The Reason Some Canned Cream Corn Is Vegan-Friendly

Vegan consumers perusing the aisles of the grocery store in search of a suitable side dish would likely pass by a can of cream style corn. Cream, of course, is on the no-go list for vegans. What's in a name? Sometimes it's not what you think. In the case of cream style corn, which is also called creamed corn, the name is...well...a bit of a misnomer.

Recipes for cream style corn celebrate all that's best about fresh corn on the cob, but it's wise for vegans to beware of homemade cream style corn. While the dishes may be delicious, they're also likely to contain dairy from a number of possible sources: milk, heavy cream, half-and-half, sour cream, cream cheese, and butter. There are, of course, fantastic options for vegan-friendly creamed corn that you can make at home, using dairy substitutes like almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, and oat milk. But what about the stuff in the can?

For creamed corn purists, there's only one ingredient necessary for the dish: fresh corn on the cob (plus a little salt and pepper for seasoning). Cream style corn is made simply, by cutting the corn off the cob and then scraping down the cob to extract the corn "milk." We call this process "milking the cob" because it yields a translucent juice, full of the sweet richness that makes fresh corn so delicious.

Cream style corn doesn't have to contain cream, which is what can make it vegan-friendly. The simplicity of cream style corn means that there are many vegan-friendly options at the grocery store. Both Del Monte and Green Giant cream style corn are naturally vegan-friendly, for example. PETA even points out that most canned creamed corn is vegan. Cream style corn from a can is also a fantastic ingredient for vegan-friendly recipes. A delicious vegan corn chowder made with cream style corn is a perfect make-ahead meal that's great for a crowd or to freeze and eat later.