Easy Mexican Street Corn Dip (Hot & Cheesy Elote-Inspired Dip)
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This Mexican Street Corn Dip takes all the bold, creamy, cheesy flavors of traditional street corn (elote) and transforms them into a warm, irresistible party dip. It’s quick to make, perfect for game day or gatherings, and so good and yes, you might skip the chips and go straight in with a spoon.
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This is one of those recipes you’ll keep coming back to. For parties, for casual summer gatherings, for holidays – this dip will always always deliver. It’s a hot party dip that hits just right every single time – it’s warm, creamy, cheesy, velvety, and just so darn perfect.
What Is Mexican Corn Dip (Also Known as Street Corn Dip)?
Mexican street corn dip is a take on everyone’s favorited Mexican street corn (also known as elote in Spanish), taking grilled corn and slathering with mayonnaise or crema and sprinkling with chili powder and cotija. This is further transformed into the creamiest, dreamiest dip.
Why You’ll Love This Mexican Corn Dip
- Super short ingredient list. This dip requires just a handful of ingredients, most of which are pantry staples.
- Just the right amount of creaminess. We have the perfect scoopable abilities with a hint of tanginess and a bit of spice all around.
- Flexible recipe. This is a great recipe to use frozen, canned or roasted corn when in season.
- Best kind of party dip. Served hot or at room temperature, Mexican corn dip is a dip that will keep all the guests so happy.
- Mix it up. Add diced bell peppers for a pop of color, or use feta cheese or queso fresco instead.
Pro Tips for Making the Best Mexican street Corn Dip
- Make it lighter. For a more lighter dip, use plain Greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise.
- Add more heat. For more heat, leave the seeds and membranes of the jalapenos or add an additional jalapeno. Skip completely for mild flavor. And always avoid touching your eyes and nose when handling jalapeno peppers.
- Add garnishes. Garnishes are always optional but a fresh sprinkle of cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese or chili powder will certainly take your dip to the next level, adding more flavor, texture and contrast.
- Serve warm or room temperature. Even though this is best served warm, this is also such a crowd favorite when served at room temperature, perfect for tailgating and game day.
More Reader-Favorite Dip Recipes You’ll Love
- Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
- Crab Rangoon Dip
- Creamy Chorizo Queso Dip
- Beef Enchilada Dip
- French Onion Dip
Recommended Tools for Making Mexican Corn Dip
Large cast iron skillet
Mexican Corn Dip FAQ – Your Questions Answered
You can use plain Greek yogurt (a tad healthier) or sour cream in place of the mayonnaise.
Feta cheese and queso fresco are both great substitutes for the cotjia cheese, and can be found at most local grocery stores.
Absolutely! For mild flavors, skip the jalapenos and chili powder or substitute a can of mild diced green chiles.
Tortilla chips, pita bread, bagel crisps, or your favorite brand of crackers are all great choices for this favorited hot party dip.
We do not recommend freezing as it will separate when frozen.
Recipe Card – How to Make Mexican Street Corn Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cups corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons crumbled cotija cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- Add corn kernels and jalapeño, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and slightly charred, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in mayonnaise, cotija, cilantro, chili powder, garlic and lime juice.
- Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.
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I grew up on this and so have my children, I’m 1/2 Mexican. I serve it during bbq alot. Clean the corn, wrap it in foil & throw it on the pit. I always simply use Mayo, chili powder, lime and Parmasian shake cheese. Works for me.
Is it absolutely necessary to use unsalted butter? Could I use regular butter but less of it and it be okay?
No, it is not absolutely necessary. It’s just more convenient to use unsalted butter so that you can control the salt content in the dish.
If serving this dip for a party, would you recommend keeping it warm in the oven until it is time to be served or putting it in a crock pot? Would it still be good if it got to room temperature? I cannot wait to make this!!
This is really best when served immediately. Now I haven’t tried keeping it warm in a slow cooker but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I would just give it a good stir from time to time to prevent dryness.
it’s really good hot… warm… room temp… and cold. I love it all ways.
Stumbled across this recipe and threw it together since my husband came home earlier tonight with ‘oh I forgot, but I signed up to bring a corn dish to the work party tomorrow’. I didn’t read the ‘don’t make ahead of time’ part so fingers crossed it’s still good tomorrow. Only time will tell but it smells amazing, too full and tired to try it tonight.
hello! I am thinking of making this recipe to bring to a party, was just wondering how this turned out after letting it sit overnight?
Leftovers heat up very well!
So…. I’m pretty sure this recipe needs to be tripled if you plan to serve others! BEST THING EVER!!!! I think I will have the entire bowl gone before any else gets to taste it!
Hey hey! I cant wait to make this for an upcoming party! Is there anything else you might be able to recommend serving it with other than tortilla chips? I like people to have options when it comes to dippin’!
Pita chips would also be great!
So with the amount of ingredients you have listed here how many cans of corn would be good?
3-4 ears of corn would be equal to a can of corn.
Quick question…I have left over cooked ears of corn can I use that?
Yes, absolutely!
How about replacing with Gorgonzola cheese? I can’t find cotija
Gorgonzola may be too strong of a cheese for this dish. I recommend substituting feta cheese, which is a bit milder.
I think I’d like to saute some finely chopped red bell pepper and green bell pepper and add that to it. Garlic is definitely out (allergy), so the peppers would add a different taste that would still be excellent. Definitely chips–this would be far too much for me alone, so would be shared with the co’s; they’re usually hungry for something far better than hospital cafeteria “food.”
My daughter just made this as a side with burgers….absolutely delicious!! Only used half the jalapeno in case it was too hot, but probably could have used it all. You would never know there’s mayonnaise in it. I think if I didn’t have the cotija cheese, I would use ricotta insalata in its place. I think it’s milder than feta but also crumbly with great texture and taste. It can be found with all the different Italian wedges of cheese at your grocer. The five ears of corn yielded about 4-4 1/2 cups of corn. Can’t wait to make it again!
Do you have to wait for the corn and jalapeno to cool down before mixing in the other ingredients or is it better to do it while still hot?
I recommend mixing the ingredients while it is still hot. This helps allow the flavors to soak right in!
How long will this last? Can you make it the night before? I notice it says serve immediately, but I wasn’t sure if that was out of necessity or just because it was ready! Thanks!
This is best served immediately. I do not recommend making it the night before.
I am hosting an afternoon party, could I make this in the morning the day of the party?
You can certainly make it ahead of time but this dip is really best when served immediately.
I thought this dish was amazing cold, like a traditional mayo based salad, so I would say you’d be fine making it ahead. I’d cool the corn before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
I made this yesterday for my 40th birthday gathering. O M G this is so good! Never had this before, and I wish I even found it sooner! My picky son even enjoyed it! I will definitely make this frequently! Thank you Chungah!
Do you cut the kernels off when the corn is still raw? This looks amazing! Going to make it tonight.
Yes, you will cut the kernels off the uncooked corn.
oh. emme. gee. i made this tonight for my dad and me and we snarfed almost a whole batch at dinner. we go to mexico every year and love mexican corn, but have awlays had it on the cob on a stick. when i saw this recipe i had to try it. totally exceeded expectations and will FOR SURE make again!! thank you.
What about Miracle Whip?
Sorry for the repeat. I didn’t see that my first question posted :/
Yes, Miracle Whip should be fine.
EVERYTHING YOU POST…IS TOTALLY AMAZING! Thank you…and keep up the great work.
Mayo freaks me out. Is there anything I can substitute it with?
Mayonnaise is a core ingredient in this recipe. You can certainly substitute sour cream or Greek yogurt but I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish.
I ended up using mexican crema. I don’t know how different it ended up being from your recipe, but I thought it was totally delicious with good texture as a side or with chips. The only other thing I did different was sauté the garlic with the corn and jalapeños because I don’t like the bite of raw garlic. It was really amazing and delicious though. I love your recipes and pictures!
I love that this whips up so easily! I can find the cotija cheese in the dairy section of my of my grocery stores but I always have feta on hand so I’ll make one batch with the feta this week and another with the cotija next week. I can already smell the fresh flavors! I love your site!!