Corn Fritters

Corn fritters are crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. Loaded with fresh grilled corn and vegetables. Baked or air fried, these gluten-free corn fritters are savory and satisfying.

When I went to the store yesterday, corn on the cob was on sale for six for $1.00. Since I'm all about saving money buying vegetables in season, I bought six corn on the cob as I wandered around the store contemplating what to cook for dinner. Before going shopping, I planned on making baked potato vegetable pancakes. But once I saw the beautiful corn, I switched gears and decided to make corn fritters instead.

Jump to:

• Corn Options
• Recipe Ingredients
• Substitute Ingredients
• Preparing the Recipe 
• Forming the Fritters
• Baking and Air-Fry Options
• Sauce and Sides Suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Other Suggested Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Traditionally, corn fritters are fried, which isn't an option in my house. But, I wanted to make sure my corn fritters were crispy and crunchy outside and soft on the inside. I made a baked and air-fryer version.

So, off to the kitchen, I went to create a delicious corn fritter recipe. And, to my surprise, my vegan corn fritters were the best oil-free corn fritters I have ever eaten. 

Corn Options

Even though I found corn on the cob on the west coast, I know corn on the cob is not necessarily available throughout the country or in other countries.

But, you can use canned or frozen corn if you cannot get fresh corn on the cob.

Also, I chose to grill my fresh corn, however, canned corn does not need to be cooked, but frozen corn does need to be cooked prior to making the corn fritters. 

Regardless of the type of corn you choose, you need a total of 3 cups for this recipe. For example, my 6 cobs of corn yielded 3 cups of corn once cut from the cobs. 

Furthermore, I also sauteed the garlic, red bell pepper, and red onion in order to get the combination of deep flavors prior to baking the corn fritters. 

How To Grill Corn on the Cob

Despite many recipes that call for soaking the fresh corn in water, or cooking the corn inside husks, I don't think any of that is necessary. In fact, I love grill marks, the taste of charred corn, and the juiciness from cooking directly on the grill. 

• Preheat grill to 500 degrees
• Remove corn husks and silks
• Place corn directly on the grill
• Close the grill, but turn the corn every few minutes for 15-20 minutes. 
• Remove corn from the grill and allow it to cool enough to be able to cut the corn from the cobs

Recipe Ingredients

• Corn: I prefer fresh corn over canned or frozen. And I love corn grilled.
• Red Onion: I love red onion. Red onions are subtly sweet and mild enough to eat raw. When cooked they enhance and warm with flavor.
• Red Bell Pepper: Red bell pepper is sweet and perfect with corn fritters.
• Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic. Cooking it gives it even a warmer, richer flavor.
• Flax Egg: Flax egg is used as an egg replacement. It is a mixture of flax seed meal and water.
• Unsweetened Unflavored Plant Milk: I used oat milk because I like
• Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast gives the corn fritters a cheesy taste and great source of vitamins and minerals.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder helps bind the ingredients together.
• Cornmeal: Cornmeal is a meal ground from dried corn. It is a common staple food and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour can be
• Flour: I used chickpea flour because I like its texture. And it makes it gluten-free.
• Smoked Paprika: Smoked paprika gives the corn fritters a smokey flavor.

Substitute Ingredients

• Use canned or frozen corn when fresh corn isn't available. Frozen corn must be cooked, however.
• Try shallots instead of red onions. They have a very savory taste and they are the perfect substitute.
• Baby bell peppers are colorful and a great substitute for red bell peppers. However, green peppers work as well.
• There are egg replacement products you can buy at the store if you don't like flax eggs.
• Any unflavored, unsweetened plant milk tastes great with this recipe.
• Use any flour you prefer.
• If you don't like it smokey, try sweet paprika. Or, you can use liquid smoke instead. I like the hickory flavor.

Preparing the Recipe 

Once the corn is grilled and cut from the cobs, saute the garlic, red onion, and red bell pepper until the onion is translucent, then remove from the heat. 

Then, make the flax egg by combining flaxseed meal and water, stirring, and allowing to sit for several minutes while making preparing the other ingredients. 

Next, in a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir. 

Now, take 1 cup of the corn and blend it slightly with the plant milk.

The next step is to add the remaining corn, red bell pepper, red onion, and flaxseed egg.

Forming the Fritters

At this point, I use my Cuisinart Burger Press to form the corn fritters. Since I planned to make a dinner portion, rather than an appetizer corn fritter, I used the larger of the two-sized burger press mold. 

If you do not have a burger press, you can form the patties with your hands by first forming equal-sized balls, and pressing them gently, flattening the surface, while forming a circular shape around the sides. 

Baking and Air-Fry Options

Baking

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Once the corn fritters are formed, use a baking sheet, lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
• Lay the corn fritters about a half inch from each other.
• Then, bake in the oven for 30 minutes. 

Ary Frying

• Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
• For an air fry option, place each fritter into the base of the air fryer or on the air fryer pan, depending on the type of air fryer.
• Cook for 15 minutes until crispy.

Sauce and Sides Suggestions

Even though the corn fritters are fabulous without any type of sauce, I love sauces! So, I suggest you use your favorite hot sauce, vegan sour cream, or yum yum sauce. And, I also served my corn fritter on top of quinoa with a side of grilled asparagus. Not only are corn fritters fabulous for dinner, but you can reheat them quickly for lunch the next day. 

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• If you don't have a burger press, you can form the fritters with your hands.
• If making smaller fritters, adjust time and check the corn fritters while cooking often, as smaller cakes take less than half the time to cook.
• Prepare the batter ahead of time to make the batter thicker to form patties.
• Store fritters in the refrigerated cover for up to 5 days, or flash freeze and place in a container for up to 3 months.

Try this corn fritter recipe with fresh summer corn and tastes like summer in every bite.

Other Suggested Recipes

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