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This recipe’s name may be a mouthful to say but I think it describes this 5-minute healthy snack perfectly! This was a childhood classic for me. I’m going to be honest with you and admit that I ate the entire can of corn for a snack! If you haven’t made this before, then you’ll see how a medium-sized can of corn actually doesn’t make that much! My sister and I would each have a can to ourselves, and honestly we probably could have even had seconds!
I hadn’t had this chili corn in years. I’ll be honest with you and that I’m not the biggest corn eater. When I was making this, I honestly forgot how easy it is to make and how flavorful it is. After going so long without having it, I was wondering why I don’t make this for myself? It’s just so delicious and it’s ready in a blink of an eye!
If you’re looking to spice up your healthy snack arsenal for yourself or for kiddos, then I definitely recommend you print this recipe (the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card is at the bottom of this post!) to save it for later! This is such a popular recipe to give children in order to get them to eat their veggies, but I’m sure that this can be enjoyed by all! On the flip side, I’m sure that this recipe is going to please even the pickiest of eaters. I know that this was such a fun way to enjoy veggies at snack time!
This chili corn made Indian-style consists of buttery corn with green chilies and cumin seeds. It’s so simple but really packs in lots of flavor! You could certainly use the kernels from corn on the cob if that’s what you’d like to do, but to make this super convenient, canned corn works just fine!
Additionally, you can make this recipe vegan by using any cooking oil instead of the butter. However, I just find that butter is the best cooking fat to use for the corn here. Another tasty option to cook the corn is some ghee!
Not big on spice? No problem! You can reduce the amount of green chilies or omit them altogether. The cumin seeds and butter would be excellent with the corn!
You could serve this as a side dish if you want, but I’ve never done that. For me, this is just an awesome stand-alone afternoon or evening snack. If you are going to make this as a side dish, then let me know! I’d be very curious to see what actually goes with this corn recipe!
Why Make This Indian Masala Corn Recipe?
Let me convince you that this will become your next go-to healthy snack! Take it to work or have it in front of the TV, this is perfect for any occasion!
Yes, corn is very fibrous and filling, making it an awesome snack!
Are you ready to give this crunchy and spicy corn chili snack a try? Then read on and let’s get to our tasty and super quick snack recipe!
Tools Needed
Ingredients for Indian-Style Corn
Only five ingredients are needed to make this quick and delicious corn snack! Here’s our list:
- Canned corn (I’m using canned corn but you can use corn on the cob or frozen kernels if you’d like)
- Butter
- Green chilies
- Cumin seeds
- Salt and pepper to taste
You may already have everything to make this, so if you’re feeling peckish right now, then definitely follow along and prepare yourself this delicious crunchy snack right now!
How to Make This Quick Masala Corn Recipe
- Heat a pot/pan on medium heat and add butter.
- Add cumin seeds and green chilies, stir well and cook until aromatic.
- Drain most of the water from the can and add the corn to the pan. Stir well and bring to simmer to evaporate most of the water.
- Season with salt and pepper and cook until warmed through. Snack away!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use fresh or frozen corn instead of canned?▼
Yes — the recipe uses canned sweet corn for speed, but corn on the cob or frozen kernels work just as well. With frozen, just cook a little longer to drive off the extra moisture.
What spices are in masala corn?▼
It's beautifully simple: butter, cumin seeds and green chilies, seasoned with salt and pepper. That's all it takes to turn plain corn into a warm, buttery, lightly spiced snack.
Is masala corn spicy?▼
The heat comes from green chilies added to taste, so you're in control. Use a little for gentle warmth, more for a real kick, or skip them for a mild, buttery version.
Why drain the canned corn?▼
Drain off most of the liquid and then simmer to cook away the rest. That keeps the corn from being watery, so the butter and spices coat the kernels and cling instead of pooling in the pan.
This Is Not Indian Street Corn
The version most people picture when they hear indian corn is bhutta: a whole cob held over an open flame at a cart, blackened in patches, then rubbed with a cut lime dipped in chili salt. That is a different dish from this one. There is no grill and no barbecue involved here, and no cob at all. This is canned sweet corn kernels warmed through in a pan with butter, start to finish in 9 minutes, which is why it belongs in the snack category rather than the project category.
The seasoning is deliberately bare too. Salt and pepper, and that is it. No chaat masala, no black salt, no cayenne, no lime juice and no cilantro, which is a striking list of absences for something described as masala corn. What you actually taste is corn, butter and cumin, and the green chilies you added. If you would rather use fresh corn kernels, corn on the cob and frozen corn kernels are both listed swaps and behave the same in the pan.
Whole Cumin Seeds, Not Cumin Powder
The 1/2 tsp of cumin goes in as whole seeds, not as cumin powder, and it goes into the hot butter before anything else. This is a tadka, and the distinction matters more than the quantity does. Whole seeds dropped into hot fat bloom, releasing their oils into the butter so the flavor carries through the whole pan, and they stay behind as small pops of texture in the finished corn. Ground cumin is the listed alternative but it burns in seconds at that heat, so stir it in later and off the heat instead.
Butter rather than olive oil is also a real choice here, not an incidental one. The milk solids in butter brown very slightly as the cumin cooks and give the corn a nuttiness that a neutral oil simply will not. Two teaspoons is enough for a can of corn, and the green chilies go in alongside the seeds so they soften into the fat at the same time.
One detail in the method is easy to skim past: drain most of the water from the can, not all of it. That remaining splash helps the kernels heat evenly rather than catching on the base, and you then bring it to a simmer specifically to drive it off. Season and warm through, then tip it into a bowl and eat it with a spoon.
Turning It into a Masala Corn Salad
If the cart version is what you were after, this base gets you there in one step. Everything goes on after the pan comes off the heat, never during. A sprinkle of chaat masala and a pinch of kala namak, the sulphurous black salt, are what make it taste unmistakably like Indian street corn. Then a squeeze of lime or a squeeze of lemon, whichever you have, and chopped cilantro.
For a proper masala corn salad rather than a hot snack, let the corn cool slightly and fold through finely diced onions, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. A scatter of roasted peanuts adds crunch, and grated cheese is the version that tends to win with kids. Lime wedges on the side let everyone adjust their own.
Two servings is a snack for two, and it is genuinely better eaten straight away, so there is not much point cooking it with leftovers in mind. As a side it sits happily next to rice and a curry, where its sweetness works against something spiced.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Crispy, spiced, and ready in minutes! This easy masala corn fry is the perfect quick vegetarian snack or side. Bold Indian flavors make it an irresistible twist on classic corn chaat.
One-pot
Rate this recipe ✦
2 min
Prep
7 min
Cook
9 min
Total
2
servings
makes 1 cup
easy
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
Instructions
- 1
Heat a pot/pan on medium heat and add butter.
Heat a pot/pan on medium heat and add butter.
- 2
Add cumin seeds and green chilies, stir well and cook until aromatic.
Add cumin seeds and green chilies, stir well and cook until aromatic.
- 3
Drain most of the water from the can and add the corn to the pan. Stir well and bring to simmer to evaporate most of the water.
Drain most of the water from the can and add the corn to the pan. Stir well and bring to simmer to evaporate most of the water.
- 4
Season with salt and pepper and cook until warmed through. Snack away!
Season with salt and pepper and cook until warmed through. Snack away!
Nutrition per serving
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
Filed under
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