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Air Fryer Corn On The Cob (In Foil)

Learn how to make the perfect corn on the cob the simple way with this easy air fryer corn on the cob recipe. It requires 3 simple ingredients, minimal prep, and is ready in 15 minutes. Serve this easy side dish as is, or use the cooked corn kernels to make Southern corn salad or corn & crab bisque. Plus, taste the difference by wrapping the air fryer corn on the cob in foil to lock in the cajun garlic butter flavor!

air fried corn on the cob topped with parsley on a plate

Why Make This?

  • Quick and easy: Making corn on the cob in the air fryer is easy and quick. I love that it takes less time than cooking corn in a boiling pot of water.
  • Delicious Side Dish: this easy recipe goes with just about any main dish
  • Uses a few ingredients: This buttery corn uses only 3 ingredients that you can easily make at home or find in your local grocery store.
  • Cooks flavor into your corn: you can certainly make air-fried corn on the cob with olive oil or coconut oil, salt, and black pepper, but by adding foil, you can seal like my cajun garlic butter and add cajun-style flavor while the corn cooks.

Ingredients Needed

This air fryer corn recipe uses just a few ingredients. Be sure to get the exact amounts and full step-by-step instructions from the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  • Ears of corn on the cob: I’m using fresh sweet corn with the silks and husks removed
  • Cajun garlic butter sauce: this easy melted butter sauce adds so much flavor and is great as a topping for this (and other air fryer vegetable recipes and our Southern Seafood Boil.
  • Cajun seasoning: I’m using my homemade spice blend, but the cajun seasoning on this site also works
  • Foil: Enough to tightly wrap each piece of corn
Ears of corn on the cob, garlic butter sauce and Cajun seasoning on separate bowls and a few pieces of foil

How To Make Air Fryer Corn On The Cob In Foil

  1. Place an ear of corn in the center of a piece of aluminum foil.
  2. Brush all sides of the corn with about 1 tablespoon of cajun garlic butter sauce.
  3. Wrap the ear of corn up tightly in the aluminum foil. Set aside and repeat until all ears of corn are in their foil packets.
  4. Add the foil-wrapped corn to your air fryer basket in a single layer so that the hot air can circulate. Air fry at 400 degrees (you can open the corn during the last 5 minutes to get some added char).
step by step instructions for how to cook air fryer corn cob in foil

Recipe Tips & FAQs

  • For best results use fresh corn: you can swap fresh corn with a few ears from bags of frozen corn if you wish, but be sure to adjust the cooking times because this recipe was tested with fresh corn.
  • You can use other butter sauces like lemon garlic butter sauce or garlic herb butter. I prefer to brush any garlic butter that I use all over the corn as to just the top of the corn.
  • Use foil pieces, enough to tightly wrap each piece of corn.
  • I tested this recipe in the Ninja Foodi and Cosori basket style air fryers: different brands may cook differently. It’s ok to check for doneness around 10 minutes or add more time if you’d like to cook your corn more.

Variations

  • Add a different spice mix: this recipe also tastes great with regular butter or oil and seasoning mixes like ranch seasoning and Elote seasoning
  • Finish with more garlic butter, parmesan cheese, lime juice, lemon juice, or spices like red chili powder, smoked paprika, and more
close-up shot of air fried corn cobs topped with parsley

Storage

You can store leftover corn on the cob in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

How long does corn go in the air fryer?

Corn on the cob in the air fryer takes about 15 minutes to cook

Will corn on the cob pop in an air fryer?

No. I haven’t had that experience.

Can you put aluminum foil in the air fryer with corn?

Yes. My air fryer corn on the cob recipe uses aluminum foil to tightly wrap each piece of corn.

Do you have to soak corn before roasting?

You don’t have to soak corn before roasting unless you’re grilling corn with the husks on (soaking the husks prevents them from catching fire when roasting).

Recipes to Enjoy This With:

air fried corn cobs topped with parsley on a plate
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Air Fryer Corn on the Cob (in Foil)

Learn how to make the perfect corn on the cob with cajun garlic butter using this easy air fryer corn on the cob recipe. It requires 3 simple ingredients, minimal prep, and is ready in 15 minutes. 
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 ears corn on the cob silks, and husk removed
  • 4 tbsp Cajun Garlic Butter Sauce click for the recipe
  • 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning about ¼ tsp per ear of corn, click for my recipe
  • 4 pieces of foil enough to tightly wrap each piece of corn

Instructions

  • Place an ear of corn in the center of a piece of aluminum foil.
  • Brush all sides of the corn with about 1 tbsp of Cajun garlic butter sauce.
  • Wrap the ear of corn up tightly in the foil. Set aside and repeat until all ears of corn are in their packages.
  • Add the foil wrapped corn to your air fryer basket. Air fry at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. You can open the corn during the last 5 minutes to get some added char.
  • Allow the foil packets to become cool to the touch. Open the packets and top with additional Cajun seasoning and/or additional Cajun butter.
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