Last updated on June 10th, 2025 at 12:05 pm
These are hands down the best cheese corn balls, packed with corn and three types of cheese; crisp on the outside and cheesy on the inside. Make this popular appetizer with step-by-step instructions. This is my go-to appetizer after this Chicken Fritters!
Snack time is sorted with these cheesy, rich cheese corn balls. With just a few ingredients, this snack comes together in a few easy steps.
It can be made ahead and frozen to make your snacktime even easier! The best part is that you can make this in 30 minutes using frozen corn.
This is one of those few corn recipes or appetizers/snacks where I can get a lot of veggies in my kids, such as these Gobi 65, Falafels, and these cheese corn balls right here.
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WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Fail-proof - This simple Cheese Corn Balls recipe is fail-proof and a favorite cheese appetizer. With this recipe, you'll get perfect and consistent results every single time. And for this reason, this is a great party snack recipe!
- Kid-friendly - These corn cheese balls are sweet, crisp on the outside, and gooey and cheesy on the inside. These restaurant-style corn balls have just the right amount of sweetness and flavour from the spices, making them a kids' favorite snack. These appetizers, which are found in ready-made packs and restaurants, are loaded with sugar and made with too little corn and too much processed cheese, which is why it is a great idea to make them at home.
- Tried & Tested - Initially, I used only cornstarch,h and the cheese ended up oozing out. I've tested this recipe several times to achieve a perfect outer shell, which doesn't ooze out the cheese easily.
- No-potato - I commonly see potatoes or breadcrumbs used as fillers. But this is a recipe for cheese corn balls without potato or breadcrumbs, making it low-carb.
INGREDIENTS
Corn: I give a preference to fresh corn kernels from the cob. However, I use cooked frozen fresh sweet corn at times when corn on the cob is not available. It is much quicker when you use frozen corn since it is already cooked.
Cheese: I love using a three-cheese combination by mixing mozzarella, cheddar, and paneer. We get a beautiful combination of unique flavors of cheese. Mozzarella helps us get that super stringy cheese when we break open the cheese corn balls.
Cheddar cheese is purely for the flavour, its sharp taste complements this appetizer. Paneer or cottage cheese can be used interchangeably. I use paneer for its protein factor, and it doesn't do any damage but only adds to the deliciousness, making it paneer cheese balls.
Seasoning - Normally, there's little to no seasoning in the cheese corn balls that are found in the restaurants. I find that the green chillies go very well with this.
Coating - A mixture of all-purpose flour, corn starch, egg whites, and cold water gives an outershell that is strong enough to hold the cheese filling. Bread crumbs give that crisp texture. I like to use fresh bread, but toasted breadcrumbs can also be used interchangeably.
INSTRUCTIONS
- This recipe is as easy as it gets. You just mix it all up, dip in the coating and fry to make this delicious snack!
- Put the cooked corn kernels into a food processor and grind them coarsely. Grate the 100 grams of paneer using the smallest hole shredder on your grater. Add paneer to the corn.
- Use the largest hole in your grater and grate the mozzarella and cheese. About 150g of mozzarella and cheddar would be adequate. Add it to the corn and paneer.
- Chop up two green chillies into fine pieces and add them to the ground corn.
- Add salt and sugar and mix thoroughly. Gently bring it all together without any pressure.
- For the outer shell, mix one cup of all-purpose flour and 1.25 cups of corn flour. Pour in enough cold water to form a runny batter.
- Add 2 egg whites to the flour to a small bowl and whip it with 4 tablespoon of cold water.
- In another wide bowl or a tray, spread an inch of breadcrumbs. Make even-sized balls out of the corn and cheese mixture. Quickly dip each ball into the egg whites and then the flour batter, and carefully but swiftly roll it in the breadcrumbs. This gives a crispy texture.
- Give a very gentle press to push the breadcrumbs into the wet batter. Lay it on a plate or cookie pan tray.
- Heat enough oil in a deep pan. Check the temperature of the oil by dropping some of the wet batter to the hot oil. If it sizzles and it immediately comes up, the oil is ready. Turn the heat down to medium flame.
- Drop two to four balls (depending on the size of your frying pan) into the oil. Fry in a medium flame till golden brown. Let the oil drip, and add the corn balls to a to small colander to drain the excess oil. Alternatively, use paper towels to blot the corn balls.
SUBSTITUTIONS
- If you are using fresh ears of corn, you'll have to cook them before using them in the corn cheese balls recipe.
- I use one cob of sweet corn to make this appetizer.
- To cook the corn, I usually remove the outer covering, hold the corn at both ends, and break it into two halves. I pressure cook it with a little bit of salt and then remove the kernels either manually or by running a sharp knife through the sides.
VARIATIONS
- You can use red chilli flakes and Italian seasoning to switch up the flavours. Or you can use freshly crushed black pepper instead of red and green chilies.
- I like to use fresh mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese for this recipe. But this cheese corn balls recipe can always be made with processed cheese.
- You can make this vegetarian by skipping the egg whites. However, be informed that without the egg whites, there is an increased chance for the cheese to come out.
EQUIPMENT
I use a triply stainless steel deep pan for deep frying these cheese corn balls.
But this can also be cooked in an oven, provided you use toasted breadcrumbs. Similarly, you can use an air fryer in FRY mode for 8 minutes.
I don't suggest using a microwave to cook these corn balls, because the cheese melts very quickly and oozes out.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
These cheese corn balls will impress your family and guests. Ensure to cook it right before you serve it alongside a plate of French fries and ketchup!
STORAGE
If you have leftovers or are making it ahead, follow all the steps till rolling in the breadcrumbs.
Place them on a cookie tray and freeze for about 3 hours. Then, transfer the cheese balls to a freezer-safe box and freeze them.
To reuse, thaw it overnight or for 5 hours before frying. These can easily be frozen and deep-fried later for when you have guests over.
TOP TIP
- The trick to getting this recipe right is to keep the cheese filling cold so that it doesn't quickly melt. At the same time, the cheese filling shouldn't be too cold, so that the cheese doesn't melt. Don't fry the corn balls if the filling is at room temperature.
- To get those gorgeous stringy cheesy threads when you twist open a cheese cornball, you need mozzarella. The cheese should also be grated on the biggest setting. Otherwise, you can chop it into even little pieces.
- When extracting the kernels, make sure the knife runs close to the core. The kernels come out so easily this way. If you're bothered about the leftover kernel stuck to the core, run the knife over again.
GOT MORE QUESTIONS?
Add diced red bell pepper to the cheese and corn mixture for a unique flavour.
Yes, add blanched and drained chopped spinach leaves to make spinach cheese corn balls.
No. To ensure the shell holds the cheese filling properly, corn starch must be used. However, you can use potato starch or tapioca starch instead.
Best Pairing:
Cheese Corn Balls recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g๏ปฟ Frozen corn kernels*
- 100 g๏ปฟ Paneer or Ricotta or Cottage Cheese
- 150 g๏ปฟ Mozarella or Cheddar cheese (or a combination of both)
- 2 medium Green Chilies
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Salt๏ปฟ as required
- Oil for deep frying
F๏ปฟor the outer shell:
- 2 tablespoon All purpose flour
- 2๏ปฟ tablespoon Corn flour
- W๏ปฟater as required
- 2๏ปฟ00 g๏ปฟ B๏ปฟread
- 2 medium Egg Whites
- Corn Flour
Instructions
- Thaw the frozen corn by leaving it out in room temperature or immersing the pouch in tepid water. Once thawed, blitz the corn in a food processor to a coarse texture.
- Grate the paneer using the smallest hole in the grater. Likewise, grate the mozzarella or cheddar (or both) using the wide holes in the grater. Add only the grated paneer to the corn.
- Chop the green chillies into tiny bits. Add it to the cheese.
- Add salt and sugar to the corn. Give it a good mix.
- Now, add the mozzarella/cheddar to the corn mixture. Gently mix it in and make balls of even size.
- Line the balls in a flat pan; cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- For the wet batter, mix the corn flour with the all purpose flour. Add water to make it to a thin batter.
- Add 2 egg whites to the flour to a small bowl and whip it with 4 tablespoon of cold water.ย
- For the final coating, spread the breadcrumbs on a flat tray.
- After 30 minutes, remove the corn balls from the refrigerator. Quickly dip each ball in the wet batter and roll it in the breadcrumbs. Once the breadcrumbs are all around the corn ball, gently press the breadcrumbs in.
- Coat all the corn balls and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan for deep frying the corn balls.
- After 30 minutes, remove the corn balls from the refrigerator. Deep fry in batches of four or five, in low flame.
- Serve it immediately with ketchup or mayonnaise!
Notes
- The trick to getting this recipe right is to keep the cheese filling cold so that it doesn't quickly melt. At the same time, the cheese filling shouldn't be too cold, so that the cheese doesn't melt. Don't fry the corn balls if the filling is in room temperature.ย
- Cheese - To get those gorgeous stringy cheesy threads when you twist open a cheese cornball, you need mozzarella. The cheese should also be grated on the biggest setting. Otherwise, ย you can chop it into even little pieces.
- Corn - When extracting the kernels, make sure the knife runs close to the core. The kernels come out so easily this way. If you're bothered about the leftover kernel stuck to the core, run the knife over again.
- Cooking Oil - Use any flavourless vegetable oil like Sunflower Oil. If not, you can use coconut oil.
- If you are using fresh ears of corn, you'll have to cook them before using them in the corn cheese balls recipe.
- I use one cob of sweet corn to make this appetizer.
- To cook the corn, I usually remove the outer covering, hold the corn at both ends, and break it into two halves. I pressure cook it with a little bit of salt and then remove the kernels either manually or by running a sharp knife through the sides.ย
- These cheese corn balls will impress your family and guests. Ensure to cook it right before you serve it alongside a plate of French fries and ketchup!ย
- You can use red chilli flakes and Italian seasoning to switch up the flavours. Or you can use freshly crushed black pepper instead of red and green chilies.
- I like to use fresh mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese for this recipe. But this cheese corn balls recipe can always be made with processed cheese.
- You can make this vegetarian by skipping the egg whites. However, be informed that without the egg whites, there is an increased chance for the cheese to come out.ย
- If you have leftovers or are making it ahead, follow all the steps till rolling in the breadcrumbs. Place them on a cookie tray and freeze for about 3 hours.
- Then, transfer the cheese balls to a freezer-safe box and freeze them. ย To reuse, thaw it overnight or for 5 hours before frying. These can easily be frozen and deep-fried later for when you have guests over.
nive says
I make it often and every time your recipe helps!