Here’s a recipe for very crispy Corn Fritters – without deep frying! Because nobody likes soggy fritters. And nobody wants to deal with a vat of oil tonight!
These fritters are ideal to make with fresh corn cut off the cob, but can be made with canned or frozen corn. Serve for breakfast, lunch, dinner!
Crispy Corn Fritters
Regular readers know I hate recipes that make false promises. And I’d say that the greatest offender in this online world is exaggerated declarations of crispiness.
So let me just get this out of the way first – you can’t do THIS ↓↓↓ with soggy corn fritters!!
Why fritters are soggy
The most common causes for soggy fritters are too much batter (basic flour and egg batter like used in pancakes will never cook up crispy), and whatever you’re frittering leeches too much water when cooking.
So here are 4 simple tips that make sure these corn fritters are the crispy golden wonders you’re dreaming of!
fresh corn rather than canned or frozen corn* – because the corn is drier;
use as little batter as possible. Just barely enough to hold the corn or whatever you’re frittering together. More batter = less crispy;
switch out some of the flour with cornflour/cornstarch; and
add a good hit of parmesan. Parmesan gets super crispy when it melts!
* Canned and frozen corn does work just fine, but to ensure your fritters are crispy, you need to drain and dry as best you can. Honestly easier (and tastier!) to cut kernels off corn cobs.
Here’s a close up at the inside of the fritters. See? Very little batter. All corn!
What you need to make really great, crispy corn fritters
Here’s what you need to make these corn fritters:
Corn – as noted above, fresh is better for both flavour and crispiness. But canned and frozen work too, you just need to make an effort to dry it out as much as you can;
Flour AND cornflour/cornstarch – cornflour fries up crispy, but it makes batter “doughy”. So we use both to get the best of both worlds;
Baking soda (bi-carb) OR baking powder – just a touch, to aerate the batter every so slightly (without it, it’s slightly denser);
Parmesan – for a good hit of savoury flavour AND to make the fritters extra crispy!
Green onion and coriander – for a hit of freshness.
How to cut corn off the cob (without kernels scattering everywhere)
Here’s a tip for an easy way to cut kernels off the cob! Use one of these methods:
Inverted ramekin in a large bowl; or
a bundt pan!
How to make crispy corn fritters
And here’s how to make them.
PRO TIP: Use an ice cream scooper with a lever to scoop the batter into the skillet. Then flatten using a greased spatula!
The fritters take a good 6 minutes to cook so they’re golden on the outside and for the raw corn kernels to cook through (remember, these are fritters so they are not very thick).
How to serve corn fritters
Corn fritters is one of those rare foods that truly spans the breakfast-lunch-dinner spectrum!
Breakfast
Corn fritters are a bistro crowd favourite that you’d easily pay over $20 for at trendy places! Here’s how to serve it:
stack of 3 corn fritters topped with poached or pan fried egg (runny yolks of course!)
dollop of sour cream or yogurt – or go all out with Avocado Sauce, as pictured, or Guacamole
optional extras: side of bacon and toast (try this simple Artisan bread
finishes: small side of lightly dressed leafy green salad
Lunch, light meal or starter
As above, minus the bacon and egg. As a starter, I’d skip the side of bread otherwise it will be too filling.
To make it a meal, the bread fills it out nicely, though you could opt for a big salad instead – try one of these:
Though having suggested those various ways to serve it, the reality is that you will want to snatch them fresh off the stove, before you’ve even had a chance to plate them up properly. And that’s totally ok too! – Nagi x
PS To those who have tried these famous Bill Granger Corn Fritters I published many years ago and are wondering what the difference is: these are crisper and easier, those have a better corn flavour all throughout because some of the corn is blitzed into the batter.
Watch how to make it
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Extra Crispy Corn Fritters
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour , plain / all purpose
- 1/4 cup cornflour / cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp baking soda (or 3/4 tsp baking powder)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk (any type)
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels , raw (2 cobs) (canned or frozen also fine – Note 1)
- 1/2 cup parmesan , finely grated
- 3/4 cup green onions , sliced
- 1/2 cup coriander/cilantro , roughly chopped (sub more green onion)
For cooking:
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Oil spray
Serving – choose:
- Avocado sauce
- Sour cream, ketchup (don’t judge until you’ve tried it!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 120°C / 250°F and set a wire rack on a baking tray.
- Place flour, cornflour and baking soda in a bowl, mix to combine.
- Add egg and milk, mix until incorporated (batter will be lumpy and thick).
- Add corn, parmesan, green onions and coriander. Mix until all the corn is evenly coated in batter.
- Add enough oil into the skillet so it just covers the base. Heat over medium high heat.
- Spray the underside of a spatula with oil (so batter won’t stick when you flatten).
- Place 1/4 cup batter into skillet (ice cream scooper with lever is handy), then flatten to 1cm thick. Repeat with 2 or 3 more, but don’t crowd the skillet.
- Cook 3 minutes until deep golden and crisp, then flip and cook the other side for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Transfer to rack and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining fritters, using more oil as necessary.
- Serve with sauce of choice for dunking!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More fritter recipes
I’ve long since held a theory that anything can be frittered – and anything frittered is infinitely more delicious than in its plain, original form!
Life of Dozer
This was not me! (I just laughed and took the photo)
Delicious
Hubby and I both agreed – best corn fritters I’ve ever made. I used parsley ’cause no coriander in the garden at the moment.
Best corn fritters. Crispy, tasty and super quick.
Thank you Nagi for sharing your wonderful recipes.
Just made these again, this time using fresh corn. Wow, what a difference in flavour! The two of us ate the lot 😁
Delicious. A family favorite.
Can you make the batter in advance with all ingredients in, cover and refrigerate, taking out 1/2 hour before cooking?
Good question!
I’d like to know that too please.
Hi Nagi, I am an old fan, I have your book but I find it hard to find which page your recipe is on sometimes, thought I’m not very technological at 70 +
Delicious!! I only used spray oil to brown them in the pan and then finished off in the air fryer… served with hommus, tomato relish and rocket!! Yummo. Will definitely make these again. Another cracking recipe as always Nagi 😉
Yummmm! Just made these for brunch, and they are crispy. I now know why all my other corn fritters have been kind of… flabby – too much flour😔. Don’t be in a rush to flip them too soon otherwise they’ll break. Thanks again Nagi, another winner!
Hi Nagi –
Absolutely brilliant!
Crisp & delicious (I’d run out of Parmesan – but had feta there needing to be used – and it was really good!)
A word of warning to the unwary tho…
I was shopping-the-fridge as it was cold and wet here yesterday and I really didn’t want to go out to the shops. Saw two ears of corn I’d forgotten about in the vegetable crisper – wanted to use and not waste them! – hence: fritters!
But – they were at least ten or so days old – and clearly weren’t at their best. Cut the drier, wrinkly kernels off top and bottom & discarded.
The result was great – as I said – delicious and crunchy! – BUT some of the drier kernels acted like popcorn when frying – and they were literally exploding!
I had a mesh spatter-guard thingie over the pan so no real harm – but when I’d remove it to turn the fritters – exploding corn and very hot oil everywhere – stovetop, floor, t-shirt – and my arms (ouch! Still stings a bit!)
Very messy. Not ideal! (but quite a bit of laughter and squealing as the whole situation felt very silly!)
Next time I’ll be certain to use much fresher corn on the cob – or even tinned.
You have been warned! 🙂
Hi Nagi
I would love to have a go at these fritters, but as I’m Vegan do you have any suggestions for a good egg replacement?
Bill use the liquid from canned chickpeas for egg. Vegans use this.
Best fritter recipe I’ve ever tried! I had to make a few adjustments because my daughter can’t have corn (sounds stupid using a corn heavy recipe lol)
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Anyway I used potato starch instead of corn starch (works exactly the same, can be found at Asian super markets)
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Instead of fresh corn i used frozen peas and riced broccoli & cauliflower.
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I was going to use bacon but totally forgot.. either way what I made was amazing and bet it was taste just as amazing with corn instead of what I added
Hi Nagi, could these be frozen and then put in a child’s lunchbox? 🙂
I make my fritters in bulk. I also put corn silverside/beef in my fritters. Once cooked, I lay them on a baking tray with freezer go-between and individually freeze the fritters.
I then put them in a zip lock plastic bag and have dinner or a snack whenever I want.
A new family favourite for brunch even my son in law who is not a fan of corn loved them
Honestly I was worried at first as the batter to corn ratio seemed a bit low and I thought the fritters would fall apart. I needn’t have worried. Not only did they stay together but they were crispy as promised. Another hit thank you Nagi. I double batched and served with roasted root vegetables and peas for a meat-free family dinner.
That sounds delicious Naomi!! N x
Hi Nagi.
Made your crispy fritters+avocado sauce last night=absolutely beautiful! To make more, i guess its just a matter of doubling the recipe, right?
Yes Leslie – double up!!! N x
Hi Nagi,
Once again a very delicious recipe. This one is a keeper 👍
Corn flour and cornstarch are NOT the same thing! Which should be used in this recipe?
Hi Sylvia – in Australia cornstarch is called cornflour which is why I put both names in the recipe. In this case it’s the white fine powder used for thickening or coating for frying which you would call cornstarch. N x
Thank you so much! Another example of two countries divided by a common language. 🙂
Picked a few cobs this morning and made these fritters for lunch with salad, delicious. I will keep in mind that batter tip for all my other fritter fillers. Thanks
Another great recipe! Thanks Nagi
I always look for your website as I’ve often made your recipes and they always turn out yum, so thank you for spending the time to cook and post-you’re great!