Mexican Street Corn Dip

Imagine sitting poolside sipping on a cool beverage (highly recommend a pineapple margarita with this dip), watching kids splash around in the pool, and snacking on a flavorful dip made with fresh corn, cilantro, cotija, and more. When I served this dip to my husband, he said, “I closed my eyes and woke up in Tijuana!”

Mexican street corn dip is the party perfect dip and I just know it’s going to become a summer favorite of yours. Although, be sure to try the deli copycat Mexicali dip or warm cheesy jalapeño popper dip, too.

Mexican Street Corn Dip

Tastes like elote. This recipe is based on the popular street corn sold in Mexico called “elote”. Elote is grilled or roasted corn on the cob, slathered with mayo or Mexican crema and rolled in crumbled cotija cheese. It’s seasoned with salt, chili powder, and lime juice.

Easier to eat than elote. Mexican street corn dip has all the sunny flavors of Mexican corn-on-the-cob (elote) except without the mess of having to eat the corn off the cob, cheese falling off (THE WORST), and stuff getting stuck in your teeth.

Plus tortilla chips! And don’t forget, with a dip you get to enjoy tortilla chips, too. Always a good thing! (Did you know it’s so easy to make your own baked tortilla chips or air fryer tortilla chips?)

Ingredient Notes

• Corn: Fresh corn cut off the cob has the best flavor but drained canned corn or frozen corn are good substitutes if fresh corn isn’t in season. Corn is the main ingredient of this dip so use the best tasting corn you can find. If you like, char the corn lightly in a grill pan or on the grill for more authentic Mexican street corn flavor.
• Red Bell Pepper: Finely diced bell pepper adds color, flavor, and a nice crunch. Use whatever color bell pepper you like best.
• Canned Chopped Green Chiles: I like canned chopped green chiles and use them often. Try my green chile mac and cheese recipe!
• Cotija Cheese: If you’re not familiar with cotija cheese, it’s a Mexican variety that’s made from cows’ milk and has a crumbly texture and salty flavor, somewhat similar to feta cheese. Look for the aged cheese, not fresh.
• Fresh Cilantro: Use the leaves and small stems. It’s so good in this dip!
• Lime Juice: Squeeze your own, don’t be tempted to use bottled juice.
• Chili Powder: A blend of spices that usually includes salt. Buy your favorite brand.
• Green Onions: Provide plenty of fresh onion flavor without overpowering the dip.
• Mayonnaise: The base of this dip is mayonnaise. We tested the recipe using Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise, and a yogurt/mayo combination but the dip tends to get watery with yogurt.

How To Make Mexican Street Corn Dip

Make the dressing. In a large mixing bowl, blend together the mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, and salt.

Add remaining ingredients. Stir in the corn, green chiles, cheese, cilantro, red bell peppers, and green onions. Stir lightly until everything is mixed well.

Check seasoning. Taste the dip and add more salt or chili powder, if needed.

Serve. Spoon the dip into a serving dish and serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro and cotija cheese, if desired.

Recipe Variations

Make a salad. Add a scoop of Mexican street corn salad and a grilled chicken breast to shredded lettuce and you have an instant main course salad!

Add bacon. Why not stir crumbled cooked bacon into this dip? It’s easy to make a few strips of bacon when you make air fryer bacon.

Make a pasta salad instead. If you love Mexican street corn, you have to try this Mexican street corn pasta salad! It’s always a huge hit at picnics.

Rather have a warm dip? Try this cheesy baked corn casserole with bacon and jalapeño. It’s so creamy that it makes a wonderful dip even though it’s a casserole recipe.

Store leftover dip in the fridge in a covered container for up to three days. Stir before serving.

• In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, and salt.

  ⅓ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• Add corn, green chiles, cotija cheese, cilantro, bell pepper, green onion and stir until combined.

  3 cups corn kernels, 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles, ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese, ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves, ¼ cup finely diced red bell peppers, 2 green onions, minced

• Taste and season with additional salt and chili powder, as needed.

• Spoon into serving dish. Garnish with additional cotija, cilantro, and/or chili powder if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

• Corn options: If you like, you can char the fresh corn on the grill or in a grill pan before slicing it off the cob. You can also use canned or frozen corn. If using canned corn, drain 2 cans of corn (15 oz. each) well. If using frozen corn (one 16 oz. bag contains 3 cups), thaw overnight in the fridge before preparing the recipe.
• Make it a meal: Top chopped romaine lettuce with a scoop of corn dip and grilled chicken.
• Storage: Refrigerate corn dip in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Stir well before serving.
• Recipe retested and revised 2/2025.

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 136kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 422mg, Potassium: 130mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 302IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 57mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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