Mexican Corn Dip with Cream Cheese

Our easy corn dip with cream cheese and sour cream is based on the popular Mexican street corn called Esquites. Serve it as you would with any hot dip recipe, with a side of tortilla chips, Fritos, or vegetable sticks. It's a Whole Lotta Yum in less than 30 minutes!

Mexican corn dip seriously makes one of the most delicious dips when you're looking for a simple yet unique creamy appetizer. This would be a terrific choice for game day, a BBQ, or for any time you need a quick and easy appetizer recipe.

Another added bonus? This is a high protein corn dip with 10 grams of protein per serving. Protein seems to be the topic of the year since eating it keeps us full, helps stop food cravings, and is great for weight loss or building muscle.

While the majority of our site is dedicated to high protein lower carb eating, Mexican street corn flavors are one of our favorite summer combos we love to serve when guests come to the house.

While I admit that I haven't had authentic Mexican street corn in Mexico proper, we do love to enjoy it in border cities like San Diego or in the Southwest. And when spring and summer hit, we honestly can't get enough of it which is why we have multiple Mexican street corn recipes on our website including Esquites street corn salad with frozen corn and Elotes corn on the cob. We recommend that you try them all!

Key ingredients

• cream cheese - we use full fat cream cheese, you can swap it out for lower fat cream cheese if preferred.
• sour cream - Greek yogurt can be substituted or lower fat sour cream. Or try adding blended cottage cheese.
• lime juice - fresh is best! Please squeeze lime and don't use concentrate.
• seasonings - cumin, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper. Onion powder or garlic salt could be used in place of the garlic.
• butter
• shallot - a white or yellow onion can be used in place of the shallot.
• frozen corn - any frozen corn will work, we also love Trader Joe's roasted corn. Canned corn or canned sweet corn can be used too.
• cheddar cheese -you could use Colby, mozzarella, pepper Jack cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese.
• Cotija cheese
• Fresh cilantro - used as a garnish, sliced green onions make a great garnish too.

** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **

Variations

Use fresh corn- While we love to start with frozen corn to make the recipe even quicker, if you have extra time then cooking fresh corn and cutting it off of the cob is a great option too.

Mix-ins - Mix in a can of drained diced tomatoes or Rotel tomatoes, cooked red bell pepper, or black beans. Salsa or green chilies to taste is another alternative. Mixing in extra veggies could turn this into a side dish to your favorite Mexican recipes.

How to Make Mexican Cream Cheese Corn Dip

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, Greek yogurt, lime, cumin, garlic, paprika, and cayenne.  Mix until well combined.
2. In a skillet, over medium heat combine butter, chopped shallot, lime, and defrosted frozen corn or canned corn, and cook until butter is melted, and vegetables have softened.
3. Add cream cheese mixture, shredded cheese, and cotija cheese, and mix until well combined.
4. Remove from the skillet and add to a serving bowl. 
5. Top with chopped cilantro or chopped green onions. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. You can also add hot sauce, smoked paprika, chili powder, or sprinkle on Tajin seasoning. Enjoy!

Recipe notes

• Serve the Elotes dip with corn chips and serve it alongside tacos or quesadillas. Pairs great with margaritas or Mexican beer!
• To increase the spice just added diced jalapenos or green chiles when you sauté the corn and onion together. Or add hot sauce, chili powder, or Tajin seasoning as a garnish.
• If you're serving it at a party, it's easy to keep warm in a mini crockpot.
• Instead of making a skillet version, you can also make a baked Elotes corn dip by putting all of the ingredients in a baking dish or casserole dish and adding more Cojita at the end with the other garnishes.

FAQs

Can it be eaten warm or cold?

Eating corn dip hot or cold is both delicious! We like to serve it as a hot dip right after making it, but it is delicious reheated, or cold straight from the fridge.

If you reheat it: scoop the amount you will be serving/eating into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20-second increments, stirring after every 20 seconds.

Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it?

We don't recommend freezing cream cheese corn dip, the dairy takes on a grainy texture in the freezer. However, you can make it a couple of days in advance and reheat it when you are ready to serve it.

What are Elotes?

Elotes is the Spanish word for corn on the cob. In Mexico, it's a popular street food that's grilled and then coated in a creamy chili sauce. A variation of Elotes is Esquites, which are corn kernels in a cup tossed in a similar creamy chili dressing. In the US we often refer to to Esquites as a Mexican corn salad, but authentically, it's considered a snack and not a salad at all.

More creamy dips

• Instant Pot spinach artichoke dip
• Shredded chicken buffalo chip
• Buffalo dip with canned chicken
• Whipped honey ricotta dip

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