Healthy Mexican Street Corn (Off the Cob) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

Healthy Mexican Street Corn (Off the Cob) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (1)

By: Becky Hardin

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This Mexican Street Corn recipe is a healthy version of a restaurant favorite. I took the corn off the cob, switched out some ingredients (no mayo or sour cream), and kept the same delicious flavors to create this creamy, healthy Mexican-style corn salad. It makes an awesome appetizer, side dish, or snack!

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Table of Contents

What’s in this Mexican Street Corn recipe

This creamy corn dish is so quick and easy to make, and it’s healthier than the traditional version. Just brown the corn in a skillet, mix it with all the ingredients to make a sort of corn salad, then eat!

  • Corn: A frozen steam-in-bag corn works great for this recipe, but you could also use canned (just drain and rinse before adding it to the skillet).
  • Plain Greek Yogurt: Use this healthy ingredient instead of mayo or sour cream to add a creamy element.
  • Low Fat Feta Cheese: Feta crumbles add a delicious tangy flavor. Try cotija cheese as a substitute!
  • Lime Juice: This adds a bright acidity to liven up the dish.
  • Jalapeno: Remove the seeds for a little spice, keep them for extra spice, or skip all together if you don’t want any heat.
  • Red Onion: These add a nice bite and some texture into the mix.
  • Garlic: I used 2 cloves but use as much or as little as you like.
  • Cilantro: I love fresh cilantro, but you can skip it if you don’t like it. You can use parsley or another herb too.
  • Frank’s RedHot Sauce: This adds amazing flavor and heat. Leave it out if you don’t like spice. You could also use a homemade taco sauce instead.

Variations on this off the cob street corn

To make this Mexican street corn more traditional, skip the healthy swaps and use mayo or sour cream if you prefer.

If you want an elote-style corn, add an elote seasoning blend (mix together paprika, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, and lime zest).

If you want a less spicy version, skip the hot sauce and jalapeños.

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What is street corn?

Also known as Elote, Mexican street corn is typically grilled then covered with mayonnaise or sour cream, cheese, lime, and chile powder.

Is this corn spicy?

Between the jalapeño and hot sauce, this dish is pretty spicy. But you can leave out either ingredient if you prefer.

Does the corn need to be cooked first?

If using frozen corn, it should be cooked/warmed first. If using canned corn, you can just heat it in the skillet as instructed.

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How to Store Creamy Mexican Style Corn

Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Serve cold, straight from the fridge.

What to Serve with Mexican Street Corn

This healthy Mexican street corn makes a great dip or side dish. Serve it with plenty of tortilla chips as an appetizer for Cinco de Mayo or taco night. Use it as a topping (like a salsa) with your favorite tacos. Or add it to a plate of chicken enchiladas, chimichangas, or cilantro lime chicken. And of course you’ll want to pair it with a skinny margarita.

If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.

Recipe

Healthy Mexican Street Corn Dip

4.64 from 106 votes

Author: Becky Hardin

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Total: 10 minutes minutes

Healthy Mexican Street Corn (Off the Cob) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (6)

Serves4

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This street corn is made with healthier ingredients for a quick and delicious snack, appetizer, or dip.

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Ingredients

  • 2 – 10 ounce bags steam fresh frozen corn
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • juice from one lime about 2 tablespoons
  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 4 ounces low fat feta cheese
  • 1 jalapeno pepper chopped (leave the seeds in for extra spice!)
  • 2 tablespoons red onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
  • 2 tablespoons franks redhot sauce or your favorite wing sauce

Instructions

  • Prepare corn according to package instructions.

    2 – 10 ounce bags steam fresh frozen corn

  • Once corn is steamed/dethawed, heat in a large skillet on medium high heat with the olive oil. I cooked it for about 7-8 minutes until it was slightly browned.

    1 tablespoon olive oil

  • Take corn off of heat and toss with all other ingredients.

    juice from one lime, 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, 4 ounces low fat feta cheese, 1 jalapeno pepper, 2 tablespoons red onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoons franks redhot sauce

  • Serve as side dish or as a dip with tortilla chips!

  • Serve immediately and refrigerate remainder for up to 3-5 days.

  • Enjoy!

Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 209kcal (10%) Carbohydrates: 23g (8%) Protein: 9g (18%) Fat: 10g (15%) Saturated Fat: 4g (25%) Cholesterol: 26mg (9%) Sodium: 561mg (24%) Potassium: 313mg (9%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 2g (2%) Vitamin A: 290IU (6%) Vitamin C: 11.6mg (14%) Calcium: 173mg (17%) Iron: 0.8mg (4%)

Did You Make This?I want to see! Be sure to upload an image below & tag @thecookierookie on social media!

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More Street Corn Recipes We Love

  • Mexican Corn on the Cob
  • Esquites Corn Salad
  • Avocado Corn Salsa
  • Grilled Corn Salad
  • Mexican Street Corn Salsa
  • Mexican Street Corn Dip
  • Street Corn Pasta Salad

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Healthy Mexican Street Corn (Off the Cob) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

Healthy Mexican Street Corn (Off the Cob) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie®? ›

Elote, commonly called Mexican Street Corn, is grilled corn smothered in a creamy mayo sauce and topped with chili powder, cheese and lime. Serve it as a snack or side dish for summer BBQ's and potlucks.

What is the difference between elote and Mexican street corn? ›

Elote, commonly called Mexican Street Corn, is grilled corn smothered in a creamy mayo sauce and topped with chili powder, cheese and lime. Serve it as a snack or side dish for summer BBQ's and potlucks.

Why is Mexican street corn so good? ›

Next you add a little, smoky chili powder or smoked paprika and fresh cilantro and then immediately dive in. And the best part? This Mexican Street Corn is grilled, which makes it pop with juicy, sweetness, and the crema is like buttah (that's butter in case you didn't notice;).

What is the red stuff in Elote? ›

Elotes can be made in a variety of ways, and this is the classic elote. The most authentic way is to boil some corn, slather on mayonnaise and lime juice, then cover in cotija cheese and chile powder. Hot sauce is optional and I usually see Valentina or Tapatio.

What kind of mayo to use for elote? ›

Mayonnaise – It creates a creamy coating for the corn and helps the other fixings stick. I love the flavor of 100% mayo on elote, but if you prefer, you can sub Mexican crema or sour cream for some or all of it. Fresh lime juice and zest – For brightness.

What is the yellow sauce on elote? ›

Elote (pronounced: eh-loh-teh) is a dish comprised of cooked sweet corn slathered in a spicy mixture of mayonnaise, crema, and chili powder, and then sprinkled with cheese.

What is a substitute for Cotija cheese? ›

Feta cheese, Quesco fresco and Goat cheese crumbles are the top 3 cotija cheese substitute. Romano cheese is also a good replacement.

What milk is Cotija made of? ›

Traditionally, Cotija is made with cow's milk and is a seasonal cheese produced by artisan cheese makers living high in the mountains. Cotija rates as one of Mexico's most recognized cheeses.

Is cotija cheese the same as queso fresco? ›

Queso fresco is as the name implies — fresh. At most, it's aged a few days. Cotija, however, is aged 2-12 months, creating its signature texture and grate-friendly texture.

How healthy is elote? ›

Corn is rich in fiber and carotenoids, which makes it healthy for the gut and eyes.

What kind of chili powder goes on elote? ›

Chili Powder: You can use Tajin, chipotle chili powder, ancho chili powder or even a dash of cayenne pepper if you'd like. Keep in mind that cayenne will had quite the kick so you may want to go easy on it.

What is an elote bite? ›

$7.95. Delectable bites of sweet corn and mexican spices, crispy and sprinkled with fresh cut cilantro, crumbled Queso Fresco and drizzled crema and a lime slice...a modern bite of traditional flavor!

What country is Mexican street corn from? ›

The origins of street corn lie in the streets of Mexico, where it's known as “elote.” With a history dating back centuries, the indigenous peoples of Mexico prepared this dish before any Europeans landed in the New World.

Why does Mexican corn taste different? ›

When dining in Mexico, cooked corn may taste sweeter and fresher because it was just harvested nearby. The closer you are to harvest time with corn, the sweeter it will taste. Eventually the sugars turn to starch. However, a lot of corn eaten in the US may have been harvested nearby as well, and will taste sweet.

What is the Mexican corn that has fungus? ›

Huitlacoche, pronounced weet-la-COH-cheh, is a fungus that grows on ears of corn. It is also known as cuitlacoche, corn smut, and Mexican truffle. It is a plant disease that causes smut –multicellular fungi with many spores – to grow on maize and is a delicacy in Mexico.

What are the different types of Mexican corn? ›

There are currently 64 criollo (native) varieties of maize in Mexico, although the most common species are:
  • Cacahuazintle. ...
  • Chapalote. ...
  • Teocintle. ...
  • Blue maize (Zea mays azul) ...
  • Popote corn (Zea mays with popcorn) ...
  • Elote corn (Zea mays dulce) ...
  • Criollo maize (landraces)

What is Mexican elote made of? ›

Elote is made with corn on the cob, slathered with mayonnaise, seasoned with chili powder and fresh lime juice, sprinkled all over with salty Cotija cheese and cilantro. It's messy to eat but worth every bite.

What is the difference between Elotes in the US and Mexico? ›

In Mexico, elote is usually made with white corn instead of the yellow sweet corn typically found in the United States. Similar to elote is another Mexican corn dish: esquites. Just like elote, esquites also utilizes a plethora of toppings — often the exact same toppings.

Why is it called Mexican street corn? ›

Corn on the cob is a popular street food in Mexico, which is how Mexican Street Corn got its name, although in Mexico it is known as “elote,” which literally means corn cob.

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