Easy Corn Fritters to Start Your Day with Veg
These easy corn fritters are the simplest way to start the day with veg, and they are in a form the whole family will love: sweet, crispy, fluffy pancakes!
What if you could start your day off with 2-3 serves of vegetables? And do it all with just a few minutes of stirring and frying?
Yep, these corn fritters are saving my life at the moment. My motivation to prep healthy food in the morning is low and usually doesn’t extend beyond stirring milk into oats for a bowl of porridge or scrambling a couple of eggs for 20 seconds. It makes a healthy, if occasionally boring, breakfast.
Although I try to get veg into most meals, breakfast can at times be a bit tricky unless I’ve thought ahead. There are some quick solutions I rely on:
- cherry tomatoes, or pre-sliced mushrooms or peppers I can fry for a few minutes to serve with eggs or on toast
- a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach or kale I can toss through scrambled eggs so they just wilt
- a smoothie pack I’ve prepared ahead with a good mix of fruit and veg to chuck in a blender
But these easy corn fritters have been both the easiest and the most well-received way of eating multiple serves of veg at breakfast by far!
Because who doesn’t love sweet, crispy, fluffy pancakes stacked high and spread with salted butter dripping down the sides and topped with avocado and fresh tomatoes, crispy bacon if you want some, or your other choices of delicious toppings?
My family can put these away almost as quickly as I can cook them, and it means that everybody goes away happy, including me, knowing that we are all well on our way to our 8-a-day!
Want to save even more time in the morning? My favourite way of making these is mixing the batter up the night before and leaving it in the fridge overnight – they cook just as beautifully in the morning and it’s one less thing to think about! Just fry and serve.
Little hands can:
- add handfuls of sweetcorn and sprinkle ingredients into the bowl
- stir everything together
- prepare some toppings: scooping out ripe avocado (mashing it up if they like!), spreading butter on pancakes, tearing fresh herbs or chopping them carefully with scissors, etc
These easy corn fritters are just a case of stirring and frying, and they are a massive crowd-pleaser! Not to mention a fun way to get a few serves of veggies in first thing in the morning!
- 400 g (2 1/3 cups) sweetcorn (I like to use frozen and only bother to defrost if I'm not making it the night before, but canned and drained would work here, too)
- 150 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour (or a mix of plain and wholegrain works well here – gluten free or spelt/rye also work)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
- 200 ml (just over 3/4 cup) milk (any kind will work here: dairy/unsweetened non-dairy, full-fat or other, although I wouldn't recommend using anything that adds a lot of flavour like coconut or hazelnut)
- 1 bunch spring onions (scallions), sliced
- sea salt & black pepper, to taste
- a handful of fresh herbs like coriander, parsley, basil, mint or chives (optional)
- 2 ripe avocados
- several handfuls of halved cherry/plum tomatoes (optional)
- butter (unsalted or preferably salted), optional but recommended
- other optional toppings: crispy bacon, extra spring onions (scallions), fried mushrooms, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos (fresh or pickled), finely sliced red chilli, squeeze of lime juice, roasted peppers, crumbled feta…
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Mix all of the fritter ingredients together in a large bowl. I like to make it the night before and use frozen sweetcorn, then leave it all in the fridge overnight – I cook it straight from the fridge in the morning. If making fresh, try to use canned or defrosted frozen sweetcorn so the fritters cook through properly.
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To cook the fritters: Fry 1/4 cup sized scoops (2-3 heaped tablespoons) in a little olive oil and/or butter (I like to use a mix as I feel it gives the best crispiness without burning). Fry over medium heat for a couple of minutes on each side. You can usually tell they are ready to flip when you start to get bubbles appearing on the top. When cooked through and golden, transfer to a plate and cook the next batch. I can usually do it in 3 batches of 4, taking about 10 minutes in total to cook.
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While the fritters are cooking, prep a few toppings of your choice. We almost always have avocado and tomatoes, and vary up the extras depending on what we have on hand. It means we get an extra serve or 2 of veg with minimal extra prep! Serve the hot fritters with the toppings on the table and let everyone choose their own and tuck in.
Looking for more 15-minute recipes? Find plenty here.
