Sweet corn ice cream
A pale yellow custard ice cream made by steeping fresh corn and cobs in cream, sweet and milky with a summer corn taste.
Rare Rare enough that you would most likely make it at home. What the badge means
Sweet corn ice cream is a sweet, milky flavor made by steeping fresh corn in cream. It sits in the modern and unusual section of our flavor library.
You will rarely find it in a freezer case, so most people make it at home. This page covers how it tastes, how to make it, what to serve with it, how common it is and what the nutrition figures show.
What sweet corn tastes like
Sweet corn ice cream is pale yellow, sweet and milky. It tastes like fresh summer corn, gentle rather than savory. The color and flavor come from the corn itself, not from added coloring.
The flavor is made from fresh corn cobs steeped in cream, along with corn kernels. The kernels are pureed and strained out after steeping, so the finished ice cream is smooth. Made as a French custard with egg yolks, it has a rich, dense body that carries the corn flavor well. A Philadelphia-style version without eggs is lighter and lets the milky corn taste come through more directly.
Where sweet corn comes from
The sources we use do not record who first made sweet corn ice cream or when.
What we can say is how it is made. The flavor comes straight from the corn: fresh kernels and cobs are simmered in the milk and cream, left to steep, then pureed and strained before the custard is cooked. That steeping step is what gives the ice cream its pale yellow color and its sweet, milky taste of fresh corn.
It sits in the modern and unusual section of our library because you will rarely see it for sale. Most people who want a scoop make it themselves, often as a French custard, and serve it with blueberries, caramel or a little flaky salt.
How to make sweet corn at home
If you are wondering how to make sweet corn ice cream, start with a French custard base, which uses egg yolks. The Base Builder sets up that style for you and sizes it to your machine. A Philadelphia base with no eggs also works. The Base Builder gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe.
The corn goes in before the custard. Cut the kernels from fresh ears of corn. Simmer the kernels and the bare cobs in the milk and cream, then let them steep. Puree the mixture and strain it well. Use that corn-infused dairy to make the custard, then chill and churn as usual.
No mix-ins are needed. Blueberries or a caramel swirl are common partners if you want one. If you already have a recipe you like, the Recipe Scaler resizes it to your machine and converts cups to grams.
Base formula
Open the Base Builder: French custard (egg yolks)
Other styles that suit it: Philadelphia (no eggs)
The Base Builder gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe.
What to serve with sweet corn
Sweet corn ice cream goes well with fresh blueberries, either spooned on top or served alongside. Their tart pop balances the milky sweetness. Caramel sauce is another good match, since its toasty flavor suits the corn. A pinch of flaky salt on top sharpens everything and brings out the corn taste. For a simple summer dessert, try a scoop with blueberries, a drizzle of caramel and a few flakes of salt.
- blueberries
- caramel sauce
- a pinch of flaky salt
How common sweet corn is
Sweet corn carries a new moon badge, our "Rare" tier, which means it is rare enough that you would most likely make it at home. The badge shows how easy the flavor is to find, not how much people like it.
No survey we use lists sweet corn by name. That means the badge is our editorial judgement alone of how easy it is to find. In practice, it turns up far less often than the familiar flavors, and making it yourself is the most reliable way to get a scoop.
No survey we use lists this flavor by name, so its badge is our own judgement of how easy it is to find.
- Rare Rare enough that you would most likely make it at home.
- Hard to find Look for it in specialty shops and seasonal runs.
- Sometimes found Found in some shops and some grocery freezers.
- Easy to find Common in most grocery freezers.
- Classic A classic you can buy almost anywhere.
Nutrition, roughly
FoodData Central has no record for sweet corn ice cream itself. The figures shown are for a plain vanilla base, regular to rich: 207 to 249 kcal per 100 grams. Regular vanilla has 11 g fat and 21.2 g sugars per 100 grams, and about 137 kcal in a 1/2 cup (66 g) portion. These are for a plain base, not this flavor, and the corn and any sweeteners or toppings change the numbers.
Nutrition per 100 grams
| FoodData Central record | Calories | Fat | Saturated fat | Sugars | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice creams, vanilla FDC 167575 1/2 cup (66 g): about 137 kcal, 7.3 g fat | 207 kcal | 11 g | 6.79 g | 21.2 g | 3.5 g |
| Ice creams, vanilla, rich FDC 167573 | 249 kcal | 16.2 g | 10.30 g | 20.6 g | 3.5 g |
FoodData Central has no record for sweet corn itself: these are the figures for a plain vanilla base, regular to rich. Mix-ins and sweeteners change them.
Questions people ask
What does sweet corn ice cream taste like?
It tastes sweet and milky, with the flavor of fresh summer corn. It is pale yellow, and the corn taste comes from fresh cobs and kernels steeped in the cream, then pureed and strained out.
How do you make sweet corn ice cream at home?
Simmer fresh corn kernels and cobs in the milk and cream, let them steep, then puree and strain. Use that liquid to make a French custard base, chill it and churn. The Base Builder can set up the custard base.
Can I make sweet corn ice cream without eggs?
Yes. A Philadelphia-style base with no eggs works too. Steep and strain the corn the same way, then use the infused milk and cream in the eggless base. It will be lighter than the French custard version.
What toppings go with sweet corn ice cream?
Blueberries, caramel sauce and a pinch of flaky salt all suit it. The berries add tartness, the caramel adds a toasty sweetness and the salt brings out the corn flavor.
More flavors to try
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Goat cheese and honey ice cream
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Basil ice cream
Pale green, herbal ice cream with basil's sweet, peppery scent
Plan and make it with these
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Recipe Scaler and Converter
Ice cream recipe converter: cups to grams
Scale an ice cream recipe by a factor, a batch volume or your machine, and see every line in grams and cups.
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Scoop size chart
Ice cream scoop sizes and the disher number chart
The number stamped on an ice cream scoop tells you how many level scoopfuls fill one quart, so a #8 holds 4 fluid ounces (1/2 cup) and a #16 holds 2.
Sources
- Ice creams, vanilla (FDC 167575) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
- Ice creams, vanilla, rich (FDC 167573) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
Every data source the site uses is on the Sources page.