• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • meet the team
  • blogger resources
  • Contact Me
My Account
Member Dashboard
40 Aprons Premium (Ad Free!)

40 Aprons

Delicious, Healthy-ish Meals for the Whole Family

  • All Recipes
  • Most Popular
    • Cheryl’s Favorite Recipes
    • 30-Minute Recipes
    • Creamy Soups
    • Copycat Recipes
    • Casseroles
    • One-Dish Wonders
  • Method
    • Air Fryer
    • Baking
    • Crockpot
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • Sous Vide
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Cooking Basics
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dips & Salsas
    • Dessert
    • Main Course
    • Meal Prep
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Cuisine
    • American
    • Asian
    • Indian
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican & Latin
    • Southern
Home Blog Cooking Method Air Fryer

Air Fryer Corn on the Cob

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 06/15/23 Updated: 07/30/23
Leave a Comment
Jump to Recipe
GF Gluten Free LC Low Carb VG Vegetarian

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Thanks to the air fryer, you can have your quintessential summer corn on the cob without heating up the kitchen or firing up the grill! This method is fast, easy, and gives you all the flavors of sweet, buttery, perfectly-roasted ears of corn. Great for barbecues, picnics, or any summertime get-together.

4 ears of air fryer corn on the cob arranged on a white oval platter next to a ramekin of melted butter.

🧈 What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • If you’ve only ever had boiled corn on the cob before, the air fryer is about to change the game for you completely. It’s quick, it’s easy, it doesn’t heat up the entire kitchen, and you can season the corn before cooking it, giving it more flavor overall. It’s more along the lines of Instant Pot corn on the cob or even grilled corn.
  • You only need 2 ingredients (4 if you count the salt and the pepper, but we don’t). You’re welcome to use any additional seasonings or spices you like, or you can stick to just corn and butter. Either way, you don’t need anything complicated or expensive.
  • Air fryer corn on the cob works with both fresh and frozen ears of corn. If you’re using frozen corn, you’ll want to let it thaw completely and make sure to pat it completely dry before brushing on the butter. If you’re using fresh corn, make sure to rinse off any dirt and then dry it well.

🌽 It’s Corn!

Creamy Corn Soup

How to Freeze Corn (on the Cob and Kernels)

Corn Relish

Mexican Street Corn Salad

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

  • For air fryer corn on the cob using fresh corn, there are a couple of things to look for so you know you’ve picked out quality ears. Whatever you do, don’t unwrap the husks to check the corn – you can find out everything you need to know from the outside! The silks should be light brown and a little sticky. Avoid any with dark brown or black silks or silks that feel really dry. The husks should be bright green and a little wet, not yellowed or dry. If there are any brown spots or little holes in the husk, skip it. Lightly squeeze the ear of corn from one end to the other, to make sure the kernels feel firm and juicy. If there are any soft spots or if you feel any missing kernels, pick a different ear.
  • Don’t overdo the butter! You want to brush on enough melted butter to coat the ears of corn completely, but not so much that you end up with butter running off the corn cobs. Butter has a low smoke point, and using too much of it can make the air fryer smoke. If you want to be proactive, you can add a little water underneath the air fryer basket. That way, if the butter drips, it doesn’t hit bare metal, making it less likely to produce smoke. Just make sure you don’t use too much water – we don’t want to boil the corn.
A close-up of 4 ears of air fryer corn on the cob topped with pats of butter and fresh parsley to garnish.

♨️ Easy Air Fryer Side Dishes to Make ASAP

  • Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
  • The Best Air Fryer Broccoli
  • Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
  • Homemade Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
  • Air Fryer Green Beans
  • Frozen Garlic Bread in the Air Fryer
  • Air Fryer Cauliflower with Lemon-Garlic Aioli
  • Roasted Air Fryer Carrots

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

A close-up of 4 ears of air fryer corn on the cob topped with pats of butter and fresh parsley to garnish.

Air Fryer Corn on the Cob

Prep:15 minutes minutes
Cook:15 minutes minutes
Total:30 minutes minutes
All the flavor of sweet, buttery, roasted corn on the cob, without heating up the kitchen. Perfect for cookouts, 4th of July, and any summertime party.
Print Save Saved! Click Here to Remove Ads
4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 6-inch ears corn see Notes
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

Equipment

  • Air fryer
  • Large plate
  • Small microwave-safe bowl
  • Basting Brush or large spoon
  • Tongs
  • serving plates

Instructions 

  • Preheat air fryer to 400° Fahrenheit. Place 4 6-inch ears corn on large plate and set aside.
  • Add 4 tablespoons unsalted butter to microwave-safe bowl. Place bowl in microwave and microwave in 15-second increments, stirring between each, until butter is melted.
  • Carefully remove melted butter from microwave. Brush melted butter on each ear of corn, coating corn on all sides. Reserve half of melted butter for serving.
  • Season buttered corn on all sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  • Once air fryer is preheated, place ears of corn in air fryer basket. Return basket to air fryer and air fry corn 6 minutes.
  • After 6 minutes, carefully remove basket from air fryer. Flip ears of corn over and return basket to air fryer. Air fry corn 5 to 6 minutes more.
  • Once corn is tender, carefully remove corn from basket and transfer to serving plate(s). Brush remaining butter on corn and serve warm.

Notes

  • If you have a smaller air fryer, or if you’re using very large ears of corn, trim the corn cobs down as needed so they’ll fit in the air fryer in one even layer.
  • Corn: If you’re using fresh corn, you’ll want to shuck the corn completely and then rinse it well to remove any dirt. Whether you’re using fresh or thawed corn, make sure to dry it well with paper towels before brushing on the butter.
  • Make it Dairy Free: Use plant-based butter, olive oil, or avocado oil instead of traditional butter. Ghee would also work if you only need a lactose-free option.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 ear of corn, Calories: 178kcal, Protein: 3g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 15mg, Potassium: 246mg, Total Carbs: 17g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Net Carbs: 15g, Vitamin A: 518IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 5mg, Iron: 0.5mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @40aprons on social and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!

Rate Recipe Tag Me on Instagram
Cheryl Malik

Meet Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She's been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.

Read more...

You may also like...

  • Air Fryer Zucchini Chips on a plate, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and served with marinara sauce.
    Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
  • Air Fryer Asparagus
  • air fryer buffalo cauliflower on a plate with ranch on the side
    Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

What’s Popular?

A casserole dish, angled on a table, filled with banana stuffed french toast casserole topped with strawberries.

Tonga Toast French Toast Casserole

Overhead view of a cast-iron skillet filled with cream cheese sausage dip surrounded by tortilla chip scoops.

3-Ingredient Sausage Dip (Stovetop or Crockpot)

Top-down view of a large bowl, lined with parchment paper, holding several orange-sauced buffalo chicken wings.

Boneless Chicken Wings

Overhead view of one bowl and one partial bowl of cajun chicken pasta soup on a wooden table.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup

In Season

Zoomed out photo of two mimosas glasses holding apple cider mimosas rimmed with brown sugar cinnamon sitting in front of a bowl of apples.

Apple Cider Mimosas

Two slices of Whole30 meatloaf plated with green beans and mashed potatoes on a grey-blue plate with silverware on a table.

Whole30 Meatloaf

Close-up, angled view of soft and fluffy air fryer pizza on a white plate.

Air Fryer Pizza

close up image of king ranch casserole being lifted out of the baking dish

Cheesy King Ranch Casserole

As seen on:

More Goodies + NO Ads!

Become a 40 Aprons Premium Member!

All the 40 Aprons content you love - now even better.

  • Member-Exclusive Recipes
  • Meal Plans & Grocery Lists
  • eBooks
  • NO ADS!
Join now

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Disclaimers

Contact

© 2023 40 Aprons
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
17 shares