Corn is a family favorite for us, especially in the summer when we can get it fresh from the farmer’s market. The girls enjoy helping to shuck it for grilled Mexican street corn, or sometimes we just keep it classic and slather the grilled or boiled corn on the cob with butter, salt and pepper and it makes a perfect side dish. Once the summer corn season is over, we still find creative ways of enjoying our favorite starchy side. One of the best ways we do this is with this slow cooker creamed corn recipe. This classic side dish is perfect for weeknight family dinners as well as special occasions as it goes with almost any meat. We love it for our Thanksgiving menu with turkey, but it’s also great with pork chops, roasted beef, or roast chicken. Creamed corn makes an appearance on many Thanksgiving tables around the country, as it’s an easy side dish to make and goes with almost any main dish. The creamed corn we enjoy nowadays though is nothing like what the original pilgrims would have eaten since they didn’t have access to cream or sugar. Also, as maize was no longer in season the corn present at the first Thanksgiving was most likely served in the form of bread (cornbread anyone?) or porridge. Looking for more holiday side dishes? Be sure to also try our super popular Fresh Green Bean Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Pecans, and Easy Southern Cornbread Dressing!
Homemade Creamed Corn vs. Canned Creamed Corn
Homemade creamed corn has a more rich and creamier flavor than the canned variety. This easy creamed corn recipe has a set-it and forget-it method that is ideal for leaving space in your oven for the rest of your holiday dishes. Making crockpot creamed corn from scratch is definitely better than just buying the canned stuff. For an extra five minutes of effort, you can use fresh ingredients and control how just creamy you like it.
Why We Love This Recipe
Made with simple ingredients, this easy slow cooker recipe will save you time and energy! This is the best creamed corn recipe I’ve come across and it’s perfect for the whole family. You can be well prepared for your Thanksgiving dinner by making this recipe up to 3 days before the big day. You can even make it more in advance and freeze it! This recipe makes a big batch already but a double batch will easily fit in a standard slow cooker of Crock Pot. Make extra if you want another batch for leftovers, or to have some to add into cornbread or corn casserole.
What You’ll Need
Frozen corn – I think frozen corn works best for this recipe, but you can use canned or fresh corn, though you may have to add in some extra liquid if it becomes too thick. Sugar – Regular granulated sugar is fine. You can use your favorite sweetener, honey, or maple syrup if you would prefer. Whole milk – Full fat milk is best, to get the right creamy taste, but you can use lower fat milk or even lactose-free milk, but the taste and quantity needed may vary. Salted butter – Real butter is best. Cream cheese – I normally use full fat cream cheese, but reduced fat will work just as well. Salt & black pepper – Flavor enhancing seasonings. Bacon – I love using crispy chopped bacon as a garnish for added texture and saltiness. Chives – Optional to garnish.
How To Make CrockPot Creamed Corn
Put corn, milk, sugar, and seasoning in slow cooker. Add frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw!) into your slow cooker, then pour in some milk, sugar, salt and pepper and give it a good stir. Add cream cheese and butter. Next, top with cubed cream cheese and butter and let it cook for 2-3 hours on HIGH or 4-5 hours on LOW. Stir. At that point, you just stir the corn vigorously to get it to come together to create a silky, creamy sauce. Blend if desired. Some of the corn will break down, but if you want an even creamier creamed corn, use an immersion blender or transfer part of the cooked corn mixture to a food processor (affiliate link) and pulse a few times before adding it back to the slow cooker and stirring everything together. Add seasoning, garnish, and serve. Stir in the pepper and (optional) top with bacon and chives to serve.
Tips for Success
If the creamed corn is too thick, you can make it a little thinner by adding more milk. Alternatively, if the creamed corn is too thin and soupy, just take the lid off and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes to allow some of the excess liquid to evaporate off until the creamed corn reached your desired consistency.
Variations and Substitutions
If you want added extra texture to your creamed corn, add crumbled bacon bits on top of the creamed corn! The added saltiness really brings out the sweet flavors of the side dish and goes so well with your main meat dish too. Garnish with finely chopped green onions instead of chives. You can use reduced-fat cream cheese if you prefer. For extra creaminess, you can add some heavy cream in place of the whole milk. Use a combination of equal parts milk and heavy cream, or more or less of each for the consistency you prefer.
More Side Dishes to Complete Your Thanksgiving Meal
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Apples Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Lion House Dinner Rolls Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles
This post was originally published in November, 2018. The photos and content were updated in October, 2022.
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