Nothing screams summer quite like the vibrant flavors of Mexican Street Corn Salad. Inspired by the traditional elote, this salad version captures all the charred, creamy goodness of the grilled corn favorite in a fuss-free, easy-to-serve format. Combining fresh or frozen corn with a mix of spices, herbs, and creamy dressing, this Mexican Street Corn Salad is the perfect side to accompany your summer grills or a festive addition to any potluck.
What is Mexican Street Corn Salad?
Mexican Street Corn Salad, or ‘Esquites’, is a popular Mexican dish that transforms the traditional elote into a convenient salad form. This dish combines charred corn with a mixture of mayo, chili powder, lime, and cheese, creating a flavorful and refreshing side dish. It’s perfect for any gathering or a simple family dinner.
Mexican Street Corn Salad takes all the beloved flavors of street-side Mexican Street Corn and turns it into an easy-to-serve salad. This dish is made by sautéing fresh corn kernels (or frozen corn) with a blend of mayonnaise, cotija cheese, lime juice, cilantro, and spicy seasonings.
Mexican STreet Corn Salad Ingredients
- Corn – You can use frozen corn or fresh sweet corn on the cob. I love the grilled corn in the frozen food section at Trader Joe’s. I also like to use frozen fire roasted corn for a bit of a kick. If you want to use fresh corn, just saute it in the pan until it is a little browned.
- Salted butter
- Salt, black pepper, Chipotle chili powder, Ground cumin – these are the seasonings that we will use to give you that amazing street corn flavor.
- Red onion – adds a little bit of flavor and zest.
- Fresh cilantro – I strongly recommend using fresh cliantro, although dried can be used in a pinch.
- Cotija Cheese: Cotija cheese is a traditional Mexican cheese made from cow’s milk, known for its salty, crumbly texture and strong flavor. If you cannot find cotija cheese, try substituting it for feta, goat, or even parmesan cheese.
- Lime – I always prefer fresh lime juice, but you can use bottled if necessary.
- Jalapeño (optional) – This will provide the heat. Use as much or little as you like. I always like to start out with just a touch and add more in as needed.
- Mayonnaise—While I recommend using mayonnaise, you can make your Corn Salad without mayo and use sour cream or Greek yogurt instead. To make sure the flavor change isn’t so drastic, I like to do half sour cream and half mayo. The mayonnaise gives it such a smooth, velvety taste and texture.
- Heavy cream
- Lime juice (for the crema) – I always prefer fresh lime juice, but you can use bottled if necessary.
How to make Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Make The Mexican Crema: Whisk together the mayonnaise, heavy cream, lime juice, chipotle chili powder, and salt, cover, and place in the refrigerator.
- Cook The Corn: Combine the corn and butter and cook until charred. Place the corn in a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Combine: To the corn, add the cumin, chipotle chili powder, black pepper, salt, red onion, cilantro, cotija cheese, lime juice, jalapeno (optional), and Mexican Cream and stir together to combine.
- Serve: Top with additional Cotija Cheese and chopped cilantro. Serve slightly warm, room temperature, or cold. Enjoy!
tips & Variations
- If your corn looks too dry, add more Mexican Crema to it.
- Feel free to add some spices, such as smoked paprika, ground cumin, and ground coriander to the dressing to make it spicier. Or add a few dashes of hot sauce if you want to add some heat!
- The Crema recipe makes a little bit extra to account for the leftovers being dry the next day. Make sure to save the extras to mix into your leftovers and make the consistency more creamy.
- If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you can a nonstick skillet instead.
- You can serve this Mexican street corn salad just after you make it, although I love it best after it chills for a bit.
- If corn is in season, feel free to use fresh grilled corn and slice kernels off your fresh corn cobs. To remove the corn from the cob, I love this handy tool!
- To make this grilled corn salad vegan, replace the butter, Cotija Cheese, mayo, and heavy cream with your favorite non-dairy alternatives.
How to serve Elote Corn Salad
Elote corn salad is great served as a side dish with any type of protein, like chicken, burgers, or fish. It is perfect for a BBQ or potluck.
You can serve it hot or chilled. I prefer it hot, but it also makes a great appetizer dip served with tortilla chips!
What can I do with my leftover corn salad?
This corn salad is so versatile and makes a flavorful side, dip, or topping to many main meals. You can serve it as a salsa with tortilla chips and a side of guacamole; add it to a Burrito Bowl, Queso Chicken Tacos, Mini Enchilada Cups, or a Mexican Casserole.
It also makes a delicious topping for Grilled Chicken Breast and Grilled Salmon.
Proper Storage
- To Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this dish.
More Great Mexican Recipes
- Oven-Baked Beef Tacos
- Beef Taco Ring
- Taco Bake Casserole
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Homemade Salsa Recipe
- Sheet Pan Fajitas
- Spanish Rice
- Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen corn thawed
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ red onion diced
- ⅓ bunch cilantro chopped
- ½ cup Cotija Cheese crumbled
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 jalapeno seeded and diced *optional
MEXICAN CREMA INGREDIENTS:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine Mexican Crema Ingredients and whisk together. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to add to the corn mixture.½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon lime juice, ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat add thawed corn and butter. Stir well to combine. Let cook in pan stirring often until the corn starts to look charred.4 cups frozen corn, 1 tablespoon salted butter
- Place corn into a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes, stirring often allowing the corn to cool evenly.
- Add the cumin, chipotle chili powder, black pepper, salt, red onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese, juice from 1 lime, jalapeno (optional), and 1⁄3 – 1⁄2 cup Mexican Cream. Stir together to combine.1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ red onion, ⅓ bunch cilantro, ½ cup Cotija Cheese, 1 lime, 1 jalapeno
- Top with additional Cotija Cheese and chopped cilantro.
- Serve slightly warm, room temperature, or cold.
Jenn’s Notes
- A cast-iron skillet works best, but a nonstick skillet will do the trick too!
- If your corn looks too dry, add more Mexican Crema to it! The Crema recipe makes a little bit extra to account for the leftovers being dry the next day.
- If you have leftovers store in a tightly covered Tupperware or bowl. When you are ready to eat the leftovers add additional leftover Mexican Crema to make the consistency more creamy.
Video
Nutrition Info
Sometimes referred to as elote, this Mexican street corn recipe is made of roasted sweet corn covered in a spicy mix of mayo, Mexican crema, and topped off with Cotija cheese.
It’s an authentic Mexican style dish that’s easy to make. Mexican street corn salad makes a perfect side dish for a summer night grill out or paired with tortilla chips for a delicious appetizer dip.
Great recipe! But I followed your measurements and for the cream and ended up with a lot of extra cream like 1 1/2 cups extra. That was even after adding a little more than the 1/2 cup to the corn.
YUM 😋 😋 👏🏼👏🏼👍🏼♥️LOOKS AWESOME Jennifer ❗️THANK You FOR Sharing and WILL try Using Frozen Corn instead of Canned, SO I Can use it AGAIN 😊G-d♥️Bless
This was super yummy and easy to throw together! I used the Trader Joe’s frozen grilled corn so it already had the char on it! I brought to a party where the host was having tacos so it went with the meal perfectly! I served with blue corn chips but it was also amazing as a condiment on the tacos! Big hit!