Scalloped corn is a side dish of sweet golden corn cradled in a fluffy homemade custard with just the right amount of smoky bacon and a golden bread crumb topping that is lip smackin’ Dee-licious! If you’re as crazy for corn as I am, check out these gems: Paula Deen corn casserole or corn pudding scrumptious enough for any occasion.
Most people automatically think of scalloped potatoes when they hear the word ‘scalloped’ but there are other tasty options. Besides, with scalloped corn and mashed potatoes – who needs a main course? This nostalgic dish will host a trip down memory lane and please the palate at the same time.
Let’s make this!
What I Love About This Scalloped Corn Recipe
- Goes well with a huge variety of entrees
- My all-occasion go-to side dish
- Favorite for the Holidays
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Eggs
- Half-and-half
- Butter
- Sugar
- Onion
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Corn
- Soft Bread Crumbs
- Bacon
Topping:
- Soft Bread Crumbs
- Butter
- Dried Thyme
Recipe Notes
- Corn: I like to use yellow corn for this recipe because that’s what my family always used. You can make it with white corn if you prefer a sweeter flavor dish.
- Lots of recipes use canned cream corn and canned whole-kernel corn, but mine only uses whole-kernel corn. I think the dish tastes better that way. Of course… I love using fresh corn whenever I can, and obviously scalloped corn with fresh corn is preferred when corn is in season. But using frozen corn is a perfectly acceptable and delicious substitute.
- Onions: Cut the onions very small. It will create a better texture and mixture of flavors.
- Sour Cream: Lots of people love serving this dish with sour cream. That is not my favorite way of serving it, but it’s certainly popular. If that is how you would like to serve this scalloped corn recipe, by all means, go for it.
- Give It A Rest: Scalloped corn also needs to rest for 10-15 minutes when it comes out of the oven. This gives it time to thicken properly before serving. Since it holds up so well in the fridge, you can make the whole dish the day before and reheat it at serving time.
- Breadcrumbs: I prefer to use homemade breadcrumbs for this recipe. I find the store-bought ones are too finely ground and the flavor isn’t nearly as good. Many times, store-bought works just fine but they just don’t cut it for scalloped corn recipe.
- Homemade breadcrumbs make a fantastic full-flavored topping for this dish while also acting as a thickener. Here’s how to make breadcrumbs:
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-
- Toast a few pieces of sandwich bread.
- Tear each piece of toast into large chunks.
- Place the chunks directly into the bowl of the food processor.
- Process the toast, using one-second pulses, until the crumbs are about the size of grape nuts.
- Season with salt and pepper.
-
- Change the Topping: To be honest, I had a really hard time deciding what topping I should make for this post. There are just so many different topping combinations that I love with this recipe. I chose this topping because its simplicity compliments the dish well and the ingredients are always on hand.
- Here are a few other ideas for toppings:
-
-
- Cracker – To make scalloped corn with crackers, use a cup and a half of cracker crumbs mixed with two tablespoons of melted butter. Just use a plain cracker (like a saltine or a Ritz). The Ritz crumb mix is my fav… Avoid strong-flavored crackers (like cheese crackers). Then add 1/2 cup cracker crumbs to the corn mixture as well.
- Panko – Use one and a half cups of panko breadcrumbs. Mix in a cup of shredded parmesan and a fourth cup of melted butter. Then add 1/2 cup Panko crumbs to the corn mixture as well.
- Cheese – Add one cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the top of the corn, then top the cheese layer with the breadcrumb or cracker crumb topping. Cheddar is the classic cheese that goes well with corn, and I would not recommend straying too far from cheddar in your choice of cheese.
- However, if you want to add more cheese (as I’ll often do) you can definitely do that. The more cheese, the better I say!
-
Storing + Freezing + Make Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Store any leftovers in an airtight container, in your fridge for up to four days.
- Can You Freeze This? I prefer this scalloped corn recipe served fresh but technically it can be frozen for up to a month. Be sure to let it cool completely before preparing it for the freezer.
- Make-Ahead Tips: In the interest of time, you can put this dish together ahead of time and toss it in the fridge overnight. That way all you have to do is add the breadcrumb topping and pop it in the oven the next day.
- Food Safety: Here are an article regarding USDA’s refrigeration and freezing food storage and safety.
Serving Recommendations
This scalloped corn casserole is so good it goes with almost anything, which is why it’s so popular at potlucks and family gatherings.
At home, I like to serve it with crock pot pork tenderloin or Mississippi pot roast for an awesome Sunday supper – just like grandma used to make!
Recipe Variations
- Add cheese. Make scalloped corn with cheese because cheese makes everything better!
- Add spices. Grab the lime and ancho chili powder and make a dish similar to my Mexican street corn casserole.
- Add pimiento. Whip up scalloped corn supreme with a little tang by adding pimiento to your recipe.
- Food Safety: Here are an article regarding USDA’s refrigeration and freezing food storage and safety.
More Yummy Corn Dishes
Scalloped Corn
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon onion minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (16-ounce) package corn, fresh or frozen thawed and drained
- 1/4 cup fresh soft bread crumbs
- 2 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
Topping:
- 1 cup fresh soft bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter
- pinch dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs (3) and half-and-half (1 cup) until combined. Stir in the next eight ingredients. Pour into prepared baking dish.
- In a small mixing bowl mix the bread crumbs (1 cup), 2 tablespoons melted butter, and a pinch of thyme. Sprinkle evenly over corn casserole.
- Bake casserole in the preheated oven until top is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Corn: I like to use yellow corn for this recipe because that’s what my family always used. You can make it with white corn if you prefer a sweeter flavor dish.
- Lots of recipes use canned cream corn and canned whole-kernel corn, but mine only uses whole-kernel corn. I think the dish tastes better that way. Of course… I love using fresh corn whenever I can, and obviously scalloped corn with fresh corn is preferred when corn is in season. But using frozen corn is a perfectly acceptable and delicious substitute.
- Onions: Cut the onions very small. It will create a better texture and mixture of flavors.
- Sour Cream: Lots of people love serving this dish with sour cream. That is not my favorite way of serving it, but it’s certainly popular. If that is how you would like to serve this scalloped corn recipe, by all means, go for it.
- Give It A Rest: Scalloped corn also needs to rest for 10-15 minutes when it comes out of the oven. This gives it time to thicken properly before serving. Since it holds up so well in the fridge, you can make the whole dish the day before and reheat it at serving time.
- Breadcrumbs: I prefer to use homemade breadcrumbs for this recipe. I find the store-bought ones are too finely ground and the flavor isn’t nearly as good. Many times, store-bought works just fine but they just don’t cut it for scalloped corn recipe.
- Homemade breadcrumbs make a fantastic full-flavored topping for this dish while also acting as a thickener. Here's how to make breadcrumbs:
- Toast a few pieces of sandwich bread.
- Tear each piece of toast into large chunks.
- Place the chunks directly into the bowl of the food processor.
- Process the toast, using one-second pulses, until the crumbs are about the size of grape nuts.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Homemade breadcrumbs make a fantastic full-flavored topping for this dish while also acting as a thickener. Here's how to make breadcrumbs:
- Change the Topping: To be honest, I had a really hard time deciding what topping I should make for this post. There are just so many different topping combinations that I love with this scalloped corn recipe. I chose this topping because its simplicity compliments the dish well and the ingredients are always on hand.
-
- Here are a few other ideas for toppings:
-
-
- Cracker - To make scalloped corn with crackers, use a cup and a half of cracker crumbs mixed with two tablespoons of melted butter. Just use a plain cracker (like a saltine or a Ritz). The Ritz crumb mix is my fav… Avoid strong-flavored crackers (like cheese crackers). Then add 1/2 cup cracker crumbs to the corn mixture as well.
- Panko - Use one and a half cups of panko breadcrumbs. Mix in a cup of shredded parmesan and a fourth cup of melted butter. Then add 1/2 cup Panko crumbs to the corn mixture as well.
- Cheese - Add one cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the top of the corn, then top the cheese layer with the breadcrumb or cracker crumb topping. Cheddar is the classic cheese that goes well with corn, and I would not recommend straying too far from cheddar in your choice of cheese.
- However, if you want to add more cheese (as I’ll often do) you can definitely do that. The more cheese, the better I say!
-
Nutrition
I made this on Thanksgiving, it’s so yummy! I’ll add this to my go-to side dishes 🙂
Kathleen,
I love your recipes and have tried several recently. I am looking forward to trying this recipe but need to know if the corn amount should be 16 or 32 oz. Because 4 cups = 32 oz.
Thanks, DeVon
DeVon, you’re right and I’ve amended the recipes. I used a 16 ounces package. Thank you for pointing this editing error out to me!!
Hi, I just wanted to let you know this page has become my go to search place for recipe ideas, or ingredient checks for dishes I used to make but haven’t in forever. Often,I forget certain things like particular spices,or ratios of liquid to dry… or length of time to cook, set, chill…
I can always find my answers easily, However, I find myself distracted, and sidetracked into other ideas and drooling over recipes we want to try. Every recipe we have tried from this site, we have loved! Thank you.
Haven’t tried this one yet… was looking for something else – found it… then ended up here. ?
Wow! You made my day, Genesis! Thank you so much!!