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+ servings
Spicy Yellow corn in a bowl.

Spicy Air Fryer Corn on the Cob

April Freeman
Corn is a favorite side dish all year round. Whether corn is in season in your area or if you have to use frozen corn cobs, our recipe for Spicy Air Fryer Corn on the Cob takes this popular side dish from dull to delicious. Including the flavors of chili powder, garlic, and paprika, the spices and herbs can give your corn on the cob a new and unusual twist.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Servings

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients
  

  • 4 to 6 Corn Cobs Fresh or Frozen
  • 3 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tsp Minced Garlic
  • ½ tsp Chili Powder
  • ½ tsp Cumin
  • ¼ tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Paprika

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees for about 5 minutes. This is particularly important if you are using frozen corn cobs.
  • If you are using fresh corn, husk it and de-silk it. Wash the corn by running it under cool water for a moment and scrubbing it with a vegetable brush.
  • In a small bowl, microwave the butter until it is melted, for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, salt, and paprika, stirring to combine the herbs and spices with the melted butter.
    Melted butter, herb and spices mixture.
  • Use a brush to brush the butter mixture over the corn cobs.
  • Place the corn cobs into the basket of the air fryer, spacing them apart so that the air can circulate.
    Raw corn in the air fryer.
  • Turn on the air fryer and cook the corn cobs for about 5 minutes. Open the air fryer and turn the corn using tongs. Brush any leftover butter mixture over the corn cobs. Return the basket to the air fryer and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Check the corn. If you are using fresh corn, it is probably ready. If you are using frozen corn, it may need to cook for another 3 or 4 minutes.
  • When the corn is cooked it will be slightly browned in some places and soft. Serve it piping hot.
    Spicy Yellow corn in a bowl.

Notes

Sweet corn is good no matter what you do to it. Many people enjoy it simply dressed with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper. However, tasty sweet corn is also the perfect foil for many other kinds of seasonings. Italian seasonings like oregano and basil can give your corn a Mediterranean twist. Our recipe for Spicy Air Fryer Corn on the Cob gives sweet corn a Mexican flavor with cumin and chili powder.
For this recipe, you can use either fresh or frozen corn on the cob. Of course, not much can beat fresh corn picked from the garden or from the farmer’s market. However, fresh corn is only available in the summer months. Nevertheless, you can still enjoy this recipe even in the dead of winter by buying frozen corn on the cob. While it’s not quite as tasty as fresh corn, it is a good substitute in a pinch.
Many times, people prepare corn by boiling it on the stove in a large pot of water. However, there are other ways to prepare corn on the cob that make it just as tasty. Many people grill their corn on the cob and this gives a nice brown color to the kernels. There’s also a less known way of preparing corn on the cob--using an air fryer. Air fryers work quickly to fully cook your corn on the cob. There will be no need to boil huge pots of water when you prepare corn on the cob in your air fryer.
While many people consider corn to be a vegetable, it actually is a grain. Corn is one of the most widely distributed foods across the globe. It is not only used for human food. It is used for animal feed, fuel creation, and also as an ingredient for other manufactured products.
Corn has been around as a domesticated crop for about 10,000 years. It originated in Mexico and the native peoples there cultivated it from wild grasses. By the time Europeans made it to the North American continent, corn cultivation had spread from Mexico all the way to the New England area of North America. Europeans had never seen or heard of corn until the indigenous people of New England and Virginia shared their secrets for growing and using the nutritious grain. Corn was a huge part of the natives' diets, and soon it was a big part of the European settlers’ diets too.
Corn cultivation soon spread to Europe and many other parts of the world. This grain is widely adaptable to a variety of climates, and it is grown from Canada and Northern Russia, all the way down to most of South America.
Keyword Air Fryer Corn, Corn on the Cob, Spicy Air Fryer Corn on the Cob, Spicy Corn on the Cob

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