Canned White Corn Vs. Canned Yellow Corn

When you shop for canned sweet corn, chances are you’re going to have a few decisions to make when choosing the right one for you, the first being color- white or yellow?

But is there actually a difference between the two when it comes to flavor, nutrition, and cost, or should you just choose the color you like best?

I wanted to look a bit closer to compare each kind of corn in-depth to find out if there’s any difference between the two other than color and why there’s even a color choice in the first place.

Ingredients Comparision

Starting with the ingredients comparison and the difference is pretty simple. The only difference between the ingredients of canned white corn and yellow corn is the corn variety, which is either white or yellow.

The typical ingredients of white or yellow canned corn are; corn, water, and salt, although some have added sugar too.

Typical Canned White Corn Ingredients	Typical Canned Yellow Corn Ingredients
White Corn, Water & Salt	Yellow Corn, Water & Salt

White Nutritional Comparison

We’re now going to move on to the nutritional comparison, and to ensure the information is accurate and consistent, I’ve taken official nutritional data from the USDA for standard canned and drained corn for both white and yellow varieties.

This comparison is weight-for-weight per 100g of drained sweet corn kernels.

Calorie Comparison

According to the USDA, the calorie content of white and yellow canned corn is the same for both kinds of corn, at 67kcal per 100g of corn.

Corn Type	Calories Per 100g
Canned White Sweet Corn	67kcal
Canned Yellow Sweet Corn	67kcal

Nutritional Comparison

When you look at the nutritional difference between white and yellow corn for carbs, sugar, fiber, fat, protein, and sodium, there’s no difference in any category. Each kind of corn contains identical amounts of each nutrient.

Nutrition Type	Canned White Sweet Corn	Canned Yellow Sweet Corn
Carbohydrates	14.3g	14.3g
of Which are Sugars	4.44g	4.44g
Dietary Fiber	2g	2g
Fat	1.22g	1.22g
Protein	2.29g	2.29g
Sodium/Salt	205mg	205mg

Vitamins & Minerals Comparison

We’ll now take a look at the difference between white and yellow corn for vitamins and minerals, this is where there is a difference, and it all comes down to color.

White and yellow sweet corn contains the same amount of vitamins and minerals in most categories, but yellow corn contains more beta carotene, which in turn means it’s higher in vitamin A than white corn.

So, if you’re looking to get more vitamin A into your diet, choosing yellow corn over white will help to boost your intake. If you need to know what benefits you get from vitamin A, take a look at this article on the benefits of vitamin A over at Healthline.

Vitamin/Mineral Type	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving/Daily Value %
Beta Carotene	1 µg	14 µg
Vitamin A	1 IU*	46 IU
Calcium	3mg	3mg
Iron	0.27mg	0.27mg
Phosphorus	46mg	46mg
Potassium	132mg	132mg
Magnesium	13mg	13mg
Thiamin	0.039mg	0.039mg
Riboflavin	0.089mg	0.089mg
Vitamin B6	0.037mg	0.037mg
Vitamin C	1.8mg	1.8mg
Niacin	1mg	1mg
Zinc	0.32mg	0.32mg

• UI = International Unit

White Corn Vs. Yellow Corn Uses

Either white or yellow corn can be used instead of each other in any recipe or dish that needs sweet corn.

There might be some situations where you use white corn because it doesn’t make a food yellow, but there’s little difference between the two when it comes to uses, so it really comes down to personal preference.

Best for Flavor/Texture

When it comes to the difference between the flavor and texture of white and yellow corn, there’s no clear evidence of any difference between the two.

Some people say that white corn is sweeter than yellow, but different brands sell different varieties of corn, and some are sweeter than others, so it’s difficult to say without a broader public opinion.

Please help us out by voting for your favorite white or yellow corn, or let us know if you don’t think there’s any difference. Once you vote, you’ll be able to see which corn is the winner so far (no personal information is required to vote).

Price Comparison

The table below shows some of the leading brands which produce white canned corn, and based on the cost per ounce, white corn is generally more expensive than yellow corn and, in some cases, more than double the price.

Corn Type & Brand	Can Size & Cost	Cost per Ounce
Del Monte White Canned Sweet Corn	15.25oz / $1.82	11.9¢
Del Monte Yellow Canned Sweet Corn	15.25oz / $1.32	8.7¢
Green Giant White (Shoepeg) Canned Sweet Corn	11oz / $1.72	15.6¢
Libby’s Yellow Canned Sweet Corn	15.25oz / $0.86	5.6¢

Please note that prices are based on averages and may fluctuate over time, depending on the store where you buy them and promotional offers.

Comparison Summary

So we’ve now compared all categories for ingredients, nutrition, and cost of white and yellow canned corn, and here’s a summary of the results:

• Canned white and yellow sweet corn both contain the same ingredients; it’s just the variety of corn that’s different.
• There’s no difference between white and yellow corn when it comes to calories and other nutritional categories such as carbs, sugar, fat, fiber, and protein.
• White and yellow corn contains the same amount of vitamins and minerals in most categories, except for beta carotene/vitamin A, which is higher in yellow corn due to the color.
• White and yellow canned corn can each be used in the same way in dishes.
• White canned corn is more expensive than yellow corn, which is around half the price of some brands.

So unless you personally feel that white corn tastes better, there’s no real difference between the two, except for vitamin A which is found in higher levels in yellow corn, and yellow corn costs less per ounce.