This Mexican street corn salad is one of my all-time favorite summer sides. Fresh, bright, lightly creamy & spicy, it's easy to make and sure to please.
This Mexican street corn salad is my at-home version of all the elotes we ate in Austin. Creamy, tangy, and a bit spicy, it’s one of my favorite ways to showcase summer sweet corn. If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know that fresh corn is one of my all-time favorite foods. Crisp, juicy, and sweet, you just can’t beat it. Of course, I’ll always love it straight off the cob, but this Mexican corn salad takes it to a whole new level.
Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe Ingredients
If you’re not familiar with them, elotes are Mexican grilled corn topped with mayonnaise, hot sauce or chile powder, lime, and Cotija cheese. I used them as inspiration for this spicy, crisp, and creamy Mexican corn salad. It only has 1o ingredients, so each one adds something essential. Here’s what’s in it:
- Grilled corn is my starting point. It’s sweet, lightly charred, and juicy – delicious!
- Mayo gives the corn a lightly creamy coating.
- Lime juice and zest make it bright & zingy.
- Garlic & scallions add sharp, oniony accents.
- Cotija cheese dots it with tangy, salty pops of flavor. If you can’t find Cotija, use feta instead.
- Cilantro adds freshness.
- Smoked paprika underscores everything with a smoky depth of flavor. Chili powder works too!
- Jalapeño spices it up. Try pickled jalapeños for a fun variation!
- And sea salt ties it all together.
To make this salad, grill the corn on the cob and mix together the mayo, lime juice and zest, and garlic in a small bowl. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add them to a bowl along with the scallions, Cotija cheese, cilantro, smoked paprika, and jalapeño. Fold in the dressing, and it’s ready to go.
You can serve this Mexican street corn salad just after you make it, although I love it best after it chills for a bit. Consequently, it’s a great make-ahead option for cookouts and picnics!
Mexican Corn Salad Serving Suggestions
This salad is a great one for making ahead, so bring it to any cookout on your calendar. It’s excellent with classic picnic fare like veggie burgers, BBQ sandwiches, black bean burgers, or portobello burgers.
It would also be a good addition to a Mexican-themed dinner. Serve it with any of these recipes:
- Rainbow Veggie Fajitas
- Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas
- Grilled Avocado with Veggie Ceviche (Stuff the corn salad into the avocados instead of the ceviche!)
- Jamaican Jackfruit Vegan Tacos
- Avocado Sweet Potato Tacos
- Or any of these 11 best vegetarian taco recipes!
If you have leftovers, add them to a DIY burrito bowl with cilantro lime rice and dressing, guacamole, black beans, pico de gallo, and mango or tomatillo salsa. Don’t forget the margaritas to drink!
More Favorite Summer Salads
If you love this Mexican corn salad, try one of these summer salad recipes next:
- Best Broccoli Salad
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Rainbow Orzo Salad
- Asian Slaw
- Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad
- Or any of these 37 best salad recipes!
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Equipment
- Grill Pan (This one from Staub is great for grilling vegetables)
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh corn, husked
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 1½ tablespoons mayo, or vegan mayo
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- â…“ cup chopped scallions
- ¼ cup crumbled Cotija, or feta cheese
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, or chili powder
- 1 jalapeño pepper, diced*
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Brush the corn with olive oil and grill for 2 minutes per side, or until char marks form. Remove from grill and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the mayo, garlic, and lime zest and juice. Slice the kernels off the corn and add to the bowl along with the scallions. Stir to coat, then add the cheese, cilantro, smoked paprika, jalapeño, and salt. Season to taste and serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Notes
How long does this last in the fridge?
Hi Mary, up to about 4 days if you left the cilantro to add as you serve it.
Absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made it with canned corn, about 2 cups, and it still turned out great!
So glad you loved it, Erin!
My favorite! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. Delicious and fresh.
I’m so glad you love the recipe, Donna!
Skip the lime zest it makes it bitter not zingy.
Great recipe. Very easy and delicious. I substituted sour cream for the mayo.
This is my most requested and shared summer recipe! Everyone always loves it. I use both the smoked paprika and the chili powder and have occasionally added in a roasted poblano or two with the jalapeño. Just delicious!
Can this be made a day ahead of serving?
same question!
yes, but it’s better first day
Delicious recipe that was enjoyed by my Mexican family so much that it’s now requested at every get together. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Bianca, I’m so glad everyone loves it!
Too much lime! Had to add more mayo to compensate.
Made as written. Very good will double recipe when i make again. Used feta in place of cotija, and pickled canned jalapenos. Saved a trip to groc store. Still came out well.
I made the recipe just as it is written, and it was delicious. The lime really took it up a notch. I would definitely make this again. It’s going into my rotation. Awesome recipe.
Tasted great. looked great Thank you. Next time I’ll add some diced red pepper for colour
This was very tasty. Would be helpful to have a measured quantity for the lime juice. I did use all the juice from a small lime, but the dressing was initially very thin. I kept adding more mayo until it was a better consistency. Used feta since that was what I had, and it tasted fine. I left the cilantro on the side so people could add it if they wanted. Overall, it was enjoyed by my family.
Can you make this with frozen sweet corn? I love the original recipe but right now there is no fresh corn. I wondered if you roasted the frozen corn a bit before you mix it all together. Any thoughts?
I roast frozen corn in the oven, and it works wonderful for this recipe! You don’t need to thaw the corn. Place it on a baking sheet straight from the bag, with some olive oil and salt. Make sure its a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 425, stirring halfway through.
How much frozen corn would you use for roasting in the oven instead of four ears on the cob?
a 160z bag works
a 16 oz bag works.
You absolutely can use frozen corn. Just do a quick fry in some oil in a cast iron pan!
I’ve used canned corn and frozen corn that I briefly boiled and it turned out great! I used about 2-3 cups.
Great recipe! Need the lime for freshness and to cut the creaminess of the mayo. Added more smoked paprika and a hint of cayenne to off set the sweetness of the corn.
The amount of lime was a lot. I really love lime but I’d still recommend skipping the zest and starting with a wedge of juice and taste testing till satisfied.
Can you make this a day in advance?
I made it last year but day of. Everyone lived it! Delicious!!!!
Loooove this! Made for 25! Used pickled jalapeño!
Hi Holly. I am wanting to make mine for a huge crowd too. Did you use corn on the cob or did you by chance try it with frozen corn?
Hi Holly. I am wanting to make mine for a huge crowd too. What kind of corn did you use?
I sautéed home frozen corn until some pieces were brown. Probably not as good but I had two people ask me for the recipe- so it must have been ok.