Mexican Street Corn Salad

Have you ever had Mexican Street Corn, also known as elote, sold by street vendors throughout Mexico? It is the thing dreams are made of. Corn kernels drenched in butter, cheese, lime, spices, and crema Mexicana, it is a finger-licking good time.

close up bowl of esquites in a blue serving bowl


 

This recipe takes traditional Mexican street corn and turns it into a simple salad form (esquites). Lime, Mexican cheese with avocado, red onions, and crema Mexicana, all with a fork. The only thing I don’t use is melted butter because it isn’t really needed with the creamy sauce.

What is Esquites?

A traditionally made esquites recipes is made with fresh corn sautéed in butter with onions and chiles then mixed with mayonnaise and topped with with lime juice, chili powder, hot sauce and salt.

My version combines the flavors and ingredients of elote with esquites, swapping mayo with crema and adding other salad-y fresh ingredients such as avocado, onion and cilantro.

straight on shot of elotes on a plate

Corn Salad Recipe

What would happen if you took all of the goodness of Mexican street corn and put it into a salad that required nothing more than a fork? Mexican Street Corn Salad, foodie friends!

Magic. That is what this recipe embodies. Now I could have kept it classic, but instead of sticking with the traditional Mexican street corn ingredients, I took the liberty of adding a few extras.

wooden spoon digging into a corn salad

Hello there, avocado, red onion, and hot sauce. All fabulously delicious with the flavors of elote.

This dish is bright, sweet, spicy, crunchy, tart, and herbaceous. It hits all the notes you are hoping to have it hit.

Ingredients & How To Make

This corn salad recipe comes together in a jiffy. It takes longer to chop than it does to combine and all of the ingredients are vestile in volume.

overhead of mexican street corn salad ingredients
  • Sweet Corn- The star of the show, you can’t really do with the corn, however the amount you use can be adjusted depending on how much you have. Leftover ears of corn works well, I prefer the nice dark char on grilled corn, but you can also use oven roasted corn, frozen corn or even canned corn. Make sure it is thawed and well drained to not add any liquid to the mix.
  • Lime juice– Try your best to use fresh lime juice. Citrus starts to lose flavor the moment you juice it, so the bottled stuff often isn’t as potent or uses artificial flavoring.
  • Avocado– Aim for a slightly hard avocado, one a little less ripe than you’d want to make guacamole. If the avocado is too ripe, the cubed pieces will just get mushy and fall apart.
  • Red onion– sweet, yellow or white also work. Green onions (scallions) are even an option.
  • Cheese– queso cotija or queso fresco are the best choices. Slightly hard and crumbly, they are also the most authentic. Feta cheese is a close third.
  • Crema Mexicana– Also known as Mexican sour cream or Mexican crema, it is a little thinner than the American counterpart. If you are using basic sour cream, thin it with 1 tablespoon of water, it should be pourable, but still thick. Grocery stores usually carry it near the sour cream or make your own crema mexicana. Creme fraiche is another food substitution. Another great alternative is plain Greek yogurt for the same tang, but less calories. This is also pretty thick and will need to be thinned with water.
  • Fresh Cilantro– We all know that cilantro is quite the divisive herb. Should you not know what your crowd’s preference is, you can always serve it on the side for guests to stir in as they see fit.
  • Coarse Kosher Salt– if you are using a finer salt variety, cut the volume in half.
  • Chile powder– traditional will add a little bite, but for a smoky version opt for chipotle or adobe chile powders. This can also be omitted for a mild salad.
  • Hot Sauce– I used Sriracha, which messes up the whole Mexican theme, but tastes absolutely AH-mazing! Should you want to do something more the same culinary vein, try one of the Cholula brand bottles.
pouring creamy lime dressing over fresh ingredients

Some folks also like to added minced bell peppers or use a premade creamy lime dressing instead of crema. Black beans or chopped jalapeno peppers are also added.

Instructions

  1. If you are using freshly grilled corn, using a sharp knife, cut all of the corn kernels off and discard the corn cobs.
  2. Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Aime for glass or plastic, as metal is reactive and this recipe contains a good amount of acid. It can easily take on a metallic taste after sitting.
tossing corn salad ingredients
  1. Toss well, but do not stir, this ensures the ingredients stay whole.
  2. Cover with fitted lid or plastic wrap, avoid aluminum foil here too, and chill until ready to serve. This salad is best served freshly made, but can be made up to 2 hours ahead of time.
angle view of Mexican street corn salad

What To Serve It With

And you don’t have to serve Mexican Street Corn Salad with Mexican inspired foods, it is the perfect side dish for nearly anything. Steak, homemade burgers, grilled chicken, salad and more. You can even mix it into a leafy green salad, burrito or quesadilla, atop nachos or over grilled shrimp.

Heck, whip up a batch the next time you have a backyard cookout potluck or block party and everyone will be dying to know what the recipe is; fresh flavors in a delicious salad.

corn salad on a wooden spoon

Make Ahead & Storage

You can make this salad ahead of time, but it does tend to get a little gummy so don’t make it too far in advance. Toss it before serving to revive the flavors. If it is chilled for too long, you may need additional salt.

Store, in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Unfortunately, Mexican corn salad doesn’t freeze well so enjoy it while it is fresh!

mexican street corn salad for pinterest

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close up of street corn salad recipe
overhead of esquites in a blue bowl

Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

4.43 from 7 votes
Traditional Mexican street corn is turned into the best Mexican Street Corn Salad ever! Lime, Mexican cheese with avocado, red onions and crema mexicana. 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cut the corn off cob and place in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the avocado, cheese, onion, crema, cilantro, lime juice, salt and chile powder. Toss well, be sure to not stir.
    ingredients for esquites salad
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss before serving and then garnish with additional cilantro and hot sauce of choice.
  • If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings!

Notes

If using another type of corn, aim for 5-6 cups of corn kernels. 

Nutrition

Calories: 170 kcal, Carbohydrates: 17 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 10 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 21 mg, Sodium: 555 mg, Potassium: 330 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 5 g, Vitamin A: 370 IU, Vitamin C: 9.2 mg, Calcium: 115 mg, Iron: 0.6 mg
Author: Chef Jessica Anne
Calories: 170
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: corn salad, mexican street corn
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Chef Jessica Anne Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and chef behind Savory Experiments. You might see her on the Emmy- nominated TV show Plate It! or on bookshelves as a cookbook author. Jessica is a Le Cordon Bleu certified recipe developer and regularly contributed to Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal, Mashed and more!

Read More About Jessica

4.43 from 7 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Questions and Reviews

    1. Hi Nan, thank you! And this is one of our favorites. An ear of corn has anywhere from 1/2-1 cup of kernels, so I would estimate about 3 cups of frozen would be good, just make sure it is thawed and drained well. If it is too watery, it won’t be as good.

  1. 4 stars
    Hi, looks wonderful, I love elote street corn, but you mention lime and I don’t see it in the recipe .. I can of course add it and serve portions with wedges of lime but how do you add yours and how much?! Thanks for sharing this great idea!

    1. Just lime wedges at the end, but I will certianly add that to be more apparent! Thanks for the feedback!

  2. Good lord girl, this is going to be devoured in my house. I’m a Mexican corn freak haha like I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Can’t wait to make this!