Meet your new favorite side dish! I’ve made this cream cheese confetti corn dozens of times and everyone always asks for the recipe!
This is an extra special (but easy!) way to make corn that goes with so many meals. We even love it with Thanksgiving dinner!
Cream cheese corn goes by many names — creamed corn, cream style corn, cream cheese corn casserole, or cheesy corn casserole. But no matter what you call it, this comforting side dish deserves a spot at your holiday meals.
Made with sweet corn, crispy bacon, and a rich cream sauce, there’s a lot to love about this family favorite recipe. My version is dotted with sauteed onions, red bell peppers, and green onions, too. It’s a colorful burst of flavor, which is why I call it cream cheese confetti corn!
Even though this recipe seems indulgent, it’s actually a pretty easy side dish. It’s made with simple ingredients and comes together on the stove top in just a few minutes.
Since it doesn’t take up any precious oven space, it really is the perfect for special occasions!
If this is your first time making this cheesy corn recipe, I’m confident it will be come a regular for your holiday table. Make it for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas, or really any time of year. It’s equally great to make when corn is in peak season!
Eating creamed corn is just a comforting experience at any time. It’s the perfect vegetable side dish the whole family will love!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make
- Delicious holiday side dish
- True comfort food
- Special, but easy way to prepare corn
For more favorite corn recipes, try this corn soup, corn salad with feta, gluten-free corn casserole and quinoa salad with corn.
You also might like these recipes for roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts, easy sweet potatoes, thanksgiving fruit salad, arugula pear salad, and thanksgiving green salad.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Frozen corn: You can use any type of frozen corn for this recipe. White or yellow both taste great! I prefer frozen corn to canned corn.
- Bacon: I like to cut bacon with kitchen scissors before cooking in a skillet. This saves me time so I don’t have to chop it after it cooks and cools down.
- Milk: You can use any type of milk for this cream cheese corn recipe. (You could even use heavy cream for an extra velvety sauce.) For dairy-free, use dairy-free milk such as unsweetened almond milk or soy milk.
- Seasoning: Sugar, salt, and pepper perfectly enhance the flavor of this corn so it’s both sweet and savory!
- Onion: I like to use white onion for this recipe, but yellow onion could also work. Be sure to finely dice the onion so it cooks evenly.
- Red pepper: Diced red pepper adds a bit of nice color and flavor to this corn.
- Green onion: Be sure to use only the green part of the green onion — the white part is stronger in flavor, while the green part is more mild and adds nice color to the dish.
- Cream cheese: To ensure smooth and even dispersion, cube the cream cheese before adding it to the corn. Full-fat cream cheese is best!
You also might like this full collection of gluten-free thanksgiving recipes.
How to Make Cream Cheese Corn
- In a large nonstick skillet, add the bacon. Cook over medium heat until golden and crisp. Scoop the bacon out onto a paper towel-lined plate.
- Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
- Add the onion and red pepper and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the corn and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender and the corn is heated through.
- Add the cream cheese, milk, sugar, pepper, and salt and stir until the cream cheese is melted and everything is evenly incorporated.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions. Top with the bacon before serving and enjoy!
Storage Instructions
Store this corn in an airtight container at room temperature in the fridge for up to five days.
FAQs
You can thicken cream cheese in corn by using a cornstarch slurry. To make, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with one tablespoon of water. Mix in a separate bowl and then add to the corn. Repeat the process again to thicken more.
There are many ways to spice up canned corn. You can add seasoning like chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, or chili flakes. You can also add diced green chilies, lime juice, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, parsley, or chives. For creamed corn, add bacon, peppers, cream cheese, and a bit of milk and spices to taste.
Homemade creamed corn is typically made with fresh corn kernels, butter, water, sugar, flour (to thicken the dish), salt, pepper, and milk. Canned cream-style corn is made with corn, water, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE: This recipe turns out delicious with dairy-free cream cheese (I use Kite Hill) and your unsweetened milk of choice.
- I like to cut bacon with kitchen scissors before cooking in a skillet. This saves me time so I don’t have to chop it after it cooks and cools down.
- You can use any type of frozen corn for this recipe. White or yellow corn both taste great!
- Feel free to customize the add-ins to this great recipe. Jalapeno pepper, green chilies, fresh herbs, or red pepper flakes could all be a great addition!
MORE FAVORITE RECIPES
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you try this creamed cheese corn, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Cream Cheese Confetti Corn
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon chopped (I cut it with kitchen scissors)
- 24 ounces frozen corn kernels white or yellow
- ½ cup white onion diced
- ½ cup red pepper diced
- 8 ounces cream cheese cubed
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 green onions green part only – thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet, add the bacon. Cook over medium heat until golden and crisp. Scoop the bacon out onto a paper towel-lined plate.
- Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Add the onion and red pepper and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the corn and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender and the corn is heated through.
- Add the cream cheese, milk, sugar pepper and salt and stir until the cream cheese is melted and everything is evenly incorporated.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions. Top with the bacon before serving and enjoy!
Notes
- MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE: This recipe turns out delicious with dairy-free cream cheese (I use Kite Hill) and your unsweetened milk of choice.
- I like to cut bacon with kitchen scissors before cooking in a skillet. This saves me time so I don’t have to chop it after it cooks and cools down.
- You can use any type of frozen corn for this recipe. White or yellow corn both taste great!
- Feel free to customize the add-ins to this great recipe. Jalapeno pepper, green chilies, fresh herbs, or red pepper flakes could all be a great addition!
