How To Reheat Corn On The Cob

How to Reheat Corn on the Cob (Best 7 Simple Ways 2024)

With these simple and easy-to-follow reheating methods, you can have buttery corn on the cob any time, any day – I really do love cooked corn.

Whether you’re having it as a side dish or as a snack, corn on the cob is always a sweet and juicy treat. 

But when we think of how to heat up or reheat our favorite summertime food, sweet corn, many people are left scratching their heads wondering what they should do with that perfectly cooked ear of corn.

If you want your corn on the cob to be just right every single time, then follow along for six different ways to warm up leftover corn so that you never again need to worry about overcooking this delicious vegetable!

  1. Microwave Corn Reheating Method: The microwave method works best if you don’t mind eating slightly mushy corn.
  2. Corn Boiling Water Reheating Method: This is in a traditional pot, or even in boiling water in a braiser or dutch oven. This is the traditional cooking method to warm up leftover corn and of course fresh corn on the cob. If you have lots of corn to reheat or cook – see which are the best big pots to use for a party or crowd.
  3. Stovetop Grilled Corn Reheating Method: To cook corn over direct heat, use either a stove top grill pan or cast iron skillet.
  4. Oven Reheating Corn Method: Another option for warming up corn on the cob is baking it in the oven. Place whole cobs on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake 15 – 20 minutes depending on size.
  5. Grilled Corn Reheating Method: Grilling is one of my favorites because I love the smoky flavor grilled foods often bring. It also makes sense since most of us already own a grill anyway. So why not make good use of it? 
  6. Toaster Oven Reheating Corn Method: Another option for warming up corn on the cob is using your toaster oven. It is great for heating small amounts of corn quickly and economically.
  7. AIR FRYER Reheating Corn Method: This method can be used for reheating corn with Aluminum foil, or just straight up – They can also be used for cooking corn. My partner loves corn on the cob so we decided to try this out. We removed all the husks from our ear of corn and put them into the air fryer. It took us less time to reheat the corn using the air fryer compared to reheating it over the stove top.

Reheated corn goes with so many dishes – like green beans (how many per person) and is a famous side dish with mashed potato for a crowd at Thanksgiving – and how much mashed potato do you need per guest?

Corn is a favorite side dish to serve with reheated crab legs also.

How to Reheat Corn on the Cob in the Oven

Recipe for reheating corn cobs in the oven:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Place whole ears of corn directly onto baking sheet lined with foil
  • Bake until warm, about 15 minutes per ear
  • Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving

This method works best if you like your corn cooked through but not mushy. 

How to Reheat Corn on the Cob in the Microwave

Recipe for reheating corn cobs in the microwave: This method works well because microwaves cook food quickly without burning it. You won’t need much more than 3 to 4 minutes total.

Microwave corn also helps keep moisture inside the corn kernels. If you microwave them too long, they will dry out.

To reheat your corn using the microwave, simply follow these steps:

  • To keep moist use a wet paper towel wrapped around the corncob
  • Use a microwave-safe plate, otherwise, the plate may cook the corn
  • For extra moist add ½ tbs of water on each corn before cooking.
  • Use a plastic microwave-safe cover on top of the plate.
  • Microwave the corn high power for 60 seconds.

Place the corn ears on a plate. Remove and water with a paper towel.

For fresh corn – Cut off both ends of each ear of corn.

How to Reheat Corn on the Cob in Boiling Water
How to Reheat Corn on the Cob in Boiling Water – see the best large pots for cooking corn for a crowd

How to Reheat Corn on the Cob in Boiling Water

Recipe for reheating corn cobs in Boiling Water: Boiled corn has been around since grandma got a pot. The reheating method involves boiling corn cobs in water.

  • Fill a large pot half to three quarters with water and bring it to a boil.
    • Enough so the corn can float
  • Add about 1 tsp of sea salt to the pot.
  • Once the water is boiling strongly, carefully place in your ears of corn
  • Cover the pot with a lid
  • Cook for 15 minutes or until a golden yellow
  • Pat off any excess water with a paper towel.

How to Reheat Corn on the Cob on the Grill

Recipe for reheating corn cobs on the grill: 

Grilling works well because it gives a special BBQ flavor to the corn. You can not beat open flame corn grilling!

  • Preheat your grill to high.
  • Place corn on the direct heat and rotate with a long pair of BBQ tongs.
  • You can also wrap them in aluminum foil. Keeps in the moisture.
  • Cook until the corn looks dark in color to get the real BBQ flavor.

Stovetop Grilled Corn Method

Recipe for reheating corn cobs by Stovetop Grilling: Once you have grilled your corn for the first time you won’t want to boil again or boil it to reheat it. Instead, you can reheat using a cast iron skillet or dutch oven.

  • Take a pastry brush to coat your corn with some melted butter or olive oil to bring out the flavors. 
  • Heat the skillet to medium heat
  • Rotate the corn every 30 seconds until starting to brown and is warmed all the way around. 
  • I find this takes 3 full rotations for each corn cob.

HOW TO REHEAT CORN ON THE COB IN THE AIR FRYER

I’m a sucker for corn ears. I love it grilled, sauteed, or even fried. But my recent favorite way to reheat and eat corn is off the cob done in an air fryer. Remove any corn silk as they tend to burn in the air fryer.

Recipe for reheating corn cobs by an Air Fryer

  1. Start by Preheating your air fryer to 350F.
  2. Place corn in the basket and into the air fryer for 4 minutes
  3. Take out and check it is heated through. If not add back for 2 minutes.
  4. Now layer on the melted butter, kosher salt pepper, and finely diced fresh parsley – this makes it look amazing.
  5. As an alternative roll the cob in Parmesan cheese and dip in sour cream and enjoy!

HOW TO Reheat AIR FRYER CORN ON THE COB IN FOIL

I love roasting corn, but it is not appealing for everyone.

Making air fryer corn with foil allows you to completely cook the corn while holding in flavor and finishes with bright yellow corn kernels. Cooked corn this way is really great, as is reheated corn in the air fryer.

  1. Place the corn on a piece of aluminum foil
  2.  Bush on or use your hands to massage on the butter mixture. 
  3. Fold up the aluminum foil around the corn and cook as per the method above.
  4. You can even cook one of each style that’s the beauty of the air fryer.

How to Reheat Frozen Corn on the Cob

Frozen corn can be tricky to reheat without losing its texture. But here’s what you should know.

You don’t have to defrost it first. Just put it into cold water and let it sit for 5 minutes, and then add it into boiling water as per the method above.

Now that you’ve got all seven corn reheating options down pat, here are some tips to help ensure success each time you’re ready to serve up some corn on the cob. 

Remember to keep things clean by washing hands thoroughly after handling raw meat and vegetables. 

Store leftover corn on the cob in the fridge where it will stay fresher longer. And finally, take advantage of the fact that corn on the cob doesn’t require much prep time. Just wash and boil away!

So now that you know how to reheat corn on its own which certainly beats canned corn, check out even more information for other tasty sides like roasted mashed and baked potato and green beans.

By holding the hot corn with a damp paper towel you can cut off the corn kernels add a dash of lime juice and you will have a delicious corn side dish. This goes really well with scallops – find out How Many Scallops Per Person you need for a party?