Spicy Deviled Corn Recipe (2024)

This recipe was created as part of our #HalloweenTreatsWeek celebration sponsored by Big Bear’s Wife and Dixie Crystals. The recipe and all opinions are my own.

What Makes This Recipe So Great

This is a great recipe to make any time of year since it doesn’t rely on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Of course, you could make this during the height of corn season, but sometimes it’s great to have a recipe you can make whenever you have a hankering for creamy, spicy deviled corn.

This is a one-pan recipe, so there is minimal clean-up.

Serve deviled corn as a dip or as a side dish. It is equally at home as a Halloween dish as it is as a spicy side dish for a burger or even for Thanksgiving.

You can make this as spicy or as mild as you like.

How to Make Spicy Deviled Corn

Get ready to make this easy deviled corn.

First, I’ll give you the ingredients you’ll need along with substitutions if necessary.

Then, we’ll take a short run-through of all the steps involved and any equipment you may need. (Spoiler: minimal equipment!)

Ingredients and Substitutions

• avocado oil: You can substitute any cooking oil, butter, or coconut oil
• onions: sweet onions or yellow onions, chopped
• fermented honey garlic: You can make this yourself or buy it on Amazon. Pictured is my homemade. You’ll need the garlic and also a little bit of the honey. If you don’t have (or don’t want to get) this ingredient, use plain garlic cloves, freeze-dried garlic, or granulated garlic and a couple of teaspoons of honey
• salt: I use kosher salt. If using fine salt, reduce the amount by 1/3 to 1/2
• pepper: freshly ground or pre-ground is fine. If you have some, smoked pepper makes a nice addition
• cumin: I purchase ground cumin rather than the whole seeds, but if you have whole cumin, grind them with a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle
• brown sugar: You just need a little bit. I used sponsor Dixie Crystals light brown sugar
• corn: fresh or frozen. You can even use canned. Just drain it very well
• cream cheese: for body and creamy goodness. You can substitute heavy cream, whipping cream, full-fat Greek yogurt, or creme fraiche. If using Greek yogurt, stir it in at the very end to avoid curdling.
• avocado salsa: I get the Herdez brand. It is incredibly delicious and has a nice bite
• candied jalapenos: Substitute pickled or fresh jalapenos, and feel free to use more or less depending on how spicy you like things. Substitute with chopped mild green chiles for less heat.

Not pictured: water

Procedure

Here’s how to make spicy deviled corn:

This collage shows cooking the onions in avocado oil and then a photo of all the spices and garlic in with the onion. You can see that the onion has taken on some color and has softened up quite a bit. Total cooking time for this part is about 6-7 minutes over medium heat.

1. Heat your pan, then add oil.
2. When the oil is hot (just a few seconds), add onions.
3. Cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin.
4. Cook for another couple of minutes.
5. Add the corn and some water, bring to a boil, put a lid on the pan, and let the corn cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and add candied jalapenos, cream cheese, and avocado salsa.
7. Stir and cook until sauce is thick and creamy and all corn is nicely coated.
8. Serve hot or warm

This collage shows adding the cream cheese, guacamole salsa, and chopped candied jalapenos and then stirring it all into the corn mixture:

Tips for Success

To make the cooking process go quickly, chop onions, candied jalapenos, and garlic before getting started.

Allowing the corn to simmer in water for a few minutes allows the seasoning to penetrate the corn so it is full of flavor and not just coated with a flavorful sauce.

When serving as a dip, keep warm in a small slow cooker.

To make it extra spooky-looking for Halloween, add a couple of drops of green food coloring to some extra Herdez guacamole salsa (or your preferred brand) and drizzle it over the deviled corn as I did in both the top photo and the one below under “Serving Suggestions.”

Variations

There are lots of ways to vary deviled corn to suit your (or your kids’) taste.

Use jarred chopped green chiles, chopped pimentos, or roasted red pepper in place of, or in addition to, the candied jalapenos.

Or cut the amount of jalapenos in half from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup.

Consider serving this as a side dish in individual ramekins. Top each ramekin with shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese and broil until the cheese gets some blistered spots on it.

Stir in a little bit of bacon jam or green tomato chutney. The bacon jam will make it smokier and the tomato chutney will make it tangier.

Keep it vegetarian and up the smoky factor by adding a teaspoon or two of liquid smoke and using chopped chipotle peppers in adobo instead of candied jalapenos.

Deviled Corn Q & A

Serving Suggestions

• Serve creamy deviled corn as a dip.
• Serve as a side dish for any meal. It would be really good with my gordita burgers.
• Tuck some deviled corn into a corn tortilla along with some beef carnitas. The Mexican flavors in the corn will pair nicely with most taco fillings.
• Add vegetable or chicken stock to make a really delicious creamy, spicy corn soup

Questions?

If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.

Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.

If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.

A Note About Measurements

My recipes are almost all written by weight, including liquids, unless otherwise specified.

For accuracy and consistency of results, I encourage you to buy–and use–a kitchen scale.

I promise that baking and cleanup will be so much quicker and easier.

This is the scale that I recommend for home use. I have owned and used one for years.

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You can use the stars to rate 1-5 (5 is best), and leave a review in the comments. It helps me make adjustments if any are needed, and comments help others decide whether the recipe is worth making.

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