A crowd pleasing appetizer, this Elote Dip recipe (Mexican street corn dip) comes together in about 20 minutes. It highlights flavors of Mexican street corn, creamy, salty and sweet, in a sharable appetizer form! Elote Dip features grilled sweet corn, zesty lime juice, spices, a creamy sour cream base and seasonings finished with cotija cheese and fresh cilantro. Share with tortilla chips for a tasty appetizer.
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A Summer Elote Dip for Sharing
Elote is Spanish for corn. However, elote is also known as Mexican street corn, a popular recipe made of charred or grilled corn on the cob slathered in a creamy, tangy mixture with spices and cheese. As a satisfying dip, or side, this elote appetizer recipe is shared off the cob with tortilla chips, an ideal vehicle for scooping up this creamy, spicy, sweet and salty dip. And, it’s absolutely delicious!
Summer is peak season for sweet corn, so it’s a perfect time fire up the grill (or stove), shuck some corn and make this elote recipe. Mexican food is a food group as far as I’m concerned and when it’s this easy, why not?
This Recipe Is:
- Salty, Spicy, Sweet
- Grilled or Pan Charred
- Share Warm or Chilled
- Appetizer or Side
If you’re a fan of Mexican Corn Salsa, you’re going to flip for this tasty summer appetizer!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Fresh Corn – authentic elote is made with field corn which is chewier, and not as sweet as what we’re used to here in the US (Rick Bayless). For this recipe, we’re using sweet corn which is widely available and, well, it’s just SO good with the spicy, salty flavors of classic elote. Look for fresh corn with the husks on.
- Mayonnaise – use your favorite here, I like Vegenaise.
- Sour Cream – adds a bit of tang to this Elote corn dip. Creme fraiche, yogurt or more mayo may be subbed.
- Fresh Lime Juice – for best flavor, use fresh squeezed lime juice.
- Pickled Jalapeños – just a few pepper rings offer a hint of background spice that’s not overwhelming. You can use fresh if preferred.
- Garlic – use fresh minced garlic here for a bit of spice and pungent flavor.
- Spices – spices balance the sweet corn, tangy lime juice and sour cream. I include ancho chili powder, cumin and smoky paprika. Plain chili powder may be subbed for ancho.
- Crumbled Cotija Cheese – adds a salty, milky flavor to this elote appetizer. Because it’s salty, you’ll notice their’s no added salt in the recipe, so salt to taste. Look for cotija in the specialty cheese section of your local grocery store.
- Fresh Cilantro – chopped fine, this herb adds freshness and authentic flavor.
Quick Guide: How to Make Elote Dip (Mexican Street Corn Dip)
Grilling corn on the cob is a simple way to achieve a smoky flavor that brings out the best in sweet corn. In summary, here’s how to make elote dip on the grill (see recipe card for details):
- First, clean and oil your grill with a high heat oil like avocado or high quality olive oil. Preheat your grill to the highest setting.
- Second, place shucked corn cobs on the hot grill and turn as needed as each side is lightly charred.
- Third, meanwhile make the creamy dressing: mix the mayo, sour cream, garlic, jalapeños, spices, lime juice and cheese in a large mixing bowl.
- Next, allow the corn to cool until it can be safely handled, then slice off the corn kernels.
- Last, mix the warm corn with the creamy cheese mixture and share warm or chilled with tortilla chips.
For best flavor and texture, use fresh, in season sweet corn. Look for white queen corn or other sweet corn that’s firm with bright green tightly wrapped husks.
Ingredient Substitutions and Variations
There’s several ways to customize this recipe depending on dietary preference, taste and what you may have in the larder. Here are some ideas to customize your Elote Corn Dip:
Cotija Cheese – It’s not a cheese I use often, but it freezes with ease, so I keep on hand in the freezer. You can use leftover cheese on Black Bean Sweet Potato Tacos and Black Bean Tostadas with Fajita Veggies. If you’re not able to find it or prefer a substitute, try:
- Queso Fresco – similar to cotija and often used interchangeably in elote recipes, it’s softer and has a milder flavor than cotija.
- Feta Cheese – a salty cheese and softer than cotija and queso fresco, but the flavor profile is similar.
- Parmesan Cheese – use grated Parmesan and a bit less of it as it’s salty.
Make it Spicier – if you love a little more spice in your elote dip, add a teaspoon more of chopped pickled jalapeños or add to taste.
Make it Dairy Free – For a vegan version, try vegan Parmesan or Feta cheese, and sub either vegan sour cream or use all vegan mayonnaise.
No Grill – you can use a skillet to achieve a similar charred corn result.
- cut the corn kernels off the cob and gently pan fry in a bit of oil over medium high heat, allowing the corn to set before stirring so that it has time to char on one side, about 2 minutes. Toss, then continue cooking until the kernels are lightly charred, or about 8-10 minutes total. Stir the kernels into the creamy ingredients.
What to Serve with Elote Dip
Mexican street corn dip is versatile and goes with just about any summer food fare. Here are some ideas to get you going:
- Main Dishes: This zesty appetizer goes with all things BBQ. Try my BBQ Tofu Kebabs or Grilled BBQ Cauliflower Bowls. Elote dip is also delicious, shared as a side salad (saladita) with Artichoke Chickpea ‘Vegan’ Crab Cakes.
- Dinner Salads: If going for a no-cook dinner salad, Mexican corn dip is ideal for sharing as a side dip with these hearty vegetarian dinner salads:
Expert Tips
- Make Ahead – you can make Elote Dip up to two days ahead. Store it in the fridge, covered. Rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving so the fats soften.
- Warm or Chilled – delicious shared warm, cool the cobs slightly, then slice the corn kernels off the cob. Stir the kernels with the creamy dressing, salt to taste and share. You can also serve the dip chilled, just give it about 30 minutes at room temperature before sharing so the fats have time to soften.
- Freezer Friendly? I don’t recommend it. The corn just didn’t have an acceptable texture.
Pro Tip: to remove niblets from the cob, stand cob on end in a pie plate and slice down the cob, allowing the cob to guide your knife for cutting the kernels off the cob. The pie plate catches the corn kernels making clean up a snap!
More Recipes with Corn to Make
- Creamy Corn, Zucchini and Poblano Tacos
- Black Eyed Pea Salad
- Healthy Tortilla Soup
- Quinoa Enchilada Bake with Black Beans
Easy Elote Dip (Mexican Street Corn Dip)
Ingredients
- 6 Ears of Sweet Corn small to medium in size, shucked, silk removed
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) Mayonnaise I use Vegenaise
- 1/4 cup (80 grams) Sour Cream
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Fresh Lime Juice about 1 1/2 juicy limes
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Pickled Jalapeño Rings chopped fine, adjust more or less to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder or Chili Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Smoky Paprika
- 1/2 cup (70 grams) Cotija Cheese crumbled *see notes
- 1/3 cup (10 grams) Fresh Cilantro chopped fine
Instructions
Grill the Corn:
- Prepare the grill by oiling the grates with a high heat oil like avocado oil. Turn the grill on to preheat on highest setting and preheat for about five minutes. Now's a good time to whip up the dressing (see below).
- Place the corn on the grill and allow the kernels to char, rotating every few minutes as needed until all sides are lightly charred, about 8-15 minutes. Grills vary in their heat, so keep an eye on the charring.
- When the corn cobs are just cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off the cob.
Make the Creamy Dressing:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the mayo, sour cream, lime juice, garlic, jalapeños, chili powder, black pepper, cumin, paprika, and cheese in a large mixing bowl.
Make the Dip:
- Into the mixing bowl with the dressing, add the corn kernels and cilantro. Stir throughly so that all the kernels are covered with a bit of dressing. Taste for salt adjustment – note there's no added salt in this recipe due to the addition of salty cheese *see note.
- Share warm or chilled with tortilla chips. If serving after being refrigerated, allow dip to set at room temperature for about 30 minutes so that the fats soften.
- Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
This Elote Dip was delicious. I had feta cheese on hand, so I used that. I also had Mexican Crema on hand, so I used it instead of Sour Cream.
Hi Victoria! Hooray for a tasty dip. Thank you for sharing your tips and five star rating!
Can’t wait to make this for our next summer party Traci! We’ve got some beautiful Jersey corn heading our way sometime soon, so I’ll be sure to grab a few ears for this recipe!