This spicy-sweet Street Corn Salad recipe balances the crunchiness of corn with soft, fresh Mexican cheese and tangy sour cream. Plenty of lime juice and cilantro add freshness and zing to pull together this easy side dish that rounds out taco night or pairs well with your favorite grilled dishes.
Why You’ll Love This Street Corn Salad Recipe
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: Mexican
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
This easy Mexican street corn salad recipe is for everyone who loves a little heat. It’s cheesy, spicy, and just slightly sweet with an intense explosion of flavor in every bite! It comes together in minutes, making it a versatile dish you’ll come back to again and again. Street corn salad is packed with contrasting flavors and textures including sweet and salty and crumbly with a bit of juicy crunch from the corn. I know you’ll love this salad as much as I do!
- Elote flavor in a salad. If you’ve ever enjoyed an elote – Mexican grilled corn that’s topped with mayonnaise, chile powder, lime, and Cotija cheese – you’ll recognize those familiar flavors tucked into this Mexican street corn salad.
- Gluten Free. This beautiful salad is naturally gluten free, meaning that you won’t have to worry about making any ingredient substitutions. I have given some dairy-free options lower down if you need them.
- Versatile. I love serving Mexican street corn salad alongside other Mexican-inspired dishes, but it also works great at potlucks and with barbecue favorites like burgers and hot dogs. You can serve it warm or at room temperature and even as a dip with tortilla chips – more points in its favor if you want to bring it to a party.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need to make this salad. Be sure to check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
- Canned Corn: I keep it easy and use drained, canned corn. Frozen corn also works well, or use in-season fresh corn.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter is fine.
- Sour Cream: If you prefer, use plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
- Lime Juice: I always use fresh citrus juice because you can taste the difference! However, if you need to, you can use bottled lime juice.
- Spices: A combination of chili powder and cayenne pepper adds a bit of heat. You can lower the amount of these spices if you don’t like a lot of spice.
- Salt and Pepper
- Scallions
- Cilantro: If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, feel free to omit it.
- Queso Fresco: This is a soft Mexican cheese that is wonderful in this salad. If you can’t get queso fresco, you can swap cotija cheese, feta cheese or goat cheese.
How To Make Mexican Street Corn Salad
See my photos below to give you an idea of how to make this salad. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Cook the corn in butter. Saute the corn with the butter until the butter melts.
- Add cheese. Stir in the sour cream, lime juice, chili powder, cayenne, and half of the queso fresco.
- Add scallions and cilantro. Remove from the heat and fold in the scallions and cilantro.
- Serve. Stir together, then sprinkle on the renaming queso fresco and garnish with additional cilantro to serve.
Tips & Variations
You can make a few simple substitutions to accommodate different ingredients or to make this street corn salad recipe suitable for those who are dairy-free.
Here are a few tips to help you:
- If you use fresh corn: You can use canned or frozen corn, which makes this a convenient, year-round dish. But, the texture of fresh corn can’t be beat! If you do want to make this salad with fresh corn, cook it a little longer than you would the canned corn, until it becomes tender.
- Substitute the sour cream: Traditional street corn salad is made with mayonnaise. I like the slightly tangy flavor that comes from using sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. But, you can use mayo instead, or try half-and-half.
- Make it dairy-free: Substitute dairy-free sour cream or yogurt for the sour cream, or use mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise. Use olive oil or your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter, and omit the cheese or add in non-dairy cheese crumbles.
Proper Storage
Here’s how to store and reheat any leftover salad:
- Fridge – Place leftover Mexican street corn salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat – Gently rewarm the salad in the microwave at 30-second increments until warm. Or, serve it at room temperature.
Make It A Meal
Mexican street corn salad can be served as a dip, as I mentioned above, or you can pair it with grilled meats, vegetarian entrees, Mexican dishes, and more! We love eating this salad all year round, but especially during summer when fresh corn on the cob is easy to find. See a few more suggestions below:
- On taco night. It’s the perfect side to all your favorites from Salsa Egg Tacos to Baked Chicken Tacos and more!
- With other Mexican-themed mains. Add a scoop of Mexican street corn salad to a plate of Easy Chicken Enchiladas or Ground Beef Taco Skillet.
- In a wrap. Make a batch of my Gluten Free Wraps and wrap up spoonfuls of street corn salad along with Instant Pot Pinto Beans for an easy and satisfying vegetarian lunch or with Crockpot Salsa Chicken if you need something meaty.
- Top a bowl. Whether you are making a meal of Crockpot Mexican Chicken Burrito Bowls or Ground Beef Burrito Bowls, a sprinkle of this corn as a topping adds more texture and flavor.
- As an appetizer. Serve it with a spread of Tex Mex apps like Cheesy Mexican Dip and Mango Avocado Salsa with plenty of chips.
- On a salad. You can dress up a bowl of greens with street corn, thick slices of ripe avocado, and some Avocado Lime Crema or a drizzle of Creamy Southwestern Dressing for tangy flavor.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
Street Corn Salad
This spicy-sweet Street Corn Salad recipe balances the crunchiness of corn with soft, fresh Mexican cheese and tangy sour cream, plus lime juice and cilantro.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 182kcal
Ingredients
- 2 15.25-ounce cans corn, drained or 4 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted)
- ¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup sliced scallions
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 10 ounces (about 2 cups) queso fresco, finely crumbled, divided
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn and butter, and saute until the butter has melted and the corn is hot.
- Reduce heat to medium, and stir in the sour cream or yogurt, lime juice, chili powder, cayenne, and half of the queso fresco until well incorporated. The queso fresco will turn a red-brown color – this is fine.
- Remove from the heat and fold in the scallions and cilantro. Sprinkle the renaming queso fresco on top, garnish with additional cilantro, if desired, and serve!
Notes
● You can use canned or frozen corn, which makes it a convenient, year-round dish. If you want to make it with fresh corn, you can do that too, but you’ll want to cook it a little longer till it becomes tender.
● I like the bit of tangy flavor from sour cream or the lighter option of plain Greek yogurt. But you can go more traditional with mayo, if you prefer. Or use half and half.
● Reduce the cayenne if this is too much spice for you.
● If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, feel free to omit it.
● Cotjia or even feta cheese can be used if you can’t find queso fresco.
● Can be served hot or at room temperature. You can even serve it with tortilla chips as a dip!
Nutrition
Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 382mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 874IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 284mg | Iron: 0.3mg