This Skillet Mexican Street Corn Dip is mouthwateringly delicious and a perfect appetizer for a party. Best of all it's made in one pan with simple ingredients, meaning no trips to specialty markets and easy clean-up.
This is a play on elote, or Mexican street corn, but in a hot dip form! Mexican style street corn is typically made with grilled corn on the cob that's then brushed with mayonnaise, sour cream, spices and cheese.
I originally developed a similar recipe many years ago for a national food brand, but this version includes a simple extra step that adds lots of flavor! That simple step includes making Skillet Charred Corn on the Cob! I originally posted this recipe for hot elote dip back in August of 2023, but the post was mistakenly deleted. This is an updated version of that same recipe.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made with simple grocery store ingredients
- Easy to customize based on your dietary needs
- Plenty of tweaks to add more flavor
- Perfect for a party, gameday or cookout
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Ingredients that Matter
This Mexican corn dip recipe features ingredients that are readily available in most grocery stores. Here are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:
- Corn. I recommend making this recipe with corn on the cob. Start with 4 medium ears of corn on the cob. You can, of course, use frozen corn instead. You'll want to use 4 cups of frozen corn kernels.
- Mayonnaise. Use regular mayonnaise or reduced-fat mayo, if preferred.
- Sour Cream. Regular sour cream adds a nice tang and creamy texture to this hot corn dip. You can use low fat sour cream if you are watching your calories and fat. Keep some extra around to adjust the consistency of the dip.
- Cream Cheese. A bit of cream cheese helps turn this Mexican street corn into a hot and creamy dip.
- Canned Green Chiles. Reach for a 4 ounce can of roasted green chiles to add lots of aromatics to this dip.
- Spices. Use a variety of simple spices like chili powder, ground cumin and smoked paprika for a balance of flavor.
- Aromatics. Onion and garlic , cooked until golden brown, add toasty and sweet flavor to this hot corn dip.
- Cotija Cheese. This crumbly, mild and salty cheese goes well with sweet corn.
- Lime. Fresh lime is used for the zest and juice.
- Cilantro. Use fresh cilantro as a final garnish.
- Oil. Use whatever oil you prefer to make this dip, including olive, vegetable or canola oil.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Mexican Corn Dip
It is quite simple to make this hot street corn dip in a skillet. I recommend using a large cast iron skillet, but a regular stainless steel skillet will work as well so long as it is oven safe. Here is how this recipe comes together:
Start by charring corn on the cob in a skillet. Brush with a bit of oil and cook over high heat until charred on all sides, about 10 minutes.
Cool the corn slightly then remove the kernels off the cob. Reserve ½ cup in a small bowl.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add more oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the can of green chiles, lime zest and spices.
Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream and stir to combine. Stir in the charred corn.
Bake in a 350F oven until bubbly, if desired, about 10 minutes. You can also simply reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the dip is hot. Garnish with reserved charred corn, cotija cheese, more chili powder, cilantro and lime wedges.
Serve the dip with tortilla chips on the side and more cilantro and limes wedges.
Hint: Using a cast iron skillet will help ensure the dip stays warm when serving.
Substitutions
There are plenty of tweaks you can make to this recipe based on your dietary restrictions or preferences. Consider the following substitutions:
- Lower Fat - You can cut back on the fat for this recipe by using reduced fat mayonnaise, sour cream and cream cheese.
- Corn - If you don't want to use corn on the cob, choose instead to use about 4 cups of frozen corn. I still recommend charred that corn in a skillet before using. You can even use a couple cans of corn, just be sure to drain and rinse it first.
- Cotija - This Mexican cheese has a slightly rubbery texture, not too unlike feta cheese. You can also use queso fresco or other semi-firm white cheese. In fact, if preferred, you could simply use cheddar cheese, which is of course not typical of elote.
What to serve with skillet elote dip?
While crispy tortilla chips work incredibly well with this skillet corn dip, you can also include fresh cut vegetables, crusty bread or potato chips. Here are some other suggestions:
- Serve this dip at a party with our homemade Crispy Baked Chicken Tacos.
- Include it in a vegetarian taco night with Sheet Pan Tofu Fajitas, Tomato Rice and Vegan Refried Beans.
- Serve at a backyard cookout with our other favorite dips, like Guacamole with Homemade Pico de Gallo, Creamy Chipotle Lime Sauce, Mango and Corn Salsa, Buffalo Ranch Dip and Easy Sour Cream and Chive Dip.
How to make street corn dip ahead
This street corn dip recipe is based made just before serving, but there are some options to make it ahead of time:
- Pre-char the corn and cook the onion and pepper mixture ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to serve, simply stir the onion and pepper mixture, charred corn with the rest of the ingredients and bake until hot.
- Make the recipe up to the point of baking the corn dip in the oven. Instead, cool, cover and refrigerate. Note that the dip may thicken over time, so consider adding a bit more sour cream. Transfer the prepped dip to the oven and bake until bubbly.
Storage
Store leftover corn dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It tastes best the same day it's made, or one or two days in the fridge. I do not recommend storing leftover dip in the skillet. Reheat the dip in the oven until bubbly, adding a bit more sour cream if the dip is too thick. You an also serve it cold out of the refrigerator.
I don't recommend freezing this recipe.
Top tip
Skillet elote dip is best served hot. Using a cast iron skillet will keep the dip hot longer than in a casserole dish or a stainless steel skillet. Once baked, if you want to keep it hot but are not quite ready to serve it, simply leave the skillet in the oven, covered wit a bit of aluminum foil, and turn the oven off. Do not store it longer than 2 hours.
FAQ
Elote, or Mexican street corn, is typically made by grilling corn on the cob, then brushing with mayonnaise, sour cream, spices and lime and garnishing with cilantro and cheese.
Yes, simply cook the recipe according to the instructions then transfer the mixture to a casserole dip, covered, and bake at 350F until bubbly.
Depending on how much starch is in the corn, the elote dip may get thick as it sits. If that happens, simply stir in a bit more sour cream.
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Recipe
Skillet Mexican Street Corn Dip
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
Description
This Skillet Mexican Street Corn Dip is mouthwateringly delicious and a perfect appetizer for a party. Best of all it's made in one pan with simple ingredients, meaning no trips to specialty markets and easy clean-up.
Ingredients
- 4 medium ears corn (or 4 cups frozen corn), peeled
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 oz. can green chiles
- zest of 1 lime (cut remaining lime into wedges for serving)
- 1 tsp. chili powder, plus more for serving
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream (plus more, as needed)
- crumbled cotija cheese, for serving
- cilantro leaves, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Brush the corn with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Heat a large cast iron skillet (or oven-safe skillet) over high heat. Add the corn and cook, flipping and rotating occasionally, until charred on all sides, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat if the skillet gets too hot and be sure to turn on a vent. Remove skillet from heat and cool corn slightly. Cut the kernels off the charred corn and reserve ½ cup in a small bowl.
- Return skillet to medium heat and add oil, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in green chiles, lime zest, chili powder, cumin and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the charred corn, cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until starting to bubble along the edge, about 10 minutes; or, you may continue to heat the mixture on the stovetop, stirring frequently, until the dip is very hot. Garnish with reserved ½ cup charred corn, cilantro leaves, lime wedges and more chili powder. Serve with tortilla chips on the side.
Notes
- Note that this recipe does not include added salt as I think there is plenty of sodium in this dip. But, feel free to add a pinch, if desired.
- You can use reduced fat cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise, if desired.
- To make this recipe ahead of time, char the corn and cook the onion and pepper mixture. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to assemble, simply stir the onion and pepper mixture with the charred corn and the rest of the ingredients then bake until hot and bubbly.
- You can make this recipe in a casserole dish. Simply char the corn and cook the onion and pepper mixture first then stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese and transfer to a casserole dish (lightly spray with cooking spray) then bake at 350F until bubbly.
- Try serving this hot street corn dip with Baked Crispy Chicken Tacos, Vegan Refried Beans, Tomato Rice, Easy Guacamole with Homemade Pico de Gallo or Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Serve cold out of the refrigerator or reheat in the oven.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: appetizers
- Method: Sautee/Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
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