Easy Corn Pudding Casserole (without creamed corn)
SHARE THIS RECIPE!
This Easy Corn Pudding Casserole is a fantastic Holiday side dish! Made without creamed corn, and without Jiffy Cornbread mix, it is as easy as it is delicious!
I use frozen corn for the best flavor, and the batter can be whipped up the day before and baked the following day. The result is a fluffy, decadent corn pudding that will be the hit at your next family gathering!
For another make-ahead Thanksgiving side dish try my Smashed Sweet Potatoes or my Fresh Green Bean Casserole
What is Corn Pudding?
- Corn pudding is a delicious, custardy side dish, popular in the Southern part of the United States.
- It is made with a base of corn, eggs, and heavy cream which results in a cross between a corn souffle in texture and cornbread in flavor.
- It’s a fantastic Thanksgiving recipe if you are looking for another starchy side dish. The best part is that it’s starchy, without being too heavy thanks to its fluffy texture.
- It’s also super simple to put together! Most of it just gets whirled up in a blender!
Watch My Video Demo
Is Corn Pudding the Same as Cornbread?
- Corn pudding isn’t the same as cornbread.
- Cornbread is much denser and bread-like, whereas corn pudding is much lighter like a souffle, more like a corn souffle.
- However, to add to the confusion, a lot of recipes for corn pudding also include a box of Jiffy Cornbread Mix, which is used in place of the flour, baking powder, and salt. Personally, I find the addition of cornmeal makes the corn pudding too grainy, so I use flour, and add my own baking powder and salt, for a smoother more delicate texture.
- If you are looking for something closer to cornbread try my Cornbread Sausage Stuffing Recipe, another great side dish recipe for Thanksgiving.
What are The Ingredients?
- Frozen Corn I love to use frozen corn in this recipe because I think the flavor is better than canned. If fresh corn is in season, then by all means use fresh!
- Eggs The eggs give the corn pudding a nice fluffy texture, I find 4 eggs is perfect, any more and the casserole gets too eggy.
- Sugar Corn pudding is supposed to be sweet, like cornbread, but not overly sweet since it’s meant to be paired with a savory main course. I find 1/3 cup of sugar is the right amount.
- Milk I don’t use too much milk or the corn pudding will be runny. It may be a matter of personal preference, but corn pudding for me shouldn’t be runny, it should be more fluffy.
- Heavy Cream will give the pudding that wonderful custardy texture.
- Melted Butter will add great flavor. If you live in the U.S.A use salted Land O Lakes butter. It’s not really salty just more flavorful than unsalted butter. Outside the U.S.A use unsalted butter.
- Flour It’s important to use some flour in this recipe for structure. Corn Pudding can be gluten-free if you use Gluten-Free flour, that way it would be a great alternative to stuffing. My favorite brand of Gluten-Free flour is Cup 4 Cup.
- Baking Powder will give your pudding a nice bit of lift and add to the fluffy texture.
- Kosher salt will help boost all the flavors. I prefer kosher salt in my cooking and baking since it’s less salty than table salt.
- Freshly Cracked Pepper will add nice flavor to the corn.
- Fresh Chives The freshness of the chives provides a nice balance against the richness of the corn custard. You could also swap the chives for jalapeños for a spicy kick.
Is Corn Pudding Served Hot or Cold?
Personally, I think this dish is best enjoyed hot, straight out of the oven when the texture and flavor are at their best. For a room-temperature side dish for Thanksgiving try my Harvest Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Make-Ahead Tips:
- You can make corn pudding in advance, but it’s best not to bake it in advance.
- Instead, prepare the batter, and keep it in a covered mixing bowl. Then while your Turkey rests, pour it into a prepared casserole dish and bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes.
- It’s best to enjoy this recipe right out of the oven for the best light and fluffy texture!
Serving Ideas:
This corn pudding casserole pairs beautifully with my Roast Turkey Breast Recipe, or my Maple Glazed Pork Loin recipe for holiday entertaining. You could also serve it in the summertime with some BBQ Sticky Ribs , Shrimp rolls, or as a brunch recipe too.
How To Store Corn Pudding
- Corn pudding does need to be refrigerated when warping up leftovers. It’s not like cornbread that can sit out on your countertop.
- Allow the corn pudding to cool completely, then cover it with foil and place in the refrigerator.
- To reheat, place a serving-size portion in the microwave and microwave on high at :30 intervals until warmed through.
- I would not recommend freezing it, since the texture would not be great and thawing it could make it runny.
Easy Corn Pudding Casserole (without creamed corn)
Easy Corn Pudding Casserole made with frozen corn instead of creamed corn. Light and fluffy and oh so delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 (12 oz) bags of yellow frozen corn
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 3/4 cup of whole milk
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of melted butter, cooled
- 1 1/2 tsp of Kosher salt
- 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Freshly cracked pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp of Fresh Chives, minced
Instructions
- In a blender add one bag of frozen corn, 4 eggs, sugar, milk, heavy cream, melted butter, and salt. Blend mixture on high until smooth and pureed, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder. Then add the flour mixture to the blended mixture, whisking until combined. Then add the second bag of frozen corn, pepper, and chives, and stir to combine.
- Make Ahead Tip: At this stage, the batter can be covered and refrigerated for 1 day until ready to bake.
- Before serving, preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 12 casserole dish. If using a 9x13 dish lessen the baking time by 5-10 minutes.
- Pour batter into a casserole dish and bake for 40--45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Serve immediately.
Notes
HOW TO HALF THIS RECIPE?
Having less people for Thanksgiving? Use these measurements instead and reduce baking time to about 20-25 minutes. Bake in a smaller dish too, either a 9" pie plate or a 9x9 casserole dish. The rest of the moth is the same. Enjoy!
FOR A SMALLER HALF-SIZED PORTION:
1 (12 oz) bag of yellow frozen corn
2 eggs
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp of sugar
1/4 cup +2 Tbsp of whole milk
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of melted butter, cooled
3/4 tsp of Kosher salt
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Freshly cracked pepper to taste
1 Tbsp of Fresh Chives, minced
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 325Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 159mgSodium: 443mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 6g
One of my absolute favorites- think I make it around twice a month 🙌🏻 also just by itself as a main dish with a simple green salad
Oh yummy love the salad idea so glad it has been a hit! 🙂
At this juncture, I’ve used this recipe about six times and it is amazing. I’ve adjusted it a bit. Use one more egg, nutmeg, cayenne, vanilla but no chives. I also blend all of the corn. This is a simple, elegant recipe and a huge crowd pleaser!
I’m so glad to hear it’s been such a hit! One of our favorites too 🙂
Making the halved version of this recipe, I processed most of the ingredients and didn’t think to save half of the corn in whole kernels to add at the end. Despite that, the resulting souffle pancake was delicious! My husband loved it. I look forward to doing it correctly next time.
But, I have a question. Do you really mean to add the corn in its frozen state? I did that but the melted butter congealed and the food processor complained. So, I let it rest and thaw before pureeing it and then mixing in the flour.
Planning on making this for a thksgivg side dish. Will I miss the creamed corn? Is it sweet enough with a creamy texture?
If add some creamed corn, does something chg w ingredients?
Should probably just follow your recipe!! 😊 I like the idea of blending first.. Sounds like a way to smooth out texture.
Ha! Well it could alter the texture and flavor. I add sugar to the recipe so for me it’s sweet enough, I think you will enjoy it the way it is! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
Can I make the batter the night before and then popping in the oven the next day?
Yes of course! That’s what I’m doing too! As we speak! Hope you enjoy it! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!:)
Hi Beth – This looks amazing! Can this be made dairy free?
Hmm, I bet you could use almond milk, and maybe vegan butter? I haven’t tried it so I really don’t know what the outcome would be, but if you do go for it, report back and let us know how it turned out! 🙂
This is a fabulous recipe. I’ve made it many times and it is always wonderful. Thank you Beth.
YAY! I’m so glad to hear it! One of my faves too! 🙂
Can this be made with gluten free flour?
Sure! I really like the Cup4Cup brand since you can keep the quantity the same :). Hope you enjoy!
Hi, wondering if I can substitute the cream for more milk to make it slightly healthier?
You could but I wouldn’t get rid of all the cream or the pudding will loose it’s structure. I would keep at least 1/2 cup of the cream, but use milk for the rest. I hope you enjoy!
Hi Beth,
I keep seeing either 16 ounce or 10 ounce bags of frozen corn at my local stores; no 12 ounce bags! It’s no big deal to measure out 12 ounces, of course, but just wanted to make sure that the recipe definitely calls for 12 ounces of corn (x2)?
Thanks for all of the great recipes and videos! Well done!
Ann
Yes! Definitely 12 ounces! So sorry for the confusion, I used the Ralphs Simple Truth Organic Corn which comes in 12 ounce bags 🙂 But as you say you could just measure it out, but next time I’ll pick a more popular size when developing recipes 🙂 So glad you are enjoying them!
This recipe was a hit. I made two batches for 23 people for Thanksgiving. Raves all around!
Any way to half the recipe? I’m only having only 4 people for Thanksgiving dinner.
Yes! Great question! I just updated the recipe card with that information. Scroll past the instructions in the note section I include these measurements. They will print when you print the recipe card but here they are just in case! Hope you enjoy!
Use these measurements instead and reduce baking time to about 20-25 minutes. Bake in a smaller dish too, either a 9″ pie plate or a 9×9 casserole dish. The rest of the moth is the same. Enjoy!
FOR A SMALLER HALF-SIZED PORTION:
1 (12 oz) bag of yellow frozen corn
2 eggs
2 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon of sugar
¼ cup +2 tablespoon of whole milk
½ cup of heavy cream
¼ cup of melted butter, cooled
¾ teaspoon of Kosher salt
2 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon of all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
Freshly cracked pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of Fresh Chives, minced
Thank you! This will definitely be on my Thanksgiving table!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
I’ll be the first one to ask if this can be baked in the morning and rewarmed after the bird comes out of the oven. I’d cook it while letting the bird rest, but even our larger oven is going to be fully occupied. No room for corn casserole. :o(
Ah OK sure you could definitely do that too! No worries 🙂 It reheats well in the microwave too if you want to half the recipe or use the full and distribute 2 pie plates. Then you could be using the oven for the Bird + sides and then reheat the corn pudding in the microwave (I just included the measurements for half the recipe in the notes section of the recipe card) Hope you enjoy!
Thank you very much! I gave this a trial run this weekend, and it is delicious! It rewarmed quickly in the oven, so I think I can pop it in for 10-15 minutes after the other sides come out of the oven and we start carving the turkey. I’m making this for my Midwestern in-laws, who grew up eating the Jiffy version. I know they will love this!