This baked corn on the cob turns out sweet, buttery, and tender right in the oven. Wrap each ear in foil, set the timer, and let the oven handle the rest.

Buttered baked corn on the cob with chopped parsley.

We’ve made corn on the cob a dozen different ways over the years, and the oven might be our favorite.

It may seem a little backward to bake corn instead of boiling or grilling it, but it works just as well without heating a pot of water or firing up the grill.

We already have a buttery grilled corn in foil recipe for grilling season. This version is for days when you’d rather use the oven.

Once the corn is wrapped, the recipe is mostly hands-off. The foil keeps the butter around the corn while it cooks, and cleanup is easy.

Prep the Butter and Corn

Set the butter out ahead of time so it has a chance to soften. Cold butter is difficult to spread evenly and can leave bare spots on the corn.

While the butter softens, preheat the oven to 375°F and tear off four pieces of foil, one for each ear.

Remove the husks and silks, then rinse and dry the corn. A few stray silk strands are normal. Just brush them away. Rinsing the corn under water helps remove them, too.

Fresh corn gives you the best flavor, but frozen corn works too. Thaw it first so the butter spreads easily, or bake it from frozen and allow a little extra cooking time.

Stir the softened butter, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. We use a pastry brush to coat each ear evenly on all sides.

Butter, salt, and pepper are hard to beat, but you can change the seasoning if you’d like. Our garlic herb butter works well, or stir a little garlic powder and Italian seasoning into the softened butter.

Seasoned butter mixed with salt and black pepper.

Wrap the Corn Tightly

Wrap each buttered ear tightly in its piece of foil. The foil traps steam around the corn and keeps most of the melted butter inside the packet.

Press and fold the seams closed so the butter doesn’t leak out as the corn bakes. Even with tightly sealed foil, we recommend placing the packets in a baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the kernels are tender.

Corn on the cob coated with seasoned butter on aluminum foil.

How to Tell When the Corn Is Done

Carefully open one foil packet and check a few kernels with a fork. They should feel tender and give easily instead of feeling firm or starchy.

Taste is another good clue. If the corn still tastes starchy rather than sweet, close the packet and bake it for a few more minutes.

Serve the corn hot from the foil with extra butter, if desired. You can also add grated Parmesan, crumbled feta, chili powder, or fresh herbs such as parsley or dill.

This baked corn on the cob works with almost anything from the grill. We especially like it with our homemade hamburgers or our BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. A tomato avocado salad is an easy way to round out the meal.