Corn Fritters

Corn fritters are a touch sweet, a hint savory, and whole lotta delicious! Light and fluffy, brimming with fresh sweet corn, kissed with honey, lightly crispy and golden on the outside, these tasty fritters are a cozy snack, perfect for corn season!

Corn Fritters, a Scrumptiously Corny Treat

Sweet, delicious, slightly crisp, fresh corn... for me it speaks of the flavor and wonderful golden color of late summer and early fall, which I absolutely adore!

With the abundance of fresh corn available this time of year, making use of their tasty little kernels and turning them into a scrumptious little treat sounds like the perfect plan to me, and a delicious one too!

There are so many delicious recipes that I love to prepare which feature fresh, delicious corn, from various kinds of soups, to hot dips, to casseroles, to cornbread.

But my latest favorite goody to whip up using kernels cut straight from the cob is this fun and tasty recipe for hot, fresh corn fritters, a delectably “corny” treat perfect for this time of year.

My corn fritter recipe features a touch of buttermilk and honey, with a sprinkle of sharp white cheddar and some light seasonings, which allows the flavor of the crisp, sweet corn to really shine.

These easy fritters are light and fluffy on the inside, yet golden and slightly crisp on the outside, perfect with just a drizzle more honey.

How to Make Corn Fritters

Corn fritters are basically prepared by adding corn—either fresh, canned, or frozen and thawed—into a light batter made with a combination of dry ingredients such as flour and baking powder, some sweetener such as sugar, a touch of salt, and a couple of wet ingredients such as milk and eggs.

For my batter, I like to use flour along with a hint of cornmeal to help reinforce that corn flavor, and prefer honey to use as my sweetener, along with buttermilk as a rich “moisturizer”.

Fresh corn kernels cut from the cob truly are the best for this corn fritter recipe, especially when abundant in the markets. They have a wonderful natural sweetness and crispness which is delicious in these fritters.

But if you're making these when fresh corn is not so abundant, then using good quality canned corn (well drained and dried), or even frozen corn that's been thawed and dried works well.

Here's a glance at my corn fritter recipe:. (or just jump to the full recipe further down...)

1. I begin by cutting the kernels from the ears of corn, and set those aside in a large bowl.
2. Next, I whisk together the dry ingredients, and add them into the bowl with the corn and the finely grated cheese, and toss to combine.
3. The wet ingredients are whisked together next, and then added into the bowl with the corn/cheese and dry ingredients, and folded together gently to keep this thick batter nice and fluffy.
4. To fry the corn fritters, I use a heavier bottom non-stick skillet, and add just enough oil to the bottom to coat and easily fry; then, once the oil shimmers, I drop in roughly 1 ½ tablespoon portions of the batter (I use my cookie dough scoop for this) and gently nudge each little mound into silver dollar size/shape and fry until golden, about 2-3 minutes per side.
5. I drain on a paper towel-lined wire rack, sprinkle with some coarse salt, and serve while hot.

Recipe

Corn Fritters

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These corn fritters are loaded with fresh corn, rich with a touch of honey and buttermilk, light and tender on the inside, perfectly crispy on the outside!

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Yield: 28 silver dollar-sized fritters

Nutrition Info: 345 calories (per 3 fritters)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup fine cornmeal
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon paprika
• ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch black pepper
• ¾ cup buttermilk, room temp
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons unsalted, melted butter
• 3 cups fresh-cut corn kernels (about 3 large ears, or 4 medium ears)
• 1 cup finely grated sharp, white cheddar cheese
• Oil, for shallow frying
• Minced chives, for garnish

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, paprika, white pepper, cayenne and black pepper.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, honey and melted butter.
3. To another large bowl add the corn kernels and the finely grated white cheddar cheese, then sprinkle in the flour/seasoning mixture, and toss with the corn kernels to combine well.
4. Pour in the buttermilk mixture, and using a spatula, fold all of the ingredients together gently, just until well combined. (The batter will be thick, and this is normal.)
5. Pour enough oil into your large non-stick skillet to just coat the bottom (for a shallow fry), turn the heat on medium, and allow the oil get hot and begin to shimmer.
6. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and using a cookie dough scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoon portions) drop about 4 fritters into the pan at a time; using the back of a small spoon, gently flatten/shape the batter into a small, even, silver-dollar shape, and allow the fritters to fry about 2-3 minutes per side, until nice and deeply golden-brown.
7. Remove the golden fritters from the pan and allow them to drain on a paper towel-lined wire rack or platter, and repeat until all corn fritters are fried. (You can keep them in a warm 200° oven while you fry up the batches to keep them extra warm.)
8. Finish the corn fritters by sprinkling over a touch of salt, then garnish with minced chives; serve plain or with extra honey on the side to drizzle over top, or perhaps some sour cream with chives.

Tips & Tidbits for my Corn Fritters:

• Fresh corn off the cob for the sweetest flavor: While you can certainly use canned or frozen and thawed corn, if you have fresh corn on the cob available, this has the most flavor. It's sweet and slightly crisp, and makes the flavor of these fritters scrumptious.
• Buttermilk for added moisture, flavor, and tenderness: Just as buttermilk is terrific in cornbread, I love to use it when making these corn fritters. It's naturally rich and flavorful, and tenderizes the batter making for light, fluffy fritters. If you need to substitute, simply use milk or even half & half.
• Just a few bells and whistles: Because I like the delicate, sweet flavor of the fresh corn to shine, I only add a little bit of finely grated white sharp cheddar and a touch of seasoning into the batter. However, if you'd like to add in some finely minced red bell pepper or jalapeno pepper, or chives, cilantro or other herbs/spices, feel free!
• High-heat, neutral oil for frying: For higher-heat, shallow frying like this, I find that avocado oil works great. You can even use vegetable oil, if you prefer.
• What to serve corn fritters with: I love to serve these simply with a side of honey to drizzle over. You could also whisk together some sour cream with a sprinkle of chives, plus some salt and pepper for a more savory accompaniment.
• How to reheat these fritters: Use the toaster oven set to 400° and allow the fritters to heat for about 10-15 minutes, until slightly crisp on the outside and warm on the inside.

Hungry for more delicious corn recipes? Check out this creamy Corn Chowder, this Sweet Cornbread Cake, this kicked-up Cornbread, this Hot Mexican Corn Dip, or this Cornbread Casserole!