Mexican Street Corn Salad
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If you love Mexican street corn, you’re really going to love this easy Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe. A fresh, creamy, zesty twist on classic elote, this salad is made with tender lettuce, sweet corn, crumbly cotija cheese, and just the right kick of spice. It’s bursting with bold flavors in every bite.
It’s the perfect side dish for tacos, grilled meats, or your next backyard BBQ, and it only takes 15 minutes to make it!
Why you’ll love this Mexican street corn salad
I’m constantly inspired by the aisles of the grocery store. And recently a specific salad kit caught my eye in the produce section. It was Taylor Farms Mexican street corn salad kit. I immediately grabbed a bag and came home to try it.
Inspired by the Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad that I introduced last summer, I decided to put my own spin on a copycat recipe of the salad kit. While most Mexican street corn salads only contain corn, mine is made with a base of lettuce and corn. This makes it easy to transform into an entree with the addition of a protein, like black beans, chicken or shrimp.
This salad is my new go-to when I’m serving a big Mexican feast to friends and family. But it’s also in the regular rotation for lunch around my house. Here’s why I know you’ll love it!
- It’s so easy to make! Whether you’re serving it for lunch or dinner, it only takes 15 minutes to whip up and every step of the recipe is super simple.
- It’s incredibly flavorful! The dressing for the salad is tangy and slightly spicy, while the cotija cheese is salty and the corn is sweet, creating a delicious balance of flavors that will have your taste buds singing! The lettuce adds a nice light base to the salad, while the avocado adds a wonderful creaminess, and the tortilla strips add a delicious crunch, giving the salad a great variety of textures.
- It’s versatile. Serve it as-is for a side dish at a bbq or with your favorite Mexican recipes. I’ve served it with chicken adobo and carne asada at dinner parties, and it’s been a hit both times! You can also add grilled chicken, air fryer chicken, grilled shrimp or black beans to make the salad a complete meal for an easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Corn Kernels – if fresh corn on the cob is in season, I recommend grilling it for the most authentic flavor. If you can’t find corn on the cob, don’t worry, you can still make this recipe with canned or frozen corn. You’ll need 3 cups of corn kernels, which will be about 3 good-size ears of corn on the cob, or you can use two 15 ounce cans of corn.
- Green leaf lettuce – I prefer to use this lettuce in the salad because it’s tender and slightly sweet, which means that it pairs perfectly with the sweet corn. If you’d like to use something more crisp, you can substitute in romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce, but it won’t have the same sweet flavor.
- Avocado
- Red onion – the bite of a red onion adds a crisp and delicious texture to the salad. You could also use a sweet yellow onion, if you prefer a more mellow, sweet flavor.
- Cotija cheese – this crumbly, salty Mexican cheese is delicious in this salad. However, if you can’t find it in your grocery store, you can use queso fresco or feta cheese instead. Both will give you the same crumbly texture, but with a more mellow flavor.
- Fresh cilantro
- Jalapeño
- Tortilla strips – or crumbled tortilla chips, to add a crunchy topping to the salad.
- Sour cream
- Mayonnaise – if you don’t like mayo, you can use all sour cream. The dressing won’t be quite as thick in texture, or rich in flavor.
- Lime juice
- Chili powder + smoked paprika + salt + black pepper – to season the dressing with little bit of spice and a nice, smoky flavor.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Start the salad by cooking the corn.
- Corn on the cob can be cooked a variety of ways. You can cook it on the grill, on the stove, in an Instant Pot, or in the oven. I have an entire blog post dedicated to how to cook corn on the cob, with each of these cooking methods. Pick any of these and cook the corn on the cob. Use a sharp knife, or corn cob stripper, to remove the kernels from the cobs once they’re cooked and cool enough to handle.
- If corn on the cob is not in season, you can use canned corn, or frozen corn, and cook it on the stove in a skillet. If using this method, you’ll want to heat the largest skillet that you have available over high heat on the stove. You want a large skillet, so that each of the corn kernels can touch the heat source and become slightly charred as they cook. Add a tablespoon of avocado oil or canola oil to the skillet. Once it’s hot, add the corn kernels and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the corn becomes slightly charred. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the corn kernels to a large bowl.
Prepare the dressing, then assemble the salad.
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper.
- Add chopped leaf lettuce, diced avocado, minced red onions, minced jalapenos, crumbled cotija cheese and chopped fresh cilantro to the large bowl with the cooked corn.
- Pour the dressing into the bowl. Toss until all of the ingredients in the salad are evenly coated in the dressing. Top the salad with tortilla strips before serving.
You’ll want to eat the salad as soon as it’s tossed in the dressing, or the lettuce will become soggy. If you’d like to make it ahead of time, I recommend storing all of the salad ingredients, except the tortilla strips in a large bowl. Keep the salad dressing separate in a small bowl.
Cover both the salad and the dressing and store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Before serving, toss the salad with the dressing, then top with the tortilla strips.
Optional additions
- Make it a meal with chicken. Add air fryer fajita chicken on top of the salad to make this an easy weeknight meal. You can also top it with grilled chicken. Follow the instructions for the grilled chicken in this recipe for Mexican Chicken Street Corn Tacos.
- Add grilled shrimp for another easy dinner idea. This chili lime grilled shrimp is one of the most popular recipes on the blog. It pairs perfectly with this salad for a simple dinner idea.
- Make it a vegetarian meal. Add crumbled tofu taco “meat” or a can of black beans to the salad for an easy vegetarian dinner.
- Spice it up. If you prefer your Mexican corn salad with a little more spice, add a teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce to the dressing, or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
More salad recipes
These salads are delicious year-round, but perfect for summer. Add each one to your menu and enjoy more veggies for dinner this week!
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 cups corn kernels, canned, frozen, or from 3 ears of corn
- 1 pound green leaf lettuce, or 8 cups chopped lettuce
- 1 avocado, diced
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- ½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled (use queso fresco or feta, if you can’t find cotija)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup tortilla strips
For the chili lime dressing
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup lime juice, fresh-squeezed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Cook the corn.
- You’ll want to start this recipe by cooking the corn. Follow this blog post for how to cook corn on the cob six different ways. For this recipe, I like to grill the corn. If you don’t have a grill available, you can use one of the other methods to cook the corn. Once the corn is cooked, use a sharp knife to remove the kernels from the cob and set them aside.
- If you’re using canned or frozen corn, you’ll want to cook the corn kernels on the stove. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (avocado oil, canola oil, or olive oil) to a large skillet on the stove over high heat. Add the corn kernels and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the corn becomes slightly charred. Remove from the heat and set the corn aside.
Prepare the salad.
- Add the cooked corn, chopped lettuce, diced avocado, minced onion, minced jalapeno, cotija cheese and cilantro to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad in the bowl.
- Toss all of the ingredients together. Top with tortilla strips before serving.
Notes
- This recipe serves 8 people as a side dish, or 4 people as an entree. If you’d like to add a protein when serving the salad as an entree, I recommend chicken, shrimp, or black beans. Refer to the blog post above for specific ideas and recipe links.
- You’ll want to eat the salad as soon as it’s tossed in the dressing, or the lettuce will become soggy. If you’d like to make it ahead of time, I recommend storing all of the salad ingredients, except the tortilla strips in a large bowl. Keep the salad dressing separate in a small bowl. Cover both the salad and the dressing and store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Before serving, toss the salad with the dressing, then top with the tortilla strips.
Nutrition Facts
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