Honey Butter Skillet Corn

This Honey Butter Skillet Corn recipe is a simple side that takes just a few minutes and a sprinkling of common pantry ingredients to make a batch of frozen corn sizzle, caramelize, and steam away into something sweet, rich, and savory.

If you enjoy corn this is a great dish for dinner parties, or if you wanted something quick at home. 

Your family and guests will be asking you how you made this delicious side dish. 

Here’s how you can whip it up at home. 

Honey Butter Corn Ingredients 

This recipe calls for the following simple ingredients: 

• 2 Tbs butter (salted is good): brings richness and saltiness to counterpoint that sweet corn and honey.
• 2 tablespoons honey: Serve with honey to introduce a subtle sweetness, enhancing the natural flavor of the corn.
• 1 bag (16 oz) frozen corn: The star of the dish. A crisp and sweet foundation. Use frozen corn for best results. 
• 1/ 4 cup finely grated stilton, plus extra for topping: Use the strongest stilton you can find, because it gives a hit of salt and tang.
• 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks: Helps to keep the sauce lightly loose and makes it even saucier.  Serve in bowls topped with some more cheese.
• 1/4 teaspoon salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor.
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper: Adds a mild spiciness and depth to the dish.

How to make Honey Butter Skillet Corn

1. Melt the Butter and Honey

Melt 2 tbsp salted butter with 2 tbsp honey in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, and let the butter melt into the honey until you have a smooth, golden base.

The syrup will soak into the corn, giving it an addictive buttery sweetness.

2. Cook the Corn

While you wait for the butter and honey to melt and start to emulsify, add the entire 16 oz bag of frozen corn to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the corn is evenly coated in the honey-butter mixture and is starting to become just slightly browned, let it cook for about 5-8 minutes.

Allowing the corn to cook over even low heat for this amount of time will make sure that the corn is completely thawed and cooked through by the time we are done.

It also helps absorb the flavors from the honey and butter.

3. Add Cream Cheese

Now we want to take the dish to the next level: creaminess.

Add the 2 oz of cream cheese, cut into cubes, to skillet.

Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.

Continually stir the mix as the cream cheese melts, making a creamy base that coats the corn.

This should take between 3-5 minutes.

Make sure that the cream cheese has fully melted and the creaminess is uniform and smooth.

Add salt and pepper to taste as well. 

4. Serve and Enjoy!

Once the cream cheese is melted and combined, your Honey Butter Skillet Corn is finished and ready to eat.

Serve right away while still warm and gooey.

Also pair this side beside meats, whether roasted or grilled, or alongside other vegetables, or just all on its own.

Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator; they’ll reheat well in the microwave or on the stovetop. 

Recipe Variations and Tips 

Fresh Corn Variations

• If fresh corn is in season, use it instead of frozen.
• Cut the kernels off the corn cobs, and use fresh, squeezing the juice from the grated corn cobs into the strainer as you grate.
• Just beware that fresh corn might be overshadowed by the heavier base flavors of this dish, so using it is a matter of enhanced crispness and textural interest.

Spicy Version

• If you’d like a little heat, add a good pinch of cayenne pepper or even a few red pepper flakes alongside the black pepper.
• Sweetness is nice, especially in winter, but spice and heat are fun, too.
• And especially at this time of year, you should not be afraid of adding a little of that peppery-hot heat that contrasts perfectly with the sweet. 
• Don’t forget to season with salt. 

Herb Infusion

• A sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or chives will add the freshest note as well as a pop of color to the finished dish. 

Cheese Heads

• You might also like to add a handful of shredded cheddar or Parmesan cheese to this dish once the cream cheese has melted to give it a more robust flavor.

Nutritional Information

The corn side dish, called Honey Butter Skillet Corn, is a flavor bomb on your tongue but nutritionally these are its ingredients:

• Calories: Approximately 200-250 per serving (depending on portion size)
• Fat: The fat comes from the butter and cream cheese.
• Carbs: Corn and honey make this dish quite high in carbohydrates.
• Protein: The cream cheese adds a modest amount of protein.

You can, though, eat this dish as part of an overall balanced diet — even if you’re struggling to stick to it — with an appropriate amount of lean proteins and veggies at the rest of the meals. 

Final Thoughts

Honey Butter Skillet Corn is like the Great Dane of side dishes. 

It’s simple and pairs perfectly with your main dinner dishes. 

Make a batch of honey butter and you have an inspired side dish for pretty much any meal.

This dish can easily be modified with added veggies in place of canned corn. 

You can also change it up with the nuts.

Whatever butter and seasonings you have on hand should work, but this recipe is pretty darn tough to beat.

Next time you need an easy side dish that comes together with just a bag of frozen corn and some pantry ingredients you might not have planned on, give this Honey Butter Skillet Corn a try.

The buttery, sweet taste will be a huge hit with your family and friends.

Get the scoop on more like this:

• Caramel Pecan Donuts – No Yeast Needed
• Best Potato Pancakes Recipe | Hanukkah Latkes
• The Best Salmon Lox and Bagel Recipe
• Onion Bagel Recipe | How to Make Homemade Bagels