Forget those sad, boiled ears of corn sitting forgotten on the picnic table! If you are anything like me, summer grilling season means needing sides that come together faster than you can decide which playlist to use. That’s where this incredible Honey Butter Skillet Corn swoops in to save the day. Seriously, this dish went from a trial run one busy Tuesday to the absolute, non-negotiable staple at every single summer cookout we host. It’s savory, it’s perfectly sweet, and it coats those perfectly charred kernels in the most amazing glaze. It’s done in about 15 minutes flat. Trust me, you need this one in your rotation before the corn season is over!
Why You Will Love This Honey Butter Skillet Corn Recipe
I’m telling you, I make this recipe at least once a week when corn is in season, and here’s precisely why it earns its spot on my weeknight rotation, not just my party menu:
- It hits that perfect sweet spot where savory and sweet meet, thanks to the butter getting all nutty and the honey caramelizing just right.
- Cleanup is shockingly easy—it’s just one skillet! No massive bowls or multiple saucepans getting dirty.
- It tastes like summer! Cooking it quickly in the skillet keeps the corn kernels plump and juicy.
- It’s unbelievably fast, which means I can throw it on the stove while I’m tending to the grill.
Quick Prep and Cook Time
Honestly, the total time commitment here is just 15 minutes. That includes the five minutes of prep, which is usually just shucking the corn. If you realize five minutes before the burgers are done that you forgot a side dish, this Honey Butter Skillet Corn can be on the table before anyone notices! It flies off the plate, especially when you’re serving people fast.
The Essential Ingredients for Perfect Honey Butter Skillet Corn
Okay, listen up, because the beauty of this dish is its simplicity. You barely need anything, which means the few things you do use need to be decent quality. Don’t try cutting corners here; these core ingredients are what make the flavor pop!
Here is exactly what you need for four servings:
- 4 ears of fresh corn, and yes, you need to husk them yourself!
- 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter – gotta be real butter for the flavor payoff.
- 2 tablespoons of honey – any good quality liquid honey works great.
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt, because even sweet things need seasoning to balance them out.
- 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Honey Butter Skillet Corn
When it comes to the corn, please, please use the freshest you can find. If it smells amazing, that’s your cue! Frozen corn works in a pinch, but you’ll lose that wonderful snap and slight char we are aiming for. I always keep a jar of cayenne pepper handy for this recipe; if you want a little surprise heat in your bite, just throw in a tiny pinch when you add the salt and pepper. It’s my little secret for elevating the flavor beyond just sweet and buttery!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Honey Butter Skillet Corn
This is where the magic happens, and honestly, it moves so fast you might miss it! Make sure your plate of salt and pepper is right next to the stove. We start by melting down that butter in a large skillet over medium heat. You want it sizzling gently, but not smoking like crazy. Once it’s melted, lay your corn in there. Try to get them in a single layer if you can; this is super important for getting decent color on them!
Cook them for about five minutes total, making sure you turn them every so often. We are waiting for those gorgeous golden-brown spots to show up. If you’re making a double batch, you’ll definitely need two skillets, otherwise, you just steam the corn, and we are not making steamed corn here! If you want to see how I make a simple syrup for drinks sometimes, you can check out my guide to simple syrup recipe; the principle of slow melting is kind of similar, but the stakes are higher with butter!
Achieving Perfect Browning on Your Honey Butter Skillet Corn
The five-minute mark is your cue to check for color. You’re looking for spots of char—those little dark brown bits are flavor gold. If your pan is too crowded, the corn just releases water, and you end up steaming your ingredients instead of actually browning them. So, if you’re using giant ears, maybe stick to four per skillet. Rotate them around so every side gets a turn touching that hot metal until you see real color starting to develop.
Coating the Corn with Honey Butter for the Best Honey Butter Skillet Corn
Once they look suitably browned, this next part requires a little attention. Pour that gorgeous honey right over the top! Now, this is key: turn the heat down to medium-low immediately. Honey scorches faster than you can say “pass the napkins.” Let it bubble for just three to five more minutes, turning constantly so everything gets coated evenly in that thick, glossy honey butter mixture. When it’s all sticky and hot, sprinkle on that salt and pepper, give it one final turn, and pull it straight off the heat!
Tips for Success When Preparing Honey Butter Skillet Corn
I’ve made this Honey Butter Skillet Corn enough times now that I know exactly where people usually mess up. It’s usually not the ingredients, it’s the timing and the heat control. So, here are my hard-won tips to make sure yours turn out restaurant-quality every single time.
First off, when you add the butter, ensure your skillet is hot, but not screaming hot. If the butter instantly spits and browns into black specks the second it hits the pan, your heat is too high, and you’re just going to burn the honey later on. I learned this the hard way during our neighborhood Fourth of July party last year—I was rushing and ended up throwing out the first batch because the butter turned bitter before the corn even warmed up!
My biggest pro-tip is about seasoning. I know I put salt and pepper in at the very end, but here’s what I do now: I always reserve just a tiny pinch—like, literally three grains of salt—to sprinkle over the top *after* the honey has coated everything. It brightens up the sweetness right before serving. It’s a tiny thing, but it makes the flavor sing!
Also, when you’re stirring the corn after adding the honey, use tongs or a flexible spatula that can really get underneath the kernels. You need to lift them up and turn them so the honey coats the bottom, too. If you just stir with a wooden spoon, you often leave a puddle of thick, slightly burnt honey sauce at the bottom of the pan, and nobody wants that!
Serving Suggestions for Honey Butter Skillet Corn
This Honey Butter Skillet Corn is honestly one of those magical side dishes that goes with almost anything hearty, but it really shines next to something savory or smoky. Since it’s so sweet and rich from the glaze, I usually pair it with main courses that have a strong, complementary flavor profile. You don’t want another sweet side dish fighting for attention!
First up, you absolutely cannot go wrong bringing this to a BBQ right alongside some pulled pork sandwiches or grilled smoked sausage. The sweetness cuts through the richness of the meat perfectly. It’s always the first side dish to disappear!
For something a little lighter, especially if you’re cooking indoors, I love pairing this corn with a really bright seafood dish. Think about throwing together some grilled chicken breasts marinated in lemon and herbs, or maybe even whipping up some of that amazing irresistible garlic butter shrimp recipe I shared last month. The garlic and butter from the shrimp just mingle beautifully with the honey butter coating on the corn.
If you need another vegetable side to balance things out, keep it simple! A big green salad dressed with a sharp vinaigrette prevents things from getting too heavy. But no matter what you serve it with, just make sure you have enough corn for seconds, because I’m warning you now—people will go back for more!
Storage and Reheating Instructions for Leftover Honey Butter Skillet Corn
Now, I rarely have leftovers of this Honey Butter Skillet Corn if I’m being honest—it usually vanishes before the plates are cleared! But for those rare occasions where you manage to save a few ears, you definitely want to store them correctly so they taste almost as good the next day.
The best way to keep them fresh is to let them cool down completely right after you pull them off the heat. Don’t cover them while they are hot, or you risk getting condensation inside the container, which makes them soggy. Once they are cool, you want to tuck those ears into an airtight container. Keep them in the refrigerator, and they should be good for three, maybe four days tops.
When you are ready to bring them back to life, the microwave is honestly your enemy here. It heats them unevenly and makes them chewy, and we certainly don’t want chewy corn!
The only way to reheat this is back in a skillet. Bring your large skillet back up to medium heat, throw a tiny pat of fresh butter in—maybe half a tablespoon—and let it melt. Toss the leftover corn in the melted butter and sauté them for about four to six minutes. Turn them frequently until they are warmed through and that initial glorious glaze starts to re-melt and coat them again. It brings back that fresh-off-the-grill texture instantly. Trust me, skipping the microwave is the secret to enjoying your leftovers!
Variations on the Classic Honey Butter Skillet Corn
We love this formula because it’s essentially perfect, but if you’re like me and you like to play around with recipes—especially when you’re making it three times in one week—you can totally switch things up! You don’t need a whole new recipe; you just need one small addition to make this Honey Butter Skillet Corn taste brand new.
The easiest way to pivot the flavor is adding something fresh right at the end. Once the corn is out of the pan and you’re seasoning it, toss in a handful of finely chopped fresh herbs. Chives are subtle and add a little oniony bite that works wonders with the honey. If you’re feeling a bit bolder, cilantro pairs shockingly well, especially if you’re serving this alongside tacos or something with lime.
If you want to stay in the spice family, don’t reach for the cayenne again. Instead, grab the smoked paprika. Seriously, a quarter teaspoon of smoked paprika stirred in with the butter at the very beginning gives the whole dish this deep, smoky flavor that reminds me of eating corn right off a bonfire pit. It makes it feel way more gourmet than a 15-minute side dish really should!
Another fun thing I tried last weekend was swapping out a tiny bit of the honey for maple syrup. Only use a teaspoon of maple, and keep the rest honey. Maple brings a different kind of earthy sweetness that meshes really well if you’re having ham or pork chops. It just gives the glaze a little more complexity. Remember, the base is so good that hardly anything you add will wreck it!
Frequently Asked Questions About Honey Butter Skillet Corn
I knew as soon as I shared this recipe that you all would have questions! It’s one of those dishes that seems simple, but getting that perfect glaze requires a tiny bit of finesse. Here are the things I get asked most often about making amazing Honey Butter Skillet Corn so you can nail it every time.
Can I use frozen corn instead of fresh corn for this Honey Butter Skillet Corn?
You totally can, but I just have to warn you about the texture change. Fresh corn has a certain snap that you just can’t replicate perfectly when you thaw frozen kernels. If you do use frozen, thaw it slightly first and pat it as dry as possible before adding it to your hot butter. If the kernels are too wet, they will steam instead of sear, and you won’t get the nice browning we worked so hard for!
How do I prevent the honey from burning when making Honey Butter Skillet Corn?
This is the number one worry, and I totally get it! Honey has a much lower smoke point than sugar or fat, so it burns fast. The trick is to make sure the corn itself is hot and lightly browned *before* you add the honey. Once the honey goes in, you must immediately drop your heat down to medium-low, or even low if your stove runs hot. You want it to melt and bubble gently, not rage like a wildfire. Stir continuously for those last few minutes so the thick sauce coats everything instead of sitting on the bottom of the pan and scorching!
I’ve been playing around with using maple syrup lately, but honestly, the honey gives you that better stability for pan cooking. If you are looking for ways to use up extra corn instead of pan-frying it, check out my recipe for easy loaded corn salad—it’s a completely different vibe but just as delicious in the summer!
Estimated Nutritional Information for Honey Butter Skillet Corn
Now, because this Honey Butter Skillet Corn is so rich with butter and honey, I always feel like I should share the nutritional breakdown. Just remember, this information is just an estimate based on the ingredients I listed, and if you use extra butter or top it with bacon bits (which, tempting, I know!), your numbers are going to shift!
This data is based on one serving, which we calculated as one ear of corn:
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 12 grams
- Fat: 12 grams (with 7g from saturated fat—that’s the butter talking!)
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Carbohydrates: 18 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
It’s definitely a richer side dish, but honestly, when it tastes this good, I consider it eating my vitamins. The trade-off of a little extra fat for all that flavor is totally worth it for a special summer meal. Just be mindful if you’re doubling or tripling the recipe! If you want something on the lighter side, you might want to check out my recipe for easy loaded corn salad, which cuts back significantly on the added fats.
Honey Butter Skillet Corn
- Total Time: 15 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Simple recipe for sweet and savory corn cooked in a skillet with honey and butter.
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh corn, husked
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the corn to the skillet in a single layer.
- Cook for 5 minutes, turning occasionally until lightly browned.
- Pour the honey over the corn.
- Continue cooking for another 3 to 5 minutes, turning frequently until the corn is heated through and coated with the honey butter.
- Season with salt and pepper before serving.
Notes
- You can add a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little heat.
- Use fresh, sweet corn for the best flavor.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ear
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 30
Keywords: honey butter corn, skillet corn, sweet corn, summer side dish, easy corn recipe