How to Cook Corn on the Cob in the Microwave
Thank you to my mother-in-law for this quick trick on how to cook corn on the cob in the microwave! Did you know that cooking corn on the cob doesn’t require dirtying up a pot, heating up the kitchen, or waiting for a gallon of water to boil? I sure didn’t.
Get this. You can cook your corn on the cob to perfection in the microwave. It’s especially helpful when you only need to cook a few ears at a time.
Here’s the foolproof and ridiculously easy trick that I like to call the 3-Minute No Boil Corn on the Cob Method:
1 – Take your shucked ear of corn and wrap it in a moist paper towel so that it is entirely wrapped.
2 – Place it in your microwave and nuke for 3-4 minutes. 3 minutes works for my microwave, but yours may take a smidgen longer. Note: I usually do two ears at the same time and they turn out fine.
3 – Using a potholder or towel, remove the hot ears of corn. They will continue to cook a bit if you leave it in the paper towel after you remove it.
4 – Butter and salt and enjoy some perfectly done corn on the cob!
Here is a quick video on how to cook corn in the microwave:
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Don’t have time to wait for water to boil? Not enough daylight left to turn on your grill? Then try this 3-minute, no boil microwave method for corn on the cob. It’s a winner!
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn, shucked
- paper towels
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Take your shucked ear of corn and wrap it in a moist paper towel so that it is entirely wrapped.
- Place it in your microwave and nuke for 3-4 minutes. *3 minutes works for my microwave, but yours may take a smidgen longer. Note: I usually do two ears at the same time and they turn out fine.
- Using a pot holder or towel, remove the hot ears of corn. They will continue to cook a bit if you leave it in the paper towel after you remove it.
- Butter and salt and enjoy some perfectly done corn on the cob!
If you do have time to grill, make sure to check out our Simple Trick on How to Grill Corn on the Cob.
You also might like our 30+ Real Food Grilling Recipes!
I prefer the ‘nuke in husks’ method. Cook for 2-3 minutes as is (may want to trim off the stem if it’s really long), cut across the bottom of the ear with a chefs knife, and then squeeze the ear of corn out from the top towards the (now open) bottom. Much easier (and cleaner!) than having to husk them!
Love that idea, Beth. Thanks for sharing. We can’t always find them in the husks in our grocery store, but definitely makes less trash and probably healthier too. This paper towel method was the way my MIL taught me, so that’s what I’ve always done.
We’ve done this for years, though for a long time, we cooked them in the husks. The steam makes it easy to peel, but now we do the wet paper towel method…just a little less messy. My hubby once did a whole bushel of corn in the microwave and cut it off the cob while I was working! He loves that method so much because the corn is so tasty. (Yes I do know – he’s a real keeper!=) Thanks for all the great things you share here! I’m a big fan.
What a great idea to do this in the husks, too. Thanks for sharing. And, yes, it does sound like your man is a keeper. 🙂