This is the creamy, sweet-and-savory old-fashioned scalloped corn casserole that shows up at big holiday dinners. If you’ve always loved it and want to know how to make it, you’re in the right place!
This Classic Scalloped Corn recipe is so delicious and comforting. It’s creamy and cheesy with a crunchy cracker topping. Plus, you have options on the kind of corn to use so you can make it any time of year, though it’s popular at big holidays like Thanksgiving.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
What Is Scalloped Corn?
Scalloped corn is a cozy casserole dish perfect to serve at holidays or family dinners. While I couldn’t find exact origins for the dish, it seems to be especially popular in New England and the Midwest. It’s old fashioned in the most comforting and tasty way.
Think of scalloped potatoes, it’s a casserole that is creamy and cheesy with a crunchy topping, made here with cracker crumbs. So there are similarities, and if you’re a fan of the potato version, you’ll want to try this side dish too.
So, how does this compare to other corn casserole-style dishes? Well, Creamed Corn has cream but does not set like a casserole so it’s not super similar. Corn Pudding also has a custard-like base with cream and eggs but there’s no topping mixture like this recipe. Jiffy Corn Casserole is cheesy like this scalloped corn, but it holds together thanks to the cornbread mix instead of eggs.
Type of Corn To Use
I usually use frozen corn for this easy scalloped corn recipe, because it keeps things easy and I almost always have some on hand.
You could instead use 6 cups of fresh cooked corn or three 15-ounce cans of corn. If using canned corn, make sure to drain them well so your casserole doesn’t end up watery.
For the fresh cooked corn, you have options for how to cook corn on the cob. I suggest boiled corn on the cob or even microwaved fresh corn to keep things simple since you’ll be removing the corn kernels and adding them to other ingredients anyways.
Ingredient Substitutions
Butter Crackers: These are essentially Ritz crackers. You can instead use panko bread crumbs, corn flakes, or a different kind of crushed savory cracker. Some recipes use saltine crackers but they aren’t my favorite here.
Shredded Cheese: The recipe below calls for Monterey Jack but any kind of shredded cheese that melts is good. Mozzarella, Cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, and Colby jack are all great options.
Half-and-Half: Instead of the 1 and 1/2 cups of half-and-half, you can use whole milk, heavy cream, or a 12 ounce can of evaporated milk.
Smoked Paprika and Cayenne: A lot of recipes for scalloped corn don’t have much in the way of seasonings. You’re supposed to mostly taste the sweet corn, the buttery crackers, and the cheese. But I find a bit of background flavor to be delicious here. You’ll notice that the amounts of the seasonings are very small. They’re just meant to be subtle. You can add more though if you’d like.
Instead of these, you can use any seasonings that you enjoy with corn. Basil would be nice. Or chili powder, some cumin, or a tiny hint of ground ginger.
Baking Temperature
If you’ve had this kind of scalloped corn casserole before, you know that it has an eggy flavor and even a slight, very small curd scramble texture to it. I experimented with trying to not have this happen in a variety of ways, including cooking it at different temperatures.
Mu conclusion is that the resulting texture is a bit softer if you bake it at 300°F instead of at 350°F. However, the difference is subtle and I’m not sure it’s worth it for two reasons.
First, when I’m cooking for the kind of big Thanksgiving or Christmas meal where I make this kind of dish, my ovens are usually set around 350°F most of the time. Keeping it at that temperature for this is easier.
Second, if you cook it at 350°F, you don’t have to change the temperature to a higher one to brown the topping at the end. If you have the oven at 300°F, the topping won’t brown so then you need to increase the heat at the end.
So, my preference is to bake it at 350°F as instructed in the recipe below. But, if you want to try the lower temperature and have that slightly softer texture, you will instead bake it at 300°F until it’s slightly puffed at the edges but still very moist in the center. Add the topping and increase the heat to 400°F. Bake until fully set and browned, 8-10 minutes.
How To Test If It’s Done
What you really don’t want here is a dry casserole. It is therefore best to err on the side of moistness. What I do is to bake it without the topping until the edges are set but the middle is still quite liquidy.
Then sprinkle on the topping and continue baking it until the topping is brown and then filling is set in the middle. When it’s set in the middle, a knife inserted into the middle will make a smooth and clear cut.
More Holiday Casserole Recipes
If you love this easy side dish, you can browse my full collection of side dish recipes for more or try one of the holiday favorites below.
Classic Scalloped Corn Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This is the creamy, sweet-and-savory old-fashioned scalloped corn casserole that shows up at big holiday dinners.
Ingredients
- 32 oz. frozen* corn, thawed, divided
- 2 cups crushed butter crackers (about 35), divided
- 2 cups shredded Monterey jack, divided
- 3 large eggs
- 1 and 1/2 cup half-and-half**
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (optional)
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- To the baking dish add 4 cups of the corn, 1 cup of the crushed crackers, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Toss to combine. Set aside.
- To a food processor or blender, add the remaining corn, the eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper, and the paprika and cayenne, if using. Pulse to puree until fairly smooth (there will still be little bits of corn that aren’t liquid but that’s fine). Pour over the cracker mixture in the baking dish and stir to combine.
- Bake until set at the edges and mostly set in the middle but still a bit wet and jiggly, about 30-35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl make the topping by mixing together the remaining cup of crushed crackers, the remaining cup of shredded cheese, and the melted butter.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven. Top corn mixture evenly with cracker topping.
- Return to oven and bake until a knife inserted into the middle makes a clean cut, and until the casserole is well-browned on top, another 15-20 minutes.
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Notes
*In place of the frozen corn, use 6 cups fresh cooked corn or three 15-ounce cans, drained.
**Alternatively, use one 12-ounce can of evaporated milk.
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