Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
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The dreamiest creamed corn! So velvety and creamy, and unbelievably easy to make with just 5 ingredients. Simply set and forget. SO GOOD!
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Why you’ll love slow cooker creamed corn
- Frees up oven space. You can simply let the creamed corn do its own buttery, creamy thing without taking up any precious oven or stovetop real estate during the holidays.
- Dump and go. This is one of those favorited hands-off crockpot recipes where you can simply drop all your ingredients in the slow cooker, stir, and cover – no babysitting needed! The slow cooker is also portable, making it so easy to travel and transport to your next holiday gathering.
- Creamy, velvety goodness. Say goodbye to the canned stuff! Nothing beats homemade creamed corn. And the slow cooker really allows the corn to soak in that buttery, creamy, velvety goodness.
- Stays warm without drying out. The creamed corn can be left on the warm setting in the slow cooker, allowing the finished dish to stay warm throughout serving without overcooking or drying out.
Key Ingredients
- Corn: Fresh, canned, and frozen corn all works well here (more on that below).
- Milk: Whole milk will provide enough fat and body to form a velvety consistency without becoming overly heavy.
- Sugar: Add a little bit of sugar for a hint of sweetness. If sweet creamed corn is not to your liking, you can omit completely or lessen the amount of sugar to 1 teaspoon.
- Cream cheese: Be sure to use “brick” cream cheese, not whipped. It will add all the lovely rich and creamy textures here.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for added richness, giving the corn a glossy restaurant-style finish.
Types of corn to use
- Fresh corn on the cob (6 ears, roughly 4.5-6 cups corn kernels): fresh corn will provide the best flavor and texture, slicing the kernels off the cobs prior to using
- Pro tip: scrape the cob (after cutting off the kernels) to release some of the sweet corn milk
- Canned whole kernel corn (3 15-ounce cans): using canned corn offers pantry convenience, shelf stability, and a fast prep time, draining the cans thoroughly before adding to the slow cooker
- Frozen sweet whole kernel corn (32 ounces): frozen corn is another popular option as it is budget-friendly, available year-round, and does not require any thawing
how to make slow cooker creamed corn
- Combine. Place the corn, milk, sugar, and pepper in a 6-qt slow cooker, stirring until well combined. Then top with cream cheese and butter in an even layer without stirring.
- Cook. Cover with a lid and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours. Then stir in the butter and cream cheese until well combined, cooking for an additional 15 minutes on high heat.
- Serve. Stir well before serving as the creamed corn will thicken upon standing.
CREAMED CORN VARIATIONS
Make it spicy.
Stir in finely chopped, seeded jalapeño peppers, or diced green chiles.
Fold in cheese.
Stir in 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, sharp cheddar, or Pepper Jack cheese at the end of cooking for a cheesy twist.
Finish with bacon.
Top the creamed corn with crisp, crumbled bacon (or pancetta).
Add a garnish.
Sprinkle the finished dish with chopped fresh chives, sliced green onions, or fresh thyme sprigs.
How to make creamed corn ahead of time
- Cook ahead of time and reheat 1-3 days in advance.
- Cool completely. Once cooled completely, transfer the corn to an airtight container in the fridge.
- Reheat in the slow cooker. Add the chilled creamed corn to the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 1-2 hours until warmed through. Adjust the consistency as needed by adding a splash of milk to loosen.
- Cook and keep warm the same day.
- Cook ahead of time. Cook the creamed corn as directed the day of serving.
- Keep warm. Switch the slow cooker function from low to warm, keeping it warm for no longer than 2 hours.
- Stir as needed. Stir every 30 minutes, adding a splash of milk, if needed.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CREAMED CORN
Tools For This Recipe
Slow Cooker Creamed Corn: Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh, canned, and frozen corn are all excellent options.
2% or low-fat milk can certainly be substituted but it will contribute to some of the lost richness in the dish.
The cream cheese and the whole milk in the recipe will naturally thicken the creamed corn. For an even thicker consistency, you can blend some of the mixture using an immersion blender prior to serving.
Yes! Creamed corn, once cooled completely, can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop, with a splash of milk, until warmed through.
Freezing creamed corn is not recommended as it tends to separate and become grainy once thawed.
Yes! If you do not have a slow cooker, this is another one of my favorite creamed corn recipes.
Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
Video
Ingredients
- 3 (15.25-ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
Instructions
- Place corn into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in milk, sugar and pepper until well combined.
- Without stirring, top with butter and cream cheese. Cover and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours.
- Uncover and stir until butter and cream cheese are well combined. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 15 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Make it extra creamy. Blend 1 cup of the creamed corn before returning to the slow cooker or use a potato masher directly in the slow cooker to break down some of the corn kernels.
- Add a garnish. Garnish with crumbled bacon or chopped fresh chives for a restaurant-quality finish.
- Keep it warm. Keep the slow cooker warm for up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally every 30 minutes or so.
- Add a splash of milk. If the creamed corn thickens too much upon sitting, stir in a splash of milk to loosen as needed.
- Skip freezing. The dairy may separate when thawed.
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Could I use salted butter in place of unsalted?
Yes, absolutely, although I recommend using unsalted butter so that you have complete control of the salt content in this dish.
Was wondering.. in the Slow-cooker, do I cook it on Low Heat? or High Heat? I have the options of Warm, Low, High
Mae, it is best to cook on high heat for 2-3 hours.
My mom has made this for 45 years for holidays. We don’t add sugar, instead we add garlic salt. You can feel your arteries hardening as you eat it! A holiday supper would not be the same without it.
That’s a great idea! I did add the sugar and then ended up adding salt when we served it. I bet garlic salt in place of the sugar would work perfectly!
do you think you could make this using peas? my mom used to make creamed peas and they were delicious. i havent found the right recipe yet tho.
Yes, you can certainly add peas but you may have to adjust the other ingredients as needed to compensate for the added ingredient.
i meant make it using just peas, no corn. thank you for answering tho
I have actually never tried it with peas but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!
I don’t eat can food unless it’s an absolute must. Do you know how many cups this might be so I can use frozen?
1 can of corn is equal to about 1-2 cups.
Carri I need to triple this for thanksgiving- did you triple the milk or only double it like the cream cheese/butter? And how long did it take to cook triples? Thanks!
Wow this looks good. I normally do two different vegetable dishes on Thanksgiving. I think this is going to be one of them this year! Looks super simple and yummy! Stumbled upon your website today, looks like a lot of great recipes.
Is there anything I can substitute for the cream cheese? Just not a fan.looks amazing.
Terry, as cream cheese is a prominent ingredient in this dish, I do not recommend any substitutions. If you are not a fan of cream cheese, then this recipe may just not be for you. Sorry!
Do you think a 7 qt crock would be to big to cook this in?
It should be fine, but if you have any doubt, you can always double the recipe! The more, the merrier, right?
Does it matter what kind of canned corn? There are so many varieties these days. Golden, shoepeg, white etc…. Going to make this for my daughters birthday
It shouldn’t really matter but I personally like to use the Del Monte brand.
hi could you tell me what size crock pot you used? I have 2 different sizes. Thanks so much! Can’t wait to make the creamed corn!
Jill, I used a 6-qt crock-pot.
I was making corn bread this afternoon and needed a can of creamed corn…and didn’t have any! I found this recipe and used some sweet corn that I had just froze…WOW!!! SO GOOD!!!!!
Made this in the slow cooker w frozen corn, added some kosher salt and pureed about a cup of it right in the slow cooker w a hand blender to make it less runny. Made it even more corntastic!
I made this for the women’s book club that I attend on Sundays. All the ladies were raving about it and saved me no leftovers. Super easy and delicious, can’t wait to make it and eat it all by myself! Thank you!
We are ranchers & I would like to serve this at our branding meal. But I need it tripled & maybe more. Would I just triple all of the ingredients?
Can’t wait to try this!!!
Yes, Bonnie, you would have to triple all of the ingredients.
thanks
This looks delicious! I will need to triple the recipe to feed my crowd at Thanksgiving – how much additional cooking time would you recommend for a triple recipe? Thanks!
Lauren, I actually haven’t tried tripling this recipe myself so I can’t answer with certainty whether cooking time needs to be adjusted at all. I would recommend adding an additional hour and going from there. Hope that helps!
Thank you! Have a great evening.
I made this recipe for Easter. While it is very good, it is not at all like fresh cream corn traditionally served in the south, where I am from. Everybody was a little thrown off when I called it cream corn, but they enjoyed it over all.
Planning on making this for Easter Sunday and was just wanting someone to verify for me that has already doubled this recipe of how much additional time I should allow? Also, has anyone used salted butter and if so, did it affect the flavor?
I recommend adding about an additional hour if you are planning to double this recipe. Additionally, it is best to use unsalted butter to obtain the best results possible.
Easter emergency! I was going to make this for Easter but now one of our guests is bringing corn salad. I wonder if this recipe would be good with peas instead of corn?
Unfortunately, as I am not the biggest fan of peas, I cannot really answer this question with certainty. But I can’t see why it wouldn’t work!
Ok well I’m going to go for it! I’ll post if it works out or not. Fingers crossed! Happy Easter.
This recipe sounds delish! I’m wondering if I could freeze extras. Thoughts?
Unfortunately, Amy, I can’t really answer this question with certainty since I haven’t actually freezed it myself. There were absolutely no leftovers to freeze 🙂
Hi – This was fantastic. Easiest slow cooker recipe ever. Mighty good. Thanks for sharing. Surprisingly, there was some leftover. One question: What are your thoughts on re-heating the leftovers? Stove top? Oven? Microwave? Thanks in advance for the help!
We reheated using the microwave and it tasted just as good. Hope that helps!
I’m assuming that one could use fresh corn kernels in lieu of the canned corn?
You can certainly use fresh corn kernels but please remember that by using a substitution, I cannot speak for how much this will change in the overall taste or texture of the dish. I recommend using the specified ingredients listed in the recipe whenever possible for optimal results.