Mexican street corn salad adds a twist to a well-loved classic and popular street food. Loaded with freshly grilled corn on the cob, fresh vegetables and herbs, and a hint of lime, this salad is all tossed together a creamy and cheesy dressing that brings the authentic Mexican flavors home in every bite. It's the perfect salad to throw together for a light lunch, but filling enough to serve for dinner.
Why You’ll Love Mexican Street Corn Salad
- It’s fresh, creamy, and cheesy. This Mexican street corn salad satisfies all the cravings you could have -- from fresh to creamy to cheesy, it's got everything you could want.
- All the joys of Mexican street corn without the mess. Mexican street corn (elote) is an absolute pleasure to eat, but it can get messy. With this Mexican street corn salad, all the flavors and textures are there, but you can eat it with a fork or spoon, not on a stick = no mess. And if you’ve never had an elote, this is a great way to introduce yourself to it.
- An impressive crowd-pleasing salad. If you’ve ever been tasked with bringing a salad to a summer picnic potluck or BBQ, you know that there’s two ways it can go: a basic salad that barely gets touched or a stunning recipe that people can’t get enough of. You know which category this falls into.
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this delicious Mexican street corn salad, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):
- corn on the cob - I recommend grilling corn on the cob. For an easier and quicker substitute, thaw and drain 3 cups of frozen corn (or rinse and drain canned corn). Heat olive oil on a skillet over medium heat and cook the corn until it starts to char, about 3 minutes.
- cilantro
- green onions
- avocado
- jalapeño pepper
- cheese - I used Parmesan cheese, but you can use crumbled cotija cheese for the most authentic flavor. You can also substitute with crumbled feta cheese.
- Mexican crema - you can also substitute with sour cream.
- mayonnaise
- lime
- garlic
- paprika
- salt and pepper
- lime wedges - for serving.
This salad is also completely customizable. You can add in other vegetables that you have on hand. Some veggies that work really well in this salad are bell peppers and red onions.
How to Make the Best Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Grill the corn. Preheat the grill to high (or to 400 F). Place the corn on the grill and grill for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally until nicely charred and cooked through. (You can also roast the corn in the oven at 400 F for 25 minutes or cook in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. However, grilling yields a sweeter and creamier taste). Set aside on a plate and allow the corn to cool until cool enough to handle.
- Assemble the salad. Cut the corn off the cob and transfer the corn kernels to a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir everything together until well combined. Adjust lime juice and salt and pepper as necessary.
- Serve. Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- How to store: Mexican street corn salad is best served fresh. You can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- How to serve: Serve this salad alongside all my popular Mexican Recipes for a fiesta at home.
- How to make an elote salad bar: One of my favorite ways to serve this is by setting up an elote salad bar. Prepare the dressing (with crema, mayo, lime juice and zest, garlic, and seasonings) and set aside in one bowl. In another, mix the cilantro, green onions, avocado, and jalapeño. Finally, keep the grilled corn in a separate bowl. Now, everyone can make their own Mexican street corn salads how they like it!
More Corn Recipes
- Summer Corn Salad
- Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Garlic Butter Corn on the Cob
- Creamy Mexican Corn Soup
- Easy Cornbread Muffins
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Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Mexican street corn salad adds a twist to a classic street food, loaded with freshly grilled corn, a creamy cheesy dressing, and authentic flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 ears corn on the cob, husked
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ½ avocado, chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, diced
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (or cotija cheese), grated
- ½ cup Mexican crema (or sour cream)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- lime wedges (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high (or to 400 F). Place the corn on the grill and grill for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally until nicely charred and cooked through. (You can also roast the corn in the oven at 400 F for 25 minutes or cook in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. However, grilling yields a sweeter and creamier taste). Set aside on a plate and allow the corn to cool until cool enough to handle.
- Cut the corn off the cob and transfer the corn kernels to a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir everything together until well combined. Adjust lime juice, salt, and pepper as necessary, to taste.
- Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.
Notes
How to store: Mexican street corn salad is best served fresh. You can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
How to serve: Serve this salad alongside all my popular Mexican Recipes for a fiesta at home.
How to make an elote salad bar: One of my favorite ways to serve this is by setting up an elote salad bar. Prepare the dressing (with crema, mayo, lime juice and zest, garlic, and seasonings) and set aside in one bowl. In another, mix the cilantro, green onions, avocado, and jalapeño. Finally, keep the grilled corn in a separate bowl. Now, everyone can make their own Mexican street corn salads how they like it!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: Mexican
Kayla says
This recipe is AMAZING. and will certainly become a staple at our house.
However, the website was so hard to work with due to all of the ads: it kept jumping around the page loading new ads while I was trying to read the recipe. Really unfortunate and frustrating! But still leaving 5 stars because it’s super yummy and that’s the whole point 😂🙌🏼
Pat says
This is so darned good! I doubled the recipe and it had a bit too much dressing, I added everything to the dressing instead of putting the dressing on it. Next time I'll either add more grilled corn or cut back the mayo and sour cream by 1/4 cup each. I used my grill pan on top of the stove and it worked fine, too a little longer to cook but not an issue. Otherwise, super yummmy!!! Thanks for the recipe!!