How To Make Corn Fritters

Corn Fritters Recipe video – scroll down for recipe card

Fritters are fried batter-and-other-stuff thingies. Like apple fritters, clam fritters, fish fritters, and corn fritters. I would go so far as to say that tempura, pakora, and hushpuppies are all types of fritters. And I would bet that every cuisine that fries stuff (which, I think, is all of them) makes some kind of fritter. Because, really, why wouldn’t you?

I had this cousin once. Cousin Patty. She was my grandma’s first cousin so she was actually my first cousin, twice-removed? She’s dead now. I remember going to visit her in Freeport, Texas a few times when I was small. Her husband Norman had a golf cart and and he’d let me and little brother drive it around the neighborhood. We were probably about seven and five years old. One time it dumped over and we got in trouble, although surprisingly, it was not as much trouble as I had expected we would be in.

Patty fried everything. She also smoked a lot and drank brown liquor every day. I thought she was the coolest. She had a big, propane fryer out in the back and she’d cook fried fish and hushpuppies and fritters for dinner all the time. I can see her out there on the Spanish-style patio, in the sunset hour, skinny tanned legs and white shorts, smoking cigarettes over the fryer, tongs in one hand, highball in the other. She taught me a trick to know when the oil is hot enough: Throw a match in it. When the match ignites, it’s hot enough. It freaked me out then and it still does now, but I admit it’s a bad ass trick.

Even though they’re not deep-fried, these fritters remind me of Cousin Patty and Freeport and summer vacation. Oh, man, I wish it was summer vacation in Freeport again right now and I was having a scotch on the rocks with Patty, smoking our brains out and snacking on fritters.

More corn recipes you might like:

Grilled corn on the cob

Corn and Basil Salad

Corn Fritters Recipe

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Corn Fritters

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5 from 4 reviews

Quick, light snack or lunch

  • Yield: 2-4 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 15 ounce can corn (or 1½ cups fresh or frozen kernels—requires about 3 fresh cobs)
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour or white flour
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • Optional Jazzifiers: ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon dill, 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley, 1 minced jalapeno
  • 3 tablespoons oil (for frying)
  • Secret Dipping Sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream (or plain yogurt or mayonnaise)
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon dill
  • ½ teaspoon honey

Instructions

  1. Drain the corn if it is canned; thaw it if it is frozen; cut the kernels from the cobs if it’s fresh.
  2. Mix with everything else and let it stand 10 minutes for the flour to absorb the liquid and thicken the mixture.
  3. You will need to cook the fritters in two batches unless you have a giant flat-top griddle like at Waffle House. Heat a skillet over medium heat with about half of the frying oil for a couple of minutes.
  4. Use a soup spoon or your tablespoon measure to drop the corn mixture into blobs on the griddle and fry about two minutes on each side. They are delicate flowers so treat them with care and don’t flip prematurely. Remove to a plate and tent (cover loosely) with foil to keep warm.
  5. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and let heat again; fry the rest of the fritters. Serve hot.
  6. Makes about 12 fritters.
  7. Serve with sweet chili sauce or secret dipping sauce.

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corn fritters

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33 Comments

  1. Dan Alcantara on February 15, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    I was hungry already and this just made it worse… but it’s 10 at night in England so… sad…

    • Hilah Cooking on February 16, 2011 at 5:11 am

      I can hear your tears from here. Expect a package in the morning.

  2. david on February 15, 2011 at 10:47 pm

    Delicious! Super stuff, if only they were falafel though….I just purchased a bottle of Raki, the turks favorite drink according to the bottle, otherwise known as lions milk. According to my sources it is paired well with falafel or kebabs, any of those recipes coming up soon?

    If not and you enjoy annise infused raisin drink that is 45% and quite delicious and very warm weather appropriate, do you think you could provide a felafel recipe….mine aren’t that great and would love to see your take….
    Thanks,
    The gastrosexual known as Dave

    • Hilah Cooking on February 16, 2011 at 5:15 am

      Falafel is a great suggestion! Hopefully you can save some raki for later.

  3. Scott on February 19, 2011 at 7:37 pm

    I never realized fritters could be so easy. And I’m loving Goldie.

    I agree with David; a falafel recipe would be nice.

    • Hilah Cooking on February 19, 2011 at 10:43 pm

      Falafel is definitely on the list!

  4. Lisa on February 20, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    Cousin Patty sounds like a real firecracker!
    Love it!
    Lisa

    • Hilah Cooking on February 22, 2011 at 3:14 pm

      She was a good’n. Thanks, Lisa!

  5. Cat on February 24, 2011 at 1:33 am

    What a delightfully simple recipe for corn fritters! I used to make a lot of them once upon a time – but they had to be gluten free cos I was making them with my coeliac friend for drinkin’ snacks. Basically the same recipe as yours but without the flour and add a can of drained and pureed chickpeas… Goes well with booze and salsa on top – magic!

    • Hilah Cooking on February 24, 2011 at 2:18 am

      Oh yummy, Cat! Thanks so much for sharing that tip! I’ll try it sometime. I bet it’s like an amazing cross between a fritter and a falafel. Mmm.

  6. Obsessed With Animals on April 29, 2011 at 11:10 am

    Dear it seems dogs can’t eat corn either!!
    I’m Vegan, I thought all recipes here were. Poor animals 🙂
    Your videos are really entertaining, I laughed in many parts.

    • Hilah Cooking on April 30, 2011 at 8:49 am

      Hi, dear! I’m glad you are entertained even though the recipes aren’t all vegan. I’ll be posting more vegan recipes, though, so I hope you keep checking back. 🙂

  7. Naoko on June 3, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    Hi, Hilah, I always watching your video. I tried this recipe:) it was very delicious but, I forgot to “drain to canned corn” ..lol so, had lot of corn flitters, next time, i will drain the corn….haha
    Thank you for show the nice recipe! xoxoxo

    • Hilah on June 6, 2011 at 6:51 am

      Hi Naoko! So good to hear from you! I’m glad the recipe still worked even with the extra liquid. If you liked that recipe, you might also like the zucchini pancakes recipe!
      Thank you for writing!
      xo,h

  8. Danyell on June 15, 2011 at 4:46 pm

    Having a fish fry for Fathers day and stumbled on your corn fritter recipe!! Trying it tonight to see how it goes..Thanks for the recipe! Awesome show by the way!! Hi Goldie!!!

    • Hilah on June 16, 2011 at 7:12 am

      Hi Danyell! I LOVE the idea of a fish fry on Father’s Day! I think the corn fritters will be a great addition. Have a great time on Sunday and thanks for writing!
      -h

  9. Aesha on February 24, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    Hey Hilah! I just made these corn fritters and they were amazing! My kids love them too. And the secret sauce just puts them over the top!

    • Hilah on February 25, 2012 at 8:54 am

      Hi Aesha! That is great news! I love this recipe – it’s so easy and I almost always have everything in the house to make it. Thanks so much for writing to let me know!
      -h

  10. Sheldon on January 20, 2013 at 8:14 am

    Hi Hilah,

    You had me at ‘oh F$ck’.
    Just made it and the kids loved ’em as well.
    Saus was awesome too.

    Nice snack for this snowy weather here in Holland.






    • Hilah on January 21, 2013 at 11:40 am

      Wonderful! Thanks, Sheldon. 🙂

  11. Ken on January 24, 2013 at 4:19 pm

    Hi…..
    Was in the mood for corn fritters with dinner tonite.
    We’re having steak so I thought it would be a good side dish.
    My mom used to make these when I was a kid.
    I watched your video and enjoyed seeing how easy you made it look
    as well as fun! (loved seeing your dog eat his fritter…..yeahh)

    Thanks for the tips on the corn fritters…….

    Ken

    • Hilah on January 28, 2013 at 11:48 am

      Thanks, Ken! 🙂 I’m so glad you liked them and happy to have brought back memories for you.

  12. Ken on January 31, 2013 at 1:26 pm

    Hi Hilah……

    Made the corn fritters……Yum ! I didn’t have peppers at the time, but did add chopped onion. Yours (pic) looked so much better in that they were all irregular in shape and appeared kinda rustic and even more yummy than mine! I think I was too concerned over how my batter was placed in the pan. I’m gonna try to get them to look like yours………BTW, Goldie is cute……we have an 18 YO tabby who is now blind, partially disabled with arthritis yet appears to be doing well otherwise; we’ve had her since she was a kitten. I’m gonna try your cheese burger next! Glad I found your cooking site.

    • Hilah on February 1, 2013 at 1:13 pm

      Hey Ken! Thanks! Glad you tried them. And yeah, next time, screw it, just plop those spoonfuls down as quick as you can. 🙂
      I have two “new” dogs now, Daisy and Mr. Banjo. Goldie went to live with my ex-husband but she is doing great. I’ve had Mr. Banjo since he was only 4 weeks old, though. It’s really neat to be able to raise a pet from a baby like that. Thanks for writing!

  13. Rasha on August 6, 2013 at 2:03 am

    Hiyas! From the south originally and I must say that I miss stuff like this here in California. Saving this recipe to my Pinterest board to try later! Looks good. 🙂 I REALLY miss good old fashioned Southern hushpuppies……got a recipe for those? Please send me a link! 🙂 Signing up for newsletter. ;).

    I also like that you actually respond to all the posts……that’s nice 🙂






    • Hilah on August 6, 2013 at 8:35 am

      Hi Rasha!
      Yay! These are so good and simple. You’ll love them. I did a video on hushpuppies many moons ago. It’s here but it’s not very good. 😉 I should do another one.
      Thank you for writing!!

  14. Howard B on June 25, 2014 at 4:21 pm

    Hi Hilah,

    Your recipe is the best! I have tried other corn fritter recipes and they were always too doughy. This recipe is the perfect balance of corn and dough. They can out light and airy with just the right amount of crunch on the outside. This is a keeper!






    • Hilah on June 27, 2014 at 8:30 am

      Hi Howard!
      Thank you! I’m glad we see eye-to-eye on the proper batter:vegetable ratio of fritters 🙂 Thanks for writing.

  15. Ken DeFilippo on June 27, 2014 at 9:34 am

    Hi Hilah:
    While thanking you for your great corn fritter recipe, we also exchanged updates on our pets (Jan, 2013). Since that time, we had to put down our beloved cat Mazzy, who at 20 years of age, lost her ability to stand up, became incontinent, stopped eating and using her litter box; we had her since she was a kitten. I struggled over making this decision thinking how helpless she was. Although over a year has passed since she’s gone, I am still saddled with guilt and sadness at times. We may, in the not too distant future, adopt a rescue dog which would be our first dog, other than cats. Your fresh, easy, breezy style of cooking, combined with your fun personality helps to keep me going.
    Thanks,

    Ken

    • Hilah on June 27, 2014 at 11:42 am

      Hi Ken, I’m sorry to hear about Mazzy. She had a long and happy life with your family, I’m sure. It sounds like you did the right thing letting her go, but it’s still a painful decision.
      I think a rescue dog would be a great addition to your family. Ours are an endless source of entertainment and love, with a little bit of annoying thrown in to keep us on our toes 😉
      Thanks for writing.

  16. Gary and Rowell on September 29, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    Hey Hilah!

    Love, love, love your recipe (and vid)! This is my go-to recipe and have made your corn fritters several times now, over the past year : ) Tonight I’m making oven baked ribs, potato salad and corn fritters. Just seems to go with most everything I make. I’ve been using a spicy jam mix for the sauce but will try your secret sauce tonight I think.

    BTW, your couzin and my cig- smokin’, skinny Gma (God rest her poker lovin soul) sound soooo familiar!

    Thanks for the recipes. Partner and I enjoy your wit and culinary down home-ness.






    • Hilah on October 1, 2014 at 3:05 pm

      Yum, Gary! Spicy jam sounds fantastic on these fritters. Well, your whole menu sounds fantastic, actually. 😉

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