Hominy, whole, canned rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 10 recipes to cook with it.

What is hominy, whole, canned?

Hominy is dried corn that has been soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, a process called nixtamalization, which puffs the kernels up large and tender and gives them their signature chewy bite. Canned whole hominy is that corn already cooked and ready to spoon straight from the tin.

The alkali, usually slaked lime, does more than soften the corn. It loosens the tough hull so it rubs away, turns the flavor earthier and faintly limey, and frees up niacin that the body cannot otherwise absorb from corn.

That last part is why cultures built on corn relied on the treatment to stay healthy.

The kernels are mild and a little nutty, with a pleasant spring to them. They taste of corn but not sweet corn; the note is more savory and rounded.

Cooking With Canned Hominy

Canned hominy is fully cooked, so all you do is rinse and add it. It does not fall apart with long simmering, which makes it ideal for the stews it is famous for.

Its home is pozole, the Mexican soup of hominy and pork or chicken built on dried chiles, where the swollen kernels matter as much as the meat. Jose Giles's Pozole shows the classic version.

It also carries menudo, the tripe soup eaten as a weekend cure, in both Hominy Beans Menudo and Menudo Estilo Norteno.

Beyond soup, hominy stands on its own as a side. Santa Fe Hominy bakes it with chiles and cheese, and it folds happily into a Black Bean & Hominy Succotash.

You can also drain and dry it, then crisp it in a hot oiled skillet until the edges brown while the inside stays chewy.

It works in chili and brothy chicken soups too, as in a Tex-Mex Chicken Soup, where it adds body without thickening the way beans do.

Hominy Versus Grits and Masa

People mix these up because they all start from the same nixtamalized corn. The difference is what happens after.

Whole hominy is the intact kernel, kept whole and cooked soft. Grind dried hominy coarsely and you get grits or polenta-style cornmeal, the breakfast porridge of the American South. Grind the wet fresh kernels into a smooth dough and you get masa, the base for tortillas and tamales.

So these are three forms of one ingredient: the whole kernel, plus the dry and wet grinds. A Tamale Dough recipe leans on masa, not on the whole canned kernels.

Substitutes

There is no exact swap for that chewy, lime-scented kernel, but a few things get you close depending on the dish. Dried hominy, soaked and simmered for two to three hours, gives a firmer, more flavorful result if you have the time.

For pozole specifically, canned white or yellow hominy are interchangeable; yellow runs a touch sweeter and firmer. If you genuinely cannot find any, canned chickpeas approximate the size and chew in a stew, though they bring their own flavor and none of the corn character.

Plain canned or frozen sweet corn is not a substitute. It is sweet and soft, and it lacks the alkaline treatment that defines hominy.

Buying and Storing Hominy

Canned whole hominy sits with the canned vegetables or in the Latin foods aisle, in both white and golden versions. Cans run from the standard 15 ounce up to large institutional sizes; one 15-ounce can drains to roughly a cup and a half.

Unopened cans keep for years in the cupboard. Always rinse before using to wash off the slightly viscous canning liquid, which can carry a faint metallic note.

Once opened, move any leftover hominy out of the can into a covered container with a little water and refrigerate it. Use it within three to four days. It also freezes well: drain it, bag it flat, and it keeps for several months until the next pot of pozole.

Quick facts

In Chinese

玉米粥，整个罐头

British (UK) term

Hominy, whole, canned

en français

semoule de maïs entier en conserve

en español

sémola de maíz, entero, en lata

Recipes using hominy, whole, canned

There are 10 recipes that contain this ingredient.

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