How to Season Canned Corn Like a Pro Chef

Corn is naturally sweet, crisp, creamy, and tender, and canned corn is second best to fresh corn. 

If you want a delicious side dish or a hearty topping to add vibrancy to your salad, canned corn won’t disappoint you. 

But here’s the kicker:

Sometimes corn, especially canned, can taste too bland. 

This is why I always like to experiment with different flavoring options, and I’d love to share with you how to season canned corn for a new taste every time you serve it. 

Not only will you be able to elevate the nutritional value of your dishes, but those who don’t like corn will be asking for more. 

So, if this sounds like your idea of fun, let’s dive in. 

How to Season Canned Corn

The milky sweet taste of corn makes it one of the most versatile ingredients in your kitchen. 

You can serve it sweet, savory, raw, or cooked, and it will always be a vibrant addition to your meal. 

Canned corn is one of the things that you want to keep in your pantry because it’s already cooked, so you only need a few minutes to change its taste profile, and it will be ready to serve. 

With various flavoring and seasoning options, you can literally serve a different version of canned corn every single day, and the best part is that everyone will love it. 

1. Salt and Pepper

It doesn’t get any easier when you’re trying to learn how to season canned sweet corn. 

All you need to do is to melt some unsalted butter in a pan and add the corn kernels.  

Then, stir them to ensure they’re fully coated with the butter. 

Now, it’s time to season your dish. 

I personally prefer the simple salt and pepper seasoning, mainly when I’m serving sweet corn next to another flavorful dish. 

But you can add chili flakes, smoked paprika, or any spice mix you like. 

I love chopping fresh parsley or cilantro on top to create a feast of delicious colors, and the results are always amazing. 

2. Sugar and Clotted Cream

If you think that corn can’t be served as a tasty dessert, think again. 

Corn is naturally sweet, and you can enhance its sweetness and creaminess with some sugar and clotted cream. 

Clotted cream tastes rich and has some nutty flavors.

So you can enhance this taste profile by sprinkling roasted nuts on top of your sweet corn. 

The result is a tasty and untraditional dessert that kids and adults will love. 

3. Honey and Cream Cheese

This flavoring option combines sweet and savory tastes in a tasty recipe. 

You need to roast your sweet corn in some butter and add honey until the corn kernels are covered with honey. 

Once done, add the cream cheese, salt, and pepper, and cook for a few minutes while stirring occasionally. 

The best thing about this recipe is that you can keep the leftovers in the fridge. 

When it’s time to serve, just heat the corn in a skillet, and the cream cheese will melt. 

4. Cilantro and Cheese

Sometimes simpler is better, and this recipe is the best proof that you don’t need a dozen ingredients to serve corn. 

Just drain canned corn from the liquid, and cook in some butter or olive oil. 

Then season with some sea salt and black pepper, and add some lime juice. 

Once it’s ready, you should add your mayonnaise and some cheese for extra creaminess. 

But I wouldn’t recommend replacing fresh cilantro with dry cilantro in this recipe because you need this freshness to complement the creaminess of corn. 

5. Bacon and Cream

Corn isn’t only a side dish, and I would love to teach you how to season canned cream corn using two delicious ingredients; bacon and cream. 

Canned cream corn is naturally rich with a creamy texture, thanks to the milk from the cobs. 

And after adding these ingredients, you can keep your dish in the fridge for up to five days, and it will always taste divine. 

The liquid that comes with sweet corn is safe to use, but I usually drain it before flavoring and seasoning the corn. 

However, in the case of creamed canned corn, the liquid represents an integral part of the recipe. 

You need to fry your bacon in some butter, and the grease will be packed with all the flavors. 

Then, add your creamed corn and use a rubber spatula to scrape the grease from the pan for more flavor. Season with salt and pepper, and it will be ready. 

6. Cotija Cheese and Lime

If you want to learn how to season Mexican canned corn, you must follow this cotija cheese and lime recipe. 

This is a traditional Mexican street food, and it’s effortless to prepare. 

You just need to roast canned corn until it’s brown, and then add lime juice, mayonnaise, and cotija cheese and mix well until combined. 

I love to season this dish with some cayenne pepper, as salt won’t be necessary.

I top it with lime wedges and fresh cilantro, and it’s ready. 

It’s one of the best dishes to serve with chili skillets and even tostadas. 

For this recipe, I prefer to use the querétaro cotija cheese because the flavor from the garlic complements the taste of corn. 

But you can try any type of cotija cheese.

You can learn about different cotija cheese types by checking out this video. 

7. Peas and Carrots

You won’t go wrong with this recipe if you want to add more colorful veggies to your dinner table. 

Boiled peas and carrots are easy to prepare, and you just need to mix them with some sweet corn for a colorful and tasty vegetable dish. 

Adding some unsalted butter, salt, and pepper, will be more than enough.

But I sometimes like to substitute butter for olive oil because it’s healthy. 

8. Salsa and Fresh Greens

Sweet corn is a staple in Mexican cuisine, so it’s no surprise that you can flavor canned corn with some Mexican salsa. 

Salsa is made of several ingredients, including tomatoes, chili peppers, jalapeños, onion, garlic, coriander, and lime juice. 

You can definitely prepare it at home, or you can get it from the store if you’re in a hurry. 

I usually mix my corn with the salsa and then serve it with any leafy greens I have in my fridge. 

If you want to make this dish more nutritious, you can also add a can of black beans. 

Experimenting with salsa verde instead of traditional salsa will change the taste profile of this salad. 

Salsa verde is tangy and tart, so it will match beautifully with creamy corn. 

9. Chaat Masala

 

This fragrant and spicy seasoning will be a great choice if you want to serve an Asian version of canned corn. 

You can find this mix in the store, and it contains several spicy and sweet ingredients, including dry mango powder, cumin, ginger, coriander, fennel seeds, black salt, and black pepper. 

You can slightly cook your canned corn with unsalted butter and then add this spicy mix.

Stir and serve with some fresh cilantro, and it will be ready. 

10. Roasted Garlic Butter

Right from the can, you can mix canned corn with garlic butter to create the perfect side dish for your fried chicken or steak. 

You just need to mix your roasted garlic with some unsalted butter and whisk until creamy.

A little sea salt, thyme, and chili flakes will make it perfect. 

Roasted garlic has a sweeter and milder flavor, but if you want to try something bolder, go for raw garlic.

It’s also more fragrant!

11. Lime and Honey Dressing

You don’t have to complicate things with a versatile ingredient like sweet corn. 

So, I usually go for this easy-to-make dressing, especially when I’m in a hurry. 

To add creaminess and texture, you just need to mix olive oil and fresh lime juice with honey and some Dijon mustard. 

I love adding just a pinch of salt before seasoning it with chili flakes.

You can also go for cayenne pepper for some extra heat. 

This will be an excellent flavoring option if you want to serve corn as a side salad, or you can add it to your garden salad to enrich it with a bright yellow color. 

12. Taco Seasoning

Taco seasoning is the best option out there if you want to know how to season canned black beans and corn. 

You can buy this mix from the store or prepare it at home, where you can have more control over the ingredients. 

This seasoning contains salt and warming spices like oregano, paprika, cumin, chili, garlic powder, and onion powder. 

They elevate the earthy flavor of black beans and bring out the creaminess of corn. 

But first, I prefer to sauté the black beans with some onions and garlic.

Once done, I mix the beans with some corn, add the taco seasoning, and garnish with fresh parsley. 

13. Tuna and Mayonnaise

Tuna and corn are a match made in heaven.

This combo is packed with delicious flavors, and your summer salad will be ready in minutes. 

I love this recipe because I can literally put anything I want, and it will always taste divine. 

Think of finely chopped spring onions, tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, and olives.

They all go well with tuna and corn. 

And the mayonnaise will make this a great creamy dish that you can serve with tortilla chips or even as a spread in a sandwich. 

14. Parmesan Cheese

Parmesan cheese adds a little edge to creamed corn, making it the perfect hearty addition to your dinner table. 

To prepare this recipe, you need to cook your creamed corn with butter, a pinch of sugar, and some heavy cream to enhance the creamy texture. 

Then, you need to whisk some milk and flour together and add this to the corn. 

This recipe doesn’t need any heavy seasoning, as some salt and pepper will be enough.

Just add the parmesan cheese and wait until it melts. 

I usually go extra generous with the parmesan cheese because it’s slightly nutty and fruity. 

Once done, this will be the perfect side dish for your BBQ dishes. 

15. Sloppy Joe

Instead of serving your Sloppy Joe mix in a sandwich, add some canned corn to create a warm and hearty stew. 

This dish is packed with rich flavors from the ground meat sauce, and it just needs sweet corn to add more creaminess. 

The Sloppy Joe recipe contains all the needed seasonings, from sugar to garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, chili flakes, mustard, ketchup, bell peppers, and tomato paste. 

So you just need to add your corn and let it simmer for a few minutes, and it will be ready. 

Wrap Up

Learning how to season canned corn guarantees that you can have a tasty and delicious dish every day using a few simple ingredients. 

The results are extraordinary.