Last Updated on 24th February 2022 by
You can make a lovely side dish by roasting corn kernels in the oven. Feel free to use frozen corn or canned corn for this dish, and it can be seasoned a number of different ways to make it just to your liking.
You can serve roasted corn kernels on their own or mix them into a larger dish, adding them to rice, pasta, macaroni salad, beans, burritos, wraps, and other dishes. This versatile food is healthy, packed with nutrients that your body needs, and it is easy to season to give it plenty of flavor.
I want to share with you how to use roast corn kernels and how to cook them in the oven. You’ll see how easy they are to prepare and get some idea of how you can use them in many of the dishes you cook every week.
Tips for How to Roast Corn Kernels in the Oven
If you’re going to season roasted corn, you’ll want to do it before you put it into the oven. This will help all of your ingredients to cook together and season the corn more thoroughly and deeply.
When cooking corn in the oven, make sure it’s laid out in a single, flat layer. You want little to no overlap. You want to be careful about overcrowding the pan as well, as that will causes the corn to cook unevenly.
How do you know when roasted corn is done cooking? It should be a little crunchy and have a golden brown hue. If you boil the corn in a pot on the stove, it’ll turn soft and tender, but oven roasting makes the corn crunchy.
It shouldn’t be tough or hard to bite through, but it should definitely have a little crunch to it.
Should you use frozen corn or canned corn when you’re making roasted corn in the oven? Either one of them will work just fine, but if you use canned corn, you’ll want to drain it out completely. There’s no need to have that liquid present with the corn as you bake it in the oven.
You also don’t need to save the liquid out for some other use. It’s not flavorful enough to be useful in your other dishes.
There are a lot of different ways you can season roasted corn, using paprika, salt, butter, olive oil, parsley, and Italian seasoning, just to name a few options.
When you’re roasting corn in the oven, you’ll use a set baking time, but even though the corn may be fully cooked at that time, you may not want to take it out of the oven just yet. If you leave it in the oven a little longer, it can become crunchier.
So, if it’s done cooking but not crunchy yet, instead of cooking it for longer, just turn off the oven and leave the corn in there to warm for a few more minutes until it becomes as crunchy as you like.
This is a great way to improve the taste and texture of canned corn. If you’re tired of how bland canned corn is and you don’t care much for the squishy texture, try roasting it to make it more interesting and appealing.
Canned corn can be cooked in the oven just fine as long as it’s drained. Even though that corn is already edible and ready to eat, it can benefit from roasting to make it a little more complex.
What I like about roasted corn is how healthy it is. It retains a lot of the natural corn nutrients, so you’re not burning off nutritional value by frying it up or boiling out the good stuff. That means the calorie count is low and there’s little fat in this food.
How to Roast Frozen Corn Kernels
Let me share with you a recipe for making roasted corn in the oven. This is for about 11 ounces of frozen sweetcorn, so you may need to change the cooking time if you’re cooking more corn than that at once. For best results, be sure to season your corn with a little salt and cooking oil before putting it into the oven.
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper to line up.
- Mix all your ingredients together, combining the corn and whatever seasoning you’re using, like olive oil, butter, and salt and pepper.
- Spread your seasoned corn onto the baking sheet in a single layer, avoiding overlap and crowding when possible.
- Roast the corn for about 25 minutes, until it takes on a golden appearance and a crunchy texture. For best results, give it a stir about halfway through the cooking process.
Obviously, you don’t want your corn to burn. So, watch it around the 20-minute mark to see if it’s getting brown. If it’s not yet crunchy or a golden brown color yet, it can cook for a little longer. If it has cooked for 30 minutes already and is not yet crunchy, you can turn off the oven and allow the corn to rest in there for about 10 to 15 minutes, until it gets as crunchy as you like.
This method for how to oven roast corn kernels is very simple and shouldn’t give you any trouble.
How to Use Oven Roasted Corn
Because the corn is crunchy after roasting, it can be easily added to snack mixes. It makes a good addition to trail mixes or mixes that include sunflower seeds and other crunchy snacks.
Crunchy oven roasted corn is an excellent addition to burritos, Mexican rice, Mexican pizza, and other Latino dishes. You can toss it with some red pepper flakes, ground chili, or something else to give it a little spice and flair.
Try adding oven roasted corn as a pizza topping or to a soup. It can also be served up as a side to go with grilled chicken, salad, or pasta. Try mixing it into just about any kind of pasta dish or rice dish for a little added texture and flavor.
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!