Barbecued Miso Butter Corn on the Cob Recipe (2024)

Barbecued Miso Butter Corn is our favourite Japanese side dish to serve during the hot summer grilling season.

Our easy homemade recipe features freshly shucked corn on the cob that is grilled on a barbecue then slathered with a umami-forward miso butter flavoured with fresh chives, maple syrup and lemon juice.

Impress guests at your next summer barbecue by making this crowd-pleasing Japanese Miso Corn recipe. Serve a platter of mouth-watering cobs alongside your favourite barbecued meats like steak, burgers and grilled chicken.

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The Origins of Miso Butter Corn

Chef David Chang, the brains behind award winning Momof*cku Noodle Bar, is credited for popularizing Miso Butter Corn.

He may not have been the first to pair sweet corn with creamy butter and savoury miso paste, but he certainly made it famous in America!

Chef Chang was interviewed about the famous dish and hilariously vowed never to serve it again. His mouth-watering Miso Butter Corn was served the first summer the restaurant opened. The simple and sublime side dish quickly became the best selling item on the menu that season. To focus the attention of diners on the purpose of the restaurant (steaming ramen noodles and beautiful bao) the dish was removed and is now but a sweet and fond memory!

Chef Chang originally prepared the dish like a standard succotash but used miso butter to add an additional level of flavour. He sautéed crunchy sweet corn niblets in a skillet with butter, miso, crispy bacon and onions. A sublime side dish was born!

What Is Miso Paste?

Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients.

Miso Paste is used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables, fish, or meats, and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso soup, a Japanese culinary staple.

Miso is high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, and it played an important nutritional role in feudal Japan. Miso is still widely used in both traditional and modern cooking in Japan and has been gaining worldwide interest, often used in fusion cuisine.

Typically, miso is salty, but its flavour and aroma depend on the ingredients andfermentationprocess. Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, andsavoury.

You can typically buy miso paste in the refrigerator section of your grocery store near other Asian ingredients like kimchi.

Travel to Japan by Cooking Miso Butter Corn on the Cob at Home

I love traveling through Asia.

My first visit had me living inSouth Koreafor a year as a teacher and it’s where I was first introduced tofermented vegetableslikekimchi.

After my contract ended in Seoul I travelled throughout southeastAsiafor 6 months, visiting India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Macau and the Maldives.

I spent 2 weeks traveling by bus and bullet train through Japan in the warm summer months. I started inYokohamathen exploredTokyo,Kyoto,NaraandOsaka.

What I found most fascinating is Japan’s distinct regional food cultures. Much like the regional cuisines found in France, Germany, Italy or Spain, each town in Japan had its own local speciality.

Miso Butter is a popular flavour used in modern Japanese cuisine. Visit a grocery store in Tokyo and you’ll find miso butter flavour in a variety of dishes and prepared foods, from potato chips to ramen, and Japanese hot pot.

One of our favourite Japanese street foods to enjoy in the Spring and Summer months is corn on the cob, grilled before your very eyes and brushed with miso flavoured butter or oil. The sauce is often flavoured with Chinese chives, garlic and ginger.

Once home from a trip to Japan invite your friends and family over for dinner and share your love for Japanese street food by making this crowd-pleasing Miso Butter Corn on the Cob recipe!

My Family Loves Japanese Corn

I love cooking delicious dishes inspired by my travels for friends and family.

After returning from a road trip of Japan I was excited to cook my new favourite cutlery-free side dish, Miso Corn on the Cob!

I knew my parents would enjoy this homemade Miso Butter Corn recipe because they love fresh corn on the cob, savoury sauces and rich and creamy butter.

We love preparing this dish in July and August during peak summer corn on the cob growing season. You can enjoy the dish all year round, sautéing the ingredients with frozen corn niblets or canned sweet corn as a quick & easy solution instead of using a barbecue.

We use a pastry brush to slather the hot-off-the-grill corn on the cob with the prepared miso butter and then stack them into a pyramid on a large serving platter. We often serve this Japanese corn with grilled chicken, sizzling steaks or juicy burgers.

Miso Corn Ingredients

We like to make this recipe during the summer when corn on the cob are in season but don’t fret you can prepare the dish all year round by replacing cobs with frozen corn niblets or canned sweet corn. Instead of grilling the corn simply add all of the ingredients into a skillet and sauté until cooked through.

While there are many ways to prepare this simple recipe our favourite ingredients offer the perfect balance of juicy corn, rich butter, savoury miso paste, herbaceous chives, sweet maple and an acidic spritz of fresh lemon.

• Corn on the Cob: we like to use freshly shucked corn on the cob when it’s in season in the summer. During other times of the year you can substitute with frozen corn niblets, canned Peaches & Cream Corn or corn ribs.
• Butter: use room temperature butter as it has the perfect pliable texture so you can combine it with the other ingredients into a uniform miso butter. Use unsalted butter as miso is savoury. You can always add a sprinkle of kosher salt if you’d like additional salty flavour at the table.
• Miso Paste: Japan produces many varieties of miso paste. The most popular are white miso paste and red miso. We suggest using white miso paste as it’s the most common and has a more subtle flavour.
• Fresh Chives: my mother grows French-style chives in her garden but you can substitute for Chinese chives. Finely chopping the green parts of scallions also works as an alternative.
• Maple Syrup: this organic sweetener adds a balance of sweetness, cutting through the umami-forward flavours of the miso.
• Lemon Juice: we like to spritz a fresh lemon over the corn on the cob before serving to give the dish a bright acidity. You can substitute with lime or yuzu if you prefer.

How To Make This Easy Miso Butter Corn Recipe

Follow our detailed recipe card below for easy step-by-step instructions.

• Leave the butter out of the fridge to soften. Preheat your barbecue grill to 460F or its highest setting.
• Boil the cobs in a large pan of salted water for 5 minutes until tender. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle, then remove the husks and any hairs from the corn.
• In a small bowl, mix the butter to loosen it, then stir in the miso paste and chives.
• Put the corn on the barbecue and grill for 5 minutes, turning a couple of times until evenly charred.
• Schmear the hot corn with miso butter and drizzle with maple syrup and lemon juice before serving.

Miso Corn Recipe Cooking Tips

This traditional Miso Butter Corn recipe is quick and easy to make during summer grilling season. Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started:

• In the summer we suggest buying corn on the cob and grilling it on your barbecue. During the cooler months of the year when your barbecue may be out of service feel free to substitue the cobs with frozen corn or canned corn.
• If you’re preparing this recipe with frozen or canned corn, instead of on a hot grill, simply add all of the ingredients to a large nonstick skillet or wok and simmer until cooked through.
• Be sure to take your butter out of the fridge the day before you are cooking this recipe as it will need time to soften at room temperature so it is pliable and easy to mix with the other ingredients into a smooth miso butter.
• We typically use unsalted butter and simply place a small bowl of kosher salt at the table so people can manage how much salt they consume in their diet.
• We like to use white miso paste as it’s more subtle in flavour but if you like a flavour bomb feel free to substitute with red miso paste.
• We pluck fresh French-style chives from my mothers garden in the summer but you can substitute with Chinese chives or the green ends of scallions.
• Sweeten the dish with maple syrup (we’re Canadian, I promise you it tastes delicious!)
• Spritz the serving platter teaming with Miso Butter Corn on the Cob with a lemon, yuzu or lime to give the dish a balanced acidity.

Serving Suggestions

We love serving Japanese Corn on the Cob at family backyard barbecues during the hot summer months.

It can be enjoyed on it’s own as a quick & easy vegetarian lunch, or is the perfect side dish for a finger-licking-good grilled steak, burger or chicken dinner. Some of our favourite meaty mains to serve with corn on the cob include Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger, Brandy Caramelized Onion French Burger, Bratwurst, Filet Mignon and Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken.

If you’re hosting a Japanese-inspired potluck or dinner party you may also like to also make these popular recipes:

• Mapo Tofu Ramen Noodle Bowl
• Buta Kimchi Japanese Pork Belly Stir Fry
• Crispy Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry
• Okonomiyaki Japanese Pancakes
• Ponzu Chicken Stir Fry
• Japanese Vegan Miso Soba Noodles
• Beef Yaki Udon Noodle Stir Fry
• Miso Ground Pork Stir Fry
• Air Fryer Dumplings, Potstickers, Gyoza
• Japanese Sake Vodka Sushi co*cktail

Health Benefits

Our homemade Miso Butter Corn on the Cob recipe is packed full of wholesome ingredients!

Chives are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

Corn is rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps protect your cells from damage and wards off diseases like cancer and heart disease. Yellow corn is a good source of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which are good for eye health and help prevent the lens damage that leads to cataracts.

Miso contains a good amount of vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds.

A rich source of phytochemicals and vitamin C, lemons help boost your immune system and neutralize free radicals that cause disease and skin aging. Lemons also protect against heart disease and help improve blood flow to the brain.

Maple Syrup is an organic sweetener featuring manganese, and B vitamin riboflavin. It also offers small amounts of calcium, potassium, and zinc.

You May Also Enjoy These Corn Recipes…

• Perkedel Jagung Crispy Indonesian Corn Fritters
• Indian Vegetarian Creamy Corn Black Bean Curry
• Cajun Spicy Chorizo Corn Salad

How To Make Homemade Miso Butter Corn

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