Mexican Street Corn Dip is a flavorful blend of fire-roasted corn, jalapeños, and creamy cheeses and is the perfect appetizer for any occasion, from game nights to backyard barbecues.
Mexican Corn Dip
Our easy Mexican Street Corn Dip is a quick way to turn a cup of “off the cob” esquites into a cheesy, creamy, salty, slightly tangy appetizer that’s been baked into a bubbly batch of Mexican street food in the form of a dip.
Full of fresh flavor with a taste like traditional Mexican street corn, it’s easy to create your own Mexican corn dip at home and smother it with a zesty cream cheese mixture (my version of Mexican crema).
Whether you serve it with tortilla chips or incorporate it into other dishes like tacos or quesadillas, this dip is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.
Prepare it ahead of time, store it, and reheat it for an easy and delicious treat. Give this recipe a try, and savor the irresistible taste of Mexican street corn in every bite.
Why We Love This Mexican Corn Dip Recipe
- Quick and easy to prepare in 10 minutes.
- Use as a standalone dip, a taco topping, or a quesadilla filling, this recipe is incredibly versatile.
- Can be made using frozen corn, canned corn, or fresh corn kernels.
- Crowd-pleasing, gluten-free, Elote dip recipe prepared with a blend of spices, fresh cilantro, and plenty of cheese!
- Perfect for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, backyard barbecue, potlucks, family fiesta, or serving as a summer side dish.
Mexican Street Corn Dip Ingredients
- Canola oil – You can substitute vegetable oil or olive oil for canola oil.
- Yellow onion – If you prefer a milder onion flavor, you can use sweet onion instead of yellow onion.
- Jalapeño pepper – Adjust the heat level by using a milder pepper, such as poblano or Anaheim, or increase the heat with a spicier variety like serrano or habanero.
- Fire-roasted corn: I used DelMonte brand but feel free to use your favorite. (If you can’t find fire-roasted corn, you can use regular canned corn or even frozen corn kernels. Just be sure to drain them well before using.)
- Mild green chilies – For an extra kick of heat, consider using hot green chilies or adding a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Mayonnaise
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh squeezed lime juice
- Elote seasoning blend – If you can’t find Elote seasoning blend, you can make your own by combining smoked paprika, chili powder, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper.
- Cotija cheese – If cotija cheese is not available, queso fresco or parmesan cheese can be used as substitutes. Each cheese will bring a slightly different flavor profile to the dip.
- Colby jack cheese
Substitutions and Additions
- Choose Your Cheese: I love using Colby-jack cheese when making hot dips, or any casserole that calls for gooey-melty cheese topping. Use can substitute the Colby-jack for a cheddar-jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, cheddar-mozzarella cheese blend, or any combination of the above. You will need a total of 2½ cups shredded cheese. I like to shred my own cheese from the block as I find that it melts much better.
- Serve It Spicier: This Mexican corn dip has a nice level of heat to it without being overpowering. You can certainly add an additional 1 teaspoon of the Elote seasoning, you can use hot green chilies in the can or swap out the Colby-jack for the pepper-jack cheese. Any of these options will add more heat to this dip.
Recommended Tools
- 8×8 baking dish
- Cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
How to Make Mexican Street Corn Dip
- Cook The Veggies: Saute the onion, jalapeño pepper, corn, chilies, salt, and black pepper in oil until the vegetables are soft and most of the liquids have cooked out. Remove from the heat.
- Make The Cream Cheese Mixture: Soften the cream cheese by stirring it with a spoon or spatula. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice, Elote seasoning, and cooked vegetables to the softened cream cheese and stir to combine.
- Bake: Transfer the corn dip mixture into the casserole dish and top with the remaining Colby jack cheese. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
- Serve: Top with the cotija cheese, cilantro, and jalapeño pepper slices. Serve with chips and enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Dip Recipe
- This Mexican corn dip should be served while it is still hot from the oven.
- The Elote seasoning spice blend is most often found in the spice section of grocery stores. Trader Joe’s makes a great version that has a wonderful flavor. Like most spice blends, different brands will vary in taste, so you will want to choose a spice brand that you are familiar with, and that is of good quality.
- Before you seed and dice your jalapeño pepper, I like to slice off 3-4 thin circles to save as a garnish for serving. Once you cut off your slices, you can cut the pepper in half to remove the veins and seeds before chopping it into a fine dice.
- If you can not find the canned fire-roasted corn kernels, you can substitute with southwest-style corn or even a standard can of yellow corn kernels. Any of these options will taste great, but I love the flavor that the charred corn gives this dip.
How To Serve Mexican Street Corn Dip
- As an appetizer: Serve the dip with Fritos Scoops or Tostitos Scoops for a satisfying and crunchy pairing.
- Taco topping: Use the dip as a flavorful topping for tacos, adding a creamy and zesty element to your favorite fillings.
- Quesadilla filling: Spread the dip on tortillas and grill them until the cheese melts, creating a scrumptious quesadilla.
- Nacho extravaganza: Layer the dip on tortilla chips, then top with additional ingredients like black beans, tomatoes, and avocado for an ultimate loaded nacho experience.
Can I Make Corn Dip Ahead?
If you’d like to prepare this dip ahead of time, you can mix all the ingredients together, except for the shredded Colby jack cheese that goes on top. Store the mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
When ready to bake, transfer the mixture to the baking dish, top with the shredded cheese, and follow the baking instructions. Keep in mind that the dip may require an extra 5 minutes of baking time if it was refrigerated.
How to Store Mexican Street Corn Dip
- In the Fridge: Store any leftover Mexican Street Corn Dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or enjoy them cold.
- In the Freezer: This dip can be frozen, although the texture may slightly change upon thawing. To freeze, place the dip in a freezer-safe container, leaving some room for expansion. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw the dip in the refrigerator overnight before reheating or enjoying it cold.
- Reheating: To reheat the dip, place it in a microwave-safe dish and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring in between until warmed through. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until heated to your liking.
More Easy Dip Recipes
Other Easy Street Corn Recipes
- Elote Salad Recipe
- Mexican Street Corn
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Fritos Corn Salad
Mexican Corn Dip
Serves — 8
Mexican Street Corn Dip is a twist on classic street corn, served in a scoopable form. With cheesy goodness and a bubbly texture, it's perfect for fiestas!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ cup yellow onion small diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and fine diced (save a couple slices for garnish)
- 14.75 ounce can fire-roasted corn liquids drained (DelMonte brand)
- 4 ounce can mild green chilies
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounce block cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped, divided into 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice from ½ lime
- 2 teaspoons Elote seasoning blend
- ⅔ cups crumbled cotija cheese divided in half
- 8 ounce block Colby jack cheese shredded, divided into 1 cup and 1½ cups
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. You will need an 8×8 baking dish for this dip.
- In a medium skillet, on medium-high heat, add the canola oil, diced yellow onion, diced jalapeño pepper, fire-roasted corn, mild green chilies, salt, and black pepper. Saute for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and most of the liquids have cooked out. Remove from the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to soften it up so that it combines easier with the other ingredients.
- Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of the fresh chopped cilantro, lime juice, Elote seasoning blend, and the cooked vegetables to the softened cream cheese. Stir to fully combine all the ingredients.
- Add ⅓ of the crumbled cotija cheese and 1 cup of the shredded Colby-jack cheese and stir to combine.
- Transfer the corn dip mixture into the 8×8 casserole dish and smooth to an even layer. Top with the remaining 1½ cups shredded Colby jack cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the Mexican corn dip is bubbly and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the oven and top with the remaining ⅓ cup crumbled cotija cheese, 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and reserved jalapeño pepper slices as garnish.
Jenn’s Notes
Yields: 8 servings (4 cups)
Storage:
- To Store: Leftover Mexican corn dip can last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.
- This Mexican corn dip can be served with Fritos brand Scoops corn chips or Tostitos brand Scoops tortilla chips. Both taste great and are sturdy enough for this dip.
- Mexican cotija cheese is a semi-hard cheese that is very salty and crumbles easily. If you can’t find it, you can substitute queso-fresco cheese in its place. The queso-fresco is milder in flavor, but it crumbles like the cotija cheese and is most often the first choice as a substitute. Parmesan cheese is similar in saltiness to the cotija, so it is sometimes used as a substitute as well.
- The Elote seasoning spice blend is becoming more and more popular to find in the spice section of grocery stores. Trader Joe’s makes a great version that has wonderful flavor. Like most spice blends, different brands will vary in taste, so you will want to choose a spice brand that you are familiar with, and that is of good quality. You can make a spice blend of your own for this recipe by combining 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper. This will not be exactly like the Elote seasoning blend, but it will add great flavor to your Mexican corn dip.
- I love using Colby-jack cheese when making hot dips, or any casserole that calls for gooey-melty cheese topping. Use can substitute the Colby-jack for a cheddar-jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, cheddar-mozzarella cheese blend, or any combination of the above. You will need a total of 2½ cups shredded cheese. I like to shred my own cheese from the block as I find that it melts much better.
- This Mexican corn dip has a nice level of heat to it without being overpowering. You can certainly add an additional 1 teaspoon of the Elote seasoning, you can use hot green chilies in the can or swap out the Colby-jack for the pepper-jack cheese. Any of these options will add more heat to this dip.
- Before you seed and dice your jalapeño pepper, I like to slice off 3-4 thin circles to save as a garnish for serving. Once you cut off your slices, you can cut the pepper in half to remove the veins and seeds before chopping it into a fine dice.
- If you can not find the canned fire-roasted corn kernels, you can substitute with southwest-style corn or even a standard can of yellow corn kernels. Any of these options will taste great, but I love the flavor that the charred corn gives this dip.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 769mg | Potassium: 289mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 604IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 390mg | Iron: 1mg
