Creamy 15-Minute Skillet Cream Cheese Corn Recipe 

Take corn from a boring and banal afterthought to the start of the show with my skillet cream cheese corn recipe. Skillet corn with cream cheese is the rich and creamy side dish you didn’t know you needed.  With only 4 ingredients and 15 minutes, there is not excuse to not enjoy corn! All you need is butter, red pepper flakes, cream cheese, and whole kernel corn.

I used to hate corn, I’d always leave it for last, then spend ages pushing it around my plate and hoping no one would notice the giant pile of corn on my plate during clean up. This all changed Thanksgiving last year.

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday, we rented a gorgeous cabin in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was gorgeous. We hiked to Grotto Falls, tasted Moonshine at the Ole Smoky Distillery, and we went to Dollywood. While at Dollywood my mom and sister had cream cheese corn and I knew I had a moral obligation to my readers to share it with you guys.

If you have leftover ingredients, use the cream cheese in my Italian pinwheel sandwiches and the canned corn in my honey corn pudding.

I can’t wait to serve my skillet cream cheese corn this Thanksgiving alongside traditional family favorites like my bourbon candied yams and pumpkin bread pudding.  

Do I Need Canned, Fresh, or Frozen Corn? 

For my skillet corn with cream cheese, I use canned whole kernel corn because it’s quick, convenient, and always in my pantry. Just drain it well before adding it to the skillet.

But you’ve got options:

• Frozen corn works too! No need to thaw — just add it straight to the skillet and cook a minute or two longer until heated through and the water evaporates.
• Fresh corn off the cob is amazing when in season — sweet, crisp, and bursting with flavor. Simply cut the kernels off 3 to 4 ears of corn and toss them in.

How to make Cream Cheese Corn Recipe on the Skillet 

Four ingredients and four steps – it’s as simple as that. So grab your favorite skillet and get cooking! 

• First, in a large skillet melt butter over medium heat.
• Next, stir red pepper flakes into the butter.
• Cut cream cheese up into cubes for faster melting. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. The cream cheese will look like it’s curdling. Once the cream cheese is fully melted the texture will change to a smooth creamy texture.
• Add the corn to the cream cheese mixture and stir until blended and heated through. 

Skillet Cream Cheese Corn Recipe Tips and Notes

• It is very important that you continue to stir throughout this entire recipe. This prevents the butter from being burned. It also helps the cream cheese to melt evenly.
• When the cream cheese melts in the butter it will look curdled. It is ok. Don’t toss it and think it is a recipe fail. Once you stir in the corn that curdled look will go away and it will be creamy. Watch the video below to see the transformation.

Garnishes: I garnished with Rosemary but parsley would work too.

Storage and Reheating Instructions 

Once the corn has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to four days. 

When you’re ready to reheat, warm it slowly in a skillet over low heat, stirring often. If the mixture seems too thick (cream cheese tends to firm up when chilled), just add a splash of milk or a small pat of butter to bring back that silky texture. You can also reheat it in the microwave in short 30-second bursts, stirring between each round until it’s hot and creamy again.