Corn Nuggets
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My corn nuggets are super crispy on the outside while being moist in the middle. They cook in just 10 minutes and make the best party appetizer.
If you’re craving something savory, crispy, and seriously addictive, my ultra-crispy corn nuggets are a must-try. Made with simple, budget-friendly ingredients, they transform into something that tastes straight out of a summer fair.
I grew up eating my body weight in these at local fairs, but it wasn’t until culinary school that I tried making them myself- mainly because I was a little afraid of deep frying at home. After testing this recipe multiple times, I’ve landed on a version my family swears is even better than the fairground classic.
The secret? Shallow frying! This means cooking them in oil that partially covers the nuggets instead of fully submerging them. This method (which I demonstrate in my step-by-step video) creates a light, golden crust while keeping the center fluffy, with the perfect sweet-savory balance.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Easy to make. Simply mix all the ingredients, form small nuggets, and then fry. I promise you, even beginner cooks won’t have any issues.
- Crispy and crunchy. From flavor to texture, these corn nuggets tick all the boxes.
- Easy to customize. You can change the spices, add more vegetables, and switch up the dipping sauces.
- Multiple cooking methods. While my family and I prefer the classic deep-fried version, I’ve tested cooking these in the oven and the air fryer, so you have options.
Key Ingredients
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
- Oil. To fry the nuggets. I recommend choosing an oil that has a high smoke point, like peanut oil or canola oil.
- All-purpose flour. White flour is preferred, but whole wheat works, too. To make gluten-free corn nuggets, use gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder. A leavening agent that helps the nuggets puff up beautifully.
- Egg. Acts as a binding agent.
- Milk. I used whole milk, but you can use any milk you have on hand.
- Shortening. I find shortening to be the best fat to use as the filling for these nuggets. If you can’t find this, use butter.
- Corn kernels. Either canned or fresh corn works. I tested this recipe with creamed corn, but found it had too much moisture to keep things crispy.
- Salt and pepper. To taste.
How to make corn nuggets
Step 1- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Step 2- Add the wet ingredients. Mix until a smooth batter remains.
Step 3- Add corn. Fold through the corn until combined.
Step 4- Assemble. Drop 1-inch spoonfuls of the corn nugget mixture in the hot oil.
Step 5- Shallow fry the corn nuggets for two minutes per side.
Step 6- Drain and serve. Drain on a wire rack for a minute before serving immediately.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use a thermometer. My #1 tip! The most crucial factor with deep frying is to make sure the oil is hot enough. If it is too cold, the nuggets will be greasy and a little dense. Use a thermometer to check, and I find that around 350°F is the perfect temperature of the oil, with some wiggle room on both ends.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. My #2 tip. Yes, I want to dive right into the nuggets, but it’s best to cook in batches if your pan is not big enough. This ensures each nugget cooks thoroughly on all sides and prevents the oil from dropping in temperature. Cooler oil = dense nuggets.
- No more than 1 1/2-inches of oil. Friends, we are shallow frying here, not deep frying. If the corn nuggets are fully submerged, they tend to overcook the insides, which lose their fluffiness.
- Drain on a wire rack, not a paper towel. This applies to any fried food! A wire rack lets air circulate so every side stays crispy, while a paper towel traps steam and softens the bottom.
- Use a slotted spoon. To remove excess grease and oil. These are super affordable and can be found at any mainstream grocery store or online. I have also had success using a cookie scoop (seriously).
Frequently asked questions
Yes! I’ve made this batter up to 24 hours before I plan to cook them. I do suggest adding the corn just before frying, though to prevent it from loosing its structure.
To get a crispy outside and moist inside, I find that shallow frying for 2-2 1/2 minutes total is plenty (provided your oil is at 350°F). Any longer, you risk the nuggets being slightly overcooked.
Corn nuggets are such a nostalgic appetizer or snack for me, so I go all out with dipping sauces. Try my family’s favorite Big Mac sauce, sugar free ketchup, potsticker sauce, or fry sauce. Of course, you can pair it with comfort foods for a classic dinner.
More crispy appetizers
Corn Nuggets
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon shortening melted, or butter
- 12 ounces canned corn drained
- 1 cup oil choose a high smoke point oil like vegetable, peanut, or
Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy pot or deep fryer until it reaches a temperature of 350°F (180°C). Ensure it does not go above 1 1/2-inches.
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk, and shortening. Combine the wet mixture with the dry mixture. Fold through the corn.
- Drop the nugget batter by spoonfuls into the hot oil. Fry for a minute on both sides until golden.
- Remove the nuggets from the oil and place them on a wire rack to drain excess oil before serving.
Notes
- Oven baked corn nuggets: Preheat the oven to 400°F and bake these for 11-12 minutes on a lined baking sheet greased with cooking spray or until they become golden brown to dish out and serve.
- Air fryer corn nuggets: Once the nuggets are prepped, place them in a greased air fryer basket and air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Leftovers: Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
- Reheating leftovers: I recommend reheating corn nuggets in the air fryer, oven, or back on the skillet. Please do not microwave them, or else they will become soggy.
I used fresh corn & diced jalapeños. They turned out amazing. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
That sounds amazing! I love the addition of jalapeños! Thanks for sharing this Mickey, I know other readers will also appreciate this 🙂
I tried this recipe with both the oven and air fryer options from the recipe and this is just not it. It’s a plain corn pancake, which isn’t necessarily bad but are not even close to the delicious flavor bombs I was looking for.
I think this recipe is a good starting base, but not a good final product.
Thanks for trying the recipe! The oven and air fryer versions can turn out a bit softer and more fritter-like compared to classic deep friend ones, which naturally develop a crisp exterior and richer flavor. The oil temperature and spacing also makes a big difference. I’m glad you found a good base and I hope you try the fried version.
I have not tried as of yet, but have a couple of questions. Are the insides creamy and sweet or more thoroughly cooked like a fritter if they are more like a fritter have you tried using creamed corn and freezing them and then coating with batter and deep frying? I am looking for something a little bit more on the sweet side rather than savory. Thank you for any input
Great question 🙂 These nuggets are mote like classic corn fritter on the inside (soft and tender with sweet pops from the corn rather than creamy). If you prefer them a little sweeter, I find that using sweet corn works really well. I haven’t tested creamed corn and freezing them before frying, but my batter in this recipe is designed to hold the kernels together while frying so you still get that nice nugget texture 🙂
This recipe is a good start but my wife said they weren’t sweet enough, and the was bread to corn ratio was off (not enough corn).
Next time I will try tripling the sugar (half a tablespoon instead of half a teaspoon) and add a can of creamed corn along with the can of whole kernel corn. When we dusted these with powdered sugar, they were better, so they need a bit more sweetness.
I’ll probably also use a smaller spoon too, because I used a cookie scoop and they ended up about the size of a large hushpuppy.
Thanks for trying my recipe. The sweetness can vary a bit depending on the corn used, so using sweet corn or adding a touch more sugar is definitely an easy adjustment if you prefer them sweeter. Keeping the spoonfuls a little smaller also helps the batter-to-corn ratio balance out nicely. Glad you were able to tweak them to your taste.
Canned corn wow.
Deseert with corn?
Wow this looks like my national sweet-fritule. Have you ever heard? Croatian sweet popular.
The corn nuggets look so good about 15 years ago I was in the store shopping and I saw them I got them and cooked them for my family and we all loved them
I’m gonna try these and wanted to know what can I use instead of baking powder?
Hi! Use equal parts baking soda and either vinegar or lemon juice 🙂 Let me know how you go!
I made a modified version:
15 oz corn
1tsp garlic salt instead of plain
1/2tsp onion powder
2Tbsp butter instead of shortening
Replaced sour cream for milk
Excellent.
Possible other additive ideas for combos:
Mix and match.
Ranch seasoning powder
Bacon bits
Jalapeño bits
Diced onion
Shredded cheese
Carolina!!! I love the tweaks you made, thanks so much for sharing them with us 🙂 You’ve inspired me to try out bacon and jalapeno bits- YUM! 🙂
Thank you! Recipe worked 100% – they were delicious everyone loved them!
Sorry, I am looking for baking or steaming snacks with base corn kernel from freah corn.
No worries! This particular recipe is designed for frying corn nuggets rather than baking or steaming (I do have a baked and air fryer option). If you’re working with fresh corn and looking for baked or steamed snacks, a corn fritter or corn cake style recipe would probably be a better fit 🙂
I am NEVER buying frozen corn nuggets from anywhere ever again! I made 2 changes. I added garlic powder (1 teaspoon) and 1 finely chopped jalapeño. They are AMAZING! Fantastic crunch on the outside and pillowy on the inside. Can’t wait to make they again and oar them with a spicy cheddar cheese dipping sauce or a Mexican street corn inspired dipping sauce. Thank you!
I’m looking to replace a frozen appetizer we use at our restaurant. I would like to make them as you described, portion them out in a silicone candy mold ( to keep shape0, then freeze them (uncooked) then cook/fry frozen corn nuggets to order. Any thoughts on that?
Hi Jim- how exciting!! That should work well! The batter is sturdy enough to portion and freeze. I’d recommend scooping the nuggets into the mold, freezing until firm, then popping them out and storing them in the freezer bag (it makes it so much easier to handle!).
You can fry them straight from frozen, too. Just allow a little extra cooking time to ensure they heat through.
Sounds great. Sounds easy. Can you substitute oil for the melted shortening?
Yes, you can substitute oil for the melted shortening. Just use the same amount and mix it in with the wet ingredients as directed 🙂
Sounds great. Sounds easy.
They were perfect.
So easy and delicious. Tried before but just wasn’t what I wanted till I used your recipe. Thank you so much for being here for me.
Looks delicious. One part of recipe says fry 2 to 3 min and another part says 10 to 12, flip after 7 to 8?
Hi Mary- apologies for that. I’ve recently retested and updated the recipe to reflect the correct frying time 🙂
Good recipe to trying it on the grill 4 of July
Fireworks 💥
Can you substitute almond flour for flour?
Thanks
I haven’t tried but you are welcome to experiment and see
If these were rolled in a little more batter or if I added less milk, could these be cooked in the air fryer?? I could even freeze them a little bit before if you think that would help. Thanks
Hi Mo! It can 🙂 I’ve updated the recipe and recipe card to include air fryer instructions. I’ll be honest- it will never be as crispy or rich as fried ones, but a healthier alternative 🙂
There really delicious