Mexican Street Corn Salad

Mexican Street Corn Salad is super creamy with tons of flavor – it’s everything you love about the street corner classic roasted corn in a yummy salad. It’s a delicious side dish that just screams summer!

We love to serve this This Mexican Street Corn Salad all the time during the hot summer months. It’s goes perfectly with other Mexican inspired dishes, like Slow Cooker Mexican Beans and it’s great on top of a crisp Chicken Tostada.

MEXICAN STREET CORN SALAD RECIPE

The first time I had Mexican Street Corn I think I was about 17 years old. My friends and I were at the annual street fair in our city, walking around aimlessly like teenagers do, deciding what to eat. After all, these are the types of places to get the good stuff like nachos, fried oreos, ice cream, strawberry shortcake…and Mexican Street Corn.

When my friends suggested the street corn, I thought, sure I like corn. Plain corn on the cob with a little salt and butter. Yeah, that stuff’s good! But that’s not what this was. What came out that window was a giant ear of golden yellow corn, smothered in this white stuff with some kind of red powder and white powder.

Obviously I had no clue what I had gotten myself into.

When my friend told me what was actually on the corn (mayonnaise, chili powder, Mexican cheese and lime juice) I was reluctant to try it. But holy goodness Batman was that THE BEST corn on the cob I’d ever tasted!

HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN STREET CORN SALAD

Mexican Street Corn is typically grilled on the cob. If you have access to a grill, that’s the best way to start this salad. However, if you don’t, you can get that nice charred flavor by cooking the corn kernels in a hot cast iron skillet. I add chili powder and garlic powder, plus a little melted butter to get some nice flavor onto each and every kernel.

1. Start by removing the corn from the ears with a sharp knife. For the ultimate shortcut, you could use canned corn or even frozen, but I definitely recommend fresh for the best flavor. You could also grill the corn on the ears using my two step microwave method to get it done in about 20 minutes.
2. For grilling indoor, Melt some butter in a screaming hot skillet, then add the corn, garlic powder and chili powder. Let it cook for a few minutes without moving it around so it can begin to char. Stir, and let it sit. Repeat these steps until you’ve lovely charred bits all over those corn kernels.
3. Spoon the corn into a large bowl and let it cool completely. This can be done quicker by placing the corn in the fridge, but you can also let it cool just hanging out on the counter.

MEXICAN STREET CORN SALAD DRESSING

1. The dressing for the Mexican Corn Salad is crazy easy – mayonnaise, lime juice and zest, chili powder, garlic powder, cilantro and salt. Now, you might notice that I used parsley. If you’re one of the millions of people who is adverse to cilantro (like me!) parsley will give you that freshness without the soapy cilantro taste.
2. The final touch is a generous helping of cotija cheese, which is a nice salty cheese, similar to Feta.
3. Mix all these things together and refrigerate until ready to serve. I like to add a heaping amount of cheese and herbs on top for garnish but that’s totally optional.

HOW TO SERVE MEXICAN STREET CORN SALAD

If you need a salad that pretty much goes with everything from burgers to steak to tacos, this Creamy Mexican Street Corn Salad will be your new favorite! Try serving it with:

• Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
• Ground Turkey and Black Bean Baked Tacos
• Easy Slow Cooker Carnitas Recipe
• Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
• Mini Ranch Chicken, Bean & Cheese Quesadillas
• Mexican Meatloaf

HOW LONG DOES STREET CORN SALAD LAST?

Because of the mayonnaise component you do not want to leave it out more than 2 hours before refrigerating. If stored properly in the refrigerator in an airtight container, this salad should last 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing.

Love this Creamy Mexican Street Corn Salad? Try these other popular summer side dishes:

• Red White and Blue Cheese Potato Salad
• Parmesan Zucchini & Corn Skillet
• Easy Vegetable Pasta Salad
• Balsamic Strawberry Pasta Salad
• Creamy Cornbread Casserole
• Hot Mexican Corn Dip

Creamy Mexican Street Corn Salad

Mexican Street Corn Salad is super creamy with tons of flavor - it's everything you love about the street corner classic roasted corn in a yummy salad. It's a delicious side dish that just screams summer!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Kristin Maxwell

Ingredients

Salad

• 4 cups of grilled or cooked corn kernels for seasoned corn, see below
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ cup cotija cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
• zest of one lime
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Kosher salt to taste

Seasoned Corn

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt

Instructions

• Cut corn from the ears. (If using grilled corn on the cob, go to step 3). 
• To make the seasoned corn: Heat a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Melt a tablespoon of butter, then stir in corn and 1 teaspoon each or garlic and chili powders and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until corn is slightly charred and golden; 8-10 minutes. Spoon into a large bowl and cool. (Can be placed in the fridge for quicker cooling time - this too less than 10 minutes for me).
• Stir chopped cilantro or parsley into the cooled corn.
• In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, chili powder, garlic powder, lime juice, lime zest and a pinch of salt.
• Stir the mayo mixture into the corn mixture. Stir in cotija cheese.
• Chill until ready to serve. Garnish with more Cotija cheese and chopped cilantro/parsley.
• This is also delicious as a dip served with tortilla chips!

For all salads go HERE, for all side dishes go HERE and for the Recipe Index go HERE.