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Corn on the Cob · Boiled with Herb Butter

Boiled Corn on the Cob with Herb Butter

Fresh corn needs only a few minutes in boiling water. A quick herb and garlic butter turns it into something special for cookouts and weeknights alike.

New, no ratings yet0 reviewsby Simmerbee Kitchen

Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
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Ingredients

  • Herb butter
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
    Swaps for unsalted butter

    Instead of butter

    • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
    • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
    • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.

    All 4 swaps for butter

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
    Swaps for chives

    Instead of chives

    • Dried chives: 1 tsp dried for each 1 tbsp chopped fresh (a third as much). Freeze-dried chives keep color but little flavor; use them only as a garnish.
    • Green onion tops: The same amount, sliced thin. Stronger and crunchier.

    More for chives

  • 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
    Swaps for parsley

    Instead of parsley

    • Dried parsley: 1 tsp dried for each 1 tbsp chopped fresh (a third as much). Very mild; it adds color more than flavor.
    • Cilantro: The same amount. Stronger and citrusy; suits Mexican and Asian dishes.
    • Celery leaves or chervil: The same amount. Celery leaves are peppery and grassy; chervil is mild with a hint of anise.

    More for parsley

  • 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
    Swaps for garlic clove

    Instead of garlic

    • Garlic powder: ⅛ tsp for each clove. Mellower and sweeter, with no bite.
    • Jarred minced garlic: ½ tsp for each clove. Milder and slightly sour from the preserving liquid.

    More for garlic

  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
    Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • ⅛ tsp black pepper
  • Corn
  • 6 ears of corn, husked
  • kosher salt, for serving

Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.

Steps

  1. In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the chives, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper until evenly mixed. Set it aside.
  2. Fill a large pot about two-thirds full of water and bring it to a
    boil (how to boil) Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid
    over high heat.
  3. While the water heats, pull off the corn husks and as much silk as you can. Snap or cut off any long stem ends.
  4. Using tongs, carefully lower the corn into the boiling water.
  5. Once the water comes back to a boil, cook until the kernels are bright yellow and tender-crisp.
    ⏱ Boil corn: 5 min
  6. Lift the corn out with tongs and let the water drip off for a few seconds.
  7. Spread the herb butter over the hot corn and serve with extra salt at the table.

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

  • Skip salting the water. Add salt at the table instead.
  • Corn is sweetest the day you buy it. Store it in the fridge with the husks on until you cook it.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked corn up to 3 days. Cut the kernels off and use them in salads or salsa.

Make ahead

The herb butter keeps in the fridge up to 5 days. Let it soften before spreading.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: sweet corn (July to September).

Quick answers

What can I swap?
  • Instead of butter: Salted butter.
  • Instead of chives: Dried chives.

Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories
160
Protein
3 g
Carbohydrates
19 g
Fiber
2 g
Sugars
6 g
Fat
9 g
Saturated fat
5 g
Sodium
90 mg

Whole recipe, 6 servings: about 940 calories.

Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 7 of 7 ingredients.

How we estimate

We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 6 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.

Not counted: kosher salt (to taste or as needed).

Estimated cost

About $0.85 a serving

About $5.15 for the recipe as written (6 servings).

Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data and USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 5 of 7 ingredients, 100% by weight.

How we estimate

Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.

  • ears of corn $4.40 ERS
  • unsalted butter $0.50 BLS
  • chives $0.20 ERS
  • parsley $0.05 ERS
  • garlic clove $0.05 ERS

Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): kosher salt, black pepper.

Not counted: kosher salt (optional, or to taste).

More dishes for less: cheap eats.

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Cleanup score 4/5 (easy cleanup): 2 things to wash, stockpot, mixing bowl. More one-pot recipes.

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