Very Crispy Corn Fritters (2024)

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 fritteringleeches too much water when cooking.

So here are 4 simple tips that make sure these corn frittersare 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:

1. Inverted ramekin in a large bowl; or

2. 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 fritterstopped 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 ofbacon 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 famousBill Granger Corn Fritters I published many years ago and arewondering what the difference is: these arecrisper 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

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)