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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
Can these ingredients be put together ahead of time and then baked instead of made on the stovetop?
Hi Suzanne,
Sure, that should be okay for you to do! I hope you love this recipe! xx
I’ve made this multiple times and my friends always rave about it and ask for the recipe!
Hey Renae,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you! I appreciate you making it and your feedback! xx
I made this for a party last night and it was a huge hit amongst all! My husband even said that this is going to be a new staple each year for the Superbowl.
Hey Abigail,
Thank you so much! I am thrilled to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you! Thanks for giving it a try!
I made this dip for a birthday party last year. Just finished making it for the same party this year. A definite hit!
Hi Kathi,
Wonderful! So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Sunday! xx
We usually love Tieghans HBH recipes. I made this for a derby party and followed the directions exactly. It was good, but by no means great. Especially for the amount of cream cheese, sour cream, Cotija, and butter, which didn’t add anything in our opinion.
Didn’t get any compliments and we brought more than half back home. Id pick a different elotes dip recipe.
Hi Damon,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
Hello there! If I want to make this ahead of time and travel and reheat it at my destination, how do you recommend I reheat please? Or does it even need to be reheated?
Hi Gretchen,
You could reheat on low in the oven or just serve at room temp:) I hope you love this recipe! xx
Making for a dinner party. Can the whole thing be done ahead and reheated?
Hi Mary,
Yes, that will work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
A winner with friends. I switched half the cream cheese with queso, but have done it with just cream cheese too and both options worked great. Fresh corn wasn’t available so I used canned fire roasted corn and that was a great time saver. Love all your recipes Tieghan! Gifted a bunch of my cooking friends your Every Day cookbook and I get messages every week how much they love it.
Hey Tanya,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a winner!! Thanks so much for your kind message:) xx
Under ingredients it says 2 cups corn(3-4raw), what does the 3-4 raw mean?
Hi Dan,
Not cooked, straight off the cob, usually 2 cups of kernels equals 3-4 cobs of corn:) I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Question: Has anyone ever made this in the crockpot? I’m teaching a Crockpot Cooking class of 6-12th graders and would like to add an appetizer – I know you mentioned keeping it warm in a crockpot but wondered about cooking the whole thing that way? Thanks!
Hi Jen,
So sorry, I have never tried, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I had a lot of spice mixture left over… trying to figure out what I did wrong. Because 1 tbsp is equal to 3 tsp so you only use a little more than that for the recipe. Making this for a pot luck. Little nervous should have tried it before signing up to bring it.
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for trying this recipe! You can save the leftover spice mixture for the next time you make this dip:) xx
I don’t know what else to say except that I wish I could eat this dip every waking hour of my life. I am a habitual internet recipe maker – I have never stopped to review anything I’ve made before. Who has time for that, really?
But THIS dip?! It can have all my time and half of my income. Please make it for your next gathering… Or even if you’re planning on watching Netflix by yourself. You won’t regret it.
Lol thank you so much, Danielle! So glad to hear this recipe is always enjoyed:) I appreciate you making it so often! xx
I love Mexican corn dip, and am making this after using a friend’s recipe for a few years but lost it (don’t know her source). Anyway, I’m trying heating it in the oven for a bit to get bubbly and mixing some cheese into the batch beforehand so it can melt. Hoping that the mayo and spiced butter like a bit of baking – we’ll see!
One last question – I thought that I had measured correctly, but I had a lot of spice mix left, so am just mixing it in as well and saving some to sprinkle on the top as I didn’t see a mention of what to do with it.
Hey Julia,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks for choosing to make this recipe and your comment!! I hope you love it. Yes, you can save the spice mix for another time:) xx
Can you use canned corn if don’t have fresh? Love ALL your recipes. Family and friends love them too!
Thanks so much, Olga! Yes, that would be just fine for you to do. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
I made it today for my granddaughter’s birthday using the canned corn. She loves Mexican food. Doubled the recipe. Made the corn up to the cream cheese /sour cream stage and the browned butter/spice earlier in the morning and then heated both up and assembled with other ingredients when time to serve. Everyone loved it. Also made your queso fundido with tequila. Big hit too. Thank you.
Aww, love to hear this, Olga! Thanks so much for choosing to make this recipe and your feedback! Happy Birthday to your granddaughter! xx
Any tips for ways to roast corn in an electric oven or air fryer? The charred corn looks so good as a topping but I don’t have a bbq or gas stove.
Hi Nixie,
I was would char it on a skillet on the stove top. I hope this helps, please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx