This Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe (also known as Esquites) is packed with fresh flavors and cotija cheese! This is the perfect side dish that turns the classic Mexican street food into a delicious and easy to make salad!
Friends, meet my new FFS... No, not FF Sake. Favorite Freakin' Salad: Mexican Street Corn Salad. Mexican Street Corn Salad, meet your new friends. Colorful. Flavorful. Fresh. What else could you ask for in a salad?
Recipe Video
Ingredients Needed
Fresh, that's the name of this salad. This salad is also known as an Esquites recipe, which is a Mexican corn salad.
Fresh or Frozen Corn? Well, there are benefits to each. You can get frozen any time of the year. Fresh is, well, fresh. Either will work for this dish. The most important piece is to be sure you add a little char to the corn from a nice pan fry. That'll add the necessary flavor to mimic the classic Street Corn.
What ties it all together? The dressing.
Also this is totally customizable. Like it cheesier? Add more cheese? Want a little more heat? Add a touch more chili powder? Want it creamier? Up the mayo and sour cream!
Did you know you can make your own Mayonnaise From Scratch?
Other Great Ways use Mayonnaise From Scratch
Step-by-Step Instructions
- The first thing that really is key to this salad and is what elevates this salad is a giving the corn a quick char by pan frying it.
- Then add all your fresh veggies into a large bowl.
- Mix all of your dressing ingredients (except the cheese) into another bowl.
- And then finally mix the dressing with the veggies and half of the cheese and give a good mix.
- Finally, add the rest of the cheese on top with some more fresh cilantro and serve!
This Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe is such a hit; I recently made this on a girls trip to the beach for a taco bar night and it received rave reviews. Thumbs up from 15 diverse women AND a 3 year old? Yup; this one's a keeper.
Other Favorite Side Salads
Other Mexican Inspired Dishes
Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Tacos
Fresh Green Salsa From Scratch
Fresh Easy Pico de Gallo From Scratch
Crock Pot Chicken Carnitas Tacos
FAQs
It is a delicious salty, crumbly, Mexican cheese from cow's milk.
Totally! Parmesan, Romano, or feta are great substitutes (but Cotija is definitely the best).
No, not necessarily, but it really does make a difference.
Not only did all the women of my girls' trip love this esquites recipe, but my toddler inhaled it. So if that isn't a glowing review, I'm not sure what else is!
By the way, if you loved this recipe, try out our Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos, too!
Enjoy, friends! Don't forget if you make this salad or any other recipes from the site, please be sure to let me know on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter. I love hearing from you!
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups corn approximately 24 oz frozen
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro minced, a few leaves left for garnish.
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 1/2 large red onion diced
- 2/3 cup cotija cheese shredded/crumbled
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice approximately 2 limes
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a saute pan on medium high and add corn. Cook until slightly charred, approximately 7-10 minutes. Add to large bowl and set aside.
- Add pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and onion to large bowl with corn and mix well.
- In a small bowl, add all dressing ingredients and mix well until smooth.
- Add dressing to large bowl with corn and mix well. Add 1/2 cotija cheese and mix well.
- Add remaining cheese and some cilantro.
- Serve or cover and store in fridge for up to 8 hrs before serving.
Judy
A staple in our house now! SO good!
Tracy
Great to hear, thanks Judy!
Shabnam Dhalla
Made it twice and it was a hit
Tracy
Love to hear it, Shabnam! Thanks so much for sharing!
Mindy
Is there any way I can make this dairy free? Would it be ok if I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream? And just omit the cheese?
Tracy
Hi Mindy! You could use Greek yogurt and omit the cheese, but it'll really change the whole salad without the cheese. It'd be a great salad, but without cheese it will not have a key part of Mexican Street Corn 🙂
Zhen
Can I use canned corn instead of fresh or frozen? (Wondering if it can get the same char as it's a bit wet?) Also, can I just use Sour cream OR Mayo instead of both? Thanks! 🙂
Tracy
Hi Zhen! Yes, you can totally use canned corn. Just be sure before you give it the char that it's well drained. Also, you can use any combo of mayo and sour cream, although we recommend you don't use all mayo, you really want at least some sour cream to add the right flavor. Enjoy!
Lindsay
If using frozen corn do you boil the corn to cook it first before charging?
Tracy
Hi Lindsay! No need to boil, just a thaw is fine!
Di
The recipe states: 10 minutes to prep. I prepped and there’s NO WAY a person can complete all of the necessary tasks in 10 minutes. Prep time is approximately 30 minutes and the recipe should reflect such. Anyway, after an hour of prepping and putting it together it turned out really great. I live in Tucson so as Mexican food goes it’s a really good recipe. Note: do not touch any part of your body after chopping jalapeños!
Leticia Eck
Hi . I am planning on using this recipe but would like to know if I can use canned corn and char it in a skillet before adding other ingredients.. Has anyone tried making this recipe using canned corn?
Tracy
You definitely can! Enjoy!
Carol
Do I need to make any adjustments to the recipe if I'm using leftover grilled corn? The fall weather here has been stellar so we're grilling as much as we can!
Tracy
Hi Carol! Oh you can absolutely use some leftover grilled corn, what a great idea. You can just trim that off of the cob and either skip the step of charring the corn (if you already have a great char from the grilling), or follow the instructions as is and give even more char! Enjoy!
Josh
Will this keep if I make the night before and keep it refrigerated?
Tracy
Hi Josh! If I'm planning to serve it the next day, I usually make everything but keep the dressing and cheese separate overnight and then assemble before serving. It'll still be delicious the next day after a night in the fridge, though! Enjoy!
Yanna
Noted. Thanks
Rachel
Whole family was raving about this! I used fresh corn - the extra step to char it was well worth it!
Tracy
Love to hear it, Rachel! Thanks so much for sharing!
Melanie D
Do you serve this hot or cold?
Tracy
Either!