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
Hello. I’m am so looking forward to tryint this, but first I’d like to ask a quick question. Grilling is not that convenient for me. Can the corn be cooked in the stove or in an air fryer instead?? THanks in advance.
Hi Kim, I would cook it in a cast iron pan (or grill pan) on the stove. It would also be fine just boiled: https://www.loveandlemons.com/how-long-to-boil-corn-on-the-cob/
I just used a frozen bag of fire roasted corn I found at Whole Foods for this, and it worked perfectly.
Hi, I found your cilantro lime dressing and wondered what you thought of using that instead with a variation of you grilled corn salad below adding halved cherry tomatoes to your scallions, feta, and roasted jalapeno? They just sound like a perfect combo for a side dish for a Mexican themed party I’m going to this weekend. BTW, I sooo appreciate all your delicious recipes and posts! Thank you. 🙂
I think that combination sounds delicious!
It was a hit! Thank you.
How long is this good in the fridge for? Hoping to make this for lunch for a couple days, if you think it’ll stay good for 2 ish days after preparing?
Hi Karley – yep, it’s great for at least 3 days in the fridge
This was a HUGE hit! Served with smoked pork butt.I added extra jalepeno (seeded) but otherwise followed the recipe using grilled corn on the cob.This stay on the side dish rotation!
This is absolutely delicious. I used ears of corn that had been in my fridge for several days, and it was still amazing. I will be making this again, every year when corn is in season. The flavors are fabulous.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Everyone loved it! Do you think I can still use it after two days in the fridge?
yep!
This dish was the hit of my in-office party and honestly I wish I had doubled the recipe. It’s so delicious and I’ll be making it again – probably for a labor day party we’re hosting and I’ll at least double it.
Thank you!
I’m so glad it was such a hit!
We all loved this corn salad. It is going to be my new go to recipe for cookouts!! Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Gets better the longer it sits in the fridge.
I’m so glad you loved it!
This is one of the best variations of Elote that I have found! I have made it for several gatherings and everyone loved it. Because the heat of Jalapenos vary you might start with 1/2 of one and taste.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this to accompany chicken fajita kebabs and avocado crema. It was great and everyone loved it!
Has anyone ever tried it with tomatoes?
Thank you!!
Hi Tina, I’m so glad you loved the salad! We haven’t tried it with tomatoes, but I think they’d be a great addition.
This is one of those dishes where you don’t taste individual ingredients, you just taste something delicious! I can’t handle cilantro so I used some fresh basil as my herb. Perfect use for leftover corn on the cob too. Thanks, this will be a regular summer side for us!
This is an excellent dish. I make this for a dinner group. Everyone loves it. It’s easy and so good. Thank you.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
I made a personal size serving with just one cob of corn, i heated up cast iron with a little left over bacon grease, cut the corn off the cob, and blackened the corn that way. After that followed the recipe, using 1/4 of the amount, it was a perfect side dish to my left over steak and baked potato!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So easy to make, and was delicious.
I’m so glad you loved it!
This was wonderful! We added 3/4 cup of green salsa for heat.
Good recipe. I doubled and substituted with red onions and oregano. I also added some red pepper. Lots of options.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely delicious! I used Trader Joes fire roasted corn that I thawed in a colander. Did not cook it at all, just thawed and mixed with remaining ingredients. Also used Trader Joe’s Everything but the Elote seasoning in it!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’ve been wondering how that Everything but the Elote seasoning is, thanks for sharing!
Excellent! Served at a summer BBQ and they practically licked their plates.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Loved it, perfect compliment to tacos
I’m so glad you loved it!
Delicious recipe, will definitely make again!
Never heard of this before but I’ve absolutely got to try it