Cooking Corn In The Microwave

How To Cook Corn on the Cob in the Microwave

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As a Midwestern gal, born and raised, I do love my corn on the cob. What I don't love, however, is standing over a boiling pot of water waiting for the cobs to cook on a sweltering summer day. Boiling has also always felt to me like a lot of labor for what amounts to a few minutes of actual cook time.

Enter: the microwave. Ever since we first talked about this method, the microwave has become my favorite tool for quickly cooking a few ears of corn for a weeknight summer dinner.

Our Favorite Method for Cooking Corn

Here are just a few things to love about cooking corn in the microwave: You can cook as many or as few ears as you want at a time, there's minimal prep, and it's exponentially easier to husk. That's right — no more sticky silk!

Key Steps for Corn in the Microwave

Leave it in the husk. Fresh summer corn is nearly sweet enough to eat straight from the field — it really barely needs to be cooked. For this microwave method, leave the ears of corn in their husks. This helps trap heat and moisture, cooking the kernels evenly. It also, quite conveniently, makes the ears easier to shuck.
Rest the ears after cooking before husking. After microwaving, be sure to let the ears sit for a few minutes before you shuck off the husks. They might feel only warm to the touch on the outside, but are seriously hot on the inside. Wait until the silks and top leaves are cool enough to handle before peeling them back. Remember, the whole point of microwaving corn is to not break a sweat!

Serving Microwaved Corn

After remove the husk, you can serve this corn straight up with butter, salt, and black pepper. You can also throw it on the grill (or under the broiler) if you'd prefer a little color. Need topping ideas? Here are 12 surprising one-ingredient toppings for corn on the cob.

Learn how the microwave can make cooking and husking corn on the cob faster and easier with this method.

alcohol-free
egg-free
low-fat
peanut-free
pork-free
pescatarian
gluten-free
tree-nut-free
low-sodium
red-meat-free
dairy-free
fish-free
vegetarian
shellfish-free
vegan
no-oil-added
soy-free
wheat-free

Per serving, based on

servings. (% daily value)

Calories 110
Fat 1.7 g (2.6%)
Saturated 0.4 g (2.1%)
Carbs 23.8 g (7.9%)
Fiber 2.6 g (10.2%)
Sugars 8.0 g
Protein 4.2 g (8.3%)
Sodium 19.1 mg (0.8%)

Ingredients

1 to 4 ears
fresh, un-shucked sweet corn

Equipment

Microwave
Cooling rack or cutting board

Instructions

Place 1 to 4 ears of corn in the microwave. Place 1 to 4 ears of corn, un-shucked, in the microwave in a single layer. If you prefer, you can set them on a microwaveable plate. If you need to cook more than 4 ears of corn, cook them in batches.
Microwave for 3 to 5 minutes. For just 1 or 2 ears of corn, microwave on high for 3 minutes. For 3 or 4 ears, microwave for 4 minutes. If you like softer corn or if your ears are particularly large, microwave for an additional minute.
Allow to cool. Set the ears on a cooling rack or cutting board to cool. When the silks and top leaves are cool enough to handle, quickly shuck the husks off the cobs (for more info, see How to Shuck Corn Quickly & Cleanly). The corn will stay quite warm in their husks, so wait to shuck them until just before serving.

Emma Christensen

Contributor

Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories.