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This spicy Mexican Street Corn Dip incorporates all the flavors of street corn into the creamiest corn-filled dip. Sweet summertime corn, mixed with chili powder, cream cheese, and mayo and served up dip-style with grilled corn, spicy chili butter, and salty crumbled Mexican cotija cheese on top. It’s quick to make and totally delicious, especially with tortillas chips on the side for scooping. A quintessential summer appetizer.
Continuing on with our unofficial appetizer week we’ve got ultra yummy street corn dip! You guys, look at me go with these appetizers. Dips are something I never share. I don’t know why because this corn dip is so delicious! It really needs to be on re-make all summer long.
This is a recipe I made purely out of a want and desire. As usual, I was frantically trying to get recipes together for a couple of weeks of travel. I knew I wanted to share some fun appetizers for the 4th. But I was getting tired of the usual Caprese type of app and wanted something completely different.
With our trip to Mexico quickly approaching, we were all craving Mexican food. So I made this dip to get us all excited. Now that our destination has been revealed, it feels very fitting for me to share this! Yes, in case you missed my stories on Instagram, Mexico is the family’s summer vacation destination! I’ll share more details on Sunday, but I flew from NYC to Puerto Vallarta yesterday and met my family in Sayulita. I’m excited to be here for the next few days!
However, this dip came to be long before I knew I was heading to Mexico. I was going to make my version of street corn, except that I wanted to make it into a dip! I love a good ear of grilled corn, but in my opinion, creamy dips are so much more fun. Especially when entertaining over the 4th.
This is the quintessential summertime dip and corn is the star!
Here are the details
The beauty of this dip is how quickly it comes together. It’s pretty simple, but there are a few steps that make my version of street corn dip a little more exciting. Or at least that’s what I like to think!
Everything starts with the spice mix. From what I’ve read about traditional street corn, or Elote, which is what it’s called in Mexico, it’s made by boiling corn with spices, then seasoning the warm corn with lime, mayo, and lots of chili powder. I took these flavors and put them into this dip.
For my spices, I used chili powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne. I wanted to add a little smokiness and a little more kick to the flavors. You will use the spice mix both in the dip and for topping.
Cook the corn with onions and garlic, then add a dash of the spice mix. Stir in cream cheese and sour cream for major creaminess and simply cook everything together until it’s warmed. Having the dip warm is key, so keep this over low heat or warm in a crockpot (on the low setting) until ready to serve.
Next, the butter. Melt some butter together with the spices. Do you not skip this. The butter really, really flavors the dip in a wonderfully delicious way.
Finally, I mix the mayo with lime juice and put the dip together.
Spoon the dip into a wide, shallow bowl. Then add the grilled corn and spoon over dollops of the mayo. The mayo melts into the dip, just like it melts over the warm corn kernels. Then swirl in the butter.
Finish with so much crumbled cotija cheese and fresh cilantro. Chips for scooping are a must!
I know this process may seem like a lot, but it actually comes together easily and quickly. Promise it will be so great for entertaining this summer!
And most importantly, this is just really good. The dip is so creamy with a spicy flavor, but not too much spiciness. And you can adjust the heat to your personal taste. The cheese and butter on top only make the dip even more delicious, really completing the dip experience.
This is one of those dips you’ll crave time and time again!
Looking for other summer corn recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Spicy Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Parmesan Corn Polenta
Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Chicken with Creamed Corn
Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad
Skillet Creamy Cajun Chicken Lazone with Herby Corn
Lastly, if you make this Mexican Street Corn Dip, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Mexican Street Corn Dip
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 282 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, to your taste
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups corn (3-4 raw)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- 1/3 cup olive oil mayo or use plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese
- 1 ear grilled corn, kernels removed from the cob
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- 1. Mix the spices. In a bowl, combine the chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and a pinch of salt. 2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add the corn, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the spice mix, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the corn is softened, 5 minutes. 3. Reduce the heat to low. Mix in the cream cheese until melted and creamy. Stir in the sour cream. Cook until warmed throughout. If desired, thin the dip with milk.4. In a separate skillet, melt the butter until golden. Mix in 3 teaspoons of the spice mix, plus a pinch of chili flakes and salt. Cook another minute, then remove from the heat. 5. Mix the mayo and lime juice with a pinch of salt. 6. Spoon the dip into a wide serving bowl. Top with grilled corn and drizzle the mayo and spicy butter over the corn. Sprinkle on the cheese and cilantro. Serve with lots of chips for scooping!
Delicious! It was gobbled up at our watch party. Next time I might omit the mayo topper cause I’m not sure if it added much. Also, didn’t add all the butter so may cut that in half next time. And there will be a next time!!!
Hey Erin,
Happy Wednesday! ❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
If I want to make this mid afternoon for an evening party would it hold on the stovetop on low for a couple hrs.
Hey Erin,
Sure, I might just pop it in the oven on low to warm through when you are ready to serve. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Absolutely delicious! Relatively easy to make and comes together so well! Never getting store-bought Elote dip ever again. Can’t wait to impress people by bringing it to a party 🙂
Hey Mackenzie,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
I made this for a New Years Eve party and it was devoured. Everyone loved it and I followed it exactly as written. The spices are amazing and just the right amount of spiciness. I have 3 grown daughters and bought them your Every Day recipe book for Christmas. Looking forward trying more of your recipes. I now have enough spices to make another so will be making it again soon.
Hey Sue,
Happy New Year!🎆🎈 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
I’ve made this twice before for the hubby and myself. I’m making it for an NYE party tonight as well. It is DELICIOUS. My question is, what do I do with all the leftover spice mix? I followed all the measurements and directions exactly both times and had quite a bit of spice mix left over each time.
Hey Mel,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! You can save the spice mix for the next time you make it. Happy New Year! 🎊🎈
Looks delicious & can’t wait to make this!
Question…how much of the Spicy butter do you spoon over the top? All 4 TBSP?
Hey Gina,
I do use all of it, but if you want to use less that’s just fine too! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I want to make this for our “dip day” pot luck at work. Is there a way I could do this in the crockpot? Do I just make it all and then throw it in the crock pot to keep it warm with the garnishes on top?
Hey Kelly,
Totally, that will work well for you! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Looks delicious. Is it supposed to be two teaspoons chili powder? Measurements don’t add up based on directions for recipe. I plan on making this in two days and don’t want to over power on spices. Thank you.
Hey Ketan,
All of the measurements are correct, you can follow this as written:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
This was SO delicious! I’ve made it twice now and both times I could have eaten the entire thing by myself. I thought that the cayenne amount would be too much, so I only put in 1 tsp and honestly next time I will put in 2 because I think it could use that extra spice. Thank you for sharing this recipe, it’s going to be a go-to appetizer for me!
Hey Alise,
Happy Wednesday!!🎇 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xx
Did you use two tablespoons chili powder as it seems to much for the recipe and measurements don’t add up. Thank you.
Should this be served warm or cold? Thanks!
Hi Kelsey,
This should be served warm:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Can you use corn from a can or is a real corn on the cob better?
Hey Katie,
If you don’t have fresh corn on the cob, I would use frozen corn:) I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Absolutely scrumptious!! I made it for a friend’s Halloween party, where it was devoured with everyone raving about it, and I will bring it to Thanksgiving today for family! Thank you so much for NAILING the elote flavors in this! I can’t wait to try your other elote recipes now!!
Whoops! Forgot the star rating!!
Thanks again Kristina:)
Hi Kristina,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
Looks delicious! Looking forward to trying this, but wanted to check the measurements for the spices first. 2 Tbsp chili powder + 2 tsp paprika + cayenne yields about 3 Tbsp of spice mix, but I only see 1 tsp used in Step 2 and 3 tsp in step 4. Are those quantities correct, or am I missing a step where the rest is used? Thanks!
Hey Teri,
That is correct, you will have some leftover:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Can you make this the day before and reheat before serving?
Hi Tricia,
Sure, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Unbelievably delicious !!
Hey there,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃