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Mexican Street Corn Salad

5 from 6 votes
Total 20 minutes
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Street corn salad is Mexican street corn in salad form. It is the perfect scoopable side for savory meats and a chip-dipping appetizer.

Street corn salad in brown serving bowl with serving utensils.

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Table of Contents hide
1) Why This Is The Best Mexican Corn Salad
2) Ingredients You’ll Need
3) How to Make Mexican Corn Off The Cob
4) Tips To Cook the Corn
5) Recipe Tips
6) Recipe Variations
7) Serving Ideas
8) 📖 Recipe
9) Mexican Street Corn Salad

Why This Is The Best Mexican Corn Salad

  • Quick and easy - This scrumptious salad comes together in minutes, making it great for last-minute gatherings and kitchen beginners.
  • Versatile - Serve street corn salad as a side with savory entrees, as a salsa for Mexican dishes, or with tortilla chips as an appetizer.
  • Crowd-pleaser - Mexican street corn off the cob disappears at every gathering. Guaranteed.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Corn - The star of the dish. Use frozen corn, fresh corn on the cob, or canned corn.
  • Red Bell Pepper - Adds a pop of color and crunch to the salad.
  • Onion - Provides a mild bite that balances the sweetness of the corn.
  • Jalapeño Pepper - Gives the salad a bit of heat; use more or less depending on your preference and the jalapeño heat.
  • Cotija Cheese - Crumbly and salty, this cheese ties all the flavors together.
  • Mayonnaise - Provides the creamy base that binds everything together with a tangy and flavorful richness.
  • Limes - Fresh lime juice and zest add a zesty brightness to the dish.
  • Salt & Pepper - Essential for seasoning and bringing out the flavors.

How to Make Mexican Corn Off The Cob

  1. Decide if you will char the corn or use it fresh. Get charring instructions in the blog post and in the printable recipe card below.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Serve and enjoy.
Ingredients for street corn salad in glass mixing bowls.
Person's hand uses black stirring utensil to mix ingredients for street corn salad in a glass mixing bowl.
Street corn salad in glass mixing bowl with black spatula.
Street corn salad in brown serving bowl with serving utensils.

Tips To Cook the Corn

Cooking corn for street corn salad isn't required, but it adds another layer that enhances the flavor, especially if you char it!

  • Charring in a skillet: Heat a skillet over medium-high and cook the corn until it starts to char, stirring occasionally.
  • Charring on the grill: Preheat your grill to medium-high, lightly oil the corn, and grill until charred, then cut the kernels off the cob.
  • Other methods: Steam the corn on the cob in a pressure cooker, or make air fryer corn on the cob. Then cut the kernels off and add to the salad.

After cooking the corn for your street corn salad, let it cool to room temperature before mixing it into the salad to avoid warming the other ingredients.

Recipe Tips

  • Thawing Corn: If using frozen corn, ensure it's fully thawed and patted dry to avoid excess moisture in the salad.
  • Cooking the corn: You can opt to char the corn (see recipe instructions), or skip the cooking step and use thawed frozen corn or fresh kernels straight off the cob.
  • Cutting hot peppers: Use gloves to avoid irritation when handling serrano or jalapeño peppers. Remove seeds for less heat.
  • Serving tip: Chilling the salad before serving helps the flavors meld, but it’s also delicious when served immediately.

Recipe Variations

  • Make it more nutritious: Replace mayonnaise with Greek yogurt for added protein and tangy flavor.
  • Use Feta Cheese: If Cotija cheese isn't available, you can substitute it with feta cheese for a similar salty, crumbly texture.
  • Tajin Seasoning: Sprinkle this popular seasoning over the salad for a tangy, spicy kick.
Street corn salad in brown serving bowl with serving utensils.

Serving Ideas

  • Serve alongside chicken breast, steak, or fish.
  • Use it as a topping for chicken tacos or burrito bowls.
  • Pair with tortilla chips for a flavorful dip.
  • Spoon over a bed of mixed greens for a light lunch.
  • Serve as a side dish at barbecues or potlucks.

📖 Recipe

Street corn salad in brown serving bowl with serving utensils.

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Street corn salad is Mexican street corn in salad form. It is the perfect scoopable side for savory meats and a chip-dipping appetizer.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total time20 minutes
Yield 4 cups
Author Traci
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin it for later 📌

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Note about scaling

When scaling, the light gray ingredient notes after the comma don’t change. Adjust as needed.

Ingredients 

  • 1 (16-ounce) bag Frozen Corn (thawed and patted dry), *or 5 ears fresh corn
  • ½ Red Bell Pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
  • ½ small Onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 Jalapeño Pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • ½ cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
  • ¼ cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 Limes, zested and juiced
  • Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
  • (Optional) Garnish with Tajin Seasoning or Paprika

Instructions

Cook the corn using one of these methods. Then cool to room temperature.

  • Charring in a skillet: Heat a skillet over medium-high and cook the corn until it starts to char, stirring occasionally.
    Charring corn ears on the grill: Preheat your grill to medium-high, lightly oil the shucked corn ears, and grill until charred. Cool the corn and cut the kernels off the cob.
    Other methods: Steam whole corn on the cob in a pressure cooker, or make air fryer corn. Then cut the kernels off and add to the salad.

For the street corn salad

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the CORN KERNELS, RED BELL PEPPER, ONION, JALAPEÑO PEPPER, and COTIJA CHEESE.
  • Combine the MAYONNAISE and LIME JUICE and add to the salad mixture. Stir everything together until well combined.
  • Add SALT and PEPPER to taste.
  • Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Did you make this? We'd love your feedback!!Please rate and review it here or below ⤵️

Recipe Notes

Thawing Corn: If using frozen corn, ensure it's fully thawed and patted dry to avoid excess moisture in the salad.
Cooking the corn: You can opt to char the corn (see recipe instructions), or skip the cooking step and use thawed frozen corn or fresh kernels straight off the cob.
Cutting hot peppers: Use gloves to avoid irritation when handling serrano or jalapeño peppers. Remove seeds for less heat.
Serving tip: Chilling the salad before serving helps the flavors meld, but it’s also delicious when served immediately.
 

Equipment

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cups | Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 609IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.

Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican, TexMex
Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian
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Traci

About Traci

I’m the recipe author, photographer, and videographer behind The Kitchen Girl food blog established in 2013. I test and share all of my original recipes here so you can make great food with simple ingredients for everyday meals and special occasions.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 6 votes

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  1. Dana says

    5 stars
    I live in Mexico and this is super popular. Excellent recipe! The only thing I did different was to add a little of my favorite spice mixture (paprika, chile powder, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper). I used Mexican fresh corn, the only kind of fresh there is here!) and pre-cooked it for a minute in the microwave then charred it in a pan. Once again, excellent recipe!

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Thank you so much, that means a lot, especially coming from someone in Mexico! I love the spice mix and process you used. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and appreciate you sharing your experience!

  2. Jeanne Silveus says

    5 stars
    Absolutely fantastic. We have made it three times.

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Yay!! I love knowing it's so loved by you. Thanks for letting me know. Enjoy!!

  3. Lita Werle says

    5 stars
    I love this recipe! I have only used fresh corn but I will try it with frozen if there isn’t fresh available. It was a big hit at a potluck a few months ago.

    Reply

    • Traci says

      I love that you came back to share your experience—thank you so much! It means a lot that you trusted my recipe for your event and it really is the perfect potluck dish. Thanks again for making and sharing it! 🌽😊

  4. Abuelita Kathy says

    5 stars
    Saw your Elote (on cob) recipe and secured the ingredients. Then I saw this recipe and it sounded a lot less messy so I tried it instead. We hardly had enough left over to chill for tomorrow. It is delicious.

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Yayy!! I'm so glad you went for it!! You're right, street corn salad is way less messy than my elote on the cob – great point! Thank you for this feedback and for bringing my recipes into your kitchen! Enjoy!!

  5. Diane Wagner says

    5 stars
    Totally delish, made with Trader Joe's grilled frozen corn. It adds a smokey grilled flavor that totally brings this dish to an awsome level❣️

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Well gosh I need to try that corn from TJ's it sounds like 😉 Thank you for the feedback on my recipe! I'm so glad you love this street corn salad as much as we do! Enjoy!!

  6. Diane Wagner says

    5 stars
    I had a bag of frozen grilled corn from Trader Joe's, and use that. OMGsh it was totally fantastic with a smokey grilled flavor. Thanks for the recipe 😘

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Yayy!! I'm so glad you went for it and loved it as much as we do! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback. Much appreciated! Enjoy!