How to Freeze Corn

Guide Note Learning How to Freeze Corn is simple and easy, and you can then enjoy the taste of sweet summer corn all year round.

Table of Contents

Freezing Corn Tips

Choose fresh corn you've bought recently to freeze.
Simply blanch corn on the cob for several minutes and add to a bowl of ice water to cool immediately.
Remove corn from the cob or leave it on before freezing.
Choose freezer bags or containers that will keep in freshness.
Only freeze a few pounds of corn per cubic foot in your freezer to guard against spoiling before it freezes.

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Corn is one of summer's sweetest pleasures, so why not store some away to taste again come winter? Once you boil it, you can store it either on the cob or off to use on salads, in soups or as part of another recipe.

In a matter of minutes, you can safely freeze corn to keep on hand for the colder months. If you shop with local farmers, not only will you likely save money, you'll be getting the freshest corn, which will taste better come winter than what you might find at the supermarket.

You'll start with fresh corn on the cob, husked of course.
Prepare a bowl of ice and water to cool off the corn after boiling.¹
Boil your corn in a large pot of water, filled about 2/3 full.¹
You only want to blanch the corn, so boil for just 4-6 minutes from the time you add the corn to the water and keep the lid on while corn is cooking.¹
Some chefs recommend adding some sugar and salt to the boiling water to impart flavor.²
After the allotted time has passed, place your corn in the bowl of ice and water so it will cool.¹
You'll want to cool the corn for the same amount of time you blanched it, so if you blanch corn for four minutes, keep in the ice bath for four minutes.¹
Then it's time to cut the kernels away from the cob. If you're using whole kernel corn, slice down the ear about 2/3 into the row of kernels.¹
For cream corn, slice about 1/2 way into the kernel.¹
A knife will do the trick in either case, but specific "corn cutters" are available on sites like Amazon.¹ ³

Blanch corn for about 5-10 minutes in batches of up to 10 ears at a time.⁴
Small ears will usually take 7 minutes to cook, medium ears will take 9 minutes and large ears can take 11 minutes.¹
As soon as corn is blanched, add it to a bowl of ice and water to cool it as quickly as possible.¹
If you're planning to cook a lot of corn at a time, make sure you are able to cool it down quickly after boiling, whether in a bowl of ice and water or in a more complicated cooling system.⁴
Drain off all the water in a colander or using paper towels. Before freezing, wrap whole ears in plastic wrap to seal in freshness before adding to a plastic bag or container to store in the freezer.¹

Don't fill bags all the way full so you leave room to remove any air bubbles.⁴
Label your bags with a permanent marker with the date and contents so you stay organized.¹
To maintain freshness, store corn in amounts to be used for one meal so you aren't opening and resealing bags or containers.⁵
As a general rule, freeze no more than two to three pounds of corn per free cubic foot of space in your freezer. This practice will make sure your corn is freezing fast enough to guard against spoiling.⁵

A few months later, when you are ready to remove your corn from the freezer, try some of these recipes specifically for frozen fresh corn. You'll have a healthy addition to a number of meals or recipes and will soon be reminded of the wonderful flavors of a summer day or afternoon spent at the farmer's market.⁶