Home » Recipes » Side Dishes » Best Way to Cook Corn on the Cob

Best Way to Cook Corn on the Cob

Last year when I posted about how much I like roasting corn, I had several people tell me that the most delicious way to cook corn is to boil it with a cup of milk and a stick butter. I finally got around to trying it and I agree – this is the most delicious way to cook corn.

Best Way to Cook Corn- boiled with 1 stick of butter and 1 cup of milk.

 

If you haven’t tried cooking corn this way, you must.

This is the most delicious way to cook corn on the cob - in boiling water with a cup of milk and a stick of butter. So good!

Best Way to Cook Corn - boiled with 1 stick of butter and 1 cup of milk. Most delicious corn ever!

 

The corn cooks up so flavorful, fresh tasting and rich. You’ll be so obsessed with it you won’t even care what else is being served.

Best Way to Cook Corn- boiled with a stick of butter and a cup of milk. Most delicious corn ever!

 

No need to slather butter all over the corn. This corn already has a buttery taste.

Just a little salt and pepper and this corn on the cob is ready to go.

And actually, if you use a stick of salted butter, you might find you don’t even need to add any salt.

Best Way to Cook Corn - boiled with a cup of milk and a stick of butter. Most delicious corn ever!

 

Some people add sugar too, but I find the corn available around here during the summer is already sweet enough.

If you suspect your corn is a little lacking in flavor, you might want to add some sugar to perk it up.

Best Way to Cook Corn - boiled with a stick of butter and a cup of milk. Most delicious corn ever!

 

Best Way to Cook Corn- boiled with a stick of butter and a cup of milk.

Never miss a recipe. Follow Spicy Southern Kitchen on Pinterest and Instagram.

Best Way to Cook Corn- boiled with 1 stick of butter and 1 cup of milk.

Best Way to Cook Corn on the Cob

Boiling corn with a cup of milk and a stick of butter creates the most delicious corn imaginable. Truly the BEST way to cook corn on the cob!
PREP: 5 minutes
COOK: 8 minutes
TOTAL: 13 minutes
SERVINGS: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 6-8 ears of corn, husks and silks removed and cut in half (if desired)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 stick Challenge butter

Instructions

  • Fill a large pot about halfway with water. 
  • Bring water to a boil.
  • Add milk and butter. Add corn and reduce heat. 
  • Simmer corn for 6 to 8 minutes. 
  • Remove corn from cooking liquid and its ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 110kcal
Author: Christin Mahrlig
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Want to Save This Recipe?


 

More Corn Recipes

Roasted Corn

Roasted Corn

Roasted Corn Edamame Salad

Roasted Corn and Edamame Salad

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




I accept the Privacy Policy

452 thoughts on “Best Way to Cook Corn on the Cob”

  1. I’ve been putting milk in for years and it’s always made it taste better.
    I’ll now have to try adding the butter!

    1. Robin Middleton

      This recipe is wrong. It’s supposed to be can milk, not regular milk. Put a little sugar and butter. And yes u can add cayenne for a little kick to it.

      1. Lol recipes are different all the time. Just because you dont do this doesnt make it wrong. Sheesh, tad bit pretentious.

      2. And….”wrong” is relative! I”m lactose intolerant, even though I can use butter (thank God!) So I tried this with Almond milk and it came out just as delicious!

  2. Brenda Schmidling

    This is an absolutely delicious way to try a new corn recipe! We have the absolute best sweet corn there is grown right here in the Yakima Valley in Washington State! You won’t get any better corn and you get here!
    Thank you so much for posting this recipe! It’s definitely going to be used at our house for years to come! God’s blessings…

  3. I’ve been sucking and cleaning mine… Then take the milk butter mixture Melt it down in a sauce pan with garlic and old bay.. add salt pepper….let it harden back up.. the rub it all over my corn… wrap it in foil and throw it right on top of my charcoal turning every 3 minutes til my foil is blackened!!!! Delicious

    1. This is my favorite way to cook corn! Especially if you can’t get good fresh corn right now. Some of the corn right now is not so hot, but if you use this recipe, it will” perk it right up!

  4. Does it matter what type of milk? I drink skim milk but I use whole milk in some recipes for the flavor. Or maybe buttermilk?
    I haven’t made this yet as I can’t find any corn in the stores since it’s February.

    1. Christin
      Christin Mahrlig

      I think whole milk works best. And a little bit of cream would work instead of the milk. I’ve never tried buttermilk. Coconut milk also works well. The thick kind that comes in a can.

  5. We had this in new orleans and it was called kicking corn.. cut in 2 in. Pieces. Cook the same way in the milk. When done sprinkle with Cajun spiced…..delicious.

  6. I HAVE MY OWN WAY OF DOING CORN ON THE COB AND HOPEFULLY YOU;LL TRY IT
    LEAVE HUSK ON AND PUT IN THE MICRO WAVE APPROX 5 MINUTES
    carefull it’ll be hot, take out with towel
    remove husk and string
    enough tin foil to wrap cob
    ad butter and salt, then mayo on cob, and then grated pamma cheese on cob
    wrap in foil and a little squeeze foil to get all to meld together and then eat–great taste

  7. Rachelle R Hallo

    Sounds delicious! I have 6 pieces of fresh corn on the cob leftover from last night. I boiled them in water like I normally do but I’m curious if tonight when I reheat them if I can use your recipe instead and for how long will I cook them?

    1. Christin
      Christin Mahrlig

      You can try that. They might be a little overcooked, but some people seem to prefer their corn that way. I would just do it long enough to get them good and hot.

    2. Hi Rachelle, thought I may give a little advice. When I have leftover corn, which is almost never, I put in the fridge in the same serving dish, with butter & milk. Next day, I put it in the microwave (power level 5) for 2 mins, combine to do this till you get it warm enough, make sure it is covered in liquid, that way it’ll be great. If you don’t cook it originally as the recipe, melt the butter, then pour over it, sprinkle lit’l sugar (it naturally brings out the sweetness of the corn) then add milk 1% or dilute it some. It truly works. My family, 8 grandkids think I’m the best cook in the world, lol.. “I’m not” I think they just love me lots. Good luck

      1. Sherry Mullen

        I always put my leftovers in a freezer baggie (lg) and put left over melted butter, milk, and sugar if you like, then warm it all in microwave next day…Delicious…

  8. carlos parker

    I try it today and tast superb…….add little black pepper and salt and what you know my family drop off and disappear just like that.thanks for the recipe. love it.

  9. Dustin M Young

    Best way to cook corn on the cob is throw in the hot coals of a camp fire leave the husk on and toss it in. Also helps if you get good corn I lived in PA most of my life always bought my corn from the Amish along with there home made hand churned butter. I live in az and the corn ain’t as good here

    1. Audrey coleman

      I hear what your saying about the corn in AZ but thankfully at Safeway grocery stores they sell pure Amish homemade turned butter. Check out our cause it’s the best butter considering ask three other butters are full of unhealthy junk unlike this one I mentioned. Hope that helps! 🙂

    2. I am also a transplant here in Az from Pa, and I have to agree that it is really hard to find decent sweet corn around here. Sometimes you do get lucky when the farmers grow their secret crop of sweet corn in the center of their corn fields. You really have to search for the good stuff around Az if you want the good produce, meats and dairy. Az people claim there is good stuff around, but I don’t think they ever lived in Pa.

      1. Desiree Hesse

        You guys are so right! They serve feed corn here in AZ as if it’s sweet corn! It’s so GGGGRRROOOOSSSS!!!! There’s no corn like the sweet corn back home in NY & PA!!!

    3. As a Texan, I gotta laugh that only certain regions grow great corn. If you check the list of corn producing states, PA is somewhere in the middle. Nebraska and Colorado are big producers too. There are a lot of products that are made from corn.

      1. Absolutely!! If you drive through Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska during the early summer, all you see is a thousand miles of rows of great sweet and bi-colored corn!!!
        And there is also “feed” corn and “corn for ethanol”…

        But it is God’s Corn Country!!

        Great Recipes and Conversation!!

  10. ERIC L HEPPERLE

    We tried this with goats milk and 1/3 stick of KerryGold butter tonight. Yum! I’m thinking we might add honey and cayenne and use the leftover liquid to cook a dessert rice

  11. We get local sweet corn every year. It’s best cooked in the husk in the microwave 3-4 minutes. I was skeptical at first but it really is better than boiling.

    1. Wouldnt it have bugs and sprays on it if you cook in husks. Ive found all sorts of creepy crawlies from time to time.

      1. Peel the husk back first and remove the silk, and wash the corn; then place the husk back over the corn.

        1. Can milk workers also never though of using can milk will have to try it. Thks. For that tip

  12. I have frozen corn also, do I need to increase the cooking time? I don’t have time to thaw it. Thanks!

    1. I just filled the pot I was going to cook the corn in with water and put the frozen corn in for 5 min o thaw out. I took the corn out and then continued

      1. This corn is so good but is there anything you can do with the “milk/butter” water? Seems like such a waste!

  13. Wow! I love this corn! I will be cooking my corn on the cob this way from now on. Just adding 2 simple ingredients like milk and butter really added to the flavor. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day!

    1. Gary J. Grabarczyk

      I have a question! After you cook the first 6 to 8 cobs can you use the same mixture to cook another 6 to 8 cobs of corn?

  14. My brother in law makes corn similar to this but adds cabbage to the pot as well. Heavenly!!!!!

    1. Great Suggestion. I use some of the milk/butter liquid for my home made mashed potatoes and it is delicious!

Scroll to Top