Air fryer corn on the cob

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I’m a big fan of any vegetable that is low maintenance to cook BUT that my children will actually eat. This air fryer corn on the cob is their #1 most requested vegetable side dish – and they absolutely love it.

With over 100 air fryer recipes under my belt it is fair to say that I’m something of an expert when it comes to knowing which recipes are super simple – and this one is right up there in terms of being low maintenance but absolutely delicious.

What I love about cooking corn in the air fryer is it has that extra succulent taste to it. It goes so crispy on the outside but is wonderfully soft on the inside too. It melts in your mouth and is the perfect consistency for little ones to eat too.

This is the perfect recipe for air fryer beginners and would work great turned into corn in a cup.

I love to cook this at the same time as air fryer green beans or air fryer tenderstem broccoli to pack my diet with lots of healthy veg and this goes great with any number of my favourite air fryer potato recipes. 

Air fried corn is healthy and packed full of vitamin C which is a bonus of course.

If you want to cook a full meal in your air fryer, perhaps you’ve got a larger model like I have (the Ninja Foodi OL750UK), then you can place the corn under a raised rack in the air fryer basket and it’ll cook beautifully alongside your other meal components.

Ingredients for cooking corn in the air fryer: 

Corn on the cob or mini fresh sweet corn cobettes

Spray oil 

Salt and pepper

Optional: Garlic butter or other items to add at the end (see below for some ideas!)

Method for making air fryer corn on the cob: 

Wash your corn thoroughly.

Trim or remove any corn silk if you’re feeding fussy little ones or are not a fan of these fibres.

Dry thoroughly. (I like to use a clean tea towel for this)

Place in a bowl.

Add a few sprays of oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Mix gently for even coverage.

Pre-heat the air fryer to 180C (370F approx). 

Add the corn to the air fryer basket. 

Cook for 12-13 minutes.

If required cook for a further 1-2 minutes as the cooking time may vary slightly depending on your model. 

If you want extra crispy corn cobs then you can increase the cooking time by 2-3 minutes, but check back at to ensure it is not burning or overcooking. 

Optional items that will add to the flavour: 

This is a nice healthy air fryer side dish, so you may not want to add lots to it. However, if you want to change the flavour a little I love to use avocado oil or a nice Extra Virgin olive oil. Just make sure to check the smoking point of the oil you use if you’re going to crank the temperature up.

Nutritional yeast sprinkled over before air fryer brings lots of flavour and if you’re a Vegan is a great way to get some additional health benefits into your meal. 

We also love adding a little grated parmesan cheese right as we are serving it up, as this melts and just brings a lovely salty flavour to the dish.

Personally I’m a fan of a little lemon juice too!

If you want more of a Mexican corn type dish then add some cajun seasoning or peri peri seasoning. I love to make up a dry rub and then I will spray the corn cobs with oil and then roll them in the seasoning before adding to the air fryer basket.

I also love to make my own garlic butter and add a knob of this when serving so it can melt across the corn and bring lots of extra flavour.

What meals to serve corn on the cob with? 

We love to enjoy it with a variety of dinners but some of our absolutely favourites are air fryer hunters chicken, air fryer peri peri chicken, air fryer cajun chicken, bacon mac and cheese pasta bake, air fryer pasta bake, cajun chicken pasta and a slow cooker whole chicken or air fryer whole chicken. 

Can you use frozen corn on the cob in the air fryer?

Absolutely you can! I like to add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time. Sometimes I will defrost the corn overnight in a bowl in the fridge, or even in a bowl of cold water, and then follow the cooking method and time indicated in this post.

This recipe is gluten free and healthy. It’s VERY simple to prepare and you really don’t need to do anything while it’s cooking. This is a lovely healthy snack too, perfect for hungry little ones when they get home from school.

Something to note about air fryer recipes is that all air fryers have different sizes, depths and as such the cooking times can vary. All air fryer recipes on this website are intended as a guide, and not a guarantee that the timings will be perfect. Enjoy!

Why not check out some of my other delicious air fryer recipes while you’re here?

• Air fryer parmentier potatoes
• Air fryer frozen roast potatoes
• Air fryer chicken tenders
• Chicken mini fillets in the air fryer
• Air fryer chocolate protein oats
• Air fryer smores
• Air fryer burgers
• Air fryer cheese crumpets
• Air fryer jerk chicken
• Air fryer Nando’s chicken

Can you make corn in the cob in foil?

Yes, however, just make sure that the foil is suitable for the cooking temperature of the air fryer. Not all foil is designed for cooking purposes.

I would personally wrap the foil with some knobs of butter inside, so the corn can steam a little in the lovely buttery juices.

If you liked this recipe you’ll love my air fryer vegetable recipes!

How to cook corn on the cob in an air fryer:

Note: All calorie information is for demonstration purposes only and is based on the specific uncooked ingredients that I used when creating the recipe.

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