Easy Mexican Street Corn Salad

This Easy Mexican Street Corn Salad is made with fresh, canned, or frozen corn and goes great alongside fajitas, on tacos, or with chicken.  This quick Mexican corn side dish recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, kid friendly and ready in under 20 minutes!

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Nothing says summer like corn on the cob… or this Mexican street corn salad that is whipped up in your skillet 🙂

A while back, my brother-in-law invited a few of us to come and celebrate his birthday at the San Antonio BBQ Festival.

You were given 4 food tickets and 2 drinks tickets when you entered and then got to choose from over 40 tents cooking up delicious food!

After much BBQ consumption, I used my last food ticket to grab a BBQ taco and a cup of some tasty creamy and cheesy corn goodness (–>later known as a Mexican street corn salad.)

The taco was pretty good, but what was that incredibly addicting corn concoction?!

As the five of us sat around shoving our faces full of BBQ, BBQ, and more BBQ, a few random strangers came up and offered us their tickets.  (We must have still looked hungry?!)

We quickly accepted before they had the opportunity to change their minds.

I took this opportunity to dart over to the tent serving up that creamy and buttery Mexican street corn salad and get another cupful.

Since then this easy side dish accompanies just about any Cinco de Mayo party or taco night!

Ingredients

The ingredients in this Mexican corn salad are relatively easy to find at your local grocery store.

• Corn – Fresh corn cobs have the most flavor and are the most authentic way to make this Mexican salad.
  • You can also substitute with canned or previously frozen corn instead.  (Read more about this below.)
• Mayonnaise – Duke’s or Hellman’s mayonnaise are the preferred brands to use when making the sauce.  You can also substitute with Miracle Whip or an avocado mayo if that’s what you have on hand.
• Limes – Citrus helps impart a sharp and fresh flavor to the salad.  While lemons can be used, they are more tart than limes and will change the taste and flavor of the dish.
• Cotija Cheese – Huh?  I know.  This is not normally a cheese you look for in the grocery store.  But trust me when I tell you it absolutely MAKES this corn salad so incredibly delicious and addicting.
  • It has a salty flavor reminiscent of Parmesan cheese and a crumbly texture much like Feta cheese.
  • Normally you’ll find it in a block in the refrigerated cheese section at your grocery store.
  • If you must, Feta cheese can be substituted with a minor affect on the flavor of the dish.
• Onion – Red onions are used, but sweet or white onions can also be substituted.
• Jalapeno – Finely diced jalapeno gives a subtle bite and spice to this side.
  • If you want to alleviate the heat you can always leave it out.
  • Want it a bit spicier?  Substitute it with a serrano pepper or use two jalapenos.
• Cilantro – Absolutely necessary!  This fresh herb gives a delightful flavor to the dish that is authentic to the Mexican cuisine.
• Green Onions – These are optional and can be left out.

Fresh vs. Frozen Corn

The recipe below specifies using fresh corn off the cob.

Corn cobs are typically in season from May through September.  (Making it prime time for Cinco de Mayo!)

If you can’t find fresh cobs, you can also use canned corn or previously frozen corn.

• For frozen corn simply thaw the corn until it reached room temperature and then sear it in the skillet for 3-4 minutes.
• Drain canned corn and rinse it under running water.  Add it to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly seared.

Cutting Corn Off the Cob

Corn cobs can initially seem quite a bit intimidating with their thick husks and fibrous, silky pieces.

But trust me, cutting corn off the cob is actually so much easier than you’d think!

1. Cut about 1-inch off of each end of the corn cob.
2. Peel back the outer husks and discard them.
3. Remove the silky strands by rubbing the corn with your hand in a single direction.
4. Place one end of the ear of corn on a cutting board.
5. Position your knife at the top of the cob and cut down vertically, as close to the base of the kernels as possible.

Skillet versus Grill

I have attempted the grill quite recently (you can find out all about it here–> Grilled Fajita Chicken Kabobs).

However, I often choose to cook in the comfort of my air conditioned kitchen during the scorching months of summer.

While most recipes for a Mexican street corn salad are made by first by grilling the corn on the cob, the corn in this recipe is actually cooked in a skillet.

You can still get that crispy, slightly scorched outer layer on your corn by cranking up your heat a bit at the end.  Pay close attention to it though, because the corn can burn quickly!

How to Make

This corn side dish recipe is super easy to make and only consists of a few steps:

1. Combine oil, butter, corn kernels, and salt in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat
2. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring corn every 2 minutes.*
3. Whisk together garlic, lime juice, and mayo in a small bowl while corn is cooking.
4. Remove corn from heat once it is tender and let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Mix in mayo mixture, red onion, Cotija cheese, jalapeno, and cilantro.
6. Toss to combine and serve immediately with additional Cotija cheese and green onions.

FAQs

What to serve this with?

This Mexican street corn salad is one of my favorite side dishes for chicken fajitas, tastes great on sweet potato tacos, or with grilled chicken.

You can even mix it into your favorite spinach salad for an extra bit of flavor!

Can I meal prep this?

Feel free to make ahead the night before, or whip it up the day you want to serve it.  Because after all, it only takes 20 minutes to make!

Should I serve this warm or cold?

You can also choose to serve this Mexican street corn cold or heated up.  Just know that the cheese will end up melting if you reheat the entire dish.

Is this a dip or a side dish?

You can choose to serve this with some corn tortillas as a dip or as a side dish or salad.

Other Easy Side Dish Recipes

Healthy Summer Squash Casserole with Parmesan

Summer Corn Salad

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Air Fryer Corn on the Cob

Crispy Baked Parmesan Garlic Fries

4.23 from 18 votes

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Easy Mexican Street Corn Salad

This Easy Mexican Street Corn Salad is made with fresh, canned, or frozen corn and goes great alongside fajitas, on tacos, or with chicken.  This quick Mexican corn side dish recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, kid friendly and ready in under 20 minutes!

Course lunch, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 181 kcal

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh corn kernels* about 4 ears of corn
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. butter*
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise*
• ⅓ cup Cotija cheese*
• ¼ cup red onion finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. cilantro finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno finely chopped
• green onions optional

Instructions

1. Combine oil, butter, corn kernels, and salt in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. *

2. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring corn every 2 minutes.

3. Whisk together garlic, lime juice, and mayo in a small bowl while corn is cooking.

4. Remove corn from heat once it is tender and let sit for 5 minutes.

5. Mix in mayo mixture, red onion, Cotija cheese, jalapeno, and cilantro. 

6. Toss to combine and serve immediately with additional Cotija cheese and green onions.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• See recipe post for instructions on how to cut corn kernels off the cob.
• If you would like slightly “charred” corn kernels, simply increase heat to medium-high at the end of cooking and let the kernels sit for two-minute intervals before flipping. Repeat until it is charred to your liking!
• You can use vegan Feta "cheese", more olive oil in place of the butter, and avocado mayo to make this recipe vegan.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Mexican Street Corn Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 181 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 20mg7%

Sodium 332mg14%

Potassium 231mg7%

Carbohydrates 15g5%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 651IU13%

Vitamin C 10mg12%

Calcium 44mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.