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Mexican Street Corn Salad

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This Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe is a healthy, simple take on elote, the delicious Mexican street vendor version of corn on the cob!

Mexican street corn salad (elote salad) on a plate with dressing

When I lived in San Antonio, I was a quick walk away from The Pearl, a trendy neighborhood with a bangin’ Mexican street food restaurant. Which meant that at any point in time I was just 10 minutes away from a margarita/sangria slush and elote.

Elote is a Mexican grilled corn on the cob that’s rolled in cotija cheese and slathered with a sour cream/mayo sauce. They’re heaven. But now that I live in Holland, I’m approximately 2718 minutes away from said slush + elote, which is naturally a bit of a problem.

So I set out to create my own! This is a healthy Mexican Street Corn Salad, the salad part meaning you can throw it on literally everything. Eggs, tacos, chips, toast, burritos, salad, spoon…they’re all perfect vessels with which to inhale this street corn salad.

Mexican Street Corn Salad Video

Mexican street corn salad (elote salad) on a plate with dressing

Mexican Street Corn Salad Ingredients

  • Dressing: Traditional elote is served with mayonnaise, but we’re lightening it up by using plain Greek yogurt for a quick spiced dressing.
  • Corn: Use corn on the cob or cans of corn, whatever is easiest for you! We’ll briefly cook it to develop those toasty charred flavors.
  • Black Beans: Black beans are great, but you could sub any canned bean you have on hand (kidney and pinto beans also work great).
  • Bell Pepper: A diced bell pepper adds freshness and crunch to our salad.
  • Red Onion: Finely chopped zingy onion brightens things up.
  • Cilantro: Don’t skimp on the cilantro, which adds that distinctly Tex Mex flair (the cilantro haters can leave it out if need be).
  • Cotija or Feta Cheese: Use cotija cheese if possible, though crumbled feta is a good substitute.
  • Flavor Makers: Garlic, lime, and salt bring it all together into elote salad bliss.
This Mexican Street Corn Salad is a healthy, simple take on elote, the delicious Mexican street vendor version of corn on the cob!

What is Mexican Street Corn?

Mexican street corn, or elote, is a grilled corn on the cob that’s slathered with a spiced sour cream/mayo sauce and rolled in crumbly cotija cheese. Mexican Street Corn Salad is a potluck-ready version of it, throwing in a few add-ins and lightening up the sauce with Greek yogurt!

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Is Mexican Street Corn served hot or cold?

You can serve this Mexican Street Corn Salad warm (from the grilled corn when you first make it), but it can also be chilled and served cold (perfect for bringing to potlucks!)

This Mexican Street Corn Salad is a healthy, simple take on elote, the delicious Mexican street vendor version of corn on the cob!

Serve this Mexican Street Corn Salad with:

This Mexican Street Corn Salad is a healthy, simple take on elote, the delicious Mexican street vendor version of corn on the cob!
Mexican Street Corn Salad

Mexican Street Corn Salad

4.5 from 148 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Author: Sarah Bond
Calories: 181kcal
Servings: 8 people
This Mexican Street Corn Salad is a healthy, simple take on elote, the delicious Mexican street vendor version of corn on the cob!

Ingredients

Dressing

  • ½ cup plain nonfat yogurt* 80 g
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice 15 mL
  • 1 tsp honey 5 g
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp cumin

Salad

  • Splash of oil
  • 4 ears corn about 3 cups, 285 g of kernels, shucked and kernels removed
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice 30 mL
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup canned black beans 200 g, drained and rinsed
  • 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
  • ½ cup chopped red onion 35 g
  • ½ cup packed fresh cilantro chopped
  • ½ cup cotija cheese 88 g, crumbled, can sub feta

Instructions

  • Dressing: Mix all dressing ingredients and set aside.
  • Cook Corn: Heat oil over medium/high heat in a large saute pan then add garlic and corn. Cook about 15 minutes, flipping frequently, until corn begins to char a bit. Gently toss with lime juice and salt.**
  • Serve: In a large bowl, combine corn mix, black beans, pepper, onion, cilantro, and cheese. Drizzle sauce over and serve either warm or cold. Perfect over tacos, as a chip dip, or by itself!

Tips & Tricks

  • *If using Greek yogurt, add a dash of milk to thin it out.
  • **Alternatively, cook the ears of corn on the grill, then remove kernels and mix into garlic, lime juice, and salt.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving Calories: 181kcal (9%) Carbohydrates: 28.6g (10%) Protein: 8.8g (18%) Fat: 4.6g (7%) Sodium: 192mg (8%) Fiber: 5.8g (24%)
Did You Make This?

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  1. Fiona says

    Hi Sarah,
    This looks absolutely delicious! I will be making this.. I love your website: great recipes and fun writing!
    Thanks,
    Fiona @ fionafitnessfun.com

    Reply

  3. Patricia says

    I made this today, May 2, 2016. The flavours are just wonderful. I zested the limes for even more flavour. Yummy!5 stars

    Reply

  4. Wilko says

    Hi Sarah, I don’t know where in the Netherlands you live but there are Mexican restaurants enough, though maybe not within a 10 minute walk.4 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hey, Wilko, thanks! I’ll definitely seek one out! But I suppose Holland makes up for having less Mexican eateries by having some super lekker Greek restaurants 🙂

    • Sarah says

      Hey, Christine! I haven’t tried this with frozen corn but I imagine if you thaw and drain it well then throw it on the grill in a grill basket (or on a skillet on the stove), you would get similar results 🙂 It’s a pretty flexible dish so swapping a few things shouldn’t have a huge impact.

    • Sarah says

      Hi Gretchen, this is definitely okay to make the day before, it gives the flavors a chance to really mix and mingle 🙂 Just store it covered in the fridge until ready to serve!

    • Sarah says

      I usually remove the kernels then cook in the pan, but you could also grill the corn on the cob then remove the kernels. This is a pretty flexible recipe 🙂

    • Sarah says

      Hey Rob, I’m so happy to hear I could help. And thanks so much for sharing the picture with me! It looks really great! 🙂 Do you mind if I share it on the LEL Facebook page?

    • Rob says

      Hey Sarah, more than happy for you to share it on your Facebook 🙂 Will be on the lookout for more great recipes in your future posts, thanks again.

  10. Carole says

    A friend brought this to have with dinner the other day and my husband and I fell in love with it.

    We could have just ate this as the meal and been happy. I I think I went back for 3rds.

    This is seriously delicious and it tasted so fresh! Anyone who is thinking of making it, you won’t be disappointed.5 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      So happy you liked it, Carole, and thanks so much for all your kind words! No shame in eating it for the whole meal 😉

  12. Denise says

    Just made it. Really yummy!! Next time I will add minced jalopenos. I needed some heat. Thanks for the recipe 🙂

    Reply

  13. Cecilia says

    I want to make this for a potluck. If i make it 2 hrs before its served, would i put in the dressing at home before i take it over. Or just before serving

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Cecilia! If you’re making it 2 hours before you can just mix the dressing in when you make it. Have fun at your potluck!

  14. Josie says

    This is AMAZING!!! Sooooo delicious!!! Bringing it to a dinner party tonight – can’t wait for people to try it!! Thanks for the great recipes.4 stars

    Reply

  15. Peggy says

    I made this salad for my father,s 88 birthday party. I tripped the ingredients,and used frozen corn. Everyone loved it and wanted more . So glad I tried it.

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Thanks so much for letting me know, Peggy! I’m so happy I could help to make your special day more tasty 🙂

  16. Jennifer says

    I had my son taste this after I made it for the first time to see what he thought. His eyes got huge and he said, “That is good, that is really good!” He then proceeded to tell his sister how bad it was and that she should just not eat any (you know, so he could eat it all). We can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow night!5 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      HA! This is too cute! So happy I could help contribute to his sneakiness/veggie love!!

  17. Heather says

    Hey Sarah, I’ve had your recipe pinned for a while now and finally had the time to click through. What a small world! I knew exactly where you were talking about because I live in New Braunfels. I have lived here my whole life and have yet to go to The Pearl. 😉 It’s on my list for the fall.

    Hope you’re enjoying Holland! Can’t wait to try your recipe this week.5 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Oh you absolutely HAVE to make it to the Pearl sometime soon. Between the farmer’s market, coffee shops, and La Gloria’s (the Mexican restaurant), it was always my favorite place to go on the weekends. Thanks so much for dropping in and leaving a comment 🙂 Such a small world!

    • Heather says

      I’ve heard La Gloria’s is great! Love reading your travel stories. What an amazing start to life! I’ll know who to call if we ever make it to Holland. 😉 I’ve always wanted to see the tulips.

    • Sarah says

      Their sangria-margaritas are heavenly! Definitely reach out if you’re ever in this neck of the woods 🙂

    • Sarah says

      So happy to hear, Meghan!! I’ve tried convincing the tulip-man we need to initiate Taco Tuesday, but unfortunately a lot of Dutch people don’t like Mexican food *sigh*. I’ll just live vicariously through you! 😀

    • Sarah says

      Hi Jenny, you can use any corn you have on hand! Canned corn works well in this recipe, just drain it well before sautéing 🙂

  22. Vanessa says

    Really liked this! The only thing I would change, would be to put a little smokey heat into the dressing, otherwise it’s fantastic!

    Reply

  23. Liz says

    I make this salad often but you’re dressing caught my eye so I was excited to do something different with it. it was the best I have ever tasted! the whole family enjoyed it! I couldn’t stop eating it.

    Reply

  24. Nike says

    Made this last night and had it for lunch today. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to trying more of your posted recipes. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Angie! Nutrition info is for 1/8 recipe, which comes out to about .5 to .75 cups 😀

    • Sarah says

      Haha, I just had a Dutch friend over and she was surprised to see that the American “cups” are actually a standard measure. So 1 cup = 236 mL. I would call that a…mok? 😉

    • Wilko says

      Yes, I knew that, but just couldn’t let it pass. You also have standard spoons and tea spoons if I remember well. Here in the Netherlands that won’t work, I have at least five different size tea spoons. Oh ,and several different size “mokken”. We’ll stick to the metric system if you don’t mind 🙂

    • Sarah says

      Yes we do! Teaspoons are 5 mL and tablespoons are 15 mL 😀 I’m slowly getting the hang of metric though. Sooo much more precise!

  29. Kassiopia says

    Not sure if someone else already said this, but I added a pablano pepper cut medium fine and one Jalepeno pepper cut very fine for a little extra kick.4 stars

    Reply

  30. Audrey M. says

    Delicious recipe! Loved the texture and flavor. I added a finely diced jalapeno and used feta cheese instead…probably should have just done half of a jalapeno!5 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Thanks Audrey!! I’m sure the jalapeno was great in it 😀 I also use feta cheese instead quite often (cotija can be hard to come by in some parts)

    • Sarah says

      Thanks so much, Lita! I just keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge (though they never last long in our house!) You could certainly use ricotta, but I would recommend feta if you can’t find cotija. Feta and cotija are more fresh and salty and give some nice contrast to the salad!

  34. Sue Calderon says

    Absolutely can use frozen corn! Just toast it in the splash of olive oil. Cool the corn then add to all of the ingredients.

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Thanks for the tip, Sue! 😀 Especially useful for winter months when frozen just what we’re working with.

  35. Sharon says

    I used smoked paprika in the dressing , I used this corn salad as a topping for grilled avacados it was a truly amazing beautiful dish !!

    Reply

  36. Yvonne says

    Really easy to make. Two things I would do different 1) don’t great the cheese, crumble with my hand 2) don’t dress ingredients in advance, wait until serving. Everyone liked it.4 stars

    Reply

  38. Ann says

    This was an easy receipe, did not find the cheese so I left it out. The dressing was delicious.
    I used frozen corn
    Great hit to our Mexican night.
    Guests added it to their tacos.5 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      So happy you all liked it Ann! I loove it on tacos 🙂 Next time you can try subbing the cotija for feta if you have trouble finding it.

  39. Stephanie says

    Thanks for the easy & yummy recipe. I helped my daughter make it for her Spanish class potluck party. She gets extra credit for bringing something she made herself!5 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      So happy to hear Stephanie! Tasty food PLUS extra credit? Sounds like a great class 😀

  40. Gretchen says

    Time for corn salad!!Always look for more recipes for Jersey corn,have put a drop of liquid smoke in.and used smoked paprika.For heat you can add a bit of jalapeno.or red pepper.flakes either way this salad does not hang around long.Good recipe!

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      I’ve been dying to get my hands on some liquid smoke, but it can be a bit hard to find here. Sounds like it would be great though! Also love the spicy kick idea 😀

  41. Lynn Jones says

    We loved your original recipe so much that we decided to add a few items to make it a main course. Adding quinoa, avocado and tomatoes to your recipe created a healthy and filling single dish meal. Yum! Fun to read you are living in Holland. My SO and I are looking forward to our 8th trip to the Netherlands in September. 😀

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Lynn! Love your additions, definitely makes it more filling and perfect as a dish by itself. You might also try chickpeas! And so excited that you’re visiting Holland! I’m happy to answer any questions you might have (although with it being your 8th trip, you probably know your way around hahah). Have fun! 😀

    • Sarah says

      Either! It’s usually room temp-ish right after you make it, which tastes just as good as after you chill it. Your preference 🙂

  43. Jutta says

    I made the salad for a taco night at my nieces and it was an instant hit had to make it again for the family 3 weeks later everybody loved it thank you .5 stars

    Reply

  44. Cindy Freeman says

    I made this last week to serve with fajitas and it was wonderful. All the flavors blend well and compliment each other. My husband asked me to make it again and I definitely will!5 stars

    Reply

  47. Amanda says

    Ok I’m about ready to make the corn salad and i need to know do you want me to boil the corn first thensaute it or just take it off the cob raw then sauté It. I’m a little confused. Also I’m making this the night before do i put the dressing on tonight or wait till tomorrow night when it will be served?

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Amanda! Just take it off the cob and saute, no need to boil 🙂 And you can add the dressing now if serving it tomorrow!

  48. B. Emrick says

    Made this this evening for a family get together and we loved it. Couldn’t find the cheese so I used feta and it was very good.5 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      So happy to hear! 😀 Cotija can be hard to find depending on where you are, but feta works just as well in this one!

  50. Karen from SoCal says

    I had my doubts about this when I started mixing ingredients, but I soldiered on and I’m so glad that I did! It’s delicious! I’m having guests tonight and this will go with pulled pork sandwiches and cornbread. Thank you, Sarah, for an impressive looking recipe that is so easy to make. It’s a keeper, for sure.5 stars

    Reply