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This spicy Mexican Street Corn Dip incorporates all the flavors of street corn into the creamiest corn-filled dip. Sweet summertime corn, mixed with chili powder, cream cheese, and mayo and served up dip-style with grilled corn, spicy chili butter, and salty crumbled Mexican cotija cheese on top. It’s quick to make and totally delicious, especially with tortillas chips on the side for scooping. A quintessential summer appetizer.
Continuing on with our unofficial appetizer week we’ve got ultra yummy street corn dip! You guys, look at me go with these appetizers. Dips are something I never share. I don’t know why because this corn dip is so delicious! It really needs to be on re-make all summer long.
This is a recipe I made purely out of a want and desire. As usual, I was frantically trying to get recipes together for a couple of weeks of travel. I knew I wanted to share some fun appetizers for the 4th. But I was getting tired of the usual Caprese type of app and wanted something completely different.
With our trip to Mexico quickly approaching, we were all craving Mexican food. So I made this dip to get us all excited. Now that our destination has been revealed, it feels very fitting for me to share this! Yes, in case you missed my stories on Instagram, Mexico is the family’s summer vacation destination! I’ll share more details on Sunday, but I flew from NYC to Puerto Vallarta yesterday and met my family in Sayulita. I’m excited to be here for the next few days!
Ingredients
- Chili powder
- Smoked paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Corn
- Garlic
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Salted butter
- Olive oil mayo
- Fresh lime juice
- Crumbled cotija cheese
- Corn
- Fresh cilantro
However, this dip came to be long before I knew I was heading to Mexico. I was going to make my version of street corn, except that I wanted to make it into a dip! I love a good ear of grilled corn, but in my opinion, creamy dips are so much more fun. Especially when entertaining over the 4th.
This is the quintessential summertime dip and corn is the star!
Here are the details
The beauty of this dip is how quickly it comes together. It’s pretty simple, but there are a few steps that make my version of street corn dip a little more exciting. Or at least that’s what I like to think!
Everything starts with the spice mix. From what I’ve read about traditional street corn, or Elote, which is what it’s called in Mexico, it’s made by boiling corn with spices, then seasoning the warm corn with lime, mayo, and lots of chili powder. I took these flavors and put them into this dip.
For my spices, I used chili powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne. I wanted to add a little smokiness and a little more kick to the flavors. You will use the spice mix both in the dip and for topping.
Cook the corn with onions and garlic, then add a dash of the spice mix. Stir in cream cheese and sour cream for major creaminess and simply cook everything together until it’s warmed. Having the dip warm is key, so keep this over low heat or warm in a crockpot (on the low setting) until ready to serve.
Next, the butter. Melt some butter together with the spices. Do you not skip this. The butter really, really flavors the dip in a wonderfully delicious way.
Finally, I mix the mayo with lime juice and put the dip together.
Spoon the dip into a wide, shallow bowl. Then add the grilled corn and spoon over dollops of the mayo. The mayo melts into the dip, just like it melts over the warm corn kernels. Then swirl in the butter.
Finish with so much crumbled cotija cheese and fresh cilantro. If you can’t find cotija cheese, feta cheese can be a good substitute. Chips for scooping are a must!
I know this process may seem like a lot, but it actually comes together easily and quickly. Promise it will be so great for entertaining this summer!
And most importantly, this is just really good. The dip is so creamy with a spicy flavor, but not too much spiciness. And you can adjust the heat to your personal taste. The cheese and butter on top only make the dip even more delicious, really completing the dip experience.
This is one of those dips you’ll crave time and time again!
Looking for other Mexican-inspired recipes and summer corn recipes? Here are a few ideas:
8 Ingredient Cheesy Green Chile Chicken
Spicy Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Parmesan Corn Polenta
Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Chicken with Creamed Corn
Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad
Skillet Creamy Cajun Chicken Lazone with Herby Corn
Lastly, if you make this Mexican Street Corn Dip, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Mexican Street Corn Dip
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 282 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, to your taste
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups corn (3-4 raw)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- 1/3 cup olive oil mayo or use plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese
- 1 ear grilled corn, kernels removed from the cob
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- 1. Mix the spices. In a bowl, combine the chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and a pinch of salt. 2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add the corn, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the spice mix, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the corn is softened, 5 minutes. 3. Reduce the heat to low. Mix in the cream cheese until melted and creamy. Stir in the sour cream. Cook until warmed throughout. If desired, thin the dip with milk.4. In a separate skillet, melt the butter until golden. Mix in 3 teaspoons of the spice mix, plus a pinch of chili flakes and salt. Cook another minute, then remove from the heat. 5. Mix the mayo and lime juice with a pinch of salt. 6. Spoon the dip into a wide serving bowl. Top with grilled corn and drizzle the mayo and spicy butter over the corn. Sprinkle on the cheese and cilantro. Serve with lots of chips for scooping!
This post was originally published on June 29, 2022
Would queso fresco work instead of cotija? I want to make it for ladies happy hour tomorrow and I have a lot of queso fresco.
Absolutely! Would be delish! xT
Your recipes are fantastic and never fail me. This might be a new favourite – made this for a family birthday celebration and it was absolutely delicious and a HUGE hit! My only suggestion would be to double (or triple) the recipe, because our dish was practically licked clean in 20 minutes! 🙂
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT
Amazing, as usual!!!
Thank you Jerri!
Modified slightly to create a side dish, rather than a dip. Doubled the corn (used 2 freezer bags of mixed corn), and used a full 8oz of cream cheese. Kept most other things the same. It was good, but spicy, and we aren’t wimps when it comes to heat. Would still make again, but would add more cotija and probably more lime. Didn’t taste the mayo at all.
Thanks so much for trying out this dip! Glad you enjoyed it! xT
After adding 1 tsp of the spice mixture to the corn & onions and adding 3 tsp to the butter I still had so much spice mixture left over.
Am I missing a step?
Hey Celeste! Nope, that is correct! xT
What do you do with the leftover spice mix?
How can I remove the spicy heat and still have flavor?
Hi Nigelle! I would omit the cayenne pepper and use a little less chili powder if you’re wanting this dish to be less spicy! xT
Loved this. Took to a waterski show and got rave reviews. Fantastic.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! Happy to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
Hi
Is this supposed to be served warm or room temp… and how can I adapt this to make ahead and take to a house party.
I would recommend serving it warm, but can also be served room temp! You could serve in a crockpot or just go ahead and put it in whatever dish you plan on serving it in, and pop it in the microwave or oven to reheat! xT
A family favorite ❤️
Hi Kate,
Happy Monday!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and your review:)
Made this several times. Always get compliments and requests for recipe. Limes I bought had no juice so just grated lime peel and added a little water to thin out. Worked well.
Hi Susan,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was such a hit! Thanks so much for giving it a try!😎☀️ xT
Can you use frozen corn?
Hi Misty,
Sure, frozen corn would work well for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this dish! xx
Can I make this one night before?
Hi Shaily,
Sure, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this dish! xx
Can this be refrigerated and stored cold? Looks DELICIOUS!
Hi Hazel,
Yes, that would be just fine for you to do! Let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Made this to bring to a cookout at my in-laws and it was gobbled up! Soooo good! I did add a little cheddar to it and kept warm in my crockpot. Incredible recipe!
Hi Danielle,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and Happy Monday! xT
Wow!!! I agree with Judy – I should have tripled the recipe. SOO flavorful and Teighan you are absolutely spot on about the spicey butter- you knocked it out of the park with this one!
I did tone down the cayenne-our family are sissy-lips.
Never occurred to me to grill the corn on my gas range – thanks for the shortcut.
Hey Cindy,
Happy Sunday!!🍋☀️ I appreciate you trying this recipe out and your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! Thanks for your kind message:) xT