Celebrate summer with fresh JalapenoCorn Fritters! A flavorful recipe that works as a tasty appetizer, hearty side dish, or a vegetarian main course. Serve with creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce!
These Mexican-inspired Corn Fritters are easy to make and packed full of summertime goodness. My husband loves them- although I must admit, any vegetable that arrives in the form of a fritter will recieve high praise from him! I love making this recipe in summer when sweet corn is fresh for the best texture! But frozen corn will work too.
Fresh corn kernels, cut right off the cob, have the best flavor! Combined with scallions, cheddar cheese, Mexican spices, lime, and cilantro in a light batter, they are pan-seared until golden and crispy, then finished in the oven. Make them spicy or keep them mild- up to you! Serve them with a cool and creamy cilantro dipping sauce. The recipe makes 24 small fritters which can be refrigerated for later and reheated—a fun thing to pull out of the fridge for mid-week snacks.
Corn Fritter Ingredients
Fresh Corn- Fresh sweet corn has the best texture here, but frozen corn or roasted frozen corn works well too!
Red Bell pepper (optional or add more corn)
Scallions- Green onions add savory goodness.
Cilantro- We love adding fresh cilantro here, but you could easily leave it out or use basil or flat-leaf parsley.
Lime zest and lime juice- To add a nice tangy brightness to the corn fritters.
Fresh jalapeno– or sub cayenne pepper! ( both optional)
Cheese– grated cheddar cheese, jack cheese, or mozzarella cheese
Freshly picked corn, right off the cob, has an earthy sweetness. Juicy plump kernels accentuate the fritters, giving them the perfect texture. Picking out good corn requires a little effort at the market. Husks should be green and feel moist. You can actually feel the kernels through the husk to check for uniformity and plumpness, but if you are not sure, pull back the husks and examine them before buying. This will save you from ending up with mildewy or shriveled corn, clearly past its prime.
If the husk looks as if it has already been pulled back, chances are, someone has already checked it and ruled it out. Set it aside and dig a little deeper in the pile. Kernels should be plump and juicy, and somewhat uniform and should not have any discolored or slimy spots.
After 24 hours of being picked, the natural sugars in corn start to turn into starch and they begin to lose their sweetness. So if possible, make an effort to buy the freshest corn available.
And If you happen to find some really fresh corn, this grilled corn recipe, is another one of my favorites.
How to make Corn fritters
Lay the corn on its side (rather than straight up) and cut the kernels off as close to the cob as possible.
You’ll need three cups of corn total (so be sure to measure), which is about 3-4 large corn cobs. If using frozen corn, make sure to thaw it first.
Make the corn fritter batter. Whisk the eggs, milk, lime juice, spices, salt, pepper and sugar in a large bowl.
Whisk the baking powder with the flour, then whisk this into the batter until smooth.
Stir in the fresh corn, scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, lime zest, grated cheese and optional jalapeno.
You’ll have a fairly thick batter.
Cook the corn fritters. I always like to do one tester fritter and taste first.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, spoon a little of the fritter batter into the hot skillet and fry. Smaller fritters are easiest to handle here- roughly 2 1/2 inches wide.
Flip when golden, using a thin spatula, about 3 minutes on each side. To keep calories lower, you can use spray olive oil. Or, for extra luxuriousness, add a little butter.
Sear the other side, then place on the wire rack in the oven to finish cooking through. Continue working in batches until all the batter is gone; you’ll have roughly 24 fritters.
While the fritters are in the oven, make the cilantro cream sauce. Just whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.
Corn Fritters Serving Suggestions
Serve the Corn Fritters as a tasty appetizer, plattering them all up with the Creamy Cilantro Sauce on the side. You could also serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Serve them as a vegetable side dish. Trust me when I tell you, even picky vegetable eaters generally love veggies in the fritter form. 🙂 A useful gateway to eating more veggies.
Serve them as a tasty vegetarian main course with a green salad or our Mexican Slaw. They would also be good with Cilantro Rice and Mexican Pinto Beans, a delicious vegetarian Mexican Feast!
Storing Tips
Cook all the corn fritters, then store in the fridge for up to 4 days, reheating as needed in a 375F oven, letting them crisp up again. Cooked Corn fritters can also be wrapped tightly and frozen- thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Can the Batter be Made ahead?
Yes, except wait to add the baking powder until right before cooking. Whip up the batter and store in the fridge for 24 hours. Sprinkle the baking powder through a fine mesh strainer and mix in the batter right before cooking the fritters.
Enjoy the corn fritters and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Celebrate the bounty of summer with fresh Corn Fritters! A flavorful recipe that works as a tasty appetizer, hearty side dish or as a vegetarian main course. Serve with creamy Cilantro Sauce!
Ingredients
Units
1cupflour (or use gluten-free flour blend, like Bob’s Red Mill)
In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients and mix well.
In a smaller bowl, whisk milk, eggs, zest, and lime juice. Whisk wet into dry and making a batter. If it seems dry, it is ok to add more milk. It is ok if there are tiny clumps, but work the big ones out with the whisk.
Fold in the remainder of the ingredients: corn, bell pepper, jalapeño, cilantro, scallions, and cheddar.
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet ( I use a cast iron skillet) with a generous amount of oil mixed with a little butter (optional) on medium-high heat.
Wait until oil is hot, and turn heat down to medium.
Place rounded spoonfuls of fritter batter (2-inch round fritters) carefully into skillet and cook for about 3 minutes on each side until crispy and golden brown. Add more oil if necessary.
Make in batches, moving fritters to a sheet pan and transferring to a warm 350 F oven. Don’t worry if they are still a touch doughy in the middle; they will continue to cook through in the oven. Let them bake until puffed and golden, roughly 10 minutes.
In a food processor, pulse cilantro cream ingredients until blended and smooth. Serve on the side. Garnish with cilantro, lime and your favorite Hot sauce.
Notes
Leftovers in the fridge will last up to 4 days and can be reheated in a toaster oven or oven. Fritters can also be frozen.
If making the batter ahead, leave out the baking powder until ready to fry. Sprinkle it through a fine mesh strainer then whisk it in.
Delicious, just be careful with the milk if you’ve got especially juicy corn or larger eggs. The first time I made this the batter was extremely soupy so this time I started with just enough milk to get the base batter together (maybe 1/4c) and then mixed in the veggies and saw how the texture was, then added 2-3Tbs more to get the texture right. The cilantro lime cream is incredible and would be amazing on fried green tomatoes too!
How long in the oven? Please
Hi Marie, 10-15 minutes, or until puffed and golden.
These look so good Sylvia. Is it possible to substitute the egg?
You may have to play around with this Niku. Perhaps a flax egg or a little psyllium powder…?
Delicious, just be careful with the milk if you’ve got especially juicy corn or larger eggs. The first time I made this the batter was extremely soupy so this time I started with just enough milk to get the base batter together (maybe 1/4c) and then mixed in the veggies and saw how the texture was, then added 2-3Tbs more to get the texture right. The cilantro lime cream is incredible and would be amazing on fried green tomatoes too!
Thanks Kali- glad you enjoyed and were able to adust the liquid as needed.
Excellent, they turned out beautifully and so great to use fresh corn. Thank you Sylvia for another delicious recipe.
Great to hear Michelle!
My fiance and I loved these along with your southwestern pasta salad last night!
Sounds like a perfect combo! So glad you enjoyed!
How about substituting garbanzo flour?
Well, that is interesting! Haven’t tried it here, but now I want to! Let me know if you do Mike!
These are the best corn fritters. I have made them every summer for the past 8 years and am never disappointed.
Awesome to hear Jenny!
Could I do this without an oven?
Yes, I think if you cooked them a little longer at a lower temp, so they cook all the way through.