Name: Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter); 4 cups fresh or frozen corn (5 to 6 medium ears of corn, kernels removed); 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon sour cream (or Mexican crema); 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice; 1 teaspoon fresh lime zest; A pinch of ground cumin; Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; ¼ cup jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced; 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro; 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions; 1/3 cup crumbled Coijta (or feta cheese); A dusting of chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, or Tajin, to taste

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This Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites) is a flavorful side dish that’s easy to make with charred sweet corn kernels tossed in a chili-lime dressing that’s loaded with garlic, jalapeño pepper, green onions, fresh cilantro, and crumbled Coijta. Perfect for summer BBQs or your next taco night!

My husband and I can’t get enough of this Mexican street corn salad. It’s one of our favorite snacks to eat during the summer.

We love scooping it up with tortilla chips or simply using a spoon to eat it straight from the bowl. It’s fresh, tangy, and a little spicy.

This Mexican street corn salad is a scoopable version of elote, which is a popular street food where grilled or boiled corn on the cob is slathered with mayonnaise, Mexican creama, or butter. Then it’s dusted with salty coijta cheese, chili powder, and fresh lime juice.

Table of Contents

Mexican street corn salad ingredients

Olive oil or butter: Butter is traditionally used, but you can use olive oil to make it a little healthier if desired.

Corn: You can use fresh or frozen corn. You can either grill the corn on the cob, or cut the fresh corn kernels off and pan-fry them on the stovetop until they’re nicely charred on all sides.

Fresh tastes best, but frozen corn is convenient to use when fresh corn isn’t in season.

Garlic: I like to saute the garlic on the stovetop with the corn because I don’t like the taste of raw garlic.

Mayonnaise, sour cream, or Mexican crema: I like using a combination of mayonnaise and sour cream or Mexican crema in this salad. It adds a tangy and rich flavor. You can use all mayonnaise if you prefer.

Fresh lime juice and zest: This adds a bright and zesty flavor that helps cut through the richness of the mayo and sour cream.

Jalapeño pepper: This adds a slight kick of heat to the salad. You can leave the seeds in if you want it spicier.

Cilantro: This adds a fresh flavor to the salad.

Green onions: I like the mild taste of green onions in this salad. You can use red onions if you prefer.

Coijta or feta cheese: Coijta is a crumbly Mexican cow’s milk cheese that is salty and has an umami-rich flavor. It tastes similar to parmesan cheese and has the same texture as feta cheese.

If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, you can use crumbled feta cheese instead.

Seasoning: I use salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of cumin powder. To finish the salad, I use a dusting of chili powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika or Tajin. Choose the seasoning that you like best to dust on your salad.

How to make Mexican Street Corn Salad

Heat the olive oil or butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the corn kernels, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until the kernels are nicely browned and charred on all sides. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream or Mexican crema (if using), fresh lime juice, lime zest, a pinch of cumin powder, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.

Transfer the corn to a large bowl, along with the jalapeño pepper, cilantro, green onions, and the crumbled Coijta or feta cheese (if using). Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

Dust with either chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, or Tajin. Taste and add more salt or seasoning if needed.

To serve, sprinkle additional Coijta or feta cheese (if using) on top if desired. Enjoy warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

How to serve Mexican Street Corn Salad

This is a versatile dish that can be served as a side dish, appetizer, dip, or topping for tacos or burrito bowls.

As a side dish: Pairs well with BBQ food like grilled meats, burgers, Mexican feats, or my Mexican kale and quinoa salad.

As an appetizer or dip: Enjoy with tortilla chips or crisp pita chips.

Serve it with my homemade pico ge gallo, guacamole, or pineapple salsa.

As a topping for tacos or burrito bowls: It tastes delicious with chicken tacos, fish tacos, black bean tacos, shrimp tacos, or homemade burrito bowls.

Please let me know how you like this Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe in the comments below! Your feedback and review encourages me to keep creating new and yummy recipes. I hope you love this corn salad as much as I do.