When summer corn is at its sweetest, this is what I want to make. Creamy, smoky, tangy, and just a little spicy, this Mexican Street Corn disappears fast!
You have tried the hard way. Now try the heart’s way, the effortless way.~Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space~
Inspired by Mexican esquites, this creamy Mexican Street Corn Dip is loaded with sweet corn, jalapeño, cilantro, fresh lime, smoky spices, and salty Cotija cheese. Served warm with tortilla chips, it’s an irresistible summer appetizer and one of my favorite ways to celebrate fresh corn season!
In the little beach town of Sayulita, Mexico, there’s a street cart in the main square that always seems to have a line of locals waiting for esquites-also called vasito de elotes, or “little cups of corn.”
I've been making this for over a year now. It's fantastic. Rarely cook corn any other way!
Unlike elote, which corn is served on the cob, esquites is made with sweet corn kernels sheared off the cob tossed with chiles, cilantro, lime, and cheese, then served in a paper cup with a spoon (and sometimes tortilla chips!). It’s so simple, yet so incredibly good.
At night, street food vendors line the avenues with all kinds of flavorful antojitos-literally “little cravings”-and some of my favorite meals in Sayulita have come from these humble stands. I’ve wanted to recreate those flavors at home ever since. My version leans a little more into dip territory-warm, creamy, smoky, tangy, and perfect for scooping up with tortilla chips. When sweet summer corn finally comes into season, this is one of the first things I want to make.
Esquites Ingredients
- Corn- fresh summer corn, or frozen corn.
- Jalapeno- Fresh jalapeno adds a delicious kick of flavor and heat! Moderate it to your heat tolerance.
- Onion– we use red onion or shallot.
- Garlic- A few cloves of fresh garlic adds a nice bite.
- Cilantro- a must! But if you must substitute, I would use green onion and Italian parsley.
- Spices- Cumin, coriander, chipotle powder really add depth of flavor here.
- Lime Zest- Lime zest brightens this up.
- Mayo– Mayo is traditional here, along with a little butter. Sometimes I add sour cream for extra richness, and I skip the butter, but butter truly does add incredible richness. You can use vegan mayo and vegan butter!
- Cheese- cotija is traditional or sub pecorino or insalata ricotta- or any “dry” salty cheese.
How to make Esquites
Cut the kernals off the corn. Tip. If using fresh corn, there is a tendency to hold the corn cobs straight up and vertically while slicing downward…. which inevitably gets corn kernels everywhere. Lay the ear of corn down on the cutting board and slice it downward for a more controlled approach. 🙂 Save the cobs and add to your next batch of vegetable broth for delicious flavor.
You can also grill the corn first, especially if you are grilling anyway, and the charred bits of corn add delicious flavor! See recipe notes.
Sauté the onion, garlic, and chilies until fragrant.
Add the corn, spices, and a splash of water, and cover for a few minutes. Stir in the lime zest and herbs, and the mayo.
Taste and adjust salt, heat and lime to taste. Feel free to add a little butter or sour cream if you are in the mood for extra richness. Garnish with cilantro and lime.
Tip- Whenever I make a dip, I always try to taste it with the chips I am serving, to gauge the salt.
What to serve with Esquites?
- Serve in mini cups with a spoon.
- With Tortilla chips or corn chips for scooping
- In lettuce wraps or jicama wraps
- Stuff an avocado with this!
- Serve on a tostada with avocado and microgreens 🙂
Enjoy the Mexican Street Corn. If you find yourself down in Sayulita, seek out the little street cart in the lively center square after dark. 🙂
Storage
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in the refridgerator.
More favorite corn recipes
Enjoy! xoxo Sylvia
Print
Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Dip)
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Appetizer, dip, Side Dish, summer recipe
- Method: saute or gill
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Mexican Street Corn Dip (Esquites) made with fresh corn, jalapeños, cilantro, lime, and optional cotija cheese. Make it creamy; serve as a warm side dish or a dip with tortilla chips
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup red onions, diced
- 1–2 tablespoons jalapeno, finely diced
- 2–4 garlic cloves- roughly chopped
- 3 1/2– 4 cups corn kernels (16 ounces, frozen or 4 fresh ears of corn)
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8– 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or sub-smoked paprika or chili powder for milder flavor) Note: 1/4 teaspoon is quite spicy.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt,
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3–4 tablespoons water or veggie stock
- 1 small lime- zest, and juice if needed.
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup scallions
- 1/4 cup Mayo or vegan mayo (see notes), more to taste.
- 1/4–1/2 cup cotija, crumbled (optional, sub-grated insalata ricotta, parmesan or pecorino)
Instructions
- Saute. Heat oil in an extra-large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until golden about 3 minutes, stirring often. Lower heat to medium-low, add garlic and jalapeño, and cook until fragrant, 4-5 minutes.
- Combine. Add fresh corn, spices, salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add a splash of water stir, cover and steam for 3-4 minutes.
- Season. Add the lime zest. Fold in 2/3rds of the cilantro and scallions. Stir in the mayo. Taste and adjust the salt and lime to taste (feel free to squeeze lime if needed; I find the zest to be enough).
- Serve in a bowl, sprinkle with remaining cilantro, scallions and optional cotija serve with tortilla chips. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Leftovers keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Creamy DIP: If you want it extra creamy, stir in a couple of tablespoons of sour cream/ and or butter. Butter is traditional. It’s ridiculously good with a bit of butter. Best eaten warm!
Grill! You can also grill fresh corn whole (shucked) directly on the grate, letting it a little charred in places. Let it cool, then slice the grilled kernels off the cob and add to the sautéed shallot-garlic-chili mixture in the skillet. Proceed with the recipe form there.
To make this vegan, use vegan mayo, vegan sour cream or vegan butter. 🙂
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 114
- Sugar: 2.7 g
- Sodium: 125.4 mg
- Fat: 9.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.2 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 2.9 mg
I added this to our Christmas Eve tamale dinner spread this year- added half again as much of the spices, served warm with ‘scoops’ chips. SO. GOOD. Gone before the homemade Guacamole- now that is a first! It’s a keeper and could definitely also see as a side dish.
Glad you enjoyed Amy! Extra spices, sounds yum.
Another great recipe! I added an Anaheim and a yellow pepper while sautéing, added the juice of one lime, omitted the mayo, and tossed in some arugula at the end. It paired perfectly with your Chile Rellenos.
Sounds great! Appreciate you taking time to review Karen!
So delicious! I served it with the shrimp tacos and it was perfect!
Sounds like a perfect pairing, so happy you enjoyed!
Such a great recipe. I was looking for a vegetable dish to serve with Cajun meatballs & this worked really well. Will definitely be making this again very soon.
Oh great to hear! Cajun Meatballs sound yummy!
I love this recipe – definitely one of my favorites. I found a new tool that helps getting the kernels off the cob – it’s called the Kernel Razor and here’s the link:
Oh cool Steven! I’ll have to try this- the link won’t show up here, but people can google if interested. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
I’ve been making this for over a year now. It’s fantastic. Rarely cook corn any other way!
Thanks Brian!
I made this to go along with a salmon and couscous salad for guests. The corn was the highlight of dinner! It was incredibly delicious. I added just a tablespoon of light mayo. This recipe will be on my Summer rotation.
Glad you enjoyed it Catherine!
This corn was delicious! And so easy to make l! We usually grill our corn in the air fryer so we did the same this time and then fried it as the recipe instructs. It was a hit with all the family . Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Thanks Maureen- glad you enjoyed this!
I like this recipe because Im not a mayo fan. Grilled the corn and it was tasty and simple!
Made this and added a couple tablespoons of vegan mayo as you said and left the cheese out. So good!
There is nothing tastier than fresh corn off the cob! This recipe looks delicious. thanks
Thanks Judee!!