This is one of our favorite recipes for any time of year. Creamy corn is a staple side dish when it comes to BBQ, and seeing as I live in Kansas City, I’ve had my fair share of good BBQ. 🙂
There’s one restaurant in particular that is famous for their cheesy corn – and that’s Jack Stack. This is similar to that, but I don’t use cream cheese or fake cheese (like Velveeta). Jack Stack’s recipe only uses cheese sauce and ham, but I tossed in some bacon, green onions, and crunchy french fried onions to amp up the flavor level. And my creamy cheese sauce is 100% from scratch, so you know it’s the best.
This is a delicious recipe that makes six servings, and comes together in about 50 minutes.
I’ve been working on a ton of side dishes for the holidays (it’s best to develop and test them a few months before publishing, that way I have a chance to get them to you in time!), and couldn’t wait to share this one with you!
This cheesy corn is super easy to make, too! The quality of the cheese sauce really is the anchor of this entire recipe. Milk is the perfect ingredient to make our silky cheese sauce, and the rest is just a flavor bonus. Seriously, you may want to make this cheesy corn as a test run just so you don’t have to share it with anyone else.
Ingredients
- Crispy Chopped Bacon
- All-purpose Flour
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Garlic Powder, Cayenne, Salt & Pepper
- Shredded Smoked Gouda (or Smoked Cheddar) Cheese
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Frozen Corn or fresh corn!
- Diced Smoked Ham
- French Fried Onions
- Chopped Green Onions
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook for two minutes.
- Slowly whisk in milk, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened – about five minutes.
- Stir in shredded cheeses one handful at a time until completely mixed in.
- Stir in frozen corn, ham, and half of the crispy chopped bacon. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Transfer the cheesy corn to a small casserole dish (about 3 quarts in size). Sprinkle the chopped french fried onions over the top, and cover the dish with foil. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 F.
- Carefully remove the foil from the dish, and bake for an additional 15 minutes at 350 F.
- Garnish with chopped green onion and the remaining chopped bacon. Serve hot!
Tips for Making the Best Cheesy Corn:
- Use thick cut bacon. Thick, crispy pieces of bacon add a crunchy texture to this cheesy corn, and makes it that much better. Don’t use the basic thin strips of bacon, use the thick-cut bacon to make sure the crunchiness spreads throughout the entire dish.
- Use a smoky cheese. The restaurant version of this cheesy corn uses a house-smoked ham, and we want to bring that smoky flavor into our homemade version. Buying a slice of smoked ham from the store (or a BBQ restaurant!) is great, but using a smoky cheese takes this dish to a whole new level.
- Use real milk. I haven’t tested non-dairy substitutes for this cheesy corn, so I can’t recommend them as a substitution. I definitely recommend using the real stuff for this recipe. Whole milk has a higher fat content and is the best option, but 2% milk can also work!
- Use more salt and pepper than you think you need. Corn benefits so much from salt and pepper, so don’t be shy. Taste the cheesy corn before you bake it, and do NOT be afraid to add more of each. It makes a huge difference!
I originally developed this recipe in partnership with Midwest Dairy, and although it’s been slightly altered, the dairy aspect of it still remains very important.
Milk has always been a huge part of my life, and will always have a big part in my cooking. Actually, dairy foods provide a powerful nutrient package! Three of the nutrients found in dairy (Vitamin A, Vitamin D and protein) are essential for a healthy immune function. We all need some immunity boost right now anyway, right?
Can I Make this Cheesy Corn Ahead of Time?
Absolutely. You can make this up to two days in advance. Before you’re ready to bake it, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before placing it in the oven.
This applies to reheating it, too. Let it rest at room temperature for a while before baking. The exterior will cook faster than the inside, and the last thing you want is cold cheesy creamed corn. Letting it rest at room temperature first helps the cheesy corn cook evenly.
Can I Substitute the Milk?
You could substitute the whole milk in this recipe with half and half, and the taste will be rich and delicious. The texture will be a bit thicker, too.
As far as plant-based milk substitutes go, I have not personally tested them so I am not confident in the outcome. I imagine any unflavored, unsweetened plant-based milk will work, but I am not certain.
Here are some other cozy recipes that you may enjoy! And some great roll recipes if you’re serving this over the holidays. 🙂
- Easy Date Night Bolognese
- Loaded Potato Soup for Two
- Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup for Two
- Small Batch Everything Seasoning Rolls
- Small Batch Garlic + Herb Rolls
- Small Batch Milk + Yeast Rolls
When I tested this cheesy corn, I invited my parents over to our new house and this was the FIRST recipe that was made in my brand new kitchen. I couldn’t think of a better recipe to share with my family, honestly. A Kansas City-based recipe, full of cheesy milk-based sauce, and so perfect to share with the two people I love the most. I hope you enjoy it, too.
If you make this cheesy corn and love it, a comment and star rating below would be so appreciated! I would also love to see your creations on Instagram, and as always, feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions you may have!
xx Sara
Creamy, Cheesy Corn
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 2 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/8 tsp. Cayenne
- 1/2 tsp. Salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 cup Shredded Smoked Gouda Cheese or any smoked cheese
- 20 ounces Frozen Corn
- 4 ounces Smoked Ham cut into small cubes
- 1/3 cup Chopped Crispy Bacon*
- 1/4 cup French Fried Onions finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Green Onions chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook for two minutes.
- Slowly whisk in milk, then garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally for about five minutes.
- Stir in cheese, one handful at a time, until completely mixed in.
- Stir in the frozen corn, ham, and half of the crispy chopped bacon. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Transfer the cheesy corn to a small casserole dish (about 3 quarts). Sprinkle the chopped french fried onions across the top, and cover the dish with foil. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 F.
- Carefully remove the foil from the dish, and bake for an additional 15 minutes at 350 F.
- Garnish with chopped green onion and the remaining chopped bacon. Serve hot!
Notes
Tried this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
I have never had a dish with corn like this, but I like the step by step process. what would you recommend to substitute for if you were to make it vegan, please?
Unfortunately ,I’m not well-versed on vegan recipes, so I would hate to steer you wrong with a definite opinion on what to change! My initial thought is subbing the dairy products for vegan versions, then omitting the ham and bacon – which I hope is all doable! I hope you love it!
This Creamy , Cheesy and delightful combination of ingredients is definitely a festive treat. Would love it for a Happy Meal.
Wow, this dish looks really delicious and seeing this makes my mouthwatering! YUM!
This corn dish is so creamy and delicious. I love that it can be a whole meal or a delicious side dish for the holidays.
Thank you, Sharon!! It’s definitely a new favorite for us, especially because it’s so versatile!
Wow, I absolutely love this dish and the recipe! It’s not something I’ve tried before, but just looking at your photos makes me hungry for it! Not only it would make a great side dish, I think I will be more than happy to eat it as my main course!
Thank you, Anna! And seriously, it could totally work as a main course!!
Oh, wow! I’ve never had any kind of cheesy corn and I’m wondering WHY?! Because it sounds magical. I can’t wait to try this!
Haha! I hope you love it, Erin! It’s a game changer for side dishes!
Oh, my, I’m so in love with this dish! I couldn’t wait until the holidays and had to make it this weekend because it’s comfort food weather here too. So glad I did! The cream sauce is so decadent. This will definitely make an appearance again!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Amanda! I’m looking forward to making it again this week, too!
Ummm… how is everybody not enjoying corn this way?! Bacon and ham added? Yes please! The cheese really takes it up a notch too… Thank you!
My pleasure, Chandice! I’m so glad you love it!
How creamy and rich does this corn dish look! This would make for such a comfy cozy meal. So need to try this out!
I hope you do soon, Neha! It’s delicious!
For any cheese lover, this recipe is just perfect! I would make this again for moreso for game night – so fun to dip in bread or chips.
I LOVE that idea, Connie! I’ll totally have to try that, too!
We made this for a late thanksgiving with everyone and it was a huge hit. The ham and bacon are so good in it. And smoked cheese isn’t something I usually have but it’s worth getting for this recipe. Thank you
Would you think that it would be posssible to do steps 1-5 the day before you want to eat it and store in the refrigerator until the next day when you want to bake it?
Absolutely! You can store it in the casserole dish you want to bake it in, just add the French fried onions (and other toppings) before baking. So yes – you’re totally fine to do that! I hope you love it!
So this may be a stupid question, but it says to add the frozen corn (I didn’t notice anywhere that it said to thaw the frozen corn first. So I add the frozen corn to the cheese sauce?
Definitely not a stupid question! You are right – just stir in the frozen corn!
Great! Thank you!!
This looks so good! Can you use sweet corn instead of regular?
You can definitely use sweet corn!
I’m from KC too, love our KC BBQ! Which restaurant?! It looks like Jack Stack or maybe RJ’s cheesy corn. Can’t wait to try this recipe tomorrow!
I hope you love it!! Jack Stack is the one I always get it from — but now I want to try RJ’s!!