Corn Pudding Casserole

A close up image of a serving spoon holding a scoop of corn pudding in the pan of it.

This corn pudding casserole is creamy, cheesy, and full of sweet corn flavor. Special enough for the holidays but easy enough for any night, it’s ready in under an hour and always a crowd-pleaser.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 310kcal

Author Jessy Freimann

Equipment

Ingredients

Cooking spray
8 slices bacon
1 cup onion, finely diced
2 Tablespoons flour
½ cup whole milk
16 ounces frozen corn, thawed
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicy)
1 ¾ cups Ritz crackers, crushed and divided (basically 1 and ½ sleeves of Ritz crackers)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9" x 9" (or similar size pan) with cooking spray and set aside.
Over medium heat in a large sauté pan, fry 8 slices of bacon. Remove the bacon from the pan once crisp and leave all the bacon grease in the pan.
Add diced onion to the pan and sauté until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
Add flour and stir until there are no lumps. Cook for 1 minute.
Add milk, corn, cream cheese, seasoned salt and cayenne pepper and stir frequently until the cream cheese has melted and everything is well combined.
Add 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers, ½ cup shredded cheddar and crumble in 6 slices of the bacon. Stir until well combined.
Pour into the greased pan and spread into an even layer.
Top this with remaining shredded cheddar, remaining crushed Ritz crackers and crumble on remaining bacon.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Cook the bacon over medium heat so it crisps up without burning. High heat can burn the bacon and drippings.
Be sure to thaw the frozen corn before adding it to the pan. I usually let the bags sit in the fridge overnight, but running them under cool water works in a pinch.
Crush the Ritz crackers right in the sleeve. Less mess and no extra dishes.
Save some of the crumbled bacon for the topping. I like to mix most of it into the casserole and scatter the rest on top for crunch.
Don’t be afraid to play with flavor! Extra cayenne adds heat, or swap in sharp white cheddar for more punch. It may not be traditional, but it’s the best corn pudding recipe I’ve tried.
Ingredients to prep ahead- You can fry and crumble the bacon, chop the onion, and thaw the corn.
Leftovers and storage- Keep covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven to keep the topping crispy. Freezing isn’t recommended.

Nutrition