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Gluten-Free Corn Pudding

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It’s day four of our Gluten-Free Progressive Easter Dinner Party! I hope you have been enjoying going from home to home—or blog to blog, if you will—for each course of your meal. I shared Mom’s Deviled Eggs (a naturally gluten-free recipe) on Monday and I’m going for another heavily yellow dish today—gluten-free Corn Pudding. Corn pudding is a dish that is either naturally gluten free or can easily be made gluten free if flour has been used for thickening—so, gfe!

The main ingredient is, of course, corn. Corn is like all other vegetables; it’s gluten free in its natural state.

Canned corn, frozen corn, fresh corn are all gluten free. Even creamed corn is gluten free. But, if you are looking at a package or can of seasoned corn or one that includes ingredients other than corn, please read the label to be sure the product is gluten free.

Sometimes corn pudding is made with cornstarch, which is gluten free. (If you are avoiding starches, you could probably use arrowroot powder/flour in its place.)

Many corn pudding recipes call for all-purpose flour. However, gluten-free flour can easily be substituted.

Some recipes require a dusting of bread crumbs. Gluten-free bread crumbs or often even almond flour can work in their place, but I prefer my corn pudding without bread crumbs.

Classic Gluten-Free Corn Pudding. A delicious side dish for any meal, but especially for a holiday meal. Easter especially. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

There are four recipes for corn pudding in one of my favorite cookbooks, which is a spiral-bound collection of recipes from our church members.

Don’t you love those types of cookbooks? The ones that contain the tried and true recipes of people you love.

You can still use those cookbooks for many recipes. Just go for the gfe ones!

All corn pudding recipes in this cookbook require dairy milk in some form (whole, evaporated, or buttermilk) and added sugar. I was somewhat surprised when I perused these recipes again and found that the one I liked best (as indicated by my annotations—a smiley face and “Yummy!” handwritten/drawn beside it). That’s because the recipe contained half of a cup of added sugar, plus milk and butter.

No wonder I thought it was good! I’m becoming increasingly aware of how much added sugar and dairy are in a lot of my favorite recipes.

It’s actually been a long time since I made corn pudding, with the last time being as part of a meal for a sick friend’s family. However, my brother-in-law’s mom always makes it for family gatherings, so I enjoyed it at Thanksgiving.

Her corn pudding is made with just a few ingredients and contains cornstarch … plus, yes, milk, sugar, and butter.

Sweet corn is inherently sweet, hence the name (yeah, duh … I know), so why would I need to add that much sugar, if any? And, could this corn pudding be made without dairy as well?

Well, before you get too excited, I tried a version without added sugar, milk, or butter and the result was definitely not corn pudding. It was tasty and slightly sweet because I baked it at a higher temperature and used super sweet frozen corn, but again it was not corn pudding.

I’m actually recycling it tonight in one of Mr. GFE’s frittata-type omelets. (Shhh, he doesn’t know that he’s cooking dinner yet.)

But I was able to tweak my favorite recipe a bit. I reduced the sugar from ½ cup to 1/3 cup and it’s still plenty sweet to me.

I also used half the amount of butter called for, so I only used one tablespoon. I’m sure that this pudding could be made dairy-free just by using the non-dairy versions of milk and butter.

A refined sugar-free version is probably also doable, by replacing the granulated sugar with honey, agave, or similar. Coconut sugar will also work although the resulting corn pudding will be a little darker in color.

While Mr. GFE loves corn, he has never been a huge fan of corn pudding. I think it’s because of its usual “syrupy” sweetness, so I’m hoping he’ll like my new and improved version. And, I hope you will, too!

Update:  One gfe reader shared that she makes this recipe using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar. I gave her version a try and I loved it!

Incidentally, I took more than a taste for breakfast … hence, the portion missing from my gluten-free Corn Pudding shown in the photo below.

I learned that this healthier version works perfectly if you’re serving it right away. However, if you’re refrigerating the corn pudding to serve the next day, the lesser amount of butter and sugar will cause the pudding to separate a bit.

So, if you plan on serving your corn pudding the next day, you might want to stick with the original amounts, as noted in the recipe.

Classic Gluten-Free Corn Pudding. A delicious side dish for any meal, but especially for a holiday, like Easter. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

More Gluten-Free Corn Recipes and Gluten-Free Side Dishes

~ Bacon Chicken Corn Chowder

~ Best Darn Pot of Beans Ever

Best Darn Pot of Beans Ever. Instant Pot option.

~ Black Bean, Corn, and Salsa Soup

Black Bean, Corn, and Salsa Soup

~ Chipotle Salmon Corn Cakes

Chipotle Salmon Corn Cakes

~ Corn and Butterbean Casserole

Corn and Butter Bean Casserole. An outstanding gluten-free side dish! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com]

~ Quick and Easy Pan-Baked Potatoes

~ Roasted Green Beans with Red Bell Pepper and Garlic and Ginger

Roasted Green Beans with Red Pepper, Garlic, and Ginger

~ Tender Corny Almond Muffins

~ Zucchini Fritters

 

Gluten-Free Corn Pudding Recipe

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Gluten-Free Corn Pudding

Corn pudding is a classic dish and gluten-free Corn Pudding is super easy to make. Many recipes are naturally gluten free because they use thickeners like cornstarch. I use a little gluten-free flour mix in my recipe.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Beat eggs with milk. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla; mix well. (Use a whisk if necessary to break up any lumps of flour that form.)
  3. Stir in corn.
  4. Pour all into greased baking dish.
  5. Top with butter pieces.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir. (Note that outer edges will already be firming up, so just stir the melted butter into most of the pudding; do not disturb edges.)
  7. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes longer or until browned on top and the dish is pudding consistency and set.

Notes

Adapted from Oakland Baptist Church cookbook.

While this "improved" recipe works great when you eat it on the same day, it does break up a bit after refrigeration. So, if you have to refrigerate your corn pudding before serving, you may want to up the sugar to 1/2 cup and increase the butter to 2 tbsp. Also, as far as servings, a little goes a long way. This recipe could easily serve 8 - 10.

One reader substituted light brown sugar for the granulated sugar and raved over the results! I followed her lead and have to admit that the brown sugar version is wonderful.

Courses Side Dish

Classic Gluten-Free Corn Pudding. A delicious side dish for any meal, but especially for a holiday meal. We love enjoying this dish on Easter. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

Originally published March 25, 2010; updated December 12, 2018.

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Comments

    • Hey Katrina–So glad to hear these will be a hubby pleaser! 🙂 If he’s the only one eating, I’d suggest that you halve the recipe. This recipe doesn’t look like it, but it will feed a lot of people. Only a small amount is needed for a serving. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hey ari–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 I’m glad you asked this question. Corn pudding holds up well. It’s even good at room temperature … or cold IMO. But, that said, I’m going to add a few notes to the post because this recipe with less sugar and butter works fine if you are eating it that day, but if you refrigerate it, it tends to break up a bit. The taste is still wonderful, but I think I’d go with the full effect to share this with others. So let me go update it right now. For taking to church, I’d have it warm when I go and cover it with foil and then wrap it in a beach towel to keep it warm as possible. Not necessary, but it would make it the most appealing for all. 😉 Hope that makes sense and doesn’t make it sound too complicated … it’s not at all.

      Shirley

      Reply

  3. Shirely,

    Love the flowers and the corn pudding colors. Did you plan that? I’ve been experimenting with Mexican spoon bread lately, so we’re on the same corny wavelength (sorry, I couldn’t resist). I’ve never made corn pudding though, so I’ll have to try this. Speaking of those cookbooks you mentioned — I love the spiral bound versions. Aside from being filled with family-type recipes, the spiral binding makes them so easy to use.

    The other recipes on your progressive dinner sound wonderful as well. Must go check them out.

    Thanks for another GFE recipe!
    Melissa
    xo

    Reply

    • Hi sweet Melissa–Yes, of course, I planned that. 🙂 I actually don’t have any daffodils blooming here. I planted mine in the woods before we built not realizing that they would not get enough sun to bloom. But, there’s an old homeplace spot near work and right on the road, and I always pick daffodils from there. This year I got them just in time because they plowed over them doing some utility work just after I picked them.

      This corn pudding is good for sure. I see you making some adjustments … less sugar perhaps. You won’t want to make this much either. The photos might not make it look like a lot, but a little goes a long way.

      The spiralbound cookbooks are much more user friendly for sure. 🙂 Mexican spoonbread? Now that sounds really good! Those oat cakes were certainly very tasty looking.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. I always appreciate your support here at gfe!

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hey Pam–No, corn pudding is not something one want to indulge in too often. I usually eat it about twice a year—Easter and Thanksgiving. Thanks for the warm fuzzies! 😉

      xoxo,

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hi Alta–I can’t say I really grew up eating it either. Mom never made it. I guess I learned to eat it at church functions and then when my sister married my BIL long ago, his mom started bringing it to functions. Now I generally eat a little twice a a year, Easter and Thanksgiving. It is very good, but not something one would want to eat all the time.

      Shirley

      Reply

  6. Many years ago, I had a wonderful dish at a Pot Luck Supper at church. I have been searching for that wonderful sweet corn dish ever since… could this be it? I must try it…and I will let you know. (And if this IS the same one, I can answer the question from ari and say it holds up very well indeed!) Kay

    Reply

    • Kay–Corn puddings are a mainstay at church pot lucks. I’m betting that was your dish. I’m going to add some quick notes to the post per Ari’s question and my response … be sure to check them out.

      Shirley

      Reply

  7. I always wondered why they called this a pudding. After reading the ingredients I can see now. This was a dish served often at Wednesday night church dinners in West Virginia. I think your version sounds good! I can’t wait to see what you’re making for dessert for the Gluten Free Progressive Easter Dinner. Will it be yellow too?

    Reply

    • Hey Diane–Yep, it’s got all the pudding ingredients … just with corn. 😉 Well, I only found my recipe for tomorrow’s dessert late this evening. I’ll be making that in the am and getting photos with morning’s first light. 🙂 We’ll have to see how yellow it is …

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hi Aubree–It’s really quite, quite good. We’re just finishing it up actually. I was right … Mr. GFE loved it!

      Thanks so much! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  9. Been a while since I had time to stop by, but it’s interesting that your corn pudding is a sweet version of what is a savory dish in our family. I’ll have to try this version at some point. Or push it on the taste testers, at the very least.

    (Ours is also dairy free, or at least easily adapted to be so. Corn, cream corn, egg, and saltines, which gave way to rice chips the last time I made it. And cheese, pre the whole hives thing.)

    Edited because it’s late, I’m tired, and sentence structure failed.

    Reply

    • Hi Annie–So nice to see you again! 🙂 In our area, all corn puddings seem to be sweet, but I have seen the savory recipes in cookbooks and magazines. All sound great, of course. Thanks for sharing the info on your version. It certainly sound delicious, too! And, I like that it’s dairy free as well.

      Don’t stress too much over leaving the perfect comment … I’m just happy you leave one! 😉 And, I have sentence structure issues, typos, etc. when I’m tired or trying to comment too many places.

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Your savory recipe sounds exactly like my family’s recipe! I’m trying to figure out how to make it gluten free. Is there a cream style corn that is gluten free? And what did you use in place of the Saltines?

      Reply

      • Hi Alice–I doubt that Annie is still following the comments on this post because it’s an old post. I’ve never seen a cream-style corn that was not gluten free, but always read labels, of course. Annie stated that she used rice chips in place of the Saltines in her family’s recipe. Two brands that come to mind are Lundberg and Riceworks, but there are also some terrific gluten-free crackers that might work well. I really like the Breton gluten-free crackers, which I wrote about here. Hope that helps! By the way, welcome to gfe! 🙂

        Shirley

        Reply

  10. The Kentucky recipe my family’s been using for years recommends that you place the casserole in a baking pan of water(or “bain marie”) in the oven. In my experience, it makes the custard much more tender. Also, this recipe calls for half-and-half as opposed to milk. Since I mostly make this on special occasions, I splurge. It’s soooo good, and is always a winner with our dinner guests.

    Reply

    • Hi Josy–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Love the bain marie idea for corn pudding, especially for the healthier version I make. I think it would keep it from breaking up. But half and half would definitely make for lovely corn pudding for special occasions. 😉 Thanks so much for sharing!

      Shirley

      Reply

  11. Hi Shirley, Like Josey, I too make my corn pudding “bain marie” for thirty-seven Thanksgiving years now! It does take longer to cook that way (1 1/2 hour). I do not use cane or beet sugar, but rather honey or sometime a honey-molasses mix. My family “expects” corn pudding next to the turkey every year. Blessings.

    Reply

    • Hi gramme_i–It looks like this is your first time commenting on gfe–welcome and thank you! 🙂 It sounds like you have an amazing unbroken record there. What a lucky family you have! I would absolutely love to have your recipe to try out for me and my family if you’d be willing to share. If you’re willing to share, you could email it to me. No worries if you are not. I’m just grateful that you mentioned your versions as it sounds so delicious! I’m all for using honey (from our own bees in our case) or a honey-molasses mix (love that combo idea). If you’re willing to share, you could email your recipe to me. Corn pudding is a slightly different experience for me now as every Thanksgiving my BIL’s late mother would make it for all of us. Her version was naturally gluten free so she delighted in sharing it with me especially. This will our second Thanksgiving without her. I don’t have her recipe, but whenever I think of corn pudding I think of her.

      Hope you and your family have an exceptional Thanksgiving this year! Hugs,
      Shirley

      Reply

  12. I made this dish but with almond milk and a little less sugar. I used a milkshake type blender to mix up the GF flour milk and eggs. Then added the corn. When I went to add the butter I stirred up the crusted sides. Let it bake another 10 minutes and stirred it again baked it some more and stirred it again repeated this until I had the consistently I wanted . Everyone raved on how good it tasted !!! Definitly a keeper

    Reply

    • Hi again, Crystal!–Thanks, too, for this review and input on how you tweaked the recipe to your liking. 🙂 All those crusted sides incorporated sure do sound good. So happy to have you here on gfe! Hope you’ll keep reporting back with your reviews. We’ll all benefit from them. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Thanks so much, Cindy! We had a non-traditional Easter this year, so I didn’t make corn pudding, but I missed it! 😉 Thanks so much for all your sharing. I’m excited about your family’s new allergy service dog, dear!

      Shirley

      Reply

  15. I’ve only had corn pudding once, Shirley, but I know my family loved it. I look forward to trying your recipe! I love those wonderful spiral bound cookbooks too. Stumbled, pinned and yummed. Thank you for bringing this lovely recipe to the Hearth and Soul Hop.

    Reply

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