This Mexican Street Corn Salad is incredibly flavorful, easy to make, and a perfect side dish for you next cookout!
Healthy Mexican Street Corn Salad
This Mexican street corn salad, or esquites, is an absolutely delicious addition your next summer cookout.
Mexican street corn, or Elote, is grilled corn on the cob that is slathered with a creamy mayonnaise and then topped with lime juice, cilantro, chipotle powder, and crumbled cotija cheese.
If you love and enjoy Elote then you will love this Mexican street corn salad because it is essentially the same thing however, the corn is removed from the cob making it much easier to eat!
With a creamy, garlicky dressing, just the right amount of spice, and plenty of Cotija cheese this delicious salad is sure to be your new favorite.
More Delicious Corn Recipes
- Chicken and Corn Chowder
- Avocado Corn Salad
- Hearty Corn Chowder
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Taco Pasta Salad
Mexican Street Corn Salad Video
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Fresh Corn: The base of this recipe is perfectly ripe sweet corn. You can use yellow corn or white corn, either one will work perfectly fine.
Red Onion: Diced red onion helps to give this salad it’s delicious flavor. Be sure to dice the red onion well so that you do not have huge chunks of red onion in the salad.
Fresh Cotija Cheese: If you have never had Cotija cheese before, I know you will love it. Cotija is a Mexican cheese with a crumbly texture and a salty flavor.
Greek yogurt: This is used in the dressing. For the best flavor I recommend using full-fat plain, whole milk Greek yogurt for this recipe.
Mayonnaise: A little mayo helps to round out the flavor of the dressing. I like to use a mayonnaise made from a high quality avocado oil.
Garlic: All you need is one freshly minced clove to help add some delicious garlic flavor to the dressing.
Lime Juice and Zest: This recipe uses both lime juice and zest to really hit home that lime flavor.
Cilantro: Plenty of fresh chopped cilantro is used in the salad and for a garnish. Be sure to chop the leaves and stems of cilantro to ensure you get the most flavor from the herb.
Chipotle Powder: This helps to give the salad a little heat and an extra oomph of flavor.
How to Make this Mexican Street Corn Salad
Step One: First, add the grilled corn, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, and Cotija cheese to a mixing bowl.
Step Two: Next make the dressing. Add the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, fresh lime juice, chipotle powder, minced garlic, and lime zest to a separate bowl. Whisk everything together until well combined.
Step Three: Pour the dressing evenly over the corn salad ingredients.
Step Four: Stir until everything is well combined. Give the salad a taste and adjust the level of salt as needed. Garnish with extra Cotija cheese and fresh cilantro.
Ways to Serve
If you need some inspiration on how to serve or what to pair with your street corn salad, here are a few of my favorite dishes that will work perfectly!
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs
- Salmon Burrito Bowls
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- Roasted Chipotle Cauliflower Tacos
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen corn?
Yes! You can either use frozen corn on the cob or frozen corn kernels.
Frozen Corn on the Cob: Let the corn thaw before grilling to reduce the cooking time.
Frozen Corn Kernels: If you use frozen corn kernels you will need to let them thaw completely before using. You can either use the corn kernels as is or sauté them on high in a cast iron skillet for 1-2 minutes to char them a bit before using them in the salad. You will need roughly four and a half cups of frozen corn for this recipe. If you have any leftover corn then make this Hearty Corn Chowder!
Do I have to use mayonnaise?
If you would like to skip the mayonnaise in this recipe, you can replace it entirely with the same amount of Greek yogurt or sour cream.
What can I substitute for Greek yogurt?
If you would like, you can substitute the Greek yogurt in this dish for sour cream. If you are trying to make a dairy-free version of this dish, you can use your favorite dairy-free, plain, Greek yogurt substitute or replace the Greek yogurt with the same amount of more mayonnaise.
I cannot find Cotija cheese; what can I use instead?
If you cannot find Cotija cheese at your local grocery store, you can substitute it for feta cheese for a similar result.
Can I prep this salad in advance?
Yes! You can grill the corn and make the dressing in advance and then assemble the next day when you are ready to serve.
Tips and Tricks for the Best Results
- Does your red onion have too much “bite”? If your red onion is tasting or smelling a little strong you can dice it and then let it soak for a bit in a bowl of cool water. When you are ready to use the red onion, drain the water, and then add to the salad.
- Be sure to finely mince the garlic before adding it to the dressing to ensure that no one bites into a huge hunk of garlic.
- Add a little more heat with the addition of chopped fresh jalapeño if you like!
More Delicious Summer Salads
- Easy, Healthy Broccoli Salad
- The Best Healthy Homemade Coleslaw
- Grilled Vegetable and Rice Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Chipotle Potato Salad
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
I hope you give this Mexican Street Corn Salad a try! It’s so easy to make and has the best flavor.
If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings / #allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.
Print
Delicious Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: sides
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: sides
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 6 ears of grilled corn, kernels removed from cob (roughly 4 1/2 cups of corn)
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup crumbled Cotija cheese, plus more garnish
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoon full fat Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- zest of one lime
- salt, to taste
Method
- Add the grilled corn, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, and Cotija cheese to a mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, Greek yogurt, mayo, fresh lime juice, chipotle powder, and lime zest until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the corn salad.
- Stir until well combined. Salt to taste and garnish with extra cotija and cilantro.
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Casey Colodny / THE MINDFUL HAPA
