How To Freeze Corn On The Cob

Last Updated on 3rd August 2022 by

When corn is in season, you may be left with more of it than you can use right away. You don’t want the corn to go to waste, so the solution is to freeze corn until you are ready to make use of it.

You can often buy big bags of corn on the cob at a time, saving money by purchasing them in bulk, but who can use all of that a once? Freezing your corn on the cob makes sense, and I’ll show you how to do it.

If you know the proper method for how to freeze corn, when you thaw it out to use it, it will still taste really fresh.

How to Freeze Corn on the Cob

To prepare the corn for freezing, you will need to shuck it first. Take the green leafy husk and the thread-like silks off the corn, peeling them back and pulling hard to remove them. If there are long ends on the corn that you don’t plan to eat, you can simply snap or cut them off. This makes them take up less space in storage as well.

The next step for how to freeze fresh corn is to blanch your corn cobs. Set up a large pot of water to boil on high heat. Once the water is boiling, add in the corn cobs and cook them for about 3 minutes.

Then, take them out of the water and place them into ice water. This stops the cooking process that the boiling water started, shocking them with the sudden temperature change.

After the corn has been blanched, you can put it on a wire rack or baking sheet to dry out. Line the baking sheet with paper towels so that the water is absorbed faster from the corn. Don’t freeze the corn until it has first been dried completely. You can set up a fan to blow on your cobs to help them dry faster.

Make sure the corn has cooled down all the way as well. If it is taking too long to cool, feel free to place the corn into the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so to speed things up.

The final step for how to freeze fresh corn on the cob is to wrap the corn cobs in plastic bags, wrapping each one individually.

Make sure you force the air out of the bags before sealing them shut.

How Long Does Corn on the Cob Last in the Freezer?

If you have gone through the steps I gave you and stored your corn cobs properly, they can last as long as 9 months in the freezer. It’s typical for frozen corn on the cob to last for anywhere from 6-9 months in the freezer.

After that period of time, they may start losing some of their freshness. Remember that freezing most types of foods only slows down the oxidation and spoiling process but doesn’t completely stop it.

Blanching the corn ahead of freezing it is important for preserving its freshness and ensuring that the corn doesn’t spoil too quickly.

You also want to ensure that the corn is kept frozen at a relatively consistent temperature. If there are prolonged power outages, your corn may not stay frozen.

When the power returns, check to see if the corn still feels frozen solid. If it has started to thaw, it would be best to just take it out of the freezer, place it in the fridge to thaw and then use it within a few days.

How to Freeze Sweet Corn

Do you need to do anything different when you are working with sweet corn as opposed to regular corn on the cob?
Sweet corn is usually what we call the corn that has been shucked and taken off the cob, so it is loose. It can be frozen a number of different ways.

You don’t have to blanch it if you don’t want to, and it will still freeze nicely and come out tasting fresh when you are ready for it.

Sweet corn can also refer to conventional corn on the cob, but we’re going with the small kernel corn for this freezing guide.

If you are working with corn on the cob and turning it into kernel corn yourself, you can shuck the corn (removing he husks and silk) and then use a serrated knife to cut the corn from the cob. Then, fill a large pot with water and heat on high until the water is boiling.

Add in a little sugar and salt (about a tablespoon each for the kernels from 10 pieces of corn on the cob) and the corn and cook for about 5 minutes, being sure to add the corn only after the water starts to boil.

Drain the water out of the corn and then put the corn into a separate dish to cool. Once it is completely cooled, you can place it into freezer bags (removing all he air) and store in the freezer.

This method doesn’t use an ice bath at all, so it’s not blanched, but it gives you fresh tasting corn even after months of storage in the freezer.

You can store your frozen corn kernels in the freezer for up to a year, though you may get a slightly fresher tasting corn if you take it out earlier.

Freeze Corn on the Cob without Blanching

I showed you a method just now for freezing corn without needing to blanch it, but we used kernel corn for the method. How about if you want to freeze corn on the cob and you want to prep it without going through the blanching process? I would still recommend that you boil it in water for a few minutes, and you can just follow the method up above for kernel corn and use it for corn on the cob.

Five minutes in boiling water should be enough to prepare it for freezing. Just make sure to let it cool completely before storing the corn cobs in freezer bags. Let all the air out and store each cob individually. Remember that cobbed corn only last for 6-9 months in the freezer before it starts to lose its freshness. The closer to 6 months you pull it out and use it, the better.

How to Freeze Corn on the Cob in Husk

I have already answered the question of “how do you freeze corn on the cob” but what about if you don’t want to shuck it at all? Can you freeze corn while it is still in the husk or does that part need to be removed first?

You can, actually, and it is a really simple process. If you want to save yourself a lot of work and get your corn into the freezer fast, there isn’t an easier way.

Just take your corn cobs in the husk and place them into plastic freezer bags. Make sure they are clean, though. You can brush them clean with your hands if you like. If you decide to wash and/or scrub the corn clean, you will need to let it dry out completely before placing the corn into the freezer. If you don’t, ice crystals will form and cause freezer burn, degrading your corn.

Make sure you push all of the air out of the freezer bags before sealing them shut and then store your bagged corn cobs with the husks for up to four months.

How to Freeze Corn on the Cob with a FoodSaver

The FoodSaver works really well for preparing food for storage. It pulls the air out of the plastic storage bags and seals the bags so that the food doesn’t get affected by oxygen. This helps helps to maintain the temperature.

The FoodSaver works with its own special bags, and you can use this device to prepare your corn for storage the same way I have told you already. Just prepare your corn as you like it- shucked, in the husk or in kernels, and then seal the corn in the FoodSaver bags.

How to Thaw Frozen Corn on the Cob

When you are ready to use the corn you have stored in the fridge, it will need to be fully thawed out first. You could speedily thaw it out by placing the corn into a bowl of room temperature or cold water, or by using the defrost setting on the microwave. To preserve freshness, however, I recommend allowing the frozen corn to rest in the refrigerator overnight before trying to use it. This allows for gradual thawing, which is best for making sure it tastes right.

You don’t need to let it thaw, though. It can be cooked in a pot of boiling water without thawing at all. You could also allow the corn to thaw only partially before cooking it up. It’s up to you, and the only difference is that frozen corn takes longer to cook than thawed corn.

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Pauline

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I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!