Mexican Street Corn Salad features grilled corn and poblano peppers, queso fresco, fresh herbs and more! It’s a little spicy, sweet, and bold as can be and perfect for serving at backyard barbecues and other festivities all summer long.
Enjoy more of my favorite easy corn salad recipes like Creamy Corn Salad, Cajun Corn Salad and Avocado Corn Salad!
Table of Contents
If you’re an elote lover, this Mexican street corn salad is right up your alley! It essentially takes everything you know and love about Mexican street corn (also known as elote) and tosses it in one big bowl with some roasted poblano peppers. Trust me, this corn salad recipe is anything but bland!
Corn on the cob and poblano peppers are roasted to perfection before being tossed into this salad, giving both ingredients that extra level of delicious that really sends the whole dish over the top. Other notable ingredients in this bold recipe include crumbled queso fresco, fresh minced cilantro, chipotle chili powder and more. Every bite is incredibly flavor-packed.
I also love what a total breeze it is to toss this Mexican corn salad together! Once the corn and peppers are roasted (which only takes a few minutes), you just have to toss all of the ingredients together and enjoy. This is a great low stress recipe for making right before the party starts, and it’s even better for making ahead of time! More info on that below in my FAQ section.
Ingredient Notes
Corn on the Cob – You’ll want to buy corn that still has the husks. Also, scroll down for more info on how to boil corn on the cob if you’d prefer to do that rather than grill it.
Poblano Peppers – If you’re worried about spice, have no fear! Poblano peppers are very mild and lend more of a savory, smokey flavor to the salad.
Cilantro – You can omit this fresh herb if you’re not a fan. I like the pop of vibrant fresh flavor it provides.
Lime – You’ll just need the zest of a lime, not the juice. You can always get great use out of the extra lime juice by making some Margaritas, of course!
Mayo and Sour Cream – These come together to create the very best consistency for this corn salad recipe. I recommend using products that have their full fat content (not low fat) for the thickest, creamiest results.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Grill Corn
Prepare your grill. Prepare the grill so you have a two-zone fire, whether you are using a charcoal grill or gas. Preheat it to medium or prepare the coals, add them to the grill, and let it preheat.
Grill the corn. Snip the silk whiskers sticking out of the top of the corn husk but leave the rest of the corn in a husk. Lay it on the grill, with the bottom of the husk towards the cooler side of the grill. Close the grill and cook for 13-15 minutes, turning it every 3-4 minutes.
Butter the corn and char it. Take corn off the grill and carefully, using tongs, take off the husk and the silk. Brush corn with melted butter and place back on the grill. Close the grill and cook, turning it every 3-4 minutes, until lightly charred on all sides.
Cut it. Take the corn off the grill. Once it’s cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off of the cob and place them in a large bowl.
PRO TIP: Grill the poblano peppers at the same time as the corn. This way you can either make both ahead of time or use it right away in a salad.
How To Boil Corn:
You can boil the corn instead of grilling. Remove the husks and all silk threads from the corn. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then lower it to medium and add the corn (1). Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Wait until it’s cool enough to handle before cutting.
How To Make Mexican Corn Salad
Use either method of cooking the corn, cook it, and let it cool down until you can handle it without burning yourself.
You can char poblanos on the gas stove if you have it, char them on the grill, or simply leave them raw.
To Grill Poblano Peppers: Place poblano peppers on the hot side of the grill about half way though cooking corn. Let them char on both sides. Once the peppers are nicely charred, take them off the grill.
To Char Peppers on Gas Stove: First thing to remember is to NOT walk away. Turn your gas stovetop flame to medium heat. Place the peppers on the grate directly over the top of the gas flame. Let it roast for about 3 minutes and use a pair of tongs to turn them a quarter on the way. Keep roasting and turning ever few minutes until charred and softened. Take them off the stove.
Cut the peppers, take out the seeds, and scrape off the extra charred skin if needed. Dice the peppers (2) and add them to the mixing bowl.
Add everything to a bowl. Add all of the ingredients (except for the queso fresco) to a bowl with the poblano peppers and corn (3).
Make it cheesy and toss. Mix in the crumbled queso fresco (4) and toss everything together to combine (5). Keep Mexican street corn salad refrigerated until ready to serve.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! It’s actually better made ahead of time because the salad needs to chill and it will taste better once all ingredients have had time to mingle. You should make the salad about 2 hours before you need to serve it but you can also make it a day ahead. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
You sure can! Grill the corn and poblano peppers a day or two before you plan on serving the salad. Once they’ve both fully cooled to room temperature, store them in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
Nope! The poblano peppers aren’t spicy and the chipotle chili powder doesn’t lend a whole lot of spice either.
If you’re like to heat things up, consider tossing in some cayenne powder or even some chopped jalapeños.
If you DO want to make it even spicier, feel free to add a habanero pepper or something spicier to the corn salad.
Tools For This Recipe
(Affiliate links)
Bottom Grip Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
Plastic Cutting Board or Wooden Cutting Board
Le Creuset Dutch Oven ($$$)
Cast Iron Dutch Oven (Cost-effective option)
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Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 5-6 corn on the cob in husks
- 2 Tbsp salted butter
- 2 medium poblano peppers
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
- 1 lime – zest only
- 2 Tbsp mayo
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- Salt
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 cup queso fresco crumbled
Instructions
Grilled Corn:
- Prepare your charcoal until it’s ashed over. Move it to one half of the grill so that you have a cooler grill side and a hotter grill side. Make sure the grate is clean.
- Snip the silk whiskers sticking out of the top of the corn husk but leave the rest of the corn in a husk. Lay it on the grill, with the bottom of the husk towards the cooler side of the grill. Close the grill and cook for 13-15 minutes, turning it every 3-4 minutes.
- Take corn off the grill and carefully, using tongues, take off the husk and the silk. Brush corn with melted butter and place back on the grill. Close the grill and cook, turning it every 3-4 minutes, until lightly charred on all sides.
- Take corn off the grill and cut the corn kernel off the cobs. Add corn kernel to the mixing bowl.
Poblano Peppers:
- Place poblano peppers on the hot side of the grill about half way though cooking corn. Let them char on both sides. Once the peppers are nicely charred, take them off the grill. Cut the peppers, take out the seeds, and scrape off the the charred skin. Dice the peppers and add them to the mixing bowl.
Corn Salad:
- Add minced cilantro, mayo, sour cream, lime zest, salt, and chili powder to the mixing bowl with corn and peppers. Mix well.
- Mix in crumbled queso fresco.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- To Boil Corn Instead: Remove the husks and all silk threads from the corn. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then lower it to medium and add the corn. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Wait until it’s cool enough to handle before cutting.
- To Char Peppers on Gas Stove: First thing to remember is to NOT walk away. Turn your gas stovetop flame to medium heat. Place the peppers on the grate directly over the top of the gas flame. Let it roast for about 3 minutes and use a pair of tongs to turn them a quarter on the way. Keep roasting and turning ever few minutes until charred and softened. Take them off the stove.
- Make Ahead: It’s actually better made ahead of time because the salad needs to chill and it will taste better once all ingredients have had time to mingle. You should make the salad about 2 hours before you need to serve it but you can also make it a day ahead. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Make it spicier: If you’re like to heat things up, consider tossing in some cayenne powder or even some chopped jalapeños. If you DO want to make it even spicier, feel free to add a habanero pepper or something spicier to the corn salad.
mimi says
This looks and sounds so good. Saving the recipe for when local corn is out – it’s not quite time here where I live. Love the ingredients!
Lyuba says
Let me know how it goes! Thanks, Mimi.