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With almost 200 5-star ratings, this Mexican street corn salad is a foolproof side dish for summer barbecues, backyard potlucks, and more! It’s a healthy, simple take on elote, the delicious Mexican street vendor version of corn on the cob!
save this recipe!Your New Summer Salad
Elote is grilled Mexican corn on the cob that’s slathered with a sour cream/mayo sauce and rolled in cotija cheese. It’s basically heaven in food form.
But today we’re recreating this snack perfection in potluck-ready form, throwing in a few add-ins and lightening up the sauce with Greek yogurt! This healthier Mexican street corn salad can be thrown on literally everything.
Eggs, tacos, chips, toast, burritos, salad, spoon…they’re all perfect vessels with which to inhale it. After countless recipe tests, I can’t wait for you to try this hearty, satisfying salad.
Reader rating
“OMG, just had this with dinner and it was FANTASTIC. I’m in love with the dressing! Have only just finished dinner, but have already shared the recipe with a couple of friends.” —Anna
Grab These Ingredients
All in all, this Mexican corn salad is a quick recipe with simple ingredients (some classic, some less traditional) that are easy to find! Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements and substitutions.
- Dressing: Traditional elote is served with mayonnaise, but we’re lightening it up by using plain Greek yogurt for a quick spiced dressing. (Sour cream can also be used.)
- Corn: Use fresh corn on the cob or canned corn kernels, whatever is easiest! 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 well).
- Bell Pepper: A diced bell pepper adds freshness and crunch to our salad.
- Red Onion: Finely chopped zingy onion brightens things up. For a milder taste, try sliced green onion.
- Cilantro: Don’t skimp on the cilantro, which adds that distinctly Tex-Mex flair (you cilantro haters can leave it out if need be).
- Cotija Or Feta Cheese: Use crumbly cotija cheese for the perfect taste and texture, though feta is a good substitute for cotija cheese.
- Flavor Makers: Garlic, lime, and salt bring it all together for elote salad bliss. You can even throw in other spices, like chili powder or Tajin, for a kick!
how to make street corn salad
Jump to the recipe for the full printable instructions.
Step 1: Mix The Dressing
Mix up the dressing ingredients first (this can even be done hours or days in advance).
Step 2: Cook The Corn
Heat oil (or butter) over medium/high heat in a large saute pan, and then add your garlic and corn. Cook it for about 15 minutes, flipping frequently, until the corn begins to char a bit. Gently toss the mixture with lime juice and salt.
Step 3: Serve The Salad
In a large bowl, combine the corn mixture, black beans, pepper, onion, cilantro, and cheese. Drizzle the sauce over and enjoy!
Serve It With
This Mexican street corn salad is great on its own or served as a condiment!
- Roasted Cauliflower Street Tacos: Filled with good-for-you ingredients, like chopped roasted cauliflower and crispy baked chickpeas.
- Huevos Rancheros: Your breakfast game has never been so good! You can thank me later.
Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites Recipe)
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 for 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!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
I was wondering what you would think about adding quinoa with it to making it a meal??? Or would be yucky??
Ooh I think that would be delish! 😀
OMG, just had this with dinner and it was FANTASTIC. I’m in love with the dressing! Have only just finished dinner, but have already shared the recipe with a couple of friends.
😅 Aw so happy to hear it, Anna! Enjoy!
Wow! This was SO good. We didn’t have any red onions so that was left out but still delish. I will definitely be making this again.
So happy to hear it, Cherie! 😀
Lovely recipe! My brother snd I thoroughly enjoyed it.
So happy to hear it, June! 😀
This recipe is so-o-o good! I made it for my husband. I didn’t think I would like it, but we both loved it. It is good right after you make it while it is hot but the leftovers are great cold too. It tastes like an authentic Mexican dish. I don’t like onions so added some after I took out some for me. This will be a recipe I use over and over again. 🙂
So happy to hear it, De! Thanks for letting us know how it went! 😀
I moved to the Netherlands is past year. Having a hard time finding cojito cheeses here, any hints, I see you said you are in Holland. Looking forward to making this.
I’ve never managed to find cotija in Holland! I just use feta or the “white salad cheese” 😀
Super good!!! We are vegan so I made some changes and used vegan mayo and used maple syrup instead of honey and I used vegan feta I make from Tofu!
Perfect on a hot summer day side dish!
So happy to hear it, Carmen! Those substitutions sound delish! 😀
Thank you for sharing this Carmen!! I was worried about swapping out the dairy yogurt for coconut/almond yogurt because the consistency is so different. But…Mayo! I didn’t even think of it. Can’t wait to try. Thank you!!
Love this salad. We grilled a giant chicken breast, sliced it into strips, and put it on top of the salad. Yum.
So happy to hear you liked it, Jean! 😀
The recipe looks great! How many servings would you say this recipe is for?
Should serve 8 😀
If you want to serve it warm do you throw everything in th skillet with the corn?
Yep, that would work!
What is the serving size? 1 cup?
It makes 8 servings, each a little less than 1 cup 😀