Don't Use Canned Corn For This Crispy Snack — Here's Why

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It's 1:45 a.m. and you're hit with a massive craving for a salty, crunchy snack. Your kitchen is bare — save for some frozen corn in the freezer — and traveling to your local 24-hour convenience store is out of the question. Should you resign yourself to suffering hunger until morning? Not if you have a trusty air fryer at home. With just corn, oil, and salt, you can easily whip up homemade corn nuts, also known as crispy air fryer corn. Along with snacking, crispy corn also makes for an excellent salad topping thanks to its texture-enhancing abilities.

Like many other air fryer recipes, making corn nuts at home is rather simple: Season the corn kernels, add a bit of cornstarch to boost crunchiness, and cook in the air fryer at 360 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 12 minutes or until crisp. Of course, you could make the recipe even easier by using canned corn in place of fresh or frozen, but we don't recommend it. Kernels must be as dry as possible to ensure optimal crunch, and canned corn contains a lot of water. Generally, you'll find about ¼ of the can is water, and even after draining, the kernels will have far too much moisture to fry effectively. Instead, you'll end up with a decidedly un-crunchy snack of steamed corn.

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For those poor, sad souls who've never experienced the joy of Corn Nuts, this unique food has been filling the bellies of snack enthusiasts since 1939. While they may be named for and even resemble nuts, Corn Nuts are simply fried corn kernels. The snack was inspired by the parched corn enjoyed by Indigenous peoples who appreciated its satisfying crunch and nutritional value. Back then, parched corn was made with a high-starch variety of the vegetable, which prevented it from popping like popcorn (one of several foods that are much older than we realized, along with noodles and potatoes).

Air fryer corn nut recipes often call for giant white corn, a type of dehydrated corn that must be soaked in water before use. That means giant white corn might be the best if you want a satisfying, big-time crunch, though any non-canned corn option should suffice. As for seasonings, you can keep it simple with salt, or incorporate paprika and garlic powder for a spicy, savory kick. Keep in mind that you can use just about any seasoning you prefer, from ranch dressing powder to Cajun spices. Just be sure to keep canned corn varieties far away from your air fryer, lest you wind up with a major mess and no salty snacks to show for it.