Vegan Corn Fritters
I absolutely LOVE to create these little gems. Call them “cakes”, “patties” or “fritters”, they are easy to make and simply delicious. These Vegan Corn Fritters were probably my favorite one to date & I’ve made a lot of them! Like these Vegan Artichoke Cakes or these Irish Potato Pancakes or these Crispy Cauliflower Cakes. How about Roasted Broccoli Cakes? Or Zucchini Corn Cakes? I’ve also done Cauliflower Cakes, Colcannon Cakes and Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes. You get the idea. Needless to say, there are no shortage of recipes on my blog 🙂
I am obsessed with the texture of this particular recipe. The whole corn kernels, the cornmeal and the creamy corn gave them a rich corn flavor. They held together perfectly, were easy to flip and once cooked, had a slightly crisp exterior with an interior that was almost like a tender cornbread.
Let’s make Vegan Corn Fritters!
First up, mix together the cornmeal…
the flour…
baking soda…
paprika…
salt…
pepper…
and parsley. Fresh if you have it!
Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Now for the corn mixture…
Combine the “creamed” corn, the kernels of corn, the green chiles with the dry ingredients.
It will look too wet, but it will be perfect once pan-fried 🙂
Time to start cooking!
Using a cookie scoop makes this so easy!
Again, they will look loose until they cook on the first side. You know it’s time to flip when they move around easily in the pan and are golden brown on one side.
Allow them to cook until golden on the second side.
Drain any excess oil on paper towels. They will continue to firm up as they rest.
You could use almost any dipping sauce but I chose a simple vegan mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and grainy mustard combo. It’s kind of my go-to. The measurements are not important. I rarely measure, it’s all about taste.
My goal for this recipe was to make them completely dairy-free. Vegan Made Easy, the tagline of this website 🙂 I took some of the corn kernels, salt, pepper and a splash of almond milk (any non-dairy milk will do) and created my own creamed corn in the food processor. It adds yet another level of corn flavor and it took literally seconds to make.
A few words about the ingredients…
Let’s talk about the secret ingredient here. Green chiles. You can find these in the Mexican foods section where they sell tacos, salsa, etc. I used mild, but if you can handle the heat, go for medium or even hot. If you choose to omit the chiles, you may find you need a bit more moisture and can add almond milk, but I would suggest using them. They add flavor, but the mild ones don’t add spiciness at all.
I will say, if you are able to find fresh corn on the cob, you can grill it before removing the kernels and you’ll get even more flavor. Also, use the back of your knife and scrape the milk out of the cob. That’s good stuff! If you are like me and could not find good corn, frozen is fine. It’s actually frozen at the peak of it’s flavor and freshness, so never worry about that. I always have frozen corn on hand. If you are lucky enough to find it, there is one called SUPER SWEET corn. My fave!
If you make this recipe for Vegan Corn Fritters, leave a comment below and let your fellow readers know what you thought. Did you make any changes? Additions? Seeing your comments helps others decide whether or not to make my recipes, so I really do appreciate your input 🙂
Vegan Corn Fritters
Ingredients
- About 2 C of Fresh Frozen or Grilled WHOLE Corn Kernels
- 1 C of Corn + 2-3 Tbl Almond Milk plus salt/pepper for the "creamed corn mixture", to taste
- 1/3 C Finely Ground Cornmeal
- 1/3 C Flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- Onion Powder to taste
- Garlic Powder to taste
- 1/4 tsp Paprika
- 2 Tbl Green Chiles with juices
- About 1/4 C Chopped Italian Parsley
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- *
- FOR THE TANGY DIPPING SAUCE:
- 4 Tbl Vegan Mayonnaise
- 4 tsp Dijon or to taste
- 2 tsp Grainy Mustard or to taste
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, seasonings and parsley) with a whisk.
- In a food processor, pulse together 1 C of corn with 2-3 Tbl of Almond Milk. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the corn mixture to the flour mixture until well blended.
- Add the 2 C of whole corn kernels, folding to combine. Do not over work and do not add more flour or cornmeal. If will seem loose, but will firm up as they cook.
- Preheat a skillet over medium high heat and then add about 1 Tbl of oil.
- Using a cookie scoop, firmly pack the batter and place into the pan. Using a spatula, quickly flatten to form a patty shape.
- Allow to cook on one side until golden and flip, cooking the other side.
- Remove to paper toweling to remove any excess oil. Season with salt.
- Stir together the dipping sauce ingredients and serve immediately.
Video
Heather says
These were delicious and a winning recipe! The recipe is very simple to whip up, especially with frozen corn. I did heat the corn first in the microwave. The chilies are awesome in these. We are going to be making these again and again.
Melissa says
Fantastic! I used cashew milk (because that’s what I had) and had to add a bit more as used a fresh green chilli so no juice. They firmed up beautifully in the pan and were delicious, definitely make again!
aimee says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Melissa! 🙂 I’ve made these about 6 times since posting the recipe. Slightly addicted. I appreciate the feedback.
Melina says
These were delicious and so easy to make. I am still thinking about them and a couple of hours later, already craving more. I substituted the regular flour for chickpea flour to make them GF and it worked 100% fine.
Thanks so much
tate perazzelli says
Hi!! I am going to do this receipe for 20 for Thanksgiving. I understand that fritter size etc will determine yield, but “about” how many fritters can one expect from the posted receipe? I’m also thinking of grilling these. Thanks!!
aimee says
Hi Tate, I think I got about a dozen 2-1/2″ – 3″ fritters from this recipe. You can certainly double (or even triple) the recipe, as your guests will definitely eat more than one 🙂 As for grilling, they really need to be pan fried as the batter is quite loose at first. I make them in batches, removing them to a paper towel-lined plate and keep them warm in a 200 degree oven while I prepare the rest when I am doing this for a larger crowd. They also reheat really well, so you could technically make them all in advance. Since you are having quite a crowd, this might be a lot less stressful for you. I would love to hear what you thought after the big day 🙂
Julie says
I’m not sure, exactly, what you mean by the cup of corn that you have to mix with the almond milk. Is this creamed corn or canned whole corn kernels?
aimee says
Hi Julie, sorry that was confusing. So we are essentially making our own creamed corn in the food processor. This portion of the corn is very roughly pureed. Then mixing that with the dry mixture and finally, adding the remaining whole kernel corn to that. Hopefully that makes sense. If not, shoot me another email and I’ll try to help 🙂
Alexa Murguido says
The recipe doesn’t specify when to add the chili’s. Is it the milk AND chili’s or the milk OR chili’s ?
aimee says
I’ll fix the recipe. Everything goes in together, the order doesn’t technically matter… so that makes it easy 🙂
Alissa says
I just made these and they were delicious! However, mine seemed to fall apart quite a bit. Any advice and how to prevent this?
aimee says
Try adding more cornmeal so they are stiffer going into the pan. Mine were really pretty firm once cooked, so I think this should solve the problem. I am glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Jaime says
Can I make the batter the night before to use in the morning?
aimee says
I think this should be absolutely fine to do! I would allow the batter to warm up for a few minutes so it’s not cold straight out of the fridge though 🙂
Marcine says
Yes, you sure can, Jaime. This is a great recipe!
Eve says
I’ve just made these and they are delicious! I used cashew milk & added finely chopped onion, sweet pepper, spring onion & a tiny bit of scotch bonet pepper instead of the chillies. Really easy to make
aimee says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Theresa says
I’m going to try them today but I’d like to use whole wheat flour. Do you think that would change the taste/texture too much? If so I’ll stick with the white flour.
aimee says
Hi Theresa, I can’t see why this would be a problem. Maybe start with adding a little less than the recipe requires. At worst, they will just be a little denser. I’d love to hear how they come out 🙂
Lisa Jackson says
Hi Aimee. Can I use cornflour instead of cornmeal? I havent seen cornmeal for sale anywhere in Australia. Or would polenta maybe be better? Thanks!!
aimee says
Hi Lisa, I did a few quick Google searches and I think (don’t quote me on this) that in Australia what you call Polenta is what we call Cornmeal? Cornflour would be much too fine and I think, is what we in America call Cornstarch. How confusing! If you can find the cornmeal labeled polenta – I think that would be your best bet. Otherwise, I’d try something like Amazon.com (or similiar service in Australia) to locate it. Let me know what you find out 🙂
Lisa says
Thanks so much Aimee! I’ll try these with polenta and will let you know how they turn out ?.
Erin says
I’m WFPB so would water or veggie broth work in place of the oil when frying them?
aimee says
Hi Erin, I wish I had a better answer for you, but to be honest – I am not exactly sure. The oil helps fry them. I almost want to suggest that you try baking them? However, if you do try the water/broth method, I would love to hear how it turns out for you and I can also update the recipe. I also want to let you know, I am working on trying to get more WFPB recipes on the site, so please stay tuned! 🙂
Mary says
Thank you for the recipe, I will definitely try it.
Caru says
Can I make the batter in advance and fry the fitters the next day ?
aimee says
Hi Caru, my only hesitation would be the baking powder losing its efficacy. It might also get VERY thick in the refrigerator. What I might suggest is combining the dry ingredients separate from the “wet” ingredients and mix just before frying. Hope that helps! 🙂
Kelly says
Made these and the flavors were delicious! For those wondering about baking them, I did bake them in muffin tins at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. They fell apart coming out of the oven when I tested one, but when I allowed them to cool 10 minutes in the pan they held together really well. Definitely grease the muffin tins, and make sure you mix the batter well enough prior to baking that you won’t have cornmeal unmoistened getting really hard on the top (something that wouldn’t be a problem in the recipe as written since it’d hit the oil and fry up beautifully). If you’re using frozen corn, you’ll want to let it thaw out a bit before making the creamed corn in your food processor, otherwise it’ll freeze your non-dairy milk and turn into slush and not moisten the other ingredients! The flavors here are great, bursting with moist corn. This recipe filled 12 muffin tins 1/2 way – they don’t rise like muffins, they still remained fritter-esque.
Carla says
These are slightly addicting so I have to be careful! thanks for sharing!!! I loved them. (for a lack of time, I did not try the dipping sauce. But I will soon.)
aimee says
They ARE addicting, aren’t they? 😉 I am so glad you enjoyed them.
Allena Stephens says
I totally missed adding the chilis even though the can was sitting right there! D’oh! It wasn’t in the steps. But they turned out great. I’m about to make another batch with the chilis since this is for a party anyway. I used gluten free products as well, and they will certainly meet the needs of all dietary restrictions at this party! I’m sure they will go over well. Thanks for the recipe!
GLORIA says
I found this recipe by searching for vegan air fryer recipes but there are no instructions for air frying. Do you think they can be cooked in an air fryer? If so, any suggestions on time and temperature? Thanks!
Rachel says
Same here! Got excited to see your question but now disappointed there’s no answer. 🙁 did you try the air fryer method with this recipe?
Viv says
I too was windering about air fying these.
Ashley says
Thanks for such a delicious, addictive recipe! I don’t have green chillies where I live in the world, so added 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 2-3 tbsp plant milk as a replacement, and they turned out perfect. I also used about half the oil in my ceramic pan and will hopefully try these in the air fryer soon! Thanks again!
Karen says
Hi! Just wanted to let you know that because we are gf we tried these with cassava flour and a bit of xantham gum. Also subbed coconut milk (not canned) for the almond milk. I think my corn was not juicy so they ended up falling apart. So for the final batches I actually zipped the whole batch in my processor and the texture was phenomenal! My kids loved them and I ate way too many. So something to try. Just pulled the whole recipe for amazing fritter texture.
Michelle says
Hello recipe sounds delicious. Thank you. I’m going to try and make on Wednesday. Do you think I can use cream style corn from can as apposed to food processor and almond milk? I’m allergic to almonds.