Homemade southern corn cakes just like Grandma used to make. Loaded with old-fashioned taste. Delicious crispy edges and tender, corn-filled centers!
I love corn cakes. I grew up eating them. My Grandma used to make them all the time.
They’re a super easy side dish that you can whip up with a just few ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Unfortunately for me, my grandma never wrote down her recipe. So, for the longest time, I’ve been at a loss for how to make them so they taste just like hers! After years of searching and lots of corn cake recipes tested I finally found one that is darn near perfect!
These corn cakes are just like the ones my Grandma used to make! Let’s make these!
Ingredient Notes
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt & Pepper
- Eggs
- Milk
- Butter
- Corn
- Sour Cream
- Green Onion
Recipe Notes For Southern Fried Corn Cakes:
- Fresh Corn: This crispy corn cakes works really well with either fresh corn or canned. During the summer months, when fresh corn is at its peak, I love to use it in this recipe. I cook 2 ears of fresh, sweet corn in a saucepan with a bit of water just until it’s soft. Let it cool a bit so it’s easy to handle, then cut the kernels off the cob and use as directed in the recipe.
- Canned Corn: During the rest of the year when fresh corn isn’t available, well-drained canned corn works perfectly!
- I love how well both types of corn work in this recipe because it makes these wonderful corn cakes easy to make all year round!
- They can be kept warm on a tray in the oven set at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.
How to Store and Make Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container for a week.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, Southern corn cakes leftovers can be frozen for 2-3 months.
- Make-Ahead Tips: The taste and texture of these Southern corn cakes are best on the days they’re made.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link. I used the cornbread food safety tips.
More Corn Recipes
- Hot Water Cornbread
- Jalapeno Bacon Cornbread
- Scalloped Corn
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Zucchini Corn Fritters
- Best Way To Cook Corn On The Cob
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Tried This Recipe?
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Southern Corn Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs separated
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup fresh cooked corn
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup green onion sliced
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, add flour (1 cup), baking powder (2 teaspoons), salt (3/4 teaspoon), and pepper (1/4 teaspoon) and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add egg yolks and beat. Beat in milk (1/2 cup) and melted butter (1 tablespoon). Add dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in corn (1 cup).
- In a medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the whites into batter.
- In a 12-inch frying pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into the pan to form each pancake.
- Cook until the tops of the pancakes begin to bubble around the edges and the bottom is golden brown. Flip the pancakes and cook until the bottom is golden brown. Serve immediately topped with sour cream and green onions.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
Source: Heirloom Cooking 
Easy to make. Absolutely delicious! We spread sorghum on them as we ate them.
Yay! That’s great, Yvonne! Thank you so much 🙂
What is sorghum?
Making these tonight to turn leftover barbacoa and chili into something very special!
Wow! That sounds like an amazing combo, Laura!
Corn cake perfection. Added green onion to the batter and three of us ate the whole batch.
Glad you liked it, Regina! 😀 Thanks for sharing!
Another fantastic recipe from you! I served it with some leftover gazpacho and it was just what was needed to make a light summer meal. I substituted cornmeal for almost half the flour to give it a little more texture. My family wasn’t too sure about eating non-sweet pancakes until I told them they were “corn latkes” and then everyone was fine with it.
Hey Beth. Sounds like a great combo! So glad you liked them 🙂