Canned Corn Brands Ranked From Worst To Best

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It can't always be corn on the cob season. Sometimes, it's just corn in a can season, and that's fine. There's no shortage of choices in the canned vegetable section to keep corn on your dinner table all year long. The fact that canned corn can go the distance in your cabinet standing at the ready is a huge relief when fall and winter recipes call for a cup or two of tender, golden kernels. Hearty dishes designed for comfort like chili, vegetable soups, and stews become whole new situations with a corn upgrade asserting its place in the pot. Reportedly, canned corn may even be better for you than corn on the cob, which is just another compelling reason to stock up on the finest cans you can find.

To clue you in on which possibilities top the stack and which are strictly bottom of the bin, we've examined the ratings and customer reviews of the most familiar canned corn to find the best and worst options. If you've ever believed that any ol' can you grab is guaranteed to be the cream of the crop, perk up your ears: You're in for a shucking revelation.

Whole Foods takes the quality of its in-house 365 label seriously, and its canned Whole Kernel Sweet Corn is no exception. This upscale grocer is known for comparatively high prices that deliver high quality, but a product as basic as corn off the cob is hardly a luxury item. For that matter, having options for staple foods like canned corn that don't scrape the lining of your wallet is as much of a consideration as the contents of the can. A quick peek at the price shows $2.19 per 15-ounce can, which isn't too far afield of what the other brands offer. That's a good sign, especially for such a simple staple.

Being an in-store brand for a specialty chain, this can doesn't get the exposure of the other brands, severely hindering its ability to compete. Green Choice Now, a site that rates products based on processing, nutrition, food safety, and environment, gives 365 Whole Kernel Sweet Corn a rating of 95 out of 100. But in the big picture, a can without customer ratings is still something of a mystery as far as enjoyability and quality of flavor. For those reasons, this admirable attempt is the lowest on our list.

In addition to Kroger becoming more welcoming to vegan eaters, the company also provides an impressive selection of house brand canned vegetables, with its Sweet Golden Corn key among the line. Kroger does a decent job of providing variety among its shelved produce, with corn being one of the more familiar finds at prices that feel firmly competitive against the national names. Having sweet golden corn in the mix is a nice step-up for a white label, especially from the largest grocery retailer in the U.S.

Reviews for this Kroger can are impossible to come by; there are none on the whole wide Internet. We did discover an A rating on Fooducate, a site informing consumers of food quality. The No Salt Added version was the can in question, and the score was based on low sodium, minimal processing, and the whole grain nature of the corn itself. Additionally, this is one that passes our taste test, which is one 5-star review in a sea of emptiness. Hence, the lower space on the list. Still, for a combination of price, healthfulness, and flavor, you're looking at a solid choice to toss into your cart.

Tossing together two different types of corn to make your dish look snazzy and taste jazzy, Del Monte makes a showy presentation with its Gold & White selection. The color contrast in these kernels give the appearance of field-fresh jewels, a sophisticated touch for a canned vegetable. Imagine having a shimmering selection of both pale yellow and buttery golden corn blending together in a crystal dish to shine up your Thanksgiving spread. It may not be an aspect of holiday dining you've considered before now, but thanks to Del Monte, it's an option you can easily exercise.

But how does such a mix taste? A total of 104 ratings on the company site comes in considerably lower than other Del Monte canned corn options, even with a 4.8-star average to rate it pretty high on the stalk. Another 130 ratings and an equal 4.8-star average at Walmart reinforces the idea that this is a fine, fancy option to add to your canned corn collection. As far as being a superior choice among other labels in the line-up, if looks are your thing, grab a can to impress your guests. 

Great Value products from Walmart are generally prized for their low prices, if not for their comparable quality when standing can-to-can with national brands. When it comes to the chain's Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn option, price may be a bigger attractor than the state of the kernels. There are known to be several canned foods you shouldn't buy from Walmart, and though canned corn may be attractive at less than half the cost of the bigger brands, what you get for your money may not be worth the savings.

There may be 1093 reviews on the Walmart website, but the 4.3-star average is one of the lower rankings we've found. Several of the more critical reviews call out the dubious quality of Great Value canned corn, as well. True, no canned corn comes out of the arena totally undented. In the case of Great Value, you may be better off spending extra on a more trustworthy cluster of kernels for your cooking needs. If price is your maximum concern when shopping for uncobbed corn, Great Value isn't the worst you can crack open — just beware of what you're getting into.

If it's Libby's on the label, will you like it on the table, as the irritating 1970s jingle insisted? As long as the process for capturing crisp, flavorful kernels in the can hasn't changed then it's highly likely you will. With Libby's Naturals Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, you get exactly what the label says, including a seal that promises no GMOs or preservatives. For health-minded cooks trying to serve their families the freshest and most wholesome food possible, this added alert on the front of the can offers an extra dash of reassurance that Libby's is a prime choice. Lower salt content means less worry about sodium intake, an often overlooked but very real concern when shopping for canned vegetables.

A 4.6-star average among 529 ratings over at Amazon added to a 4.5-star average among 1,283 reviews at Walmart puts Libby's on the table in a major way. Reviewers rave about the taste, including a top reviewer who proclaims, "My son eats this corn for dessert." If Libby's can make magic like this happen, it's earned the second-best on the list by a country mile.

Who could've guessed Amazon would have the best-rated canned corn of all? The online shopping titan's home brand, Happy Belly, may not be flashy with its simple label and sometimes-dented cans. But in the contest for customer satisfaction, this thoroughly basic contribution to the canned corn hierarchy has won hearts and mouths time and time again. Three simple ingredients listed on the label — corn, water, and salt — tell a straightforward tale of corn without complications. The lack of information regarding GMOs, freshness, and processing seems a bit suspect, but none of that hasn't deterred shoppers from getting this crafty can from cart to table. An eye-catching price point of .99 may be the tipping point.

A whole galaxy's worth of gleaming reviews shine up the sky over Happy Belly's digital cornfield, giving these kernels a 4.7-star average across a walloping 5,301 global ratings. Higher ratings praise the flavor and texture, like one Amazon customer who gushed, " If I didn't know any better I would have thought it was straight off the cob!" And naturally, it's the number-one best seller in its category. Such a flourishing choice gets our vote for best of the bushel.