Best Canned Corn and Canned Cream Corn, According to Taste Tests

The biggest surprise in our canned corn taste tests wasn’t flavor, but texture. The texture of canned corn varies wildly. The best stuff, in the opinion of Sporked, is soft yet crisp. Most canned sweet corn is overcooked, mushy, and textureless. Those didn’t make the list. We want canned corn to feel fresh, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t—canned corn does a pretty good job at retaining nutrients throughout the canning process.

For this update of the best canned corn ranking, we also included the best cream of corn in a can (aka canned cream corn or canned creamed corn, depending on who you’re talking to). For that, we were looking for something creamy (duh, it’s in the name) but not mushy and definitely not watery. We want cream corn from a can to taste like a side you’d get at a great Southern diner—it should be seasoned and a little decadent but still include pops of sweet corn kernels. We also added the best no salt added can of corn. For that, we were looking for natural, pure, sweet corn flavor. Just because there’s no salt doesn’t mean it has to be flavorless. 

 So what’s the best canned corn? We tasted nearly 30 to bring you the top nine.

Best Low Sodium

After tasting nearly 30 cans of corn, we weren’t surprised that such a good can of corn came from Del Monte—you’ll be seeing that brand pop up a lot in this ranking. This has a ton of flavor for a no salt added product. It’s not quite as vibrant as the other canned corn on this list, but the kernels are firm, crisp, and vibrant yellow. It tastes kind of like end-of-summer corn—just slightly past its sweet peak but still quite good, especially if you’re living that low sodium life. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Sweet

This was the sweetest canned corn we tried in our taste test—and there’s no added sugar according to the label. The taste is pretty undeniable, however. Libby’s canned corn is sweet but not saccharine, making it the best canned corn option if you’re looking for something on the sugary side for homemade cornbread—or enhancing boxed cornbread mix. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Merc/Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Smoky

This Del Monte corn has the classic taste of the brand’s Golden Sweet corn (spoiler alert, it’s our #1 pick) but with an added bit of fire-roasted flavor. It’s quite nice, and the built-in smokiness makes it a great can of corn for salsas and salads. Del Monte has more salt than its competitors, but I think that works in its favor. The sweetness and the salinity balance each other out and make for some seriously delicious and savory corn in a can. — Danny Palumbo 

Credit: Merc/Instacart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best for Creamed Corn

Aldi brand Happy Harvest touts that its corn was “picked and packed” on the same day. These kernels have a delightful crunch. It’s an excellent antidote to the textureless and mushy corn other brands are canning. It’s also very sweet—six grams of sugar in just half a cup—and the kernels are big, to which I say hell yeah.  Big kernels of corn seem to have a crisper bite to them. These big hunks of sweet corn would be great for any stew, soup, salad, or creamed corn situation. It’s all-purpose canned corn that you’ll regularly use at home. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Merc/Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Canned Cream Corn

Glory Foods makes the best canned creamed corn we tasted. It’s quite salty and savory—but you’re eating cream corn from a can, are you really trying to skimp on the sodium? You even get some charred flavor as if this canned cream corn really was cooked in a skillet! But the real deciding factor for me is the cream itself. Many of the other canned cream corn brands we tried were super watery. Not Glory. This canned creamed corn is made with a ton of corn kernels and just enough creamy broth to cross the line into creamed corn territory. Anyone would be very happy with this warmed up and served next to some fried chicken and a biscuit. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Organic

Green Valley is a good, healthy can of corn because it has less sugar and salt than some of the other canned corn brands on this list without sacrificing too much in the way of flavor and texture. The kernels are smaller (I tend to prefer big hunks of corn), but the flavor is quite savory and buttery. Although there is 130mg of sodium per serving compared to Del Monte’s 320mg, it still tastes quite salty to me. I love Green Valley, and it’s an organic product, too! — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Merc/Amazon

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Cheap

I am not ashamed to say that I ate this entire can of corn for lunch after tasting it for this canned corn ranking update. Trader Joe’s canned corn is just sweet enough, not noticeably salty (there’s just enough salt to highlight the sweetness), and it is cheap because it’s TJ’s. There’s no added sugar and no preservatives. And it comes in a super-pleasing retro-style can that looks like it would be at home in a 1950s fallout shelter. It’s the best canned corn to stock up on for the apocalypse or just everyday cooking—or eating straight out of the can for lunch. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Runner-Up

What’s the difference between this Del Monte Sweet Corn and our number one Del Monte Sweet Corn? According to the Del Monte website, both are picked “at the peak of freshness,” but Summer Crisp Golden Sweet Corn has one extra gram of sugar and it isn’t explicitly marked as non-GMO (Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn is marked as non-GMO), so here it is in the number two spot. In terms of flavor, it’s an excellent can of corn. It’s crisp and crunchy and bright and perfectly seasoned—no extra salt needed. You can just warm this up and serve it or toss it right into a salad. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Del Monte, a trusted brand in the canned-corn universe, has everything you want in a great canned corn. The kernels are surprisingly crispy—this isn’t mushy, textureless, cooked-to-oblivion corn. It’s al dente, in a way. And the flavor is just excellent. Buttery, salty, and sweet, Del Monte canned corn is a real treat. I was delighted to eat this straight out of the can, but, obviously, there are many ways you could deploy this corn in your at-home cooking. Firm, crispy, and naturally sweet, Del Monte corn is best canned corn in the biz. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Merc/Instacart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Other products we tried: Kroger, Kroger Sweet White, Simple Truth Super Sweet, Green Giant Mexicorn, Bird’s Eye Sweet, Great Value Golden Sweet, Great Value Organic, O Organics Whole Sweet, Green Giant Niblets, Sprouts Super Sweet, Bird’s Eye Golden, Goya Golden Corn, Happy Belly, Green Giant Sweet, Green Valley.

Sporked’s Guide to an Easy Thanksgiving

Here’s a secret: You don’t have to make Thanksgiving sides from scratch. The key is just knowing which store-bought sides are good enough to deserve a place on your holiday table.

ncG1vNJzZmiroKS%2FrLHDZ5qopV%2BWv7W1wqWcaJqVqMFur8CnpZ6cXZi8s7qO