Vegetables

Corn nutrition, raw, cooked and everything between.

1 medium ear of corn is 88 calories and 3.3 g of protein. The source is the USDA entry “Corn, sweet, yellow, raw”. The method matters: USDA holds separate records for it, ranging between 67 and 96 calories for the same 100 g. The panel underneath takes any serving and any amount, and the vitamin and mineral table tracks what you pick.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Every value traces to USDA FoodData Central (169998, 169999, 169214); Daily Values follow the FDA label rules.

How many calories are in corn?

88 calories is the figure for 1 medium ear of corn; 86 is the figure per 100 g. Below are the remaining portions USDA measured.

How much protein is in corn?

Protein in 1 medium ear of corn comes to 3.3 g. Against the 50 g Daily Value, that covers 7 percent. Protein is a minor part of corn, at 15 percent of its calories. The case for eating it lies elsewhere.

Its energy is 12 percent fat, 75 percent carbohydrate and 13 percent protein, meaning it behaves as mostly a carbohydrate in a meal.

How preparation changes corn

Per 100 g, boiled corn carries 43 percent more calories than canned — 96 against 67. The difference is moisture lost to the heat, so the same weight holds more food.

Every row below is the same 102 g of corn, so the only thing that differs is the method.

Buying, cooking and using corn

Sweetcorn comes on the cob, frozen in loose kernels, or canned in brine. Look for green, snug husks that are not dry. Feel through the wrapping to find plump, damp kernels that run all the way to the tip. Avoid cobs with pale, dry silks or woody, brown stem ends.

Heat converts the natural sugars in sweetcorn into starch. Boiling cobs for too long toughens the skins and dulls the sweet flavour. The common error is overcooking. Gentle steaming or quick charring on a grill keeps the kernels crisp and juicy. Add salt only after cooking to prevent toughness.

Slice raw kernels off the cob for Mexican salsas with lime and coriander. Charred corn complements smoky barbecue dishes or rich chowders. It pairs naturally with butter, chilli, and salty cheeses. In Asian stir-fries, baby corn provides a distinct crunch that absorbs savoury sauces.

Everything USDA measures in corn

Nothing in corn reaches a large share of a Daily Value per serving. The full record is tabulated below and follows the panel.

Fibre runs to 2 g per 100 g, or 7 percent of the Daily Value.

Putting corn into a day of eating

Against the standard 2,000 calorie reference, 1 medium ear of corn takes up 4 percent of the energy and supplies 7 percent of the protein. For a figure that fits you, start with the TDEE calculator, then set grams with the macro calculator.

Recipes that start with corn

The Calorie Counter Team wrote these. Under every recipe the numbers are added up from the USDA record for each ingredient and split across the servings.

Breakfast · British

Sweetcorn Fritters

A quick breakfast dish made with sweetcorn kernels and a light batter.

20 min · serves 2

318kcal

11gprotein

12gfat

44gcarbs

Ingredients

• Sweetcorn kernels 200 g
• Plain wheat flour 60 g
• Baking powder 3 g
• Egg 50 g
• Whole milk 50 g
• Spring onions, sliced 30 g
• Salt 3 g
• Vegetable oil 15 g

Method

1. Whisk the egg and milk in a medium bowl.
2. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt to form a smooth batter.
3. Fold the sweetcorn and sliced spring onions into the batter.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
5. Fry tablespoons of the mixture for three minutes on each side until golden.

Built from 8 USDA ingredient records. A cooked dish never matches its raw sum exactly, but it stays close.

Lunch · British

Sweetcorn and Potato Chowder

A warm soup of sweetcorn and diced potatoes cooked in vegetable stock.

30 min · serves 2

389kcal

11gprotein

17gfat

56gcarbs

Ingredients

• Sweetcorn kernels 300 g
• Potatoes, peeled and diced 200 g
• Onion, diced 100 g
• Butter 30 g
• Vegetable stock 400 g
• Whole milk 150 g
• Salt 4 g

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook the diced onion for five minutes until soft.
3. Add the potatoes, sweetcorn, vegetable stock, and salt to the saucepan.
4. Simmer the mixture for fifteen minutes until the potatoes are tender.
5. Pour in the milk and warm through for two minutes without boiling.
6. Blend half of the soup with a hand blender to thicken the liquid.

Summed from 7 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Side · Mediterranean

Roasted Sweetcorn and Feta Salad

A side salad of oven-roasted sweetcorn, red peppers, and crumbled feta cheese.

25 min · serves 2

266kcal

9.2gprotein

15gfat

30gcarbs

Ingredients

• Sweetcorn kernels 250 g
• Olive oil 15 g
• Red bell pepper, diced 80 g
• Coriander leaves, chopped 10 g
• Lime juice 15 g
• Feta cheese 50 g
• Salt 2 g

Method

1. Toss the sweetcorn kernels with the olive oil and salt in a bowl.
2. Spread the corn on a baking tray and roast at 200C for fifteen minutes.
3. Transfer the roasted corn to a mixing bowl and allow it to cool.
4. Add the diced red pepper, chopped coriander, lime juice, and crumbled feta cheese.
5. Stir the mixture gently to combine all ingredients before serving.

Nutrition per serving, calculated across 7 USDA ingredient records. Expect small differences once cooked.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

What a meal with corn adds up to

What a meal containing corn comes to, using USDA numbers for every part of it.

Corn beside its neighbours

Compared gram for gram, with the form of each food stated. Follow any link for that food’s full page.

Corn, asked and answered

How many calories does 1 medium ear of corn have?

Count 88 calories. The source is the USDA record “Corn, sweet, yellow, raw” (FDC 169998), which lists 86 calories per 100 g.

How much protein does corn have?

Per 100 g, corn contains 3.3 g of protein. 1 medium ear of corn therefore gives 3.3 g, which is 7 percent of a 50 g day.

Do the calories in corn change with how it is prepared?

Yes. At 102 g, canned is 68 calories and boiled is 98. The table above compares each preparation of corn covered on this page.

Can you eat corn when trying to lose weight?

No food causes or prevents weight loss on its own. The useful facts are that 1 medium ear of corn is 88 calories with 3.3 g of protein, which makes 15 percent of its calories protein; useful alongside a protein source rather than as one.

How do you easily remove silk from the cob?

Rub the stripped cob with a damp paper towel, brushing downwards from the top. The remaining fine threads will cling to the textured paper. Alternatively, a clean, stiff-bristled vegetable brush sweeps them away quickly.

Can you freeze fresh corn on the cob?

Yes, but you must blanch the cobs before freezing. Boiling them briefly halts the enzymes that destroy flavour and sweetness. Cool them in ice water, dry them thoroughly, and wrap tightly to prevent freezer burn.

Sources

• Corn, sweet, yellow, raw — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169998
• Corn, sweet, yellow, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169999
• Corn, sweet, yellow, canned, whole kernel, drained solids — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169214
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9