Mexican Street Corn Dip

This hot, flavorful, creamy, and oh so delicious Mexican Street Corn Dip recipe, or Elote dip, is one you will be making on repeat for parties, tailgating, game day, and more. It is super easy to make, loaded with great flavor, and a real crowd pleaser.

Serve with Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos and Easy Guacamole for a great meal.

If you have never tried Elote before, you need to get on it. I love Mexican Street Corn, and even use the flavor profile for this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad. But this is a fun variation on it, where you get all the flavors of that delicious roasted corn, with the mayo, the Mexican cheeses, a little spice, and oh so much creaminess, but in an easier to eat dip form. Serve it with corn chips or tortilla chips for a seriously yummy dip.

Mexican Street Corn Dip is a crave worthy dip that is almost as easy to throw together as a stir and serve dip like this Everything But the Bagel Dip, but offers warm, gooey, creamy, comforting deliciousness with minimal effort.

What You Need to Make Elote Dip or Mexican Street Corn Dip

This dip is so eazy peazy and the ingredients are easy to find, most basic grocery stores will have what you need, and you won’t need to visit any kind of specialty food store. If you can’t find the Mexican cheeses like the queso fresca or the Cotija, you can sub for mozzarella, feta, or parmesan.

Unsalted butter
Corn kernels frozen, canned or roasted: I like frozen.
Jalapeño seeded and diced: Pick a fresh one, and wear gloves to seed it and dice it to protect your skin from the capsicum oil.
Mayonnaise: Use your favorite kind!
Crumbled cotija cheese and queso fresca: This is usually found in the cheese section of the grocery store, or the Fresh Mexican section.
Fresh cilantro leaves
Chili powder
Minced garlic: Fresh or from the jar is fine for this dip
Lime: for juice and zest
Mozzarella: An optional ingredient that really adds a lot of flavor and fun to this dip.

How to Make Mexican Street Corn Dip

This recipe is really simple to make, you just char your corn, mix everything together, pour into a serving/baking dish, top with cheese, broil to melt, then serve with your favorite dippers. Let’s get into the details of it.

Step One: Preheat Oven to Broil on High

Preheat oven to broil on high (550 degrees F). If you would rather have a cold dip than a hot corn dip, you can skip this step.

Step Two: Char Corn and Jalapeños

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Then add frozen corn kernels and a diced and de-seeded jalapeño, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is cooked through and slightly charred, about 8-10 minutes.

Look for the golden char on the kernels for the best results. This will not only mean they are heated through, but will enhance the flavor.

Step Three: Put in Baking Dish

Remove the corn from the heat, and remove from the skillet into a baking or serving dish. It is ok to leave it in the skillet if it is ovenproof and big enough for the whole dip. Up to you!

Step Four: Mix the Rest In.

Stir in mayonnaise, cotija, cilantro, chili powder, garlic and lime juice to the corn mixture in the serving dish, until it is well combined. You can either serve it at this point with chips, or move to the next step to make it cheesier, creamier, and warmer!

Step Five: Top and Broil

Top with queso fresca and mozzarella, and broil until golden and bubbly.

Step Six: Garnish and Enjoy

Garnish with additional cilantro, and cotija, and lime zest. Serve with corn chips or tortilla chips.

Serve With

This recipe is the perfect addition to a party spread, or for a dinner, especially on taco Tuesday. I love pairing it with:

Tips and Tricks

Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy, but to make it perfect here are a few tips and things to consider…

Tip One: Char the Corn Well I love using cast iron for this, I find it has the best results, but it will work in any skillet. The golden char on the corn adds so much flavor and really gives it that elote flair!
Tip Two: Add extra mayo as needed. Sometimes I want this dip a little creamier, so I add some mayo, and other times the corn has more liquid and it isn’t needed. But feel free to adjust to achieve the creaminess you desire.
Tip Three: Garnish. Garnishing is where it is add. Extra cheese, lime zest, cilantro all adds color and flavor, making this the yummiest dip. Don’t skip that part.
Tip Four: Hot is Better. Okay, this one is just my opinion, but I love the added cheese on top and broiled, it makes this hot corn dip just that much better, and such a crowd pleaser. But if you are in a pinch for time, don’t have oven space, or want to prep ahead and serve cold, it works either way!

Make Ahead and Storage

How to make this recipe ahead of time:

This recipe is so easy to make ahead because it can sit covered in the refrigerator for 3-5 days without a problem. I suggest prepping it to the point of broiling, then before serving, pop it in the broiler. Leave it in for a few extra minutes to heat it all the way through.

Or you can skip the topping and serve it cold, making it easy to prep a few days ahead.

However, keep in mind this dip is excellent fresh, and does not take long to make, so day of is awesome.

To store:

Put in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

This dip does not freeze well.

Variations

There are several variations on this dip, like you can make a Mexican Street Corn Dip with cream cheese. However, I have found for the most authentic flavors, this is the way to go!

Feel free to mix it up, add shredded chicken, additional spices, double the sauce mixture, etc. to your preference.

Other Great Recipes:

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