With this easy canned corn recipe, you'll always have a tasty side dish to serve up with your meal. Made with basic ingredients, this recipe is as frugal as it is tasty!

Canned corn is an incredible side dish as-is, but heating it up with some butter and seasonings really helps to elevate the dish. From the sweet, crunchy corn to the rich added tastes, this is one side dish everyone can agree on!
We use canned corn a lot around here because keeping it on hand is so easy. It's one of our go-to veggies, and it's not hard to see why. If you love buttered corn, you should check out our Air Fryer Canned Corn Recipe too!
Why This Recipe Works
- It's simple. From a can of corn to some basic seasonings, this dish is easy to throw together. You may even be pleasantly surprised to find most (if not all) of the ingredients are already in your home!
- It's really cheap to make. Canned veggies are known for their frugal affordability. Whether you pay for them at the store or get them free from food drives or handouts, they are always easy to add to the meal plan.
- It's quick! You'll only need a skillet and a few minutes of your time to make this quick side dish. Add it to any meal as a last-minute side dish, and be thankful that you did.
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
Canned corn- Use a can of whole-kernel sweet corn for the base of this recipe. Any brand will be fine.
Water- We will want to use water to help hydrate the dish and simmer everything together.
Butter- Adding in a little butter will give us a much richer taste.
Seasonings- You will want to use a combination of garlic powder, salt, black pepper, paprika, and parsley. You can even add in some red pepper flakes for a nice kick of heat.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
BeeyondCereal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make this easy canned corn recipe with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Drain the liquid from the can of corn. I recommend rinsing the corn off in a colander under cool water, but that step is optional. Set aside for now.
Add your butter to a small saucepan over medium heat.
Cook until melted but not browned.
Add in the water and dry seasonings.
Mix to combine.
Stir in the drained corn.
Simmer and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated from the pan. This will take up to 5 minutes or so.
Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
If using fresh parsley, add it in now.
🧾 Substitutions
Paprika. You can use regular paprika for this recipe or (my personal favorite) smoked paprika. Both taste incredible and give a nice touch of color to the corn.
Parsley. Using fresh parsley is convenient, but for added freshness, you can use fresh parsley at the end as a nice garnish. You will need more fresh parsley than dried as it's not as concentrated in flavor.
Water. If desired, you can use reserved corn juice from the can, but I prefer to use water as it's a little healthier.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Reducing sodium
If you're trying to reduce some sodium in your diet, you'll want to make sure to double-check the backs of the canned veggies at the store. Some brands are much higher in sodium content, and I have personally found the ones saying "organic" to be higher in sodium than regular.
Draining and rinsing the corn in water will help to remove some of the excess sodium since most of it is in the liquid anyways.
🍳 Reheating
You can reheat this corn in a skillet on the stove over medium heat or simply place a serving or two of it on a plate and microwave for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Leftover cooked corn will last up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat again before serving.
💭 FAQs
Corn is a great source of many vitamins and nutrients, as well as fiber. Canned veggies are just as healthy as fresh or frozen because canning helps to preserve a lot of the nutrients. Not only that, but they're shelf stable and affordable too!
According to research published by the USDA, rinsing canned vegetables can remove up to 9%-23% of the added sodium in the can. Other nutrients decreased a little as well, but not in significant amounts.
Canned corn is technically already cooked and could be cooked directly from the can if desired, but heating it always makes it taste better. Cook this corn until it is fully heated and there is no more liquid in the pan.
More great side dish recipes to check out soon
- Air Fryer Canned Green Beans
- Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits
- Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans
- The Best Canned Green Bean Recipe
- Creamy Garlic Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Frozen Cauliflower
📖 Recipe
Easy Canned Corn Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 oz sweet whole kernel corn, 1 can drained ($0.58)
- ¼ cup water ($0.00)
- 2 tablespoons butter ($0.18)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or 2 teaspoons fresh parsley ($0.10)
- ½ teaspoon salt ($0.05)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper ($0.02)
- ¼ teaspoon paprika, smoked paprika works great! ($0.02)
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes *optional ($0.02)
Instructions
- Drain the liquid from the can of corn. I recommend rinsing the corn off in a colander under cool water, but that step is optional. Set aside for now.
- Add your butter to a medium sized skillet over medium heat.
- Add in the water and dry seasonings (not fresh parsley, that is added at the end).
- Stir in the drained corn.
- Simmer and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated from the pan. This will take up to 5 minutes or so.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. If using fresh parsley, add it in now.
Notes
Substitutions
- Paprika. You can use regular paprika for this recipe or (my personal favorite) smoked paprika. Both taste incredible and give a nice touch of color to the corn.
- Parsley. Using fresh parsley is convenient, but for added freshness, you can use fresh parsley at the end as a nice garnish. You will need more fresh parsley than dried as it's not as concentrated in flavor.
- Water. If desired, you can use reserved corn juice from the can, but I prefer to use water as it's a little healthier.
Recipe Tips
Reducing sodium- If you're trying to reduce some sodium in your diet, you'll want to make sure to double-check the backs of the canned veggies at the store. Some brands are much higher in sodium content, and I have personally found the ones saying "organic" to be higher in sodium than regular.
- Draining and rinsing the corn in water will help to remove some of the excess sodium since most of it is in the liquid anyways.
Reheating
- You can reheat this corn in a skillet on the stove over medium heat or simply place a serving or two of it on a plate and microwave for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Storage
- Leftover cooked corn will last up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat again before serving.
Leave a Reply