These fried corn casserole bites are a delicious mashup of side dish and appetizer. Classic corn casserole is coated in a zesty, seasoned panko mixture and fried until golden brown and crispy.
When it comes to delicious appetizers, you can’t beat anything fried. That’s my motto, anyway. From crispy, spicy green beans to fried meatloaf bites, if it has a crunchy exterior, everyone is going to love it.
Frying anything always makes it better, which is why I love these corn casserole bites. I take a zesty corn casserole loaded with jalapenos, cheese, and sour cream, roll it into balls, coat it with a bold panko breading, and fry it all up to perfection. It’s AH-mazing!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: You can find everything you need for this recipe in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Easy to Make: Corn muffin mix cuts down on prep, and the entire recipe only takes about an hour and a half from start to finish. AND one hour is just flash freezing the balls.
- A Delicious Mashup: This is a tasty mashup of a classic side dish and a crispy, fried appetizer everyone will love.
- Perfect for Prepping: These little bites are freezer-friendly, so you can make extra for future use.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Canned Corn: A mix of canned whole kernel and creamed corn gives the casserole bites tons of corn flavor and texture.
- Corn Muffin Mix: Corn muffin mix makes prep easier and adds a sweeter flavor than traditional cornbread.
- Sharp Cheddar: Sharp cheddar cheese gives the bites a bold, cheesy flavor.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream adds richness and tang to the bites.
- Jalapenos: Diced jalapenos add a nice kick of heat.
- Panko: Crushed panko creates a crispy, golden brown exterior.
- Seasoning: A blend of Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes gives the coating a bold, zesty, spicy flavor.
- Hot Sauce: Hot sauce in the wet portion of the dredge adds even more heat.
Variations
- Mild: Omit the jalapenos, hot sauce, and red pepper flakes for a mild version.
- Other Fillings: You can use the same process with other fillings to create versions like loaded mashed potato bites, Italian sausage bites, fried smoked sausage bites, and more.
- Add Bacon: Crumbled bacon adds a smoky, salty, meaty flavor that works so well in this recipe.
- Extra Spicy: Try adding a mix of cheddar and Pepper Jack for even more heat.
- Panko: You can use plain breadcrumbs or Italian breadcrumbs instead.
How to Make Fried Corn Casserole Bites
Step 1: Melt butter, let cool slightly. In a medium bowl, mix butter with the sour cream until combined.
Step 2: Add the eggs to the mixture, stir until thoroughly combined. Next, add the cornbread mix into the bowl and stir until combined.
Step 3: Add both types of corn and shredded cheese, stir, and pour into prepared baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until set.
Step 4: In a frying pan, over low flame, sauté diced onions and jalapeños in butter until soft, approximately 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Step 5: In a large bowl, crumble the corn souffle and add sauteed onions and jalapenos, and sliced green onions. Combine everything together. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flash freeze for an hour.
Step 6: While the corn bites are in the freezer, make a dredge station with flour in one bowl, buttermilk, eggs, and hot sauce in another bowl, and seasoned panko in the third bowl. Dip each ball into the flour mix, egg mix, and panko mix, in that order.
Step 7: Fry until golden brown in hot oil, transferring the balls to a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels as you go.
Step 8: Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to flash freeze your corn balls until fully frozen, so they hold their shape as they’re fried.
- You MUST line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Otherwise, the balls will stick to the metal.
- Give the balls a gentle shake after each dip to ensure the perfect coating.
- Work in batches of 6 to 8 balls at a time to keep the oil hot and crisp the outside coating.
Fried Corn Casserole Bites FAQs
A mix of whole kernel and creamed canned corn is preferred for these bites. It’s an ideal blend of moisture and texture that makes the bites soft and tender while still giving them plenty of texture.
Fried corn casserole bites are also called cowboy corn bites. They’re made with a variation of corn casserole for the balls and then coated with a seasoned panko mixture before being fried.
Hot oil is key. When the oil is hot, it crisps the coating’s exterior, creating a barrier that prevents the bites from getting soggy as they cook. Preheat the oil and work in small batches to ensure it stays at the correct temperature for crispy bites that aren’t soggy.
More Tasty Fried Appetizers
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Fried Corn Casserole Bites
Ingredients
Corn Casserole Bites
- 8.5 oz box Jiffy® Corn Muffin Mix
- 11 ounce southwestern corn, drained
- 14.75 ounce cream corn
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 diced jalapeño, remove stem and seeds
- ½ cup green onions, sliced
Crispy Coating
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs, crushed
- 2 teaspoons Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1-2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Cornbread Souffle
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt butter, let cool slightly, and mix with the sour cream until combined.
- Add the eggs to the mixture, stir until thoroughly combined. Next, add the cornbread mix into the bowl and stir until combined.
- Add both types of corn and shredded cheese, stir, and pour into prepared baking dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until set.
Making the Corn Bites
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a frying pan, over low flame, sauté diced onions and jalapeños in butter until soft, approximately 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, crumble the corn souffle and add the sauteed onions and jalapenos. and the sliced green onions. Combine everything together.
- Roll into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Flash freeze for an hour.
Crispy Coating
- While the corn casserole balls are in the freezer, set up a dredging station with 3 shallow containers.
- In the first container, add flour.
- The second container, add buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce. Whisk together.
- In the third container add breadcrumbs and all the seasonings for the coating.
- Heat oil over medium high heat.
- Add each ball into the flour, then into the egg mixture, and then into the breadcrumb mixture.
- Place about 6-8 balls into the hot oil and deep fry until golden on all sides.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Make sure to work in batches so the oil keeps the perfect temperature.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Be sure to flash freeze your corn balls so they hold their shape as they’re fried.
- You MUST line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Otherwise, the balls will stick to the metal.
- Give the balls a gentle shake after each dip to ensure the perfect coating.
- Work in batches of 6 to 8 balls at a time to keep the oil hot and crisp the outside coating.
Nutrition
Tried them today and they were so fun and easy. Perfect little bites for a party. I’m keeping this recipe!
These would make perfect appetizers for the holidays or game days coming up. Everyone loves a crispy bite and these hit the spot!
You can’t just have one of these corn casserole bites. More like 2-3 at a time. It’s so addicting to eat.
These look like the perfect crispy, savory appetizer! What a fun twist on a classic casserole. I can totally see these disappearing fast at a holiday party. Love the idea!
These are crazy good. I made them last night to go with our roasted chicken and gravy. Om nom nom.
This is such a great recipe. I made it to go with hot dogs last night, believe it or not. The kids loved it.
Is it a side? Is it an appetizer? I don’t know but we loved it!
This is the perfect example of how frying anything makes it better. We loved these!