Mexican Street Corn Dip is a perfect appetizer for any potluck, back yard bbq, football party or Cinco de Mayo party thrown your way. Sweet roasted caramelized corn kernels are the foundation for this incredibly flavored treat.
I’ve been wanting to make this Mexican dip ever since I made Sweet Corn Soup with Roasted Corn Guacamole. Fresh corn off the cob roasted and toasted into bliss made such a wonderful base for that recipe, I knew it had to make an appearance more often in my kitchen.
Exactly What is Mexican Street Corn?
Mexican Street Corn is street food that is made by grilling corn on the cob and then smearing it with a mixture of mayonnaise, Mexican crema, Mexican crumbling cheese (Cotija for example), chile powder and lime. Ever had it? Its Mexican name is Elotes.
For this Mexican appetizer, I traded the grill for my oven for caramelizing the corn kernels to mix with the traditional ingredients used to make grilled Mexican corn.
Colorado Sweet Corn
In August, for the past forty years I’ve made the trip to Brighton, northeast of Denver, to purchase fresh vegetables grown around that area. A true Farmer’s Market, you literally are watching the workers bring bags of fresh produce from the field to the market tables. It simply doesn’t get any better and fresher than that.
And the Brighton area grows the best sweet corn available for purchase in Colorado. Some will argue that statement, hailing praises for Olathe Sweet Corn, which is a peaches and cream variety grown on the Western Slope of Colorado.
Of course Olathe sweet corn is very good, but the Silver Queen, Yellow Corn, and Peaches and Cream varieties grown here on the front range simply can’t be beat.
With that said, I purchase a bushel bag each year, we eat the corn on the cob fresh for the next few days, then remove the kernels from the cobs and freeze the rest. Just to keep us sweet all Winter long. And this Mexican Street Corn Dip is a perfect way to use that corn.
This Mexican Street Corn Dip recipe is absolutely scrumptious. Sweet corn is made even sweeter and more complex with flavor by roasting and caramelizing it on a sheet pan in the oven.
The rest is easy – peasy. Just add some of your favorite ingredients. Serve with corn chips, I like a mixture of blue and white corn chips here.
How To Make This Easy Mexican Street Corn Dip
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- You’ll need four cups of corn kernels. And lucky me, I’ve got a supply of fresh Colorado sweet corn in the freezer, but not to worry if you don’t. Just grab a bag of frozen corn next time you’re at the store. I like C&W Petite White and Golden Corn for this dip. It’s quality corn, and the two toned mixture makes for a nice presentation for this dip. I received no compensation to mention this product. I just happen to like it.
- In a large bowl, toss the corn kernels with two tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper. The corn doesn’t need to be thawed…unless you want to.
- Line a big sheet pan with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Distribute the corn evenly on the sheet pan.
- Place in the oven and set the timer for ten minutes. Every ten minutes, gently stir the corn. Cook for about thirty minutes, or until the corn is starting to turn golden in places. The length of time to cook will depend on whether you’ve thawed the corn kernels or not.
- Scrape the caramelized corn kernels into a large bowl and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, chile powder, Cotija cheese, lime juice, lime zest and cilantro.
- Please note that I’ve spelled the chile in chile powder with an “e” not an “i”. Use a pure chile powder such as Ancho or preferably a New Mexico variety rather than chili powder. Chili powder is a mix of spices made to season soups. Like my Award Winning Hatch Green Chili.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with blue and white or yellow corn chips.
Recipe for Mexican Corn Dip
The flavor of this dip is amazing. Sweet corn, tangy with lime juice, creamy with mayo and Mexican Crema, and salty with the Cotija cheese.
The crowning glory is the bite of heat from the jalapeno and the wonderful earthy heat from the New Mexico Chile Powder. It’s simply addicting.
I hope you give this Mexican Street Corn Dip recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if have recipes for corn appetizers, let me know, I’d love to hear your ideas.
More Mexican Dips and Appetizers
- BLT Spicy Guacamole
- Mexican Deviled Eggs with Chorizo
- Hatch Green Chile Dip
- Mexican Meatballs with Queso Blanco
- Chile Cheesecake
- Jalapeno Bacon Cheeseball
- Shrimp Guacamole Bites from Well Plated
And if you love those small bite party appetizers, don’t miss my Appetizer Category. You’ll find lots of fun ideas including the most popular appetizer recipe on my site for Pear and Blue Cheese Crostini.
This dip gets its addicting flavor from caramelized sweet corn, zesty lime, spicy jalapeno and creamy mayo and Mexican Crema. A sprinkle of chile powder brings an earthy note to the combo.
- 4 cups corn kernels frozen or kernels from about 5 ears of corn
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large jalapeno pepper top cut off, seeds and veins removed, and diced
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Mexican Crema or sour cream
- 1/2 cup Cotija Cheese crumbled, plus more for garnish
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon Chile Powder Ancho or New Mexico Red Chile powder
- lime zest from one lime
- 1 lime juiced
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place corn in a bowl. Add olive oil and salt and pepper and toss to coat. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Distribute corn on the sheet pan. Cook 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Cook until corn starts to turn golden.
Meanwhile in a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Once the corn is roasted and has cooled a bit, add the corn to this bowl and gently stir to combine flavors.
Adjust seasoning. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serve with a combination of blue and yellow corn tortilla chips.
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Holly says
October 25, 2019 at 3:14 pmLooks like the perfect way to enjoy fresh corn and it sounds like you’ll have supplies to last through the winter. I really like the sound of this corn dip!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
October 30, 2019 at 8:20 amLove Mexican street corn! The dish. And Colorado sweet corn, the corn itself. 🙂 This looks like a terrific looking recipe — thanks!
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
November 4, 2019 at 11:13 amNext year I’d love to come on this field trip! Corn is my favorite and this dip sounds sensational!