Canning corn for your home pantry is a wonderful way to store corn for later on without needing to take up freezer space. This pressure canning recipe is simple to process and creates an easy to use staple for future recipes.
We love corn as a side dish on its own, or as an easy addition to a soup or stew. A few years after we started homesteading we had a bumper crop of homegrown corn! Hundreds of ears of perfectly formed sweet corn just waiting to be processed.
While we froze several dozen for corn on the cob, I ended up canning the vast majority of the corn we harvested. It lasted us almost full year and we were all sad to use that last pint of home canned corn!
Canning Corn
The process of canning corn is very similar to canning almost any other non-pickled vegetable. There is no syrup to worry about, no blanching (unless you want to), just a straight-forward recipes to create shelf-stable corn.
Best Tips for Canning Corn
While I've been pressure canning in general for over 30 years, canning corn is something that I just started doing about 8 years ago. Here are a few tips that I've picked up along the way that will make the process a lot more successful for you as you get started.
Look for sweet corn - If you are growing corn, choose a sweet corn variety instead of a popping corn. While you are able to can popping corn in the same way, the taste and texture of the sweet corn will be much more enjoyable. Most ears of corn you will find in the grocery store or at a farmer's market will be sweet corn.
Examine the ears (if buying instead of growing) - When you are growing your own corn, you are just going to can whatever you end up with. But when you are buying it in a market setting, you can look for a few things to make sure you're getting the best corn!
- Check the tassels - Fresh corn will have corn silks (the tassel at the top) that are still yellow/brown and smells fresh. If the corn is older, the silks could be black, dry, or rotted feeling.
- Examine the husk - The skins (husk) should be bright green and moist on freshly harvested corn. If you see dried leaves, this will indicate older corn. Check for any holes that may indicate bug damage.
- Feel the kernels - Gently squeeze the corn cob to see if it is solid and feel the top and bottom while you do so. The cob should feel firm and the kernels should feel evenly formed. Avoid corn that has soft spots on the cob, or has areas where the kernels didn't fully form.
How Much Corn Do You Need For Canning?
While it will vary some, an average of 4 1/2 pounds of corn (in husk) is needed per quart, and a little less than 2 1/4 pounds per pint. You will need about 31 pounds (in husk) for a 7 quart canner load, and about 20 pounds for a 9 pint load.
Equipment needed
There are just a few simple things you will need to start canning corn, let's take a look at each of them.
- Pressure canner - This is different from a pressure COOKER, so make sure you have an actual pressure canner. We use an All American 15 Quart Pressure Canner and love it!
- Canning jars and lid sets - Use whatever size you'd like, we prefer pint jars for corn. Make sure your jars have a 2-piece lid and ring set that are unused.
- Canning tools - A good canning tool set should include a funnel, jar lifter, lid magnet, canning knife
- Fresh corn - You can use homegrown or store-bought corn
- Canning salt - Any salt without iodine will work, we prefer pink salt
- Filtered water - To avoid extra chemicals that might alter the taste or safety of the canned corn, use filtered or distilled water.
Do you really need a corn stripping tool? For me, it's much easier and faster to have a sharp knife and a cutting board! I also like to put the cutting board inside a baking tray to catch all the flyaway kernels. Easy and I don't have to have an extra tool to store!
Best Canning Jar Size For Canning Corn
While there are many different size options when it comes to canning jars, not every one of them makes sense to use when canning corn. Here are a few of my thoughts on the matter.
Quarts Canning Jars: If you have a large family that will eat 4 cups of corn quickly, or like to make corn heavy recipes, then a quart jar might be perfect for your needs.
Pint Canning Jars: For us, 2 cups of corn is just right when it comes to adding to soup, or just having it as a side item. Keep in mind, there are only 3 of us, so a little less than a cup of corn alongside a meat dish is perfect.
Steps for Canning Corn
There are two different ways that you can can whole kernel corn, raw pack and hot pack. Raw pack consists of simply adding the cut corn to a jar, then adding salt and boiling water on top before canning.
For hot pack canning, you will need to cook the corn in the salted water, and then you will ladle it all into a jar before canning.
I prefer the raw pack method, as it skips an entire step! But either way works just as well, and the processing times are the same.
Raw Pack Canning Corn
- Clean - Husk corn, remove the silks, and wash the corn.
- Cut - Cut corn from the cob, careful not to scrape the corn (this will result in creamed corn)
- Pack - Pack loosely into hot jars, do not shake or press the corn down.
- Fill - Add 1/2 tsp salt for pints, or 1 tsp salt for quarts. Fill the jars with boiling water, leaving a 1" headspace.
- Lid - Remove air bubbles and add a 2-piece lid to each jar.
- Can - Process pints for 55 minutes or quarts for 1 hour and 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure (see altitude adjustment chart if above 1,000')
Hot Pack Canning Corn
- Clean - Husk corn, remove the silks, and wash the corn.
- Cut - Cut corn from the cob, careful not to scrape the corn (this will result in creamed corn)
- Measure - Make sure you know exactly how much cut corn you have.
- Cook - For each pint of corn, add to a large pot 1/2 tsp salt and 1 cup boiling water. For each quart of cut corn, add to a large pot 1 tsp salt and 2 cups boiling water. Add corn and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Pack - Ladle hot corn into hot jars, do not shake or press the corn down. Leave a 1" headspace.
- Lid - Remove air bubbles and add a 2-piece lid to each jar.
- Can - Process pints for 55 minutes or quarts for 1 hour and 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure (see altitude adjustment chart if above 1,000')
Canning Corn at High Altitude
If you find yourself canning at an altitude of more than 1,000' above sea level, you'll need to adjust your canning pressure a bit. Please use this chart to make sure you are canning safely at your altitude.
Common Questions About Canning Corn
While there are many people who learned how to can from older generations, before canning methods became standardized, the current best practice is 55 minutes for pints and 85 minutes for quarts. You can use the times you grew up using, but testing shows that this is the "safest" timing for canning corn. That said, you are free to do what you like, and I believe you should be able to do that! For me, I like to stay on the side of caution in cases such as these.
Sweet corn contains a lot of sugar, which can caramelize during the canning process. The brown color is typically from the sugar in the sweet corn reacting to the heat of canning. It is perfectly safe to eat!
Even more food preservation ideas
Keep your pantry full with these food preservation ideas. Make sure that you and your family have enough to eat with these amazing pressure canning posts!
Canning Corn (Whole Kernel)
Equipment
- 9 Pint Canning Jars with ring/lid sets
Ingredients
- 17 cups Whole corn kernels (20 pounds of corn in husks)
- 4.5 tsp salt
- 9-12 cups filtered water
Instructions
Raw Pack Canning Corn
- Husk corn, remove the silks, and wash the corn.
- Cut corn from the cob, careful not to scrape the corn (this will result in creamed corn)
- Pack loosely into hot jars, do not shake or press the corn down.
- Add 1/2 tsp salt for pints, or 1 tsp salt for quarts. Fill the jars with boiling water, leaving a 1" headspace.
- Remove air bubbles and add a 2-piece lid to each jar.
- Process pints for 55 minutes or quarts for 1 hour and 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure (see altitude adjustment chart if above 1,000')
Hot Pack Canning Corn
- Husk corn, remove the silks, and wash the corn.
- Cut corn from the cob, careful not to scrape the corn (this will result in creamed corn)
- Make sure you know exactly how much cut corn you have.
- For each pint of corn, add to a large pot 1/2 tsp salt and 1 cup boiling water. For each quart of cut corn, add to a large pot 1 tsp salt and 2 cups boiling water. Add corn and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Ladle hot corn into hot jars, do not shake or press the corn down. Leave a 1" headspace.
- Remove air bubbles and add a 2-piece lid to each jar.
- Process pints for 55 minutes or quarts for 1 hour and 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure (see altitude adjustment chart if above 1,000')
Nutrition
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