Creamed Corn with Bacon
Fresh summer corn. Crispy bacon. Parmesan cheese. This Creamed Corn with Bacon is a delicious side dish for summer grilling!
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Moving on from today’s science lesson, let’s talk about how delicious fresh farm corn can be. Frozen or canned corn is fine in the winter, but when fresh corn is in season, that’s the only way to go!
I read somewhere that nearly half of the sugars in corn turn into starch within the first 8 hours after that corn is picked. That’s why sometimes you’ll get an ear of corn that tastes amazingly sweet and other times you get an ear that tastes “starchy.” When possible, try to stop by a local farm stand for your corn…and then take it straight home to eat it!
Creamed Corn with Bacon
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with biting into an ear of fresh corn. I love it! However, if I’m feeling a bit adventurous, I’ll whip up a batch of creamed corn. And then I’ll add bacon. (Bacon makes everything better, right?) This Creamed Corn with Bacon is a relatively easy recipe that really highlights the sweet flavor of fresh summer corn. Oh, and did I mention the bacon?
When it comes to recipes for creamed corn, you’ll see everything from corn swimming in cream to corn with just a bit of cream mixed in. I tend to err on the side of more corn to cream ratio. There’s enough cream in this recipe to add creaminess, but I prefer to go heavy on the corn. Trust me – the flavor is there.
This Creamed Corn with Bacon is a staple summer side dish around here. It’s a homey, comfort-food type of recipe that pairs well with nearly anything on the grill. A grilled steak or chicken breast alongside creamed corn is a pretty fantastic meal! So I say stop by that farm stand on the way home from work and pick up some ears of corn. Eat a couple of ears plain, but then use the rest to make this Creamed Corn with Bacon. Trust me when I say it will become a family favorite!
Note: This recipe calls for 12 ears of corn. That’s a lot of corn. We usually find that we can get about 8 servings from this recipe, however you could easily cut the recipe in half.
Did you make this Creamed Corn with Bacon at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Creamed Corn with Bacon
Ingredients
- 12 ears corn
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream divided
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp chopped green onions
Instructions
- Using a paring knife, slice corn kernels off cob. Using back of knife, scrape cob to remove pulp and milky liquid. Place kernels and pulp into a large bowl; set aside.
- Place large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add bacon. Cook until crispy. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate; pat dry. Leave ~1 Tbsp of bacon grease in skillet.
- Add onion to skillet; cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, or until softened.
- Add garlic, stir and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes.
- Add sugar, ¼ cup whipping cream, salt, pepper, corn and corn pulp; stir until well combined. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until hot. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 30-35 minutes, or until corn has softened.
- Stir in remaining ¼ cup whipping cream, Parmesan cheese and butter; stir until well combined. Continue cooking uncovered until mixture is hot.
- Remove from heat and stir in green onions and crumbled bacon. Serve hot.
Looking for more tasty summer side dish recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Bacon Wrapped Corn with Honey BBQ Sauce
Corn and bacon – what a pair!
Such a tasty sidedish, David – I would be happy with this any time of day! I can imagine it would work so well with a BBQ/Grilling Selection… but I am also thinking a poached egg in the morning could work a treat also!
What a fun idea with a poached egg here, Alex! I love that. There’s just something magical about summer corn…especially when you get it picked fresh from a local farm. It just tastes so much better!
Great corn and watermelon facts. Man, I miss fresh corn. We don’t see it much here and what’s local is mostly for animal feed. We get some corn from Italy and Spain but by the time it gets here, it’s gross.
Perhaps I’m picky as I used to live in the country and could just go and pick it when ready. I’m so glad you included the milking the cob step. In my mind, that’s an important part of good cream corn. I’m trying this with Green Gaint canned corn and see how it turns out.
Interesting. Does it just not get warm enough for corn there? We have a lot of corn here in NY state – most people don’t realize how much farmland there is in New York. However, our corn comes in much later in the season than other places.
So I think this dish would work with canned corn – good call on going with a brand name. It would be nice to be able to milk the cob, but I do think you can get a passable version thanks to the whipping cream. (By the way, I have no clue what whipping cream is called over there, but I’m sure you’re an expert in translating ingredients from US to European versions!)
I think growing table corn is a bit tricky here because of the long days and short growing season. We’re actually about same parallel as southern Alaska.
Whipping cream is vispgrädde in Swedish and cream is grädde.
Wow, I didn’t realize Sweden is on the same parallel as southern Alaska. Crazy! I should probably go find that world globe from elementary school…
So interesting about corn and watermelon! And fresh corn is one of my favorite things about summer. This looks like the perfect way to enjoy it!
Nature really is fascinating, isn’t it? I love the whole Fibonacci series, too – if I recall, pineapples follow that sequence. But enough nerdy science talk. Let’s eat corn! It’s summer, and farm-fresh corn is one of my favorite side dishes! Thanks, Kelsie!
Now I am going to have to count the rows in every corn cob I eat, just to make certain! My brother in law in a creamed corn fanatic. I am definitely going to have to make this for him, but I think this is a dish the whole family will love.
Haha! Well just let me know what you learn about those rows of corn. I’m pretty sure science will rule, and you’ll find an even number of rows every time. But you never know! 🙂 And, yes, this creamed corn is a delicious summer side dish. Perfect for nights when you’ve got the grill going!
And she runs off to the kitchen, to count the rows of kernels on my corn cobs and lines on my watermelon… hehe. It’s like when you tell a kid (or an adult, let’s face it) that they can’t lick their own elbow. Thanks for the trivia tidbits, David. This recipe looks delicious, by the way. We love grilled corn with a bit of butter and garlic but I’ve never eaten creamed corn before. The pairing of corn and bacon sounds absolutely delightful though, so I will surely give this a go. Happy Monday!
Haha! That’s totally true, Katerina. I mean you can say that corn always has an even number of rows, but I’m with ya…you still want to confirm it with your own eyes!
So I love corn in all forms – especially farm-fresh corn. We grill corn quite a bit here, too. However, give this creamed corn a shot! It was a classic side dish for us when we were kids, and I’ve gotta say it’s pretty darned tasty! (Of course, bacon makes everything better, right?)
This looks awfully tasty, David! There are few things that don’t taste better with a bit of cured pork, but corn I imagine tastes especially fine. Although as you say when you get that really sweet corn right off the cob is really something special. Not sure you know, but Italians tend to turn their noses up at eating corn off the cob. They don’t know what they’re missing!
No way! I had no idea eating corn off of the cob is frowned upon in Italy. You’re right – they don’t know what they’re missing! I can forgive that one, though, as the Italians have given us SO many other delicious things in the food world. Thanks for sharing, Frank!
I just printed this. Simple, but delicious. And perfect for summer corn that’s just starting to show up. Love it.
Yes! I hope you enjoy it, Mimi. Fresh summer corn is magical…and that’s what makes this recipe so good! 🙂
What a great recipe, David! And, you know the scientist in me loves all the scientific info you shared, too! What a tasty recipe for fresh sweet corn! can’t wait to give it a try! thanks!
Who would’ve thought that there are always an even number of lines in a watermelon? Fun facts to know and share! 🙂 And this recipe is a fun one, too – although I don’t like to share it. Haha! I keep it all for myself!
You just blew my mind with the even rows of corn – and lines on watermelon. I had no idea!!
We can’t get enough fresh corn this time of year and this decadent dish of yours is a must try!
Well, you know what you have to do now, right? Next time you buy corn or watermelon, you have to count the number of rows! (You know, for scientific purposes and all.) Thanks so much, Marissa!
Wow I never knew that! even number of rows of kernels, really interesting. Next time I grab an ear of corn I will count them 🙂
Anyways that recipe looks good, I love to snack on that
Haha! I would love to see you sitting there counting the rows in an ear of corn. 🙂 No matter how many rows you find, I can promise you this creamed corn is a good way to use that corn! Thanks, Raymund!
Whoops that first comment (above) got loose before I could even get it outta my head!!!
But, I digress… dude I had no idea that an ear of corn had an even # of rows or watermelons had an even number of lines! But I do know that bacon does make everything better! I haven’t ever made creamed corn before but this is definitely a recipe am bookmarking for the future gatherings when I am designated to bring a corn dish! 🙂
I think you should do a test to confirm that ears have an even number of rows and watermelons have an even number of lines. By test, I mean you should count them every time you get one. 🙂 So creamed corn is a delicious recipe, and it was always a family favorite growing up. It’s especially good when you can get that delicious farm-fresh corn on the day it was picked!
Corn and bacon sound like a great combination. The perfect side dish for any meal this summer.
This is indeed a delicious side dish for summer meals! I love a good piece of grilled chicken or steak alongside some farm-fresh creamed corn. 🙂 Thanks, Dawn!
very interesting factoids there david. love it. and i love bacon with everything including corn. soul mates really.
Haha! I don’t think I’ve ever heard corn and bacon referred to as soulmates…but I also can’t disagree with you. They go so well together! Thanks, Sherry!
Your corn sounds great with the addition of bacon…how could it not. When we lived in New England, one farm would go out and pick a cooler full every hour so that the corn would be as sweet as possible.
Wait…they picked corn hourly!? I mean I’ve heard of daily, but hourly is awesome! It’s really hard to beat freshly picked corn, right? Thanks so much, Karen! Hope you’re staying safe!