Elote Dip Recipe

Elote dip in a blue bowl topped with cotija cheese and garnished with lime wedges and fresh cilantro. The bowl is on a plate of blue corn tortilla chips resting on a blue and white striped placemat, with a wooden bowl of yellow tortilla chips in the upper left and a gold spoon in the lower right.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: elote dip, elote dip recipe, Mexican street corn dip

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 0

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Calories: 278kcal

This elote dip recipe is based on the flavors of Mexican street corn and served cold. It's fresh, flavorful, and quick and easy to make! Ready in 15 minutes!

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Ingredients

4 cups fresh sweet corn from 5-8 ears (or use frozen, see note)
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
zest of one lime divided
2 cloves garlic
⅓ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup sour cream
1 cup crumbled cotija cheese divided
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
pinch chili powder
lime wedges for serving

Instructions

Shuck the corn, then lay a kitchen towel down on the counter. Stand the corn up so the stem end is on the counter surface. Place the part of the knife blade closest to your hand at the top of the cob and let it slide down the cob toward the tip of the knife. The corn kernels will all fall onto the towel, then scoop up the towel and dump them into a large mixing bowl.
Use a microplane grater to zest the lime, then slice in half and juice it. Then grate the garlic.
Finely chop the cilantro leaves and tender stems.
In the bowl with the corn, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped cilantro, cayenne, garlic, kosher salt, ¾ cup of the cotija, and ¾ of the lime zest. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt or lime juice if necessary.
Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the remaining cheese and lime zest. Sprinkle it with chili powder and serve with extra lime wedges on the side.

Notes

You can substitute frozen corn for fresh. Thaw it in the refrigerator first, then make sure it is drained well before mixing with the other ingredients.
Store limes at room temperature to yield the most juice. Cold limes just won't give up much juice! If you've already put them in the refrigerator, allow them to come to room temp before using.
Grating the garlic allows the flavor to mix more evenly throughout the dip, and saves you from biting down on a big chunk of raw garlic.
I don't recommend making elote dip in advance. Once you mix all of the ingredients together, the corn kernels will start to give up their water, so you might lose out on some of the creamy texture.
If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Do not freeze elote dip.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I may make a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy.

Nutrition