Corn Casserole Recipe: How to Make Oven-Baked Corn Pudding

Corn casserole—or corn soufflé or corn pudding—is a side dish that you bake in a casserole dish or cast-iron pan and contains fresh corn kernels, canned corn, or creamed corn. It’s a warm, creamy, and cheesy comfort food, especially as a Christmas holiday meal or for Thanksgiving dinner. This family favorite differs from green bean casserole in that the corn mixture becomes a batter, similar to a cornbread mix, and becomes light, fluffy, and golden brown as it bakes in the oven.

There are numerous variations on creamed corn casserole, but the flavor profile remains fairly consistent. Here are a handful of tips for making your own corn casserole:

1. 1. Add a creamy element. In addition to the milk or cream that’s already in a traditional corn casserole recipe, mix in sour cream, cream cheese, or Greek yogurt. You can also add cheddar cheese for a salty, cheesy element, or add creamed corn for a creamier consistency.
2. 2. Cook the casserole in a slow cooker. For convenience’s sake, you might try a recipe specifically for a slow cooker or crockpot, which steams the corn casserole and results in a texture similar to mashed potatoes. The top of the dish, however, will be less crispy and golden brown than if it had cooked in the oven.
3. 3. Make the dish ahead of time. Corn casserole is a good make-ahead dish since you can bake the whole casserole a day in advance and serve it the next day hot or at room temperature. For a corn casserole containing cheese, reheat it until the cheese remelts and the top becomes crispy. The dish reheats well, making it a good option for a weeknight meal or neighborhood potluck.
4. 4. Pick a recipe for your type of corn. Make sure you are using a recipe specifically for the type of corn you have on hand, or vice versa. Different recipes might call for whole kernel corn, sweet corn, cream-style corn, canned corn, or frozen corn.
5. 5. Spice up the dish. Add jalapeños, green chiles, or another pepper to add spice to the corn casserole if you want to offset the dish’s inherent sweetness. Cheese and other creamy dairy products pair well with diced chiles since the flavors balance each other.
6. 6. Use cornbread mix. All of the dry ingredients in a corn casserole recipe are the same ingredients as in a box or packet of cornbread mix. To make an easy corn casserole recipe, use a cornbread mix instead of combining all the ingredients individually.

Here are three serving ideas for corn casserole:

1. 1. As a side dish: Serve corn casserole with a BBQ dinner, chili, a baked pasta dish, or a hearty soup. The casserole sops up extra sauce, and the corn kernels add a pop of sweetness and freshness to the deep flavors of the main dishes.
2. 2. As a topping: Cube the corn casserole or crumble it into large chunks, toss it in melted butter or olive oil, and toast it in the oven. Use these crumbles as a topping for baked mac and cheese, as croutons on a salad, or as a crunchy element on top of a soup.
3. 3. For breakfast: Try using squares of corn casserole as the base for eggs benedict. Slice the square in half, toast it in a pan with butter, and top it with a breakfast meat like Canadian bacon, country ham, or sausage plus a poached egg. To accompany the flavors of the corn casserole, enhance a hollandaise sauce with hot sauce or chipotle powder.