Jalapeño Creamed Corn
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Jalapeño Creamed Corn is a rich and creamy side dish with a kick from spicy jalapeño peppers. Serve it at holiday dinners, BBQs, or with any weeknight meal.
If you love traditional holiday creamed corn, then you are going to love my take on Mexican creamed corn. Loaded with corn, cream cheese, spicy jalapeño peppers, onions, and the perfect seasoning blend, this side dish will soon become a new holiday family favorite.
Planning your holiday menu? Consider some of my other holiday favorites like Vegetarian Cornbread Stuffing, Healthy Green Bean Casserole, or this delicious Bacon Gravy!
Jalapeño Creamed Corn Recipe
Kick Thanksgiving up a notch this year with a comforting side dish people actually WANT to eat!
This creamy jalapeño corn recipe is full of delicious flavors from fresh jalapeños, onions, cotija cheese, and tajin.
Past the holidays and don’t have a special occasion to make this dish for? No problem! This creamed corn makes for the perfect year-round side dish for anything from frozen burgers in the air fryer to air fryer chicken breasts.
You can even make bacon jalapeño creamed corn by adding some crispy bacon.
Jalapeño Creamed Corn Ingredients
Corn: I recommend using frozen corn that has been thawed out so there is no additional moisture is added to the dish. You can also use fresh corn to make this dish.
Dairy: you can’t have creamed corn without cheese! For this recipe, you will need unsalted butter, whole milk (heavy cream will also work), cream cheese, and Cotija cheese.
From the garden: for full flavor make sure to grab fresh jalapeño peppers, garlic, and yellow onion. If you have guests that aren’t a fan of spicy foods, you can substitute jalapeños for green bell peppers.
Herbs and spices: shake in additional flavor by using kosher salt, black pepper, and tajin. If you don’t have tajin, you can substitute for chili powder or paprika.
Cornstarch: cornstarch acts as a thickening agent so your creamed corn is not a soupy mess.
Tip!
Don’t skip the tajin spice, this helps really bring out that Mexican flavors in the dish and makes it stand out.
How to Make Jalapeño Creamed Corn
During the holidays, you spend so much time in the kitchen cooking and putting everything together. The last thing anyone needs is an overly complicated side dish.
This cream corn recipe is easy to love because in bout 20 minutes you will have the perfect side dish ready and on the table.
1. Make a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together milk and cornstarch, set aside.
2. Sauté onions. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
3. Mix in Jalapeño and cheeses. Reduce to medium heat and add jalapeño pepper, garlic, cream cheese, cotija cheese, and milk. Stir for 1-2 minutes until cream cheese is mostly melted. Add some of the jalapeño seeds if you want even more heat.
4. Add corn and season. Add corn and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes, or until corn is plump and sauce is thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Tip!
Bring this side dish to bring to a Thanksgiving Pot Luck or Friendsgiving!
If you’re looking for a garnish, try green onions or fresh chopped parsley.
Substitute For Creamed Corn
There isn’t a direct substitute for creamed corn, so finding a substitute will depend on the dish you’re making and how you creamed corn is being used in that dish.
If you’re making a recipe that calls for creamed corn and don’t have time to make it, you can try substituting it with:
- frozen corn
- canned corn
- corn soup
Can I Use Fresh Corn or Canned Corn Instead?
Fresh Corn
Similar to frozen corn, this is where you are going to find all that delicious corn flavor! If you’d like to use fresh corn, you can use the same amount of fresh corn as you would have with the frozen corn.
Remember, this might be stating the obvious, but with fresh corn, you will need to take the kernels off the cob before cooking. You should include the pulp; this is where most of the creaminess comes from in the corn itself.
Canned Corn
Fresh corn can be a lot of work, so if you aren’t interested in adding too many extra steps, you can use canned corn.
If you use canned corn, you are going to want to start by rinsing the canned corn to remove excess salt. I suggest rinsing the corn in a mesh strainer over the sink.
What is the difference between canned corn and creamed corn?
There is no comparison between canned corn and creamed corn; they are very different.
Regular canned corn is precooked corn in a can, while canned creamed corn is made by combining pieces of whole sweetcorn with a soup of milky residue from the pulped corn kernels scraped from the cob.
Can You Make Creamed Corn Ahead Of Time?
Yes! When you are short on time and need to get a lot of food on the table at once, it might be helpful to make this ahead of time. You can make your homemade fresh jalapeño creamed corn ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To reheat, place the creamed corn in an oven safe baking dish covered in foil and preheat the oven to 350. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
Thanksgiving Leftovers
One of the things I love most about Thanksgiving and the holidays is the leftovers! It takes away the stress of cooking every night, makes meal prepping for work easier, and gives me a little more free time in my evenings.
However, one of the other things I love about leftovers is making them new again! Try refreshing your leftovers with Turkey Carnitas Tacos or Leftover Turkey Chili.
More Corn Recipes to Try
More Thanksgiving Recipes To Try
- Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
- Air Fryer Cornish Hens
- Golden Sweet Cornbread
- Healthy Green Bean Casserole
- Leftover Turkey Chili
- Leftover Turkey Tacos
WANT TO TRY THIS JALAPEÑO CREAMED CORN RECIPE?
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Jalapeño Creamed Corn
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed so no additional moisture is added
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup Cotija cheese
- 1/4 of a small yellow onion, diced
- 1-2 jalapeño, seeds removed and minced
- 1 teaspoon tajin
Instructions
- Whisk together milk and cornstarch, set aside.
- Melt butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
- Reduce heat to medium and add jalapeño, garlic, cream cheese, cotija cheese, and milk. Stir for 1-2 minutes until cream cheese is mostly melted.
- Add corn and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes, or until corn is plump and sauce is thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
