Boiled Corn on the Cob
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Milk boiled corn! THE ONLY way to cook corn on the cob, in an epic buttery milk bath of course. So buttery so sweet!

Featured Comment
A milk butter bath to cook up all your fresh summer corn on the cob in 30 minutes or less? YES YES YES. Where do we sign up?
why i love this easy corn recipe
- One of the best ways to cook corn on the cob – tender, juicy, flavorful and so sweet
- The lovely milk bath brings out the natural sweetness of the corn
- Short ingredient list, minimal effort
- An absolute crowd-favorite, perfect for picnics, backyard cookouts, barbecues and summer entertaining
how to make the best corn on the cob
- Bring water, garlic, salt and pepper to a boil
- Add milk, butter and brown sugar (if using)
- Bring to a boil – add corn, cooking just until tender
- Season with s+p, garnish with chives and serve

tips and tricks for success
- Use a heavy pot. A heavy bottom pot, such as a Dutch oven, is ideal here for even heat distribution.
- Cut in half. Cut the corn cobs in smaller portions (thirds or halves) for easy serving.
- Fresh corn cooks faster. Fresh corn has a higher moisture content and will typically cook much faster than older corn. Be sure to keep an eye on the corn as overcooked corn can be tough and chewy.
- Use whole milk. While skim or 2% milk can work in a pinch, the fat content in whole milk is necessary here for maximum richness.
- Butter is key here. The butter will infuse the corn kernels with salty, buttery goodness. So good, you can skip the butter topping at the very end too.
- Omit the sugar. If you summer corn is already very sweet, skip the sugar. Alternatively, if you want to make this all year round (and you don’t have much faith in the corn), the sugar will make all the difference here.
- Make it vegan. Use non-dairy milk such as almond milk and swap out the butter for vegan butter.
- Season and serve. No need to slather on that softened butter. The butter bath has taken care of all that work for you. Simply garnish with chives (and season with s+p if needed) and serve.
what to serve with boiled corn on the cob
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Boiled Corn on the Cob: Frequently Asked Questions
White or yellow whole fresh corn (with husks and silk removed) will work beautifully here.
The corn will turn a bright yellow color, becoming plump and tender. Overcooked corn will look shriveled.
Depending on the freshness of the corn (fresher corn will cook faster), it can take anywhere from 6-10 minutes.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days.

Boiled Corn on the Cob
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 3 cloves garlic, halved
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 6 ears corn, husks removed and halved
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine 4 cups water, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in milk, butter and brown sugar. Bring to a boil; working carefully, add corn, reduce heat and simmer until just tender, about 6-10 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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Can you remove kernels from cob and then cook per the recipe?
This is one of the recipes that encouraged me to sign–up for DamnDelicious recipes by email. I needed to add more milk to the pot. The wow’s and ummms from my guests echoed the many positive comments I read. No additional butter or salt was needed for this tender delicious corn.
If you are cooking about 50 half ears can you reuse the milk bath or do a new each time
nice corn
Can frozen corn on the cob be used? If so, should I thaw it first or just straight from freezer?
can something else be used instead of milk?
i love corn i love butter n i love tasty food n playing around
i just dont like milk or how it smells esp when hot
Almond milk
My new favorite way to make corn on the cob
!
I had some buttermilk powder to use up, so I reconstituted it and used it in place of milk. Delicious!
Pacific NW girl here and I agree with the person from the mid-West…we SHUCK corn! LOL
That said, I think the leftover broth from this (and some of the corn) would make a dynamite salmon chowder. I’m going to be cooking corn like this for sure and the salmon run is on now, so some good eating is on the way! Mary
I make this for my picky 12 year old and picky husband and they LOVE it! Thanks
Have you used the milk that the corn was boiled in for anything after? Like use it in a milk bread or chowder recipe? Just curious?
Do you think this could be made with almond milk instead of whole milk? I have a milk allergy so I only use almond milk.
Question..so you boil with the 4 cups of water and then..font drain the water and just add the milk and butter to the water?
DAMN RIGHT ITS DAMN DELICIOUS.. lol
Thank You
Julio Covington aka
Poppa J⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The recipe was amazing. But I did the substitute of my own and it turned out beautiful I did everything according to the recipe except for the milk I added sweet condensed milk one cup and one cup hot water and that’s what I added instead of milk.
Amazingly delicious!
I love cooking with butter and cream, so naturally I glomed on to this recipe and was not disappointed! In fact, I’m going to double the butter next time! And use cream instead of milk. Like the ideas to save the broth for soups or for cooking potatoes or other veggies! Thanks everybody!
That’s a great idea! I would hate to pour the delicious goodness of the bath away. I might try cooking some small Dutch potatoes in there after the corn has cooked. Thanks for the tip!!!
Excellent. I followed the recipe except for the chives which I did not have, put honey in instead of brown sugar but it was still great. After I took the corn out I put in some peeled Yukon potatoes diced at 1 to 1 1/2 inches and let them simmer and they were delicious as well!
This was absolutely delicious. We normally grill or smoke corn. But this has become my new favorite way to cook corn on the cob. It was so simple and delicous. I’d give this recipe 10 stars if I could! 🙂
Is there a way to make this in a crockpot? Thank you!