional pat of butter if desired.