mexican street corn dip

The Corn Dip That Disappears Before You Even Get a Chip In

Name: Best Mexican Street Corn Dip
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned); 4 oz cream cheese, softened; 3 tablespoons mayonnaise; 3 tablespoons sour cream; 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (plus more for topping); 1 small jalapeño, finely diced; 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (plus more for garnish); 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (plus more for garnish); Optional: jalapeño slices for topping

Charred corn, tangy lime and a cream cheese base that comes together in 15 minutes flat. This is your new party MVP.

Dowell CooksAugust 7, 20266 min read Print this post

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A bowl of warm street corn dip, cotija and cilantro scattered on top.

Char the corn, trust the fat, hit it with lime at the end. That's the whole trick.

Hey friends! If you need one appetizer that disappears the second it hits the table, this is it. Mexican street corn dip takes everything great about elote, the charred corn, the lime, the salty cheese, and turns it into something you scoop instead of gnaw off a cob. Fifteen minutes, one skillet, one bowl. That's the whole job.

Overhead view of Corn Kernels, Cream Cheese, Mayonnaise, Sour Cream, Cotija Cheese, JalapeñO, Red Onion and Garlic Powder arranged on a table — Corn, cream cheese, sour cream, cotija, jalapeño, red onion and lime laid out before mixing.

What you’ll need

Tools for this recipe.

Nothing fancy required. You probably already own everything on this list.

large skillet
mixing bowl
wooden spoon
cutting board
chef's knife
measuring spoons
measuring cups
serving bowl

Tortilla chips are the obvious call and I'm not going to talk you out of them, sturdy ones that won't snap under a big scoop. But this dip is rich enough to hold its own next to something crisp and cool, sliced cucumber, jicama sticks, or bell pepper strips cut through the richness the same way a squeeze of lime does. If you're building a whole spread, put it next to something lighter so the table doesn't feel like all fat and salt.

Searing corn kernels while preparing Best Mexican Street Corn Dip — Corn kernels charring in a hot dry skillet, left undisturbed.

Taste the dip before you add the lime juice, then taste again after. That one squeeze changes everything, it wakes up all the fat from the mayo and sour cream so the whole thing tastes brighter instead of heavy. If you're making it ahead, hold back the lime and cilantro until right before serving so they stay sharp instead of going dull in the fridge.

When I want more heat I'll leave the jalapeño seeds in, or throw a diced chipotle in adobo into the base for that smoky, deeper kick. In summer I'll swap plain corn for grilled corn straight off the cob, and around the holidays I've stirred in a little roasted red pepper for color and sweetness. It flexes with whatever mood or season you're cooking for.

That's the whole recipe, no fancy technique, just charred corn and a good creamy base that comes together while your chips are still in the bag. Make it for game day, make it for a random Tuesday, make it because you felt like it. Browse all recipes for more like this one.

The recipe

Best Mexican Street Corn Dip

Serves 415 minMexican

The Quarterly

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