Why would you cook Instant Pot Sweet Corn? You should! It’s fabulous. The short cooking time and little water keep all that corn flavor where it should be – in the Sweet Corn itself.
Instant Pot Sweet Corn
It’s a little scary, sometimes, the no-peek method of cooking in the Instant Pot, and that holds true for just about everything, including Sweet Corn. Cooking in the IP is sometimes a leap of faith. But no worries about Instant Pot Sweet Corn. Trust the method and you’ll have the best, easiest, no-fuss, no vats of boiling water sweet corn.
About Instant Pot Sweet Corn:
I grew up in Northwest Iowa, and I know, I know, Nebraska is the “Cornhusker State” but there’s plenty of corn in Iowa. Lots and lots of corn. But Sweet Corn, when it comes in season is a “thing” not just in Iowa but all over the Midwest (and it’s not in season yet, but soon!) We grow it ourselves, get it from neighbors, pick it from cornfields, and buy it at roadside stands. We pick it up at farmer’s markets and from huge cardboard boxes at the store.
We boil our Sweet Corn, usually in salted water, but that can be changed up sometimes and some people have secrets. A little sugar, vinegar, or maybe milk. We steam our Sweet Corn, too and we grill it all kinds of different ways. Then there are the fairs and festivals. The vendor will peel back the husk, dip the ear in a vat of butter (we like to believe it’s butter, anyway), and hand it over. It’s like the first “food on a stick.”
Other Sweet Corn Recipes Here You Might Like:
- Oven Roasted Sweet Corn
- Butterbath Sweet Corn
- Best Grilled Sweet Corn
- Thai Street Corn
- Grilled Mexican Street Corn
But most of all, we cook it at home, aiming for the freshest corn and the simplest method, knowing that time is of the essence. The sweet sugars in the corn diminish every minute once that corn is picked, turning to starch. Which isn’t to say it isn’t good, it’s just not all it can be.
That simple, classic method is to just bring a big vat of salted water to a boil and drop in the corn. The IP does the same job but the corn is even better! The sweet corn is magically plump, gorgeous, and full of corn flavor. Even my rather skimpy came from who knows where from, out of season corn was delish when made in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Sweet Corn
Making Instant Pot Sweet Corn:
There isn’t anything to making Instant Pot Sweet Corn. Add a cup of water to the IP, put in the rack that came with the Instant Pot, fill the pot with corn. Break them in half if needed, and set to 1 minute. Two, if you like your corn softer, although purists like it to have a good bite. That’s it. When finished, do a quick release.
If you are cooking a lot of corn in the IP rather than just a few ears, don’t increase the timing to compensate. The cooking time in the Instant Pot is counter-intuitive. More corn doesn’t mean more time.
About the Cook Time & Overcooking:
There’s nothing worse than ruining good corn by overcooking, and that was a worry for me since the corn can’t be checked as it cooks. (I do not let the pot of corn go to warm; turn off that setting.) The first few times I made Instant Pot Sweet Corn, I was right there, waiting for the IP to alert me it was done.
Then I got lazy. Or distracted, or wandered off, as I’m prone to do. And I didn’t catch the beeper (I’m pretty deaf) and when I opened the pot several minutes after it was done, cringing at what I thought was going to be a disaster, I found the Sweet Corn was just fine. Perfectly fine, in fact.
And all my worries about cooking Sweet Corn, which usually requires a big vat of boiling water, split-second timing, and the hot, steamy removal of said Sweet Corn, in the Instant Pot evaporated.
Better tasting corn, beautifully cooked with no mess, no hassle, and no dealing with huge pots of boiling water? I’m all over it! I may be cooking my Sweet Corn on the grill this summer, but for my Classic Sweet Corn? It’s the IP for me!
Instant Pot Sweet Corn
Leftover Sweet Corn:
So we all know that corn on the cob, freshly cooked, slathered with butter is nothing short of heavenly, but that leftover Sweet Corn is nothing to be desired.
- When I was helping out my folks, my Stepmom, Pat, would inevitably toss any sweet corn that wasn’t eaten. It seemed to be a point of pride for her.
- Even when I cooked a little extra to refashion in the next couple of days, if I didn’t watch closely, it was gone! There’s no need for that, and I might even convince you to cook a little extra with my post on 25 Ways to Use Leftover Corn.
Saving Money on Groceries:
Those who know corn know to pick the same day, never refrigerate (unless not cooking right away; never admit to that, though), and husk right before cooking.
When buying, don’t tear the husk open: that’s for rank amateurs. Check the silk. It should look fresh and golden. Inspect for small holes or breaches in the husk, which indicate pests have infiltrated. Feel along the top of the ear; you’ll be able to tell if the kernels are full. (Try elsewhere on the ear to see what it feels like.)
Be bold. Toss the corn in your basket, unopened, and leave behind those ripping open the corn and husking on the spot. Turn and look for the “nod,” that little show of respect from others in the know, coz you’re a sweet corn bad***.
Know your prices and hit up sales. In my area, a low is 17 to 20 cents an ear. A good price is 25 cents. Local corn shines when in season, usually after the 4th of July. Check out what’s on sale before Summer Holidays.
Instant Pot Sweet Corn
Instant Pot Sweet Corn on the Cob
The fastest, easiest, no hassle method to make Classic Sweet Corn
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 ears corn 1x
- Category: Vegetables
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn, shucked
- 1 cup water
- salt & pepper to taste
- butter to taste
Instructions
Add the one cup water to the Instant Pot. Place the rack that came with the Instant
Pot in the Instant Pot. Add corn. Seal and set to High Pressure for one minute.
When time is up, release pressure manually, remove corn and serve with salt and pepper and butter.
I’ll be sharing Instant Pot Sweet Corn at Fiesta Friday #231, co-hosted this week by Antonia @ Zoale.com and Laurena @ Life Diet Health.
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