Cream Cheese Corn Casserole
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This easy, decadent cheesy corn casserole is soon to become your family’s new favorite side dish! Cream Cheese Corn Casserole is delicious served up right out of the skillet or made ahead and baked up hot and bubbling later. The tangy cream cheese balances the corn’s natural sweetness, while green chiles add a subtle Southwestern kick! The perfect side dish for Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs or Cajun Chicken Legs!
“This is such a great corn recipe, and it’s gluten-free too! Creamy and delicious!” — Juenessa
QUICK TAKE: Cream Cheese Corn Casserole
- What It Is: The secret to the best Cream Cheese Corn Casserole is one simple trick, and green chiles add just the right amount of heat!
- Ingredient Highlights: Corn kernels, cream cheese, green chiles, and more cheese!
- Time to Make: 15 minutes prep, 45 minutes cook time, for 1 hour total.
- Chef’s Top Tip: Puree some corn kernels into the milk or half-and-half to bump up the corn flavor throughout the casserole.
- Why Make THIS Version? My Cream Cheese Corn Casserole has a simple trick that gives it a creamy texture, while green chiles add a subtle kick that balances the corn’s sweetness.
Table of Contents
Why This Corn Casserole Recipe is a Keeper!
This corn casserole was always a favorite with my personal chef clients, and I’ve been making this Corn Casserole with Cream Cheese for years to rave reviews. My Charred Corn Succotash was another client favorite and is a lighter, fresher way to enjoy sweet corn when it’s in season.
The secret to the ultimate Cream Cheese Corn Casserole isn’t just combining corn with cream cheese. I take it up a notch by pureeing the corn with the half-and-half to create a “corn cream” that infuses the casserole with sweet corn flavor.
This Cream Cheese Corn Casserole recipe is:
- Easy and made with simple ingredients.
- Great year-round! With green chiles added, it’s a great side dish for Southwestern and Mexican-inspired meals. Make it with frozen, thawed corn kernels for ultimate ease, or with fresh corn when it’s in season.
- Perfect for entertaining. It’s easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for holidays. It travels well and pairs with everything from Thanksgiving turkey to summer barbecues.
- A crowd-pleaser! Sweet corn, cream cheese, and melted cheese make this side dish appealing to almost everyone.
- Make-ahead! Serve straight from the skillet, or refrigerate and bake until hot and bubbly. Because you can assemble it a day or two ahead, this casserole also fits right in with my elevated Thanksgiving sides!
This corn casserole recipe is one of those tried-and-true recipes that has earned a permanent place in my own collection. After years of making it for clients, it’s a side dish I know I can count on!
How to Make Cream Cheese Corn Casserole:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this corn casserole with cream cheese recipe. See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- Scallions: I like scallions in this recipe because of their delicate onion flavor and because they cook quickly in the butter. You can use onion if you prefer, but you may need to add oil to keep the onion and butter from burning because onion takes longer to soften.
- Milk or Half-and-Half: You can use either; whole milk is preferable to anything lower fat, such as 2%, 1%, or skim.
- Corn Kernels: Use frozen, thawed corn kernels for ease or fresh corn kernels when fresh corn is in season. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels from the cob, then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to capture the flavorful corn “milk.”
- Mexican Blend Cheese: I used Mexican blend cheese because it melts nicely. You can also use Monterey Jack or Pepperjack cheese.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese or reduced-fat Neufchatel.
- Green Chiles: Use hot or mild canned green or Hatch chiles. When Hatch chile season rolls around, learn how to roast Hatch chiles in the oven and freeze extras so you can enjoy their smoky flavor in this casserole all year. Leave them out completely if you don’t care for anything hot.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter a 1- to 1 1/2-quart baking dish or spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the milk or half-and-half in a blender or container that lets you puree some of the corn with an immersion (hand) blender. Add 1 cup of the corn kernels to the milk or half-and-half and puree until almost smooth. Set aside.
- … and puree until almost smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the butter in a nonstick skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the scallions, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until softened.
- Add the pureed corn mixture …
- … and the remaining corn kernels to the skillet, stir, and bring to a simmer.
- Add the cream cheese and green chiles to the skillet.
- Cook over medium-low heat until the cream cheese is incorporated. Add additional milk or half-and-half if you like it looser and creamier.
- Stir in half the shredded Mexican cheese blend. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish …
- … and top with the remaining shredded Mexican cheese blend. Bake the cheesy corn casserole for 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Done and delish!
Chef Tips and Tricks:
- Make individual casseroles. Divide the corn mixture among small casserole dishes or ramekins and bake until hot and bubbly. Because scallops and corn are a classic pairing, top each individual casserole with seared scallops for an elegant, restaurant-worthy appetizer or entrée.
- Soften the cream cheese first. Room-temperature cream cheese blends more smoothly and is less likely to leave small lumps in the casserole.
- One thing that always bothered me about corn casseroles was that the corn flavor wasn’t present throughout the creamy base; it was just corn combined with cream cheese. To fix this, I puree some corn kernels into the milk or half-and-half to boost the corn flavor throughout the casserole. However, don’t over-purée the corn. Blend the corn and half-and-half until creamy but not completely liquefied. A little texture keeps the casserole from becoming too smooth.
- Breaking the cream cheese into smaller bits after adding it to the pan helps it incorporate faster.
Cream Cheese Corn Casserole Recipe FAQs:
Sure can! Cook the scallions in the butter, then transfer them to the slow cooker. Add the pureed corn/half-and-half mixture, the remaining corn, cream cheese broken into small bits, green chiles, and salt and black pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Add half of the shredded Mexican blend cheese; stir until the cheese is completely melted and the corn is creamy. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Stir in more milk or half-and-half if the sauce is too thick. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately, or set the slow cooker to warm and serve from the slow cooker.
Absolutely! You can make it 1 to 2 days ahead of time, up to the point of baking. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Let sit out at room temperature while the oven preheats. You may need to add additional baking time because the dish will be cold.
Yes! Freezing a corn casserole is best done with fresh corn, but because the corn in this recipe gets heated through during cooking, it’s okay to refreeze. Cool the casserole down completely, then wrap it securely. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator then bake at 350 degrees until heated through to 165 degrees in the center.
FAVORITES FROM MY KITCHEN:
- It’s also a great choice for cookouts and potlucks; find more make-ahead cookout sides for your next gathering.
- If you love the kick of green chiles, my Green Chile Mac and Cheese is another side dish that puts them front and center.
- For another sweet corn and smoky pepper combination, my Poblano Corn Chowder takes those flavors in a hearty, comforting direction.
More sweet corn inspiration!
If you tried my Cream Cheese Corn Casserole recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the comments!
Cream Cheese Corn Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- Butter or nonstick cooking spray, for baking dish
- 2/3 cup half-and-half, or whole milk, or as needed
- 2 bags (12-ounces each) frozen corn kernels, (24 ounces) thawed under warm running tap water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 bunch scallions, white and light green part only, chopped
- 1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 can (5.25-ounce) diced green chiles*, or 1/4 cup roasted, seeded and chopped Hatch green chiles
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1- to 1 1/2-quart baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the milk or half-and-half in a blender or container that will allow you to puree some of the corn with an immersion (hand) blender.
- Place 1 cup of the corn kernels in the milk or half-and-half and puree until almost smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the butter in a nonstick skillet or saute pan over medium heat.
- Add the scallions, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until softened.
- Add the pureed corn combination and the remaining corn kernels to the skillet, stir, and bring to a simmer.
- Add the cream cheese and green chiles to the skillet. (Breaking the cream cheese into smaller bits will help get it incorporated faster.)
- Cook over medium-low heat until the cream cheese is incorporated. Add additional milk or half-and-half if you like it looser and creamier.
- Stir in half the shredded Mexican cheese blend. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining shredded Mexican cheese blend.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbling.
Notes
- You can use onion instead of scallion if you prefer, but you may need to add oil to keep the onion and butter from burning; onion takes longer to soften.
- Use Monterey Jack or Pepperjack in place of the shredded Mexican blend cheese.
- Make individual casseroles. Bake in small ramekins, then top with seared scallops.
- Soften the cream cheese. Room-temperature cream cheese melts and blends more smoothly, preventing lumps.
- Purée some of the corn with the milk or half-and-half so sweet corn flavor runs throughout the creamy base. Don’t overdo it—a little texture is a good thing.
- Break up the cream cheese. Add it to the pan in small pieces so it melts and incorporates more quickly.
- Can be made 1-2 days ahead of time to the point of baking. Cool, cover, and refrigerate.
- Let sit out at room temperature while the oven preheats. Bake as directed.
- You may need to add additional baking time because the dish will still be fairly cold.
- Freezing a corn casserole is best done with fresh corn, but because the corn in this recipe gets heated through during cooking, it’s okay to refreeze. Cool the casserole down completely, then wrap it securely.
- Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bake at 350 degrees until heated through to 165 degrees in the center.
- Cook the scallions in the butter, then transfer them to the slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker, add the pureed corn/half-and-half combination, the remaining corn, cream cheese broken into small bits, green chiles, and some salt and black pepper.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
- Add half of the shredded Mexican blend cheese; stir until the cheese is completely melted and the corn is creamy. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Stir in more milk or half-and-half if the sauce is too thick. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately, or set the slow cooker to warm and serve from the slow cooker.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are automatically calculated using unbranded products and are estimates only. Actual results may vary based on ingredients used and portion sizes. Adjust as needed for dietary restrictions, allergies, or health concerns.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Hi Carol. I’m about to start making this recipe now. I’m in a time crunch, and I’m hoping you can respond to this question as soon as possible. The amount of frozen corn…. Is it 2 bags, each weighing 12 oz (24 oz total), or two 6 oz bags for a total of 12 oz?
Hi, Angela, Thanks so much for your question, and I apologize for any confusion. It would be two 12-ounce bags for a total of 24 ounces. I will clarify the recipe. Thanks again!
This was yummy! I’ll be making this again with corn because it livened it up and was so luxuriously good. I also tried it with hominy (I cook mine from dried, but canned would work too) and it was chefs kiss! My parents make a cheesy green chile hominy with velveeta and green chilies, but this was next level good. I highly recommend you give it a try. Hominy also works well with the cheese sauce from your green chile au gratin potatoes.
Hi, Country Chef! Thanks so very much and making this with hominy is very intriguing. Really appreciate you giving this recipe a try out of so many others and for taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
I have made this with frozen and fresh corn and love it, but the other day, when making it with fresh, I didn’t buy quite enough corn, and the mixture in the saucepan was a bit too soupy for my liking. After considering several options to thicken it up, I stirred in a handful of Maseca and simmered it on the stove for a few extra minutes. The texture was still nice and creamy after baking, but it added a subtle tortilla/grits flavor that I really liked. Next time I make this, instead of the corn blended with the half-and-half, I might try using a bit of canned hominy instead.
Hi, Tom, Thanks so much, and I love that you came up with that! Appreciate your taking the time to come back and let me know, along with commenting and rating. Thanks again!
Can I use fresh corn cut off the cob?
Hi, William, Thanks so much for your question! Yes, I wish you would! Fresh corn would be perfect. I do mention that in the Ingredient Notes. Thanks so much and hope you enjoy!
This is such a great corn recipe and it’s gluten-free too! Creamy and delicious!
Hi, Juenessa, Thanks so much and happy you love this recipe! Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
This is delicious and easy! Went great with spicy chicken 😋
Hi, Mary, Thanks so very much and so happy you enjoyed!!