Old Fashioned Corn Fritters are a delicious and super easy side dish! Made with canned corn, you can enjoy them all year long!

There’s just something about corn fritters. Maybe it’s their crispy fried outsides. Or maybe it’s those soft sweet corn insides.

I don’t know what it is, but every time I serve them, they’re gone in minutes. Whatever it is, all I know is I always need to make a double batch!

Crispy corn fritters are made with simple ingredients that you probably have in your pantry right now. They are perfect for serving at BBQs, parties, as a breakfast food, side dish or the perfect appetizer. So you can make them every day.

Old Fashioned corn fritters are also super quick. The longest part is just waiting for that oil to get to temperature.

What are Old Fashioned Corn Fritters?

Old Fashioned Corn fritters are fried cakes of dough or batter. Mixed into the dough before being fried is corn or maize.

They are an original Native American food, and they remain quite popular in the Southern United States.

They can be served as either a sweet or savory dish and are often eaten during all three meals of the day.

They’re even popular in Indonesia!

What Ingredients are in Old Fashioned Corn Fritters?

Whether it’s corn season or not, here’s the best way to get delicious cooked fritters.

Oil: My favorite frying oils are vegetable oil or canola oil.
Flour: Use all purpose flour to give the batter its texture.
Baking Powder: Baking powder will keep the insides of the fritters soft.
Salt: A little bit of salt will help the flavor pop.
Sugar: And don’t forget a bit of sugar! It’s not overpowering but helps sweeten up the corn.
Egg: Egg holds the corn fritters together.
Milk: Use any percentage of milk or alternative milk you have in your fridge.
Butter: This will need to be melted down before being added to the fritters recipe.
Canned Corn: Be sure to drain the corn kernels or your fritters will be a pancake instead of a fritter. You can also use fresh corn too.

Pro Tips:

In the summer, substitute with fresh summer corn or you could even use frozen corn.
Don’t forget you’ll need a large frying pan or deep fryer for these simple fritters.
If you like a little kick, add in a pinch of cayenne pepper.

How to Make Old Fashioned Corn Fritter

Corn cakes are simple! Start with an easy corn fritters batter, fry it, and enjoy!

Heat the Oil: This takes the longest. Get the temp up to 365*F for hot oil before you start adding the fritters for best results.
Mix Dry Ingredients: Whip together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Add Wet Ingredients: Use another bowl to mix the wet ingredients before adding them to the dry ingredients.
Fry: If your oil is the right temperature, they’ll fry quickly! 1-2 minutes per side should do it! Let fried fritters rest on paper towels.

Pro Tips:

The corn fritters are done when they’re a lovely golden brown color.
If the oil doesn’t immediately sizzle when you add the fritters, it’s not hot enough.
Test your first batch to make sure the center is not doughy and the sides are not burnt.
Don’t crowd the pan. The corn fritters will cook better in small batches.
This is supposed to be a thick batter so don’t be worried about that!
Be sure you have enough oil that the corn mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

What to Serve with Old Fashioned Corn Fritters

This Old Fashioned Corn Fritter recipe can be served with any of these easy sides!

Dollop of Sour Cream
Green Onions
Maple Syrup
Plain Yogurt
Over Easy Egg

Just top your crispy fritters with any of the above and enjoy!

What Meat to Serve with Old Fashioned Corn Fritters

Corn fritters can easily be made with some protein by adding some chopped up ham or bacon!

Then you don’t even need another plate of food!

But for a meaty main dish, I recommend these:

Are Old Fashioned Corn Fritters Gluten Free?

No, these corn fritters are not gluten free.

While I know there are some recipes that are probably gluten free, the addition of the all-purpose flour makes these not gluten free.

That being said, there are 1-1 gluten free flours that usually hold up pretty well in most all purpose flour recipes.

If you try one of them, please let me know how it turns out in the comments.

Can You Freeze Sweet Corn Fritters?

You sure can!

Flash freeze the leftover corn fritters first after they’ve come to room temperature.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then place the corn fritters in a single layer on the sheet pan.

Freeze for one hour and then remove and put them in a airtight container or bag.

You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Be sure to write the name of the recipe and when you froze them on your container.

How to Reheat Corn Fritters

I like to reheat my corn fritters on the stove, in the oven, or in an air fryer.

You won’t need to totally recook the corn fritters, but not using the microwave ensures that your outsides are still totally crisp.

So heat up your preferred option and add the corn fritters.

Then reheat just until heated through and enjoy!

Are Hush Puppies the Same as Corn Fritters?

Hush puppies and corn fritters can be hard to distinguish! That’s because they’re both made using corn.

However, corn fritters are usually made with white flour in their batter.

Hush puppies on the other hand are made using a cornmeal batter instead.

They’re both fried however and are both totally delicious so I can understand the confusion.

The Best Recipes with Corn…

Old Fashioned Corn Fritters are an absolute must no matter what time of year! They’re delicious, simple, easy, and the perfect addition to whatever meal you’re serving!

Yield: 4 Servings

Old Fashioned Corn Fritters

Old Fashioned Corn Fritters are a delicious and super easy side dish! Made with canned corn, you can enjoy them all year long!

Ingredients

Instructions

Heat oil in a medium skillet or pot to 365*F over medium heat.
While oil is heating up, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl.
In a second bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine milk, egg and melted butter.
Pour milk mixture over flour mixture and gently mix. Batter will be thick.
Add drained corn into batter and mix. Mixture should still be thick but have thinned out some.
Make sure oil has reached 365*F. If oil is too hot, turn down heat and wait to use it until it reaches the correct temperature. If oil is too cold, turn the heat up slightly.
Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop out corn batter and place in hot oil.
Oil should immediately bubble around the dough ball.
Cook for approximately 1-2 minutes on each side or until each side is a lovely golden brown.
Test the first one to see if the center is cooked through or is doughy. If doughy, cook longer on both sides.
Serve with your favorite dip or topping. Many like them with sour cream and green onions, or even maple syrup.