Southern Sweet Fried Corn

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Black history month is here and I am so excited to share one of my favorite recipes with you to kick off the month! As a black woman who loves everything about black culture, black people, and our history (even the painful parts), I consider it a duty and honor to celebrate my culture and keep our stories relevant and heard. Not only am I sharing one my recipes but I’m also introducing you to some amazing black food bloggers who have all teamed up to create one incredibly delicious virtual Black History Month Potluck. My recipe will be one of my all time favorites, South Sweet Fried Corn.

I can’t remember the first time I had fried corn but I know my grandmother made it and it always tasted so GOOD. It tastes like you literally just picked the freshest ears of corn from your own garden, shucked the corn while singing amazing grace, and spent all day in the kitchen preparing this sweet buttery crunchy corn. Fried corn is what you make on Sunday after church with fried chicken, potato salad, and baked macaroni and cheese. It’s so perfect an unlike any other corn recipe. I’s not creamed corn, it’s fried and I have never met anyone who hasn’t loved this recipe.

Traditionally, fried corn is made using its own kernel milk or “corn milk” which is in the lining of the cob. This is where the fried corn develops its sweetness and creamy texture. What makes this Southern Sweet Fried Corn is the bacon grease that is used to fry the corn in. Now for this recipe I’ve chosen to swap out the bacon grease for plant butter but if you prefer bacon grease I don’t blame you! The plant butter works beautifully in this recipe; it adds a great flavor and it’s vegan friendly. As for seasoning, all you need is salt and pepper. I never measure the seasoning so I encourage you to taste the fried corn as it begins to cook to make sure that it is seasoned to your liking. 

Please be sure to check out the other amazing flood blogger’s recipes posted below and join in on our virtual Black History Month Potluck. 

Southern Sweet Fried Corn

How to make Vegan Southern Sweet Fried Corn

Step 1

Shuck the corn and remove all the silk. I have used this type of brush and it works pretty well. Once you have all the corn shucked and removed all the silk, rinse the corn in cold water. 

Step 2

Grab a large bowl and in this step you are going to cut the corn kernels off the cob. The best and safest way to do this is to stand the corn up in a bowl and using a sharp knife, cut down on the sides of the cob. The kernels will fall straight into the bowl. Do not throw the cob away at this point.

Southern Sweet Fried Corn

Step 3

The lining of the cob is where the goodness is and this is what makes fried corn so amazing. There is a starchy liquid inside of the cob that I like to call corn milk. The corn milk is what adds to the sweetness of the dish and creates a one of a kind flavor.  So, using a spoon scrape every side of the cobs to remove the corn milk (scrape straight into the bowl) and repeat this step on all of the cobs. There should be about 1 cup of the corn milk hiding at the bottom of your bowl.

Step 4

Melt the plant butter (if using bacon grease, heat the grease) in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted add the corn into the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together and cook for 20-25 minutes and stir occasionally. You can season to your liking, however I do not suggest over seasoning.

Southern Sweet Fried Corn

What to serve with Sweet Southern Fried Corn?

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Southern Sweet Fried Corn

Southern Sweet Fried Corn

  • Author: Jaylynn Little
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Category: 45 Minute dishes
  • Method: Fried/sauteed
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Sweet southern fried corn made with plant based & dairy free butter.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 8 ears of fresh corn
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) plant butter
  • Salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Shuck the corn and remove the silk. Rinse with cold water.
  2. Cut the kernels off the cob and into a large bowl. It’s best to do this while the corn is standing up and run a sharp knife down the side of the cob.
  3. Use a spoon to scrape the naked cobs and remove the starchy milky liquid, called corn milk straight into the bowl with the corn. Season the corn with salt and pepper and mix everything together.
  4. Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium high. Once the butter is melted add in the corn and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for

Notes

I do not recommend using canned corn for this recipe.

Keywords: Fried corn, How to make fried corn

Be sure to check out recipes from all of the 2020 Black History Month Virtual Potluck contributors:

Beautiful Eats & Things | Honey Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes | vegetarian

D.M.R. Fine Foods |Vegetarian Chili | vegetarian

Dash of Jazz |Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits with Spiced Pear Compote | vegan

Dish it with Tisha | Mushroom and Okra Po’ Boy |vegetarian

Domestic Dee |Dirty Rice |vegan

Food Fidelity |Vegan Curry Cauliflower | vegan

Kenneth Temple |Wakanda Cake | vegan

Marisa Moore Nutrition |Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Fritters | vegan

Meiko and the Dish | Cajun Shrooms & Grits | vegetarian

Rosalynn Daniels | Vegan Bread Pudding | vegan

Savory Thoughts | Haitian Black Rice (Diri Djon Djon) | vegan

The Hungry Hutch | Vegetarian Southern-Style Collard Greens | Vegan

Whisk it Real Gud | Vegan Jollof Rice | vegan

A Little Food | Southern Sweet Fried Corn | vegan

AGirlCalledAdri | Pound Cake | vegetarian

Baum Ass Foods | Slow Cooked Black-eyed Peas + Greens | vegan

Collards Are the Old Kale | Red Beans and Tri-Color Quinoa | vegetarian

FoodLoveTog | Black-Eyed Pea Hummus | vegetarian

Her Mise En Place | Rice Pudding | vegetarian

Kalisha Blair | Yeasted Cornmeal Dinner Rolls | vegetarian

Kenya Rae | Sweet potato Biscuits | vegetarian

On Ty’s Plate | Collard Greens Salad with Orange Vinaigrette | vegetarian

Orchids + Sweet Tea | Banana Cake + Cinnamon Browned Butter Buttercream | vegan

Razzle Dazzle Life | Roasted Garlic White Veggie Lasagna | vegetarian

Sweet Tea and Thyme Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar Topping | vegetarian

Orchids + Sweet Tea | Southerner’s Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bites | vegetarian

Marisa Moore Nutrition | Crispy Roasted Okra with Peanut Sauce | vegan

Kenneth Temple | Vegan File Gumbo | vegan

Meiko and the Dish | Sweet Potato Pancakes | vegetarian

Join the Conversation

  1. Fried corn has been a family staple for years!!! Can’t wait to try this recipe!

    1. Same here. It’s such a treat and I used to get so excited when I saw it on the table (I still do Lol). I hope you enjoy this recipe!

  2. Both my grandmothers made fried corn; but one added chopped bell pepper and the other a finely chopped hot pepper.

    1. Hi Kathryn! I bet the addition of peppers definitely kicked up the flavor. I’ll have to try that one day, thanks for sharing!

  3. Lynn F. Spalding Jr. says:

    My mother and grandmother always put some chopped tomatoes in their fried corn. I still do to this day.

    1. I’ve heard of people adding tomatoes in fried corn, I bet it’s delicious! Thanks for sharing, Lynn 🙂

      1. Lynn F. Spalding Jr. says:

        It definitely is delicious. You can also cook up some bacon and add it to.

  4. Love this recipe! So delicious!

    1. I’m so happy you love it! It’s one of my favorites 🙂

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