Easy Crunchy Creamy Baked Corn

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Why I Love This Recipe

If it were up to me I would do just side dishes for most holidays. Give me allllllll the au gratin potatoes, butternut squash wild rice salad, sourdough dinner rolls, dilly green beans, and stuffing.

And now enter CORN + CORNFLAKES.

This incredible creamy baked corn with crunchy cornflake topping (inspiration from the classic cheesy hashbrowns that is on every Midwestern table!), has savory notes from garlic and green onions, is lightly sweetened with a bit of honey, and flaky salt to finish. I promise you won’t miss the canned creamed corn or jiffy cornbread mix.

Many pans of baked corn came out of my oven to land on this recipe, and I had many volunteers who tested it for me too, making sure it hit all the right notes and was easy to put together. I’m so excited to share it with you!

Ingredients for Creamy Baked Corn Casserole

• frozen sweet corn
• butter
• cream cheese
• milk
• green onions
• garlic
• egg
• cornflakes

The flavor of corn is truly the star! Rather than using a flour-based roux for thickening (which can subdue the corn’s subtle sweetness), this recipe uses natural starches from the corn and the richness of dairy to bring the ingredients together. It also keeps this dish gluten-free.

How To Make Creamy Baked Corn:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt butter in a medium size saucepan over medium low heat. Add onions and garlic, stirring to coat with butter, and cook until softened.
• Add cream cheese and stir to help the cream cheese start to melt, for about a minute. Then add milk, honey, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Turn heat up to medium, stirring to combine and continue melting the cream cheese. Bring ingredients to a soft simmer (not a boil) for about 3 to 4 minutes, until sauce is smooth and looks a bit thickened.
• Add frozen corn and remove from heat. Stir to coat corn. Then stir in egg. Put mixture into a greased 7×10 inch baking pan (or baking pan of similar size). Top with cornflakes.
• Bake for 25 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes to crisp up the cornflakes. Let sit 5 minutes before eating (so it can set a bit). Top with flaky salt and minced green onion tops.

Using Frozen Corn vs. Canned Corn

I really prefer cooking with frozen sweet corn because it retains its crisp crunch, which canned corn does not. I also think the flavor is muted because of the heat processing needed for canning. Frozen corn is also easy to find affordable, organic options and is frozen at peak freshness.

More Holiday Side Dish Recipes:

• Stovetop Caramelized Carrots with Garlic and Honey
• Roasted Sweet Dumpling Squash with Brown Butter
• Orange Glazed Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts

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Crunchy Creamy Baked Corn Casserole

This baked corn casserole is deliciously creamy with a crunchy cornflake topping, has savory notes from garlic and green onions, and lightly sweetened with a bit of honey. It's balanced with cream cheese and flaky salt. Uses frozen sweet corn, no canned ingredients!

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time :10 minutes minutes

Cook Time :25 minutes minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Amanda Paa

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 green onions, white and light green parts finely chopped (keep dark green tops for finishing)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces softened cream cheese, cut into 8 chunks (full fat)
• 3/4 cup whole milk (must be whole milk)
• 3 tablespoons runny honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 cracks fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (can increase to 1/2 teaspoon if you like a little more spice)
• 1 large egg, thoroughly whisked
• 20 ounces frozen sweet corn (I prefer to use organic)
• Topping: 1 1/4 cups finely crushed corn flakes (measured after crushing) + 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix these together.
• Flaky salt

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt butter in a medium size saucepan over medium low heat. Add onions and garlic, stirring to coat with butter. Add 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened.
• Add cream cheese and stir to help the cream cheese start to melt, for about a minute. Then add milk, honey, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper, red pepper flakes. Turn heat up to medium, stirring to combine and continue melting the cream cheese. Bring ingredients to a soft simmer (not a boil) for about 3 to 4 minutes, until sauce is smooth and looks a bit thickened.
• Add frozen corn to sauce and remove from heat. Stir to coat corn. Then stir in egg. Put mixture into a greased 7×10 inch baking pan (or baking pan of similar size). Top with cornflakes.
• Bake for 25 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes to crisp up the cornflakes. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes before eating (so it can set a bit). Top with flaky salt and minced green onion tops.
• *You can make the corn mixture a full day ahead, remove from fridge and top with the cornflakes right before baking.