You need to try corn milk if you haven’t! It’s sweet, creamy, corny, refreshing, and one of my favorite flavored milk. For an easy treat, you can easily make this with fresh corn, sugar, and milk. It’s incredible chilled and over ice and makes for a great latte.
Once you make the corn milk, you leave it overnight to let it steep in all the corn, cob, and all, and you end up with an incredibly corn-forward drink. It only takes 4 ingredients, and with a little patience, you have a unique and delicious drink.
Here’s how to make corn milk at home!
What is Corn Milk?
So, corn milk can mean different things. In this recipe, corn milk literally means milk that tastes like corn by infusion and blending.
However, in a culinary setting, corn milk refers to the juice in the part of the kernel closest to the cob, which you milk by scraping it with the back of a knife or a spoon. You’ll get a cloudy corn liquid that is sweet and extremely corny, used to flavor cornbread, corn ice cream, and other desserts.
Corn milk can also refer to a plant-based, non-dairy alternative milk you make by soaking corn in water, then blending and straining it until smooth. It’s starchy and delicious “milk” but may be better described as a mild corn juice.
What Does Corn Milk Taste Like?
The corn milk in this recipe tastes like liquid corn ice cream. It’s sweet, creamy, extremely corn-forward, a little savory, and milky. By itself, it’s naturally sweet, but the added sugar and condensed milk add a nice creaminess and flavor.
To give the flavor more dimension, you can also add a small pinch of salt and a little vanilla extract to bring out the corn flavor and sweetness.
Depending on if you use corn that is in season, the corn milk can vary in sweetness and corn flavor.
Where Does Corn Flavor Come From?
Most people assume that corn flavor comes from the corn kernels, which are the juicy, small nubs that you eat from boiled or steamed corn. However, most of the corn flavor is concentrated near and in the corn cob.
Any chef making corn desserts or drinks will flavor it by using corn milk and steeping the cobs. As mentioned, the parts of the kernel closest to the cob are the sweetest and give you the most milky juice essential for making anything taste like sweet corn.
Usually, you milk the cob by crushing the cut kernels with a knife or spoon, but you won’t get it all, so you also want to keep the cobs for steeping in your milk for extra flavor.
How Do You Extract Corn Milk?
To extract corn milk from corn cobs, you cut the bottoms of the corn to stand them up vertically. It’s best to cut the corn off the cob using a large tray so it catches bouncing kernels.
Then, using a knife, cut down the corn cob, cutting different sides of the corn until you get all the kernels off. Once you expose the bottom of the kernels and the cob, use the back of a knife or a spoon and scrape down the corn cob to get all the juices and extra kernels off.
You’ll notice that the corn kernels you sliced earlier have little juice, while the scraped corn kernels have a milky liquid: corn milk!
How to Infuse Corn into Milk?
So, most of the corn flavor in this drink comes from the corn milk (or, I guess, corn juice) and the corn cobs. Once you separate the corn kernels, corn juice, and corn cobs, you’ll need to cook them in milk and infuse them for a couple of hours.
Raw (sweet) corn, by itself, is very starchy and sweet. Once cooked, corn is much more tender and easier to blend to infuse and juice into your milk. Additionally, the more time the milk infuses with the corn cob and bits, the better it will taste!
Can You Turn Corn into Milk?
Yes! You can make an alternative, plant-based, non-dairy milk with corn. I’ve never tried it myself, but I’ve seen recipes!
You soak the corn kernels and cob in water before blending them and seasoning them with a little sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Then, strain to get a smooth liquid.
I think corn milk is great for people who love corn flavor, but for those who want neutral milk, this is probably not for you. Corn has a very strong taste, especially when made into milk, and it will probably overpower other flavors. It may also be less versatile than oat or soy milk.
How to Make Corn Milk
To make corn milk at home, you’ll need:
- Fresh ears of corn
- Sugar
- Condensed milk
- Milk
- Ice
That’s it!
Corn Milk Recipe
- Prepare corn. Shuck and rinse the corn.
- Cut kernels. Cut off the corn kernels using a knife. Cut off the bottom of the corn to stand them up easier. Use a large tray that can catch falling kernels.
- Milk the corn cob. Using the back of your knife or a spoon, scrape the corn cob from top to bottom, going around the cob. You should see a milky liquid run down the cob and onto your tray. That’s liquid gold!
- Break the cob into pieces. Use your hands to break the cob into small 3-4 pieces.
- Add ingredients to the pot. Add corn kernels, cob, corn milk, sugar, condensed milk, and milk into a medium-sized pot.
- Boil and steep milk. Boil the corn milk on medium heat for 5 minutes until hot and steaming, then turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the mixture infuse for 3-5 hours until cool to touch.
- Infuse overnight. Move milk into the fridge and let it steep overnight or for 12 hours.
- Remove cob, blend, and strain. Remove corn cobs and blend the corn milk until smooth—strain with a fine mesh sieve.
- Serve and enjoy! Drink the corn milk by itself, over ice, or in a latte!
Can I Use Canned Corn?
If you don’t have corn or it isn’t in season, you can always use canned corn instead. However, the corn flavor might not be as strong since you can’t squeeze out all the corn milk from the cob or let the cob infuse into your milk.
You’ll get a good corn flavor, though! And it will be ready much faster than fresh corn. You could also use frozen corn, which will give you a subtle flavor.
Corn Milk
Ingredients
- 2 ears of corn
- 2 tbsps condensed milk
- 4 tbsps sugar
- 4 cups milk
Instructions
- Shuck your ears of corn by removing the husk and silk, then rinsing it under cold water.
- Cut the kernels off the cob using a knife. Cut the bottom of your corn cobs so they're easier to stand up vertically. You want to cut the kernels as close to the cob as you can to get as much corn as possible.
- Once you've separated the corn cob and kernels, break off the small stem if present. Then, break the cobs into smaller pieces with your hands. The more cob exposed means more corn flavor you'll extract!
- Add corn kernels and cob pieces into a medium-sized pot. Then, add milk, sugar, and condensed milk.
- Place the corn milk on the stove and simmer the mixture on medium heat until the milk is hot and steaming. Stir occassionally so the milk doesn't burn.
- Cover the pot and let the corn cob and kernels infuse into the hot milk. The longer they infuse, the more corn flavor you'll get.
- Once the mixture cools, stick it in the fridge overnight (12 hours) or for at least 2-3 hours. This step isn't required, but it makes the milk taste more flavorful.
- When the corn milk is done steeping, remove the corn cob pieces and blend the mixture in a blender until smooth and creamy.
- Strain the corn milk using a fine mesh sieve to remove all the corn bits. Use the back of a spoon to squeeze out all the milk and juice from the corn remains.
- Serve in a glass by itself or over ice, and enjoy!
- Store the leftover corn milk in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within a week.
Video
Notes
Tips
Here are some tips for making delicious corn milk at home!
- After making corn milk, use it in a corn milk latte, corn milk einspanner, or other creative drink! Corn pairs really well with roasted flavors, like hojicha, and creamy flavors!
- You can use different types of milk to make your corn milk, like oat, soy, almond, etc. I prefer dairy, but any alternative milk tastes good with corn!
- Condensed milk is the best sweetener to use in corn milk! It gives it a creamy and milky flavor that is hard to replicate otherwise.
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