Once you’ve had Mexican street corn (elote), it’s hard to forget the incredible infusion of fresh, bright flavors and the mix of creamy dressing with tender bites of grilled sweet corn. We love this flavor combination so much that we’ve found ways to infuse it into all of our favorite foods, including elote-baked mac and cheese, elote bruschetta, and poppable elote fritters.

This Mexican street corn salad is a scoopable version known as esquites with a flavorful mix of cojita and parmesan cheese, fresh cilantro, spicy jalapenos, and tender bites of sweet corn, topped with a bright burst of fresh lime juice. It’s so good you can eat it straight off the spoon, but make sure to save some for topping tacos, grilled shrimp, and burrito bowls for a flavorful weeknight meal.

How to Make Mexican Street Corn Salad

Ingredients

Process

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt butter.
Add corn and cook without moving for 4 to 5 minutes to toast and char. Flip corn and stir and cook again without moving for another 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in shallots, garlic and jalapeno and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove corn mixture from heat and pour into a serving bowl. Allow mixture to cool for 7 to 8 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

Mexican street corn ingredients in a glass bowl.

Toss together and top with a squeeze of more fresh lime juice.
Top Mexican Street Corn Salad with cilantro leaves and serve.

Mexican street corn salad in a bowl with a spoon.

Mexican street corn salad in a bowl with cilantro and cheese on top.

Make Ahead and Storing Instructions

This Mexican street corn salad is easy to make ahead of time, and if it doesn’t disappear at once, it makes the best leftovers!

Make Ahead

To make this salad in advance, combine all the ingredients except the lime juice, cheese, and cilantro leaves, and store in the refrigerator for up to a day. Just before serving, stir in the cheese, cilantro, and lime juice.

Storing

To store leftovers, add them to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. While the texture may lose quality after a day or so, the flavors tend to intensify as they get a chance to meld together, making it an incredible flavor booster for your meal.

Mexican street corn salad in a bowl with a spoon in it.

Ingredient Substitutions and Variations

Need to make some substitutions or want to play with the flavors? Try these:

Swap the cojita cheese with feta for a salty, crumbly texture or use queso fresco for a flavor that’s a bit milder.

Fresh corn works best for this recipe since it easily gets a charred and toasted texture in the pan, but canned or frozen corn can also work in a pinch.

For a lighter dressing, swap a few tablespoons of the mayo with plain Greek yogurt, which adds a bit of tang and cuts down on some of the fat and calories.

For a mild Mexican Street Corn Salad, leave out the jalapeno pepper altogether or swap it with half a diced sweet bell pepper instead. You can also substitute ancho chili powder with plain chili powder or paprika to reduce the spiciness.

If you don’t have a shallot, you can use a small amount of minced red onion instead.