Friday, November 18, 2016

Creamy Corn Pudding – Perfect for Holidays, Weekdays, and Weekday Holidays

Corn pudding doesn’t get the same attention as some other holiday side dishes, but it’s a real crowd-pleaser that pairs perfect with all your favorite special occasion meats. 

It also looks, and tastes like you have to be a good cook to make, which happily you don’t. If you have a decent blender, or food processor, there isn’t much that can go wrong.

If you are sans mechanical pureeing device, you can still make this by using the corn kernels whole. In fact, many corn pudding makers will leave some portion whole for texture, but as I said in the video, I like the smooth version best. 

The pan under the baking dish is optional, and if you’re in a hurry, you can skip it, which will cut about 15 to 30 minutes off your cooking time; but I like that it slows the cooking, which I think improves the texture. You can do the same thing with a water bath, but that’s slightly more work, and this really isn’t that temperamental of a recipe.

Speaking of cooking time, I used an 8” x 11” baking dish, which is kind of an odd size, so if you use the more common 9” x 12” casserole, you’ll have to test for doneness, as the batter will probably cook faster. Either way, if you’re looking for a special holiday side dish, or just something delicious to throw next to sausage on a Tuesday night, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for a 12 portions:
2 pounds frozen yellow corn (buy premium quality)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
6 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 teaspoons kosher salt (1 1/2 teaspoon fine salt)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup melted butter, divided (2/3 for batter, 1/3 for baking dish)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

- Place baking dish on a sheet pan and bake at 350 F. for between 60 and 75 minutes, or until brown and just set. You may need to adjust for different size/shape baking dishes.  

71 comments:

Unknown said...

Why say "3 tsp" and not "1 tbsp"?

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Omniryx said...

"The colonel of your corn"???

John, you are too much, a great cook with a great personality. I want to testify to the wonderfulness of this dish. It is every bit as good as you claim. Bravo!

PositiveAlanna said...

Oh man, I bet this would taste delicious with parmesan in it.... Excuse me while I wipe some drool off my keyboard.

JP said...

Will this recipe work without corn? ...I'm kidding. Now I finally know what to bring to my friends' annual Thanksgiving-themed potluck! Thanks Chef John!

Lemon Chiffon Cake said...

Can I substitute brown rice flour for AP flour in this corn pudding? We have a GF member in the family.

Lemon Chiffon Cake said...

Can I substitute BROWN RICE FLOUR or CORN FLOUR for all-purpose flour in the corn pudding? We have a GF member in the family.

Aaron said...

Thanks for the recipe! Do you know what the internal temperature should be when it's done? Just curious for those of us who like to use instant read thermometers to check doneness.

philogaia said...

Oh that does look good. I have a friend who bring "cornbread" to Thanksgiving every year and frankly it looks more like this than any cornbread I have ever had. I'm wondering if this is too sweet to add green chiles. Thoughts?

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jomichele said...

This looks amazing! And it's great to have you back!

Lemon Chiffon Cake said...

If you make this in advance (potluck), how would you recommend to reheat the corn pudding?

Unknown said...

You've convinced me to add corn pudding to my Thanksgiving menu, though I'm not sure an 8x11 will feed 21 people. ;) I watched your Thanksgiving meal video from 2008 and I'm annoyed there's still no recipe for walnut chocolate fudge pie. How could you show us a pie with too much ganache (??) and then not tell us how to make it. You tease.

Peggy Johnson said...

Looks delicious. Would the flour measurement be the same for gluten free?

Unknown said...

Two things, 1) Should I pass the courn through a shinwa for a smoother puré 2) if I don't have a silpad should I put the cooking dish into a bigger dish and fill the bigger dish with water - like one would with creme brulee?

Carrie said...

Hello Chef! About 3/4 of my thanksgiving recipes are yours. Thank you for that.
As for the corn pudding, can I bake it ahead of time and heat it when needed? Or would that dry it out?

Anonymous said...

Looks great, I am going to make this to see waht it is like and try to make a "fiesta" style

Gigi said...

This is the second time I have written this, so I'll keep it short. The first time hit an "error". How can we cook a turkey, dressing and this and have them all done at approximately the same time?

I plan to pull out the turkey and then put in this corn pudding and my dressing... I assume it will take much longer since there will be two 9X12's cooking at the same time... I am sure this cannot be cooked the day before and then warmed, right?

Thanks Chef. You are terrific.

rancholyn said...

this looks delicious...any way we can prep ealrier in the day and then put in oven prior to meal time...Thanksgiving is all about ADVANCE planning in my house...Thanks for another great looking recipe:)

Kelly Toon said...

Is this a dish that can be cooked ahead of time, refrigerated and reheated before the meal? If not refridgerated, then let cool to room temp before reheating? I have a dish of this cooking in the oven right now.

Unknown said...

can I skip adding cayenne ??

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John!!! Can I use canned corn instead of frozen ones? Please reply!! Thank you!! I want to make this for thanksgiving. :)

Chris K. said...

I know why you're a paranoid blender, Chef John. Because I am one too.

We both have our reasons, and we both know that we will never, ever tell anyone why.

But I know. Oh yes, I know.

Chris K. said...

We got the trifecta!

1. Maple "surp"
2. Cayenne pepper
3. Toothpick or "skyur"

Dude I know you're from around Buffalo but all the people I know from there don't talk like that. Nobody says "salza" except you. You're the only one. But it's great; I'm not judging. You just keep on keepin' on being you.

Unknown said...

Hi John! Can this be made a day in advance ?

Unknown said...

Hi John! I plan on making this for Thanksgiving. Just wondering- could this be made a day in advance? Since I might not be able afford the time or space in the oven on the day of.

Unknown said...

I'm going to be making a double batch of this!~ Thank goodness for my giant blender! XD I don't have any maple syrup, so I think I'll sub. with a little brown sugar and see how it turns out...Wish me luck!
Also good luck to the people cooking for 20+ people for Thanksgiving; I believe in you!~ :)

Jjj said...

Can you post this recipe of AllRecipes ? I would love to save it to my favorites

Carrie said...

Looks like we're all wondering the same thing: Can this be made in advance and warmed the day it's needed? Has anyone tried this?

Chef John said...

Yes this stuff reheats great. Microwave or oven.

Tazno said...

Made this & used my Thanksgiving guests as Guinea pigs tonight, & it was a huge hit. We all agreed it is a keeper & it will be on Thanksgiving menu from now on! Thank you Chef John, you never disappoint!

Jessica said...

Yum! This is so good. I made a half recipe and blended all but one quarter of the corn. Delicious - Thanks Chef!
I also made your pumpkin pie which everyone says is the absolute best pumpkin pie EVER! Thanks again!

Unknown said...

I found the post for this Corn Pudding the morning of Thanksgiving. After seeing that the recipe looked so simple I decided to give it a shot. Well I must say that this is a keeper. It was light and delicious! Thank you Chef John for posting this recipe.

Unknown said...

Hmmm... I made your wonderful Sweet Corn and Wild Mushroom Spoonbread for Thanksgiving this year and it was a big hit. So now I'm wondering if I could add the wild mushrooms and green onions to this batter next time? Time will tell...

Unknown said...

Made this, albeit with some ground chipotle instead of cayenne, was a huge success! Lots of compliments and demands that it enter my regular rotation!

Also worth noting it's even better the next day (I reheated mine in a low oven wrapped with foil to keep it moist), and it also fries up beautifully, a little like leftover polenta.

Will said...

I made this and it turned out great! It seemed like a lot of kosher salt, but I went with it just like you encouraged, Chef John. I'm just curious what would happen if I left it out?

Kathleen said...

We accidentally left the salt out of ours, and didn't realize until halfway through baking. I just brushed some heavily salted butter on the top after it was done. The part on the bottom where the salt didn't reach was still fantastic, but the salted bits were better.
You don't need all or any of the salt for the dish to "work", but it really does improve the flavor.

Unknown said...

My best friend made this for Thanksgiving dinner and I was lucky enough to sample it the next day. It reheated well as the leftover, was easy to make ahead and was a big hit at dinner. A win-win for the chef, and of the diners!

Ben said...

I just put mine in the oven! Can't wait for it to come out!

Unknown said...

made two half batches and threw a minced jalapeño in one of them. turned out great!

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John!!! Can I use canned corn instead of frozen ones?

cookinmom said...

I wish I knew if the Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn would be good in this!

Unknown said...

What is an alternative I can use for the pan + silpat. I want the beautiful texture like yours!

cookinmom said...

This turned out great...gave away the recipe. Shall I say anymore!! I'm sure you will get a few subscribers with this!

Unknown said...

I made this a day-ahead for Thanksgiving. But being in a hurry, I forgot the last ingredient, the cream! Disgusted, I took a bite. It was delicious, kind of the consistency of cornbread but more intensely flavored. I served it (reheated in the microwave) for Thanksgiving dinner, with a small pitcher of cream on the side. A serving of the pudding, with a drizzle of cream on the top, hmmm, dat's good. Was a big hit with the guests.

Carrie said...

My brother asked if I was going to make "that thanksgiving corn thing" again for Christmas. I said sure and he said, "GOOD! I want to fill my bathtub with it and get in".
Just in case anyone is still wondering, I made it two nights ahead, baked it completely, cooled it completely and put it the fridge until the morning I needed it. I took it out about 4 hours before I heated it, covered at 350(f) for 20-30 mins. It was absolutely perfect!

Unknown said...

Toooooooo salty

Anonymous said...

Hi Chef John! Can one replace the all purpose flour with corn starch to make the corn pudding gluten free? Greetings from Pararguay, South America!

Lemon Chiffon Cake said...

To make this Corn Pudding gluten-free, I had replaced the all-purpose flour with 100% sorghum flour with success. You can also use 100% brown rice flour as well. I would not use cornstarch which is mostly highly-processed starch with very minimal nutritional value, plus it may make the corn pudding gummy-like.

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John,

I love watching your videos. Quick Question: I'm trying to make this dairy free as I'm lactose intolerant. Can i use organic heavy coconut cream? If so, how much to substitute? Thank you

Unknown said...

HI Chef JOhn,

Unfortunately I am lactose intolerant. Can I substitute the heavy cream for Organic heavy coconut cream instead? If so, how much? Thank you

Lemon Chiffon Cake said...

Instead of using coconut cream,I would use carton unsweetened coconut milk purchased in the dairy compartment in supermarket, i.e., So Delicious brand, Trader Joe's brand, Silk brand, etc. Make sure you purchase UNSWEETENED and PLAIN (not vanilla).

Unknown said...

Super delicious and easy to make. I love having the choice of making it completely smooth or with noticable niblets within. I decided to go with 3 tablespoons of our local orange blossom honey instead of the maple syrup.

I can see adding some type of cheese, peppers or bacon too.

Unknown said...

Have you ever tried to do this in muffin tins for single serve? This Bama Gal loves this recipe (my ya-ya has one similar) but it just occurred to me that I would love to make them in muffin tins and pop them out for individual plating? What could you suggest for timing to cook? I will use metal muffin tins (light not dark) non-stick but I will still grease them. I would appreciate your thoughts.

Regards!
BamaBelle (Kristin)

Eve said...

I literally just made this! I didn't change a thing and it's SO GOOD. I can't believe how delicious this is. I thought it would wind up dessert-sweet, but it's actually very savory. This will definitely become my potluck dish this November!

Unknown said...

Want to try a test batch, Can recipe be cut in half? You know, the old "halfa halfa"

Jake Birchfield said...

Chef John, I made this for my neighborhood association Thanksgiving Dinner potluck and everyone is clamoring for the recipe. I make at least 3 of your recipes every week and I love that you have some challenging recipes so that I make myself a better cook. I really appreciate your work! Thank you so much!

Athena said...

I’m making this the day before thanksgiving to reheat on thanksgiving. Hoping that will work! I’ve made this before and it was great reheated.

Unknown said...

This has become my regular Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. bring-along, though I now use a mix of Mexican crema and milk instead of the heavy cream.

Recipe can definitely be cut in half, I've had to spread it across to smaller casserole dishes before. Cooking time drops a bit, so keep a close eye on it.

Unknown said...

Tried this recipe on a whim, and am happy to report it does not disappoint. My family loved this so much at thanksgiving, that my grandmother made a point to request that I make it again for Christmas dinner.

I highly recommend this dish, especially if you are a novice in the kitchen as it takes very little work, and due to the high liquid content, its pretty forgiving on the cook time.

Jana Meehan said...

John, it was way too much salt. I used 3 tsp of kosher salt as you required. It was inedible, and I had to throw it out. Trying again with half the salt or less.

Carrie said...

Jana, I have to assume that you did something wrong or your tases for salt is very sensitive.

AnonymFunderare said...

I’m currently eating this yummy pudding. I made a singel serving, because that was all the corn I had at home.
Worked great. Baked it for 15 min, came out perfectly.

For ppl asking I’m sure caned corn will work, might have a slight diffrence in texture but only slightly (this is based on my assumtion that caned corn comes more cooked than frozen, and thus more starch that’s alteady cooked, But for all I know I might be totally wrong. Either way it shouldnt matter much) just drain it well before putting it in the blender. Will it make any diffrence using caned corn? My guess, basicly not at all

If you dont have a silicon mate than just put it directly om the racs in the oven.

If you don’t have a blender, you have to get creative. Make a smaller batch. No may you’re gonna mash 2 pounds of corn without a food processor or blender. You could chop it by hand, but I would put a bit at a time in a ziplock bag and whack it with the bottom of a sauce pan

Unknown said...

Okay, okay, I've made a bucket of Chef John's recipes and referred many people his direction, and it's time that I submitted comments. Made this and for those who ate it, it is like summers best corn on the cob, buttered and seasoned, without fighting the cob and flossing teeth later. This goes in the potluck recipe file.

Lis David said...

Hey John, love this recipe. I am having a dinner party and I am wondering what you think about this. I know this recipe seems to work cooking slower, do you think it would cook properly in individual souffle dishes? Also, is this something that can be cooked ahead of time and reheated? Thanks, Thinking Ahead.

Unknown said...

I’m curious to know the answers to Lis David’s questions. That said, this will be the 3rd year in a row that I will be making it for Thanksgiving and plan to do so every year. Added grated cheddar to it last year. It was okay but maybe a lil much what with all the other savory dishes going on. Either way, I highly recommend making this as it is delicious, simple, inexpensive, and fairly unique (at least it is in my world).

masa said...

I love all Chef John’s videos and recipes. I failed somewhere on this one with technique because allthough it tasted great, the texture was like a sponge. My guess is that I used a hand stick blender (my only blending tool) and I over did it. Pumped too much air in it maybe?
None the less, it tasted great I will try again and do more of the blending by hand maybe...

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John,
Can you make the blended part the night before?

Unknown said...

This was a hit at Thanksgiving this year!! It has been requested to make a regular appearance at family gatherings. So thank you!! :)
Also, just wanted to let you know that I cooked it in a slow cooker/crockpot. With a double recipe it took about 2 hrs 45mins on high and came out perfectly cooked.

JQ Tank said...

Hey Chef John, can you please give a substitute for the heavy cream? Something that may be more readily available at home? I'm in Asian household and we usually will have whole milk or cans of evap milk. Rarely have heavy cream. I know I can drop by the store for some but sometimes that's harder than it sounds. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Can this recipe be made with canned cream corn and achieve similar results? If so, what adjustments need to be made? Thanks in advance.