Crispy Corn Fritters

Crispy Corn Fritters are loaded with sweet corn, jalapenos, and green onions and have a gooey cheesy surprise in the middle. These can be served hot as appetizers, snacks, or a side dish with sour cream, salsa or any other dip of your choice.

For guilt-free snacking, instead of deep frying, I have flattened them to discs and shallow fried them in minimal oil. Little cornstarch in the batter ensures they are crispy.

Crispy corn fritters with a gooesy cheese pocket at the center.

I love the versatility of fresh summer corn! During its peak, I experiment with all kinds of recipes to enjoy it in every way possible. These little corn cakes have a hint of sweetness from fresh corn, fresh herbs, and Jalapeno with a surprise gooey cheese pocket in the middle. These corn fritters are a breeze to whip up and taste so good that they disappear as soon as they hit the plate.

Another good news is you don’t have to wait for summer to make these, you can enjoy some crispy hot fritter by using frozen or canned corn as well.

Along with being crispy, what stands out is a melty pocket of cheese in the middle that oozes out when you bite into the fritters. Well, when you have a 10-year-old at home, you gotta be innovative and make little theatrics with food.

stack of crispy corn fritters with a dollop of sour cream and green onion.

Ingredients you will need

This corn fritter recipe can be completed in its entirety within 30 minutes including the frying. I will walk you through the list of ingredients along with possible substitutions and variations

Corn – You can use fresh or frozen corn. It depends on what you have available and the choice hardly matters except the cooking time. If frozen corn is what you decide, then let it thaw and come to room temperature.
Eggs- Egg acts as a binder and also keeps the fritters moist.
All-purpose flour – Flour is used as a binder along with eggs.
Cornstarch –Cornstarch contributes to the crispiness of the fritters
Baking soda– Baking powder is your everyday arsenal for anything frying or baking. Baking soda helps make the fritters light, airy, and also a golden crust.
Paprika – I have used mild paprika
Jalapeno- For heat and flavor. But it’s optional. You could also deseed the jalapenos before adding to control the heat.
Cheese – This is the WOW factor in the fritters. We have all had boring one-dimensional fritters earlier. The cheesiness of these fritters is what sets them apart. Sharp cheddar or mozzarella works the best.

Substitution and Variation

Herbs – Along with green onion, cilantro, or parsley for of freshness.
Instead of cornstarch, you can also use Rice flour to make the fritters crispy.
To make it gluten-free, substitute gluten-free flour.
You can also add veggies like zucchini, carrots, and bell peppers. If adding veggies, keep cron to veggie ration 3:1, for the corn flavor to shine. If using high water content veggie like zucchini, make sure after grating, salt it and squeeze as much water as possible before adding to the batter.
Parmesan cheese in the batter adds flavor and also makes it crispy.

How to make from scratch?

The entire cook can be broken down into three steps. Yes, three! That’s, how easy it is to get delicious corn fritters.

Fresh, canned, or frozen corn – If you are using canned or frozen corn, pat the corn with a paper napkin to absorb as much of the extra water as possible. We do not want to dilute the batter with water from the corn.
Work the dough – Mix flour, water, baking powder, and your veggies.
Add cheese to your patties – I will show an easy way to do that in the video.
Shallow fry them in the pan – Cook either side for a few minutes until you see a brown crust appearing on the surface.

Tips to avoid soggy fritters

If you are shallow-frying fritters as per this recipe, you can make crispy fritters by following the tips below.

Add two tablespoons of Corn Starch
- This is the secret ingredient for super crispy corn fritters. Add this to the dough mixture and when you are frying them, it will add a golden crispy coating to the fritters.
Avoid runny dough
- Keep the ratio of flour to water right and the fritters will be fine. A runny dough will have a lot of moisture and an outer crust that we desire will not be possible.
Serve it HOT!
- Fritters should be eaten Hot. If you would like your fritters in their best form, eat them right away. Fritters tend to get soggy with time and nothing much that you can do about it.

What to serve with Corn Fritters?

These cheesy fritters are best as appetizers. Have them as part of your morning breakfast or evening snacks. Hell, I can have them as a light lunch too.

Serve these with some fresh tomato salsa or sour cream.

You may add them to a plate for lunch along with a salad.

Can you freeze fritters and eat them cold?

You already know my say on this. Eat them HOT and straight out of the pan. If you still prefer to eat them cold, just let them thaw to a bite-able temperature and have it with dips.

Pack fritters in a tight container or zip-locked bag and stored them in the freezer. You can freeze these for up to 3 months.

While serving fritters, which has been frozen for some time, follow the below steps:

Take the frozen fritters and let them thaw to room temperature. This takes about an hour.
Do not microwave, as it will give you hot but soggy fritters.
The best way is to heat some oil in a pan and fry them for about 3 minutes on either side to get a crispy crust. It will taste as good as the fresh ones.