Mexican Street Corn Salad • Elotes Made into a Salad {Video} • Two Purple Figs

Mexican Street Corn Salad has all the flavors of Elotes, but turned into a scoop-able salad you won’t get enough of! Grilled smoky corn, creamy lime mayo, jalapeño, cilantro and avocados are the heroes of this salad. You’ll soon make this your go to salad all summer long for BBQ, tacos and more!

Who can resist seasonal and sweet corn recipe all summer long? There’s no salad we love more than this Mexican Street corn salad. It has the charred grilled corn flavor, the jalapeño kick, some red onions, avocado and cilantro.

While you can dress this simple like our Corn And Tomato Salad with lime and olive oil, we love it creamy. Similar to our Taco Salad. A creamy dressing sometimes is EVERYTHING!

Today we have grilled the corn for this corn salad recipe, but you don’t have to. Here’s a tutorial on How To Boil Corn On The Cob if you’re rushed! And if you have plenty of seasonal corn, make some Corn Ribs!

While this recipe is called a salad, it’s also a great DIP and topping. We can’t urge you enough to make it and here’s why you’ll LOVE it!

Why You’ll LOVE Mexican Street Corn Salad

• It’s SO TASTY! Like just look at those ingredients together. SO GOOD!
• You can add a grilled protein and turn it into a 20 minute dinner with minimal effort.
• This corn salad recipe is great served warm or cold.
• It’s a light and vibrant recipe that fills you up without feeing heavy.
• Perfectly gluten free and you can easily turn it into a vegan recipe as well.
• You can make this corn salad way in advance! And play around with variations to your taste!
• If you have no time for grilling the corn, make it with boiled corn on the cob. It won’t have the charred grill flavor, but everything else will be the same!
• Leftovers keep so WELL! You’ll enjoy this salad the day after and the day after that even more the first day!
• While it is a salad, it makes the perfect taco topping! Try it with Ground Beef Tacos, Salmon Tacos, Lamb Tacos.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Corn. It’s best to use seasonal and fresh corn, although in winters I use frozen. Let’s not bring winters up right now. But when we genuinely need a bright Mexican street corn salad, we rush for frozen organic corn kernels. Our favorite way is to grill the corn for this corn salad recipe. You get a burst of charred flavor that compliments the salad so wonderfully!
• Mayonnaise. Here’s where the creamy dressing comes from. On a side note, we have made this corn salad with sour cream instead of mayo. Other times we have used a 50/50 blend of both, and either way it was AMAZING! SO feel free to use what you prefer. We have also tried plain Greek Yogurt and it added a slight tang, so if it’s your taste go for it!
• Jalapeños. This is optional as we have lots of readers who don’t do spicy things. We recommend using a jalapeno without seeds if you want a milder spice. Otherwise just use a mini sweet pepper and it works just as fine.
• Cilantro. This is so bright here, i mean it’s a Mexican street corn salad so we can’t go easy on cilantro! However if you can’t have it, you can use parsley.
• Lime. Lime juice adds a unique taste here, but you can likewise use lemons if that’s all you have.
• Onions. Red onions are our favorite for this corn salad recipe.
• Cotija Cheese. It’s a Mexican dry crubly white cheese, and you can likewise use feta cheese instead.
• Seasoning. A blend of cayenne pepper or chilli flakes, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper and some minced garlic.
• Avocados. Completely optional, but we love adding them for a hearty and creamy feel to the salad.

The best way to store leftovers is to keep them in airtight container for 3 days. You can use it with salads, tacos, over Ground Beef Nachos, and so much more!
To make in advance since this corn salad is a great potluck option, you can it 1 say ahead. If you’re thinking of freezing this salad, we strongly don’t recommend so. The texture of the corn changes and so it’s not a good option.

What’s in Mexican Street Corn Salad?

Think of it as the famous Mexican Elote. Charred corn, creamy cilantro lime dressing, cotija cheese, paprika, chili powder are the main flavors. Since this is a salad, we add to it finely minced onions, and some avcoados but they’re optional.

Is Mexican street corn salad the same as Esquites and Elotes?

YES in terms of core flavors, elotes means on the cob, and esquites are kernels in a cup. So while the flavors are the same, the format is different.

Can I use canned or frozen corn?

As mentioned before, we have made this with frozen organic corn kernels and it was great! You can char it in a heavy duty skillet and it’s just perfect—char straight from frozen in a hot, dry skillet. Canned corn however is our least favorite option and we don’t recommend it!

Is the salad served hot or cold?

Traditional esquites are often served warm, but the salad we feel can be served cold and it’s just as tasty. The flavors actually become richer after a short rest in the fridge.

What’s the best cheese substitute for cotija?

Cotija is a Mexican cheese, dry and crumbly. We always substitute cotija with crumbled Greek feta.

Can I make this salad dairy free or Vegan?

Yes! Try vegan mayo and a plant-based feta-style cheese, or simply skip the cheese and add a little extra salt for balance.

Can I get that smoky flavor without grilling?

We recommend the stove top char if you can’t grill. Use a cast-iron skillet or broiler for this. Pat dry the kernels and char in the hot skillet or under the broiler until blistered and charred.

Easy Mexican Recipes

Birria Tacos
Sheet Pan Fajitas
Ground Chicken Tacos
Taco Salad
Crunchwrap Supreme
Chicken Flautas
Air Fryer Taquitos
Cilantro Lime Rice
Fajita Bowl
Ground Beef Nachos