How To Cook Corn on the Cob
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Learn how to cook corn on the cob 6 ways with this simple step-by-step guide. Whether you want to grill corn on the cob, roast it in the oven, boil it on the stove, or cook it in an Instant Pot, this blog post will teach you how! Using these easy tested and perfected methods will give you the best cooked corn on the cob every time.
Table of contents
There’s nothing like that first batch of sweet corn on the cob each year. No matter how it’s cooked, biting into juicy, tender corn on the cob is like the unofficial start of summer.
Since corn season is upon us, I decided to test all of the different ways to cook fresh corn and report back with my personal recommendations, and some tips and tricks!
Spoiler alert, my favorite way to cook corn is on the grill. But is it in the husk, directly on the grill grates, or wrapped in foil? Read on to find out!
And don’t worry if you don’t have a grill, there’s still other delicious ways to cook corn, like roasting it in the oven, boiling it on the stove, or quickly cooking it in an Instant Pot.
Grill corn in foil
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat, between 375-400°F.
- Shuck the ears of corn, then place each corn on the cob on a piece of aluminum foil.
- Top with a ½ tablespoon butter, then wrap the foil up and over the corn on the cob.
- Place the foil-wrapped corn on the grill and cook for 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Unwrap and serve the corn immediately.
Grill corn in the husks
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat, between 375-400°F.
- Pull back the husks on the ears of corn, remove the silk of the corn, then pull the husks back up.
- Soak the ears of corn in the husks in a large bowl of cold water for 20 minutes to prevent the husks from burning on the grill.
- Remove the corn on the cob from the water, pat dry with a paper towel, then place the corn directly on the grill. Cook for 10 minutes, rotating often. Remove from the grill and serve.
Cook corn directly on the grill
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat, between 375-400°F.
- Shuck the ears of corn, then place them directly on the grill.
- Cook for 10 minutes, rotating frequently. Remove from the grill when the corn kernels start to char slightly.
Oven roast corn on the cob
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line up whole corn cobs, with the husks still attached, directly on the oven grates.
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing the husks.
Boil corn on the cob
- Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt to the water.
- Shuck the ears of corn, and once the water is boiling, add the corn to the water.
- Boil the corn for 7 minutes. Pour the corn and water into a colander in the sink to drain. Serve immediately.
Note: some people cook their corn in butter on the stove. I’ve tried it, but honestly, I don’t feel like it makes much of a difference. I would rather save my butter to slather on the corn after it’s cooked.
Cook corn on the cob in an Instant Pot
- Pour one cup of water in the bottom of an Instant Pot pressure cooker. Place the trivet that came with the Instant Pot in the bottom of the pot, on top of the water.
- Shuck the ears of corn, then stack them up on the trivet, on top of each other in opposite directions.
- Cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release, then remove the lid and use tongs to remove the corn on the cob from the Instant Pot.
Hot tip! To quickly melt butter for the corn, pour the water out of the Instant Pot, add butter in the bottom of the pot, which will still be warm. Let the butter melt, then drizzle it over the corn on the cob.
What’s the best way to cook corn on the cob?
- Fastest: grilling the corn directly on the grill grates is the quickest way to cook corn. Once the grill is hot, it only takes 10 minutes to cook the corn directly on the grill.
- Best texture: I’m a huge fan of the texture and flavor of grilled corn on the cob, wrapped in foil with butter. It’s juicy and tender, with a little bit of char on the outside that adds a nice texture to it.
- Best overall: I have to go with the grill, wrapped in foil, but I enjoy any of the grilling methods. I like the flavor and texture of the char on the outside of the corn. If you don’t have a grill, my runner-up would be the oven. It gives the closest to the grill flavor and texture, without a grill.
Cooking the corn directly on the grill grates dries it out a little more than grilling it in foil with butter. While grilling it in the husks can cause flare-ups, even if you soak the corn before grilling it. If your grill runs hot, or you don’t want to take the time to soak the corn before grilling it, simply take off the husks and grill the corn directly on the grill grates, or wrapped in foil.
If you don’t have a grill, and don’t want to heat up the house by turning on the oven during the summer, use the methods for cooking the corn on the stove, or in an Instant Pot.
All in all, you can’t go wrong with any of these methods! If you follow my tips throughout this post, you’ll have perfectly cooked corn on the cob, no matter the method used to cook it.
Use any of these recipes to cook as many ears of corn as you’d like. The only limitation will be in the Instant Pot and when boiling them on the stove. The size of your Instant Pot, and pot on the stove, will determine how many ears of corn you can cook at one time.
Ways to season it
Corn on the cob is delicious topped with a pat of butter, salt and pepper. But if you’d like to amp up the flavor of the corn on the cob, try these seasonings, sauces, and toppings to finish the corn with tons of flavor.
- Replace the salt and pepper with vegetable seasoning.
- Replace the salt and pepper with lemon pepper seasoning.
- Season it with cajun seasoning for a spicy kick.
- Sprinkle fresh herbs on top of melted butter. Fresh chopped cilantro or parsley both work well.
- Sprinkle crumbled feta or goat cheese, or grated parmesan cheese over the cooked corn.
- Make elote by brushing mayonnaise on the corn after it’s cooked, then squeeze lime juice over the corn. Finish it with chili powder (or cayenne pepper for lots of spice!) and crumbled cotija cheese. You can also brush this chili lime sauce directly on the corn, then finish with the cotija cheese and fresh cilantro.
- Drizzle with a sauce, like Chipotle Sauce, White BBQ Sauce, Spicy Cashew Dressing, Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream Sauce, or Harissa Tahini Sauce.
What to serve it with
Corn on the cob is a delicious side dish to serve with everything from backyard bbq’s to weeknight meals. Try it with any of these delicious main dishes.
- Smoked Pulled Pork
- Mushroom Swiss Burger
- Smash Burger
- Chili Lime Grilled Shrimp
- Grilled Marinated Steak
- Smoked Ribs
- Smoked Pork Chops
- Instant Pot Ribs
- Smoked Pork Tenderloin
Or remove the kernels from the cooked corn on the cob, using a sharp knife, or corn cob stripper, and use the kernels in these delicious recipes.
Storage and reheating
Store cooked corn on the cob leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can reheat the corn on the cob by quickly searing it in a hot skillet, or on a hot grill.
You can also remove the kernels from the cob, store them in the fridge, and eat them hot or cold.
More kitchen tutorials
Become a pro in the kitchen! Don’t miss these other quick and easy cooking how-to posts!
How To Cook Corn On The Cob
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn
Instructions
Boil in salted water
- Add 1 tablespoon salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil on the stove over high heat.
- Once the water is boiling, place 4-8 whole, shucked corn cobs in the boiling water and boil them for 7 minutes.
- Pour the corn and water into a colander in the sink to drain. Serve immediately.
Grill in husks
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat, between 375-400°F.
- Pull back the husks of the ears of corn, remove the silk of the corn, then pull the husks back up.
- Soak the ears of corn in the husks in a large bowl of cold water for 20 minutes to prevent the husks from burning on the grill.
- Remove the corn on the cob from the water, pat dry with a paper towel, then place the corn directly on the grill. Cook for 10 minutes, rotating often. Remove from the grill and serve.
Grill in foil
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat, between 375-400°F.
- Shuck the ears of corn, then place each corn on the cob on a piece of aluminum foil with ½ tablespoon butter on top. Wrap the foil up and over the corn on the cob.
- Place the foil-wrapped corn on the grill and cook for 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Unwrap and serve the corn immediately.
Cook directly on the grill
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat, between 375-400°F.
- Shuck the ears of corn, then place them directly on the grill. Cook for 10 minutes, rotating frequently. Remove from the grill when the corn kernels start to char slightly.
Roast in the oven
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line up whole corn cobs (with husks still attached) directly on the oven grates.
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing the husks.
Instant Pot
- Pour one cup of water in the bottom of an Instant Pot pressure cooker. Place the trivet that came with the Instant Pot in the bottom of the pot, on top of the water.
- Shuck the ears of corn, then stack them up on the trivet, on top of each other in opposite directions.
- Cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release, then remove the lid and use tongs to remove the corn on the cob from the Instant Pot.
Notes
- Optionally top the corn with butter, salt and pepper, or vegetable seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning, or cajun seasoning.
- Make elote by brushing mayonnaise on the corn after it’s cooked, then squeeze lime juice over the corn. Finish it with chili powder (or cayenne pepper for lots of spice!) and crumbled cotija cheese.
- Store cooked corn on the cob leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can reheat the corn on the cob by quickly searing it in a hot skillet, or on a hot grill. You can also remove the kernels from the cob, store them in the fridge, and eat them hot or cold.
Nutrition Facts
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