When summer corn is at its peak, you really don’t have to do much. But if you want to take it just one step further—without masking its natural sweetness—this quick stovetop Korean Honey Butter Corn is the move. It’s buttery, slightly sticky from the honey, and finished with a hit of coarse salt to make everything pop.
It’s the kind of thing you throw together for an easy late night snack: a quick shave of fresh corn off the cob, a short sauté in butter, a swirl of honey, and done. No boiling pots of water, no extra pans to wash. This is the kind of side dish that’s low-effort, high-reward—exactly what summer cooking should be. Eat it straight out of the pan, serve it with drinks, or treat it like a warm summer salad. However you go at it, it’s ready in 10 minutes and dangerously easy to polish off so let’s get into it.
If you’ve wandered through a Korean convenience store—or just scrolled long enough on Korean food TikTok—you’ve probably seen the honey butter craze in full force. From chips to biscuits to fried chicken, to honey butter seasoning to sprinkle on popcorn and the like, that sweet-salty combo has totally taken over. Korea also loves its corn. You’ll find it served in all kinds of ways as a banchan (side dish) at BBQ spots—often smothered in gooey cheese, like this one. But when corn is in peak-season form? It’s the perfect canvas to soak up all that buttery, honeyed goodness.
Making Korean Honey Butter corn starts with selecting the best corn. Look bright green husks, snugly wrapped around the cob, and tassels (the silky tops) that are golden and slightly sticky—not dried out. If you can, peel back the tip and check for plump, tightly packed kernels. The fresher the corn, the sweeter and juicier it’ll be. (To be honest, if you can’t find any good corn on the cob, I’d choose frozen over sad, dried out and withered cobs.)
Begin by removing the husk and silk from the corn.
Place a small dish upside down in a large bowl, then rest the base of the corn cob on top. This little trick helps keep the corn stable as you cut. Use a sharp knife to slice off the kernels—try not to cut too deeply into the cob.
Heat a small skillet and then add the butter.
Then add the corn kernels and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the honey, and swirl to mix:
Season with some freshly ground black pepper:
Then I transfer my Korean Honey Butter Corn to a serving dish and give it a generous pinch of a flaky sea salt, like Maldon:
Sweet, buttery, salty, and ready in minutes…what are you waiting for?! Go grab some corn and make this tonight, you and anyone lucky enough to share it will be glad you did! Don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we wanna see what’s cooking in your kitchens this summer!
Love Korean snacks? Check out this Kimchi Pancake or these Spicy Sesame Rice Cakes.
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Korean Honey Butter Corn
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 ears of corn
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- ½ –1 Tablespoon honey
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Sprinkling of maldon (or any coarse salt)
Instructions
Prepare the corn: Remove the leaves and the silk from the corn. Place a small dish upside down in a large bowl. Rest the end of the corn on the small dish (this keeps the corn steady) and cut the corn off of the cob. Make sure you do not cut so deeply that you are cutting into the fibrous cob. Discard the cobs.
Cook the corn: Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat for a couple minutes. Add the butter and swirl it around the pan. Add the corn and cook it for 2-3 minutes, moving the corn around the pan with a wooden spoon or just flipping it to cook evenly.
Turn off the heat and add the honey, swirling it into the corn to evenly distribute it. Season with ground pepper and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with a sprinkling of coarse salt and serve immediately.
Notes
*Use the freshest corn available. If you’re cooking this out of season, I prefer frozen corn over canned.
Keywords: korean, banchan, snacks, corn, summer, veggie sides
Great hope you love it. Would work well with frozen corn as well.
I usually add a bit of sugar when I boil frozen corn ( out of season ) so I already know this will be delicious. Can wait to try it out!