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Whether you’re firing up the backyard grill or cooking indoors on a griddle, these egg-free corn fritters are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. They make an incredible side dish to complement any summer BBQ spread, but are tasty enough to take center stage as a vegetarian main course.
Corn is most definitely the quintessential ingredient that announces “summer is here.” There’s nothing quite like taking that first bite of corn on the cob for the season! The sweet juicy kernels just bursting in your mouth; I swear it transports me back to childhood and the carefree days running around at sunset with my neighborhood friends and smelling everyone’s grilling in the air.
Corn fritters are a fun and delicious way to use up fresh corn (also check out making corn dip and cornbread with all your corn). When it’s peak season, corn fritters allow you to make the most of those sweet, juicy kernels. This recipe, unlike many out there, is completely egg-free which means that if you or anyone that has an egg allergy can enjoy these worry-free!
How to Make Corn Fritters
- Grill the corn or brown the corn. Turn your outdoor grill on high and grill your corn until nice and charred on the outside, about 2-3 minutes, rotating occasionally. Allow cool enough to touch then slice off the corn kernels. Alternatively, if making on the stove, slice the corn kernels off the cob and toast the corn kernels until golden brown on the stove.
- Make the batter. Whisk and stir together ingredients for the batter (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, parsley, and milk).
- Assemble the fritters. Add the corn kernels to the batter and mix until well-combined, the corn kernels being covered in batter.
- Cook the fritters. Place cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add a little oil to the skillet then once hot, use a large cookie scoop and scoop corn fritter batter and gently drop into the skillet. Fry corn fritters like pancakes, once you see the top bubbling and when one side is cooked and browned, flip to cook the other side. Place cooked fritters onto a paper towels to drain. Repeat until all the batter has been used.
- Serving suggestions: Corn fritters are a blank canvas for delicious toppings and dips. Of course, plain grilled corn fritters are delicious on their own, but they’re also the perfect vehicle for everything from zesty salsas and creamy dips to flavored aiolis or compound butters. A dollop of sour cream is also pretty tasty!
Corn Fritter Variations
- Add zucchini. Another popular variety is to add shredded zucchini into these corn fritters since zucchini are so plentiful in the summer as well! I’ve got a corn and zucchini fritters recipe just perfect for this addition!
- Spice it up. If you’re looking for some spice, add some cayenne pepper to the batter to spice it up!
- Make it cheesy. Adding freshly shredded cheddar cheese to the batter would make this creamy and cheesy!
- Optional add-ins. Prefer green onions over parsley? Add in thinly sliced green onions to the batter. Want some garlic flavor? Sprinkle some garlic powder into the batter. You don’t want to use minced garlic as if some of the garlic is on the exterior of the fritter, they’ll burn.
FAQs
The biggest culprit is too loose of a batter. The batter in this corn fritter recipe is supposed to be thick, not loose. If you find that you added too much liquid, add in a little more flour or cornmeal to bind it back up.
I haven’t tried this myself but you might be able to if you add more flour and cornmeal to help bind it together.
Storage Instructions
For any leftovers, wrap fritters tightly in plastic wrap or place them into an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, reheat on the stovetop or toaster oven until heated through. Fair warning: they will be a little dense and tough reheated so these are definitely better eaten fresh.
Corn Fritters
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups (308 g) corn kernels
- Vegetable oil, for frying
For the batter:
- ⅓ cup (53 g) yellow cornmeal
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Handful of parsley, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup (81 g) milk
Instructions
- Turn outdoor grill to high and grill corn on the cob until corn is charred and cooked. Allow to cool enough to touch before slicing the kernels off. Alternatively, if you're doing this on the stovetop, slice the kernels off the cob then toast the kernels over medium-high heat (be careful, they pop!) until golden brown.2 cups (308 g) corn kernels
- In a large bowl whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and parsley. Add milk and mix together with a wooden spoon until thick and thoroughly mixed through.1/3 cup (53 g) yellow cornmeal, 1/4 cup (31 g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, Handful of parsley, 1/3 cup (81 g) milk
- Heat up a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add some vegetable oil to the pan.Vegetable oil
- Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup or large cookie scoop, scoop corn mixture out and place into the skillet, gently pressing the mound down so it's flattened. Cook for 5 minutes on one side, or until it's browned, flip, and cook another 5 minutes, or until it's browned. Remove and repeat for all the other corn fritters.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Photographs by Meg McKeehan Photography
I loved your fritters easy to cook and delicious. We had them for dinner last night. The easiest way to cook corn on the cob is in the microwave with the husk and silks attached. I found out from this video, so quick and no mess :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U10MkdbzS54
These look delicious. Can’t wait to make them for my family. I may eat these while watching Theo James (Who I jokingly tell my kids will be their step-dad. ?) in A Passionate Woman. Yummy corn fritters, yummy Theo!
will try these tomorrow for dinner Thanx
My family cannot have milk. What do you suggest as a substitute fr milk?
Water
This is *the worst* recipe I have ever tried. The things would not hold together and I ended up having to fry up the whole mess like hash. Never again.
Sorry you disliked this so much! Not sure what happened..I’ve made these 3 times since I posted this recipe and they held up for me and given the other comments, they worked for others as well. Could you maybe elaborate on what you did? Did you substitute with any other ingredients? What type of corn did you use?
I have been making corn fritters and fried chicken since my kids were little but OMG these are so much better! There is less batter in these and more corn flavor and are just so delicious with the chicken. Thank you a million times.
This just popped up on my Pinterest and was the perfect use for a bunch of leftover grilled corn that I was wondering what to do with! They were so, so good – I did put them on a bed of arugula (great suggestion!), subbed green onion for parsley, and topped with a little shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa. My partner asked if we could make these again next week haha. Thanks for the great recipe!
I made these tonight. I actually made two different recipes of corn fritters so I could compare. Yours were by FAR the tastier of the two! Absolutely delish. They looked just like the ones you photographed, nice and toasty brown. The other recipe was “breadier” and more dense. Yours are lighter and the flavor of the corn really comes through nicely. They were a huge hit at our BBQ tonight. Thanks for sharing it with me!! I’ll be following you from now on. :)
I made them and the mixture was delicious but the fritters didn’t stick together. I made them exactly like you said.
Sorry it didn’t work out for you! I just made them again recently for my husband using this recipe and they were fine. Not quite sure why they didn’t stick together for you!
No egg required?
Nope. If it doesn’t say it in the recipe, then it’s not needed.