Pressure-cooking fresh summer corn on the cob is the easiest way to cook tender sweet corn with very little effort. In the middle of summer with temps reaching 100° I avoid using my stove and oven completely. If it can’t be cooked in the Instant Pot, air fryer, or grilled on the Trager it’s probably not on my menu plan. Instant Pot pressure cooker corn is far more energy-efficient, it’s faster and there isn’t a large pot of water boiling on the stovetop to babysit.
Sweet juicy corn is an easy side dish that compliments any summer recipe. Here in southwest Idaho, you will find fresh corn being sold in the heat of the summer at the roadside produce stands, farmer’s markets, grocery stores, and out of the back of pickup trucks.
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Easy Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Corn on the Cob was inspired by my other 9 Easy Summer Recipes For Your Instant Pot like Instant Pot Pit Tacos, and Instant Pot Taco Salad, and pair perfectly with Instant Pot Sloppy Joe’s or Instant Pot BBQ Chicken for the perfect side dish.
Simple Ingredients
- Fresh sweet corn
- Water
- Unsalted butter
Equipment
OXO Silicone Trivet With Handles
Main Dishes To Serve With Corn
Buttery corn on the cob could be a meal all by itself but here are a few main dish ideas to go with it:
Side Dish Recipes To Serve With Corn
A few of my favorite recipes that pair perfectly with corn at summer cookouts:
Easy Summer Recipes
Instructions
- Remove husks and silk from the corn cobs and break the cobs of corn in half.
- Place the trivet or steamer basket in the bottom of the pot and add one cup of water.
- Stand the corn on end and place corn on top of the trivet.
- Add small pads of butter on the top end of each ear.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot with the vent turned to the sealing position.
- Pressure cook for 2-3 minutes using high pressure for fresh corn and 4 minutes for frozen corn on the cob.
- Quick release of the pressure when the cooking cycle is complete by turning the vent knob or steam valve to the venting position.
- Finally, use tongs to remove the hot corn from the pressure cooker.
- Season with additional melted butter, a sprinkle of sea salt, and black pepper
How To Freeze Fresh Corn On The Cob
If you’ve picked up a large batch of corn you may want to freeze it to enjoy all year long. To prevent loss of color, nutrients, flavor, and texture changes blanching and chilling must be done prior to freezing. The enzymes in corn are inactivated by blanching and the chilling process prevents the corn from becoming mushy due to overcooking the starch. For best results follow these easy steps to ensure you will have perfect corn any time of year.
- In a large pot bring 6 to 8 quarts of water to a boil.
- Remove the corn husk and the silk.
- Split large cobs in half if desired.
- Submerge several ears of corn at a time.
- Blanch the ears for 4 minutes.
- Submerge immediately ice cold water for 4 minutes.
- Drain.
- Package the corn in food-saver freezer bags.
- Vacuum seal and date the bags.
- Place the corn in the freezer.
- For best quality, eat within 8-12 months of freezing.
How To Store Fresh Corn On The Cob
If you are planning on enjoying the corn right away you can leave it in the husk at room temperature, otherwise, place the unshucked corn in the fridge in the crisper drawer for up to 2 days. If storing longer than 2 days shuck and clean the corn and store it in a large ziplock bag until you are ready to cook it. If you leave it longer than 2 days in the husk in the refrigerator the silk will start to turn brown and get slimy potentially causing the corn to go bad.
Recipe Variations
- Season corn with cotija cheese, queso fresco, lime & chili powder for a Mexican street corn.
- Cut corn off the cob for a quick corn salad.
- Season with garlic powder and parmesan cheese.
Store Leftovers
Leftover cooked corn on the cob can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat place the corn on the cob in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel for 30-60 seconds or until hot. If you prefer, you can cut the leftover corn off of the cob and freeze it or
Top Tips
If you don’t have the trivet that came with your Instant Pot you may like the silicon basket with handles that make it really easy to remove the corn from the Instant Pot when it’s hot. In a pinch, you can even use canning rings in the bottom of the Instant Pot to elevate your corn off the bottom allowing it to steam perfectly.
For fresh ears of corn pressure cook on high for 2-3 minutes depending on your preference followed by a quick pressure release.
When placing the corn into the Instant Pot stand it on its end so that a pad of butter can be placed on the end of each ear of corn. The butter will melt down the ears of corn during the pressure cooking and result in perfectly cooked buttered corn.
Using a trivet will keep the corn off of the bottom of the Instant Pot and will allow the water to steam the corn efficiently without risking the burn error message. If enough water is used you can place the corn on the cob directly into the water to pressure cook.
For frozen ears of corn pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. When the pressure cooking time has finished immediately release the remaining pressure.
Kalin Williams
I never would have thought about corn in the instant pot! Love this!
Katie Jacques
Such a perfect corn on the cob recipe. I think I will forever make it this way, so easy!!
Gary
Super easy
Super fast
Super delicious
Absolutely my go to way of cooking corn on the cob from this moment forward’