This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
For a lettuce-less salad that hits the spot, Healthy Mexican Street Corn Salad is the perfect recipe. Great for a crowd and made with fresh corn kernels, bell pepper, cotija cheese, and more!
The perfect appetizer or main course
Sometimes I find myself craving lots of veggies. You know, a big bowl filled with all of my favorites. But at the same time, a regular salad doesn’t always cut it! That’s when something like this healthy Mexican street corn salad comes in.
It’s healthy, it’s veggie-packed, and it’s full of flavor. And there’s no piece of lettuce in sight! It’s a win-win. Plus it does not use mayo or sour cream, keeping it light and fresh.
Mexican street corn salad is made using tasty ingredients like red bell pepper, onion, Greek yogurt, and jalapeños, of course! It’s an easy, straight to the point recipe that will totally satisfy cravings. It makes 10 servings, so it’s great for crowds!
And the best part? It also doubles as the best side dish!
Ingredients needed for Mexican corn salad
Healthy street corn ingredients are made up of the salad items, and the dressing fixings. Each part is bursting with strong flavor components and seasonings to ensure that we’re working with the most flavor possible!
Salad
- Corn: For the base of the salad, use 4 cups of corn. Fresh or frozen will work, but thaw the frozen corn before using.
- Avocado Oil: 1 tbsp of avocado oil will help the corn brown in the skillet.
- Red Bell Pepper: For a bit of crunch, color, and flavor, include 1/2 of a red bell pepper.
- Red Onion: Use 1/2 of a red onion to get a slight bite.
- Jalapeño: For a dash of heat, include 1 jalapeño (deseeded and diced into small pieces).
- Cilantro: Include a bit of herbs with 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro.
Dressing
- Greek Yogurt: 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt will form the base of the dressing.
- Lime: Add a zesty, tangy flavor to the dressing by including the juice of 1 large lime.
- Salt: To pull everything together, add 1 tsp of salt.
- Spices: Add flavor with 1 tsp of each of chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika.
- Crumbled Cotija Cheese: Finally, finish things off with 1/3 cup of crumbled cotija cheese (and set aside extra to sprinkle on top if desired).
What you’ll need to create this dish
This recipe calls for minimal amounts of utensils. Just grab a cutting board, knife, a large bowl, a small bowl, and a skillet, and you’re good to go!
For measuring, you’ll need the following sizes: 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup and 1 cup.
How to make healthy Mexican street corn salad
This salad comes together in only 5 easy steps! You’ll need about 30 minutes from start to finish.
First, heat a large skillet over high heat with the avocado oil. Once hot, add the corn. The corn should be slightly charred so that it has a roasted flavor and some brown bits mixed in. This will take about 4-6 minutes. Be sure to toss the corn occasionally.
Next, pour the corn in a large bowl and let it cool.
Prepare the rest of the vegetables (peppers, onion, and cilantro) by chopping them. Once chopped, add them to the bowl with the corn.
Take the small bowl and whisk together the Greek yogurt, lime juice, salt, chili powder, cumin, and paprika. When done, stir in the cheese.
Add the yogurt sauce to the large bowl and stir, combining everything until well incorporated.
Finally, top it off with more cheese and cilantro. We love to serve this with tortilla chips!
Storing your dish
Healthy Mexican street corn salad recipe will stay fresh for up to five days in the fridge. I recommend keeping it sealed in an airtight container to maintain freshness. If you can store the dressing separately, that’s even better!
Make the dish your own
Want to switch things up a bit? Here are some easy ways to adjust the flavor depending on what you like.
- More heat: Try adding more heat to the salad by introducing another jalapeño. Of course, you can always cut back on the jalapeños if spice isn’t your thing! Just give it a taste and see what you think.
- Extra veggies: Sneak in extra veggies by adding chopped green pepper or green onions! You can also add black beans in to make it more packed with protein!
- Add avocado: Avocado always makes dishes (especially salads!) that much better. Add a bit of slices to the top of your bowl for extra flavor!
- Cheese: Switch out the cotija for your favorite cheese, I think a feta cheese would be great here!
Origins of Mexican Street Corn
Doing some research, I found this article from Julee Ho all about the origins of Mexican Street Corn. ‘In modern day, the Mexican street corn that we’re familiar with has roots in Mexico City. Known widely for its street food, most specifically antojitos (little cravings), corn serves as a primary ingredient for the city’s street vendors. Unsurprisingly so, elote is served covered in butter, mayonnaise, cotija cheese and chili powder.’
Street food vendors are very popular in cities like Mexico City and they serve many dishes, just like elote.
If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!
Dying for some more tasty salad recipes? Here are some delicious ways to sneak in your veggies and enjoy doing so.
- Pear Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
- Mexican Quinoa Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Easy Curry Chicken Salad
- Cranberry Quinoa Salad
Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by The Mindful Hapa
Healthy Mexican Street Corn Salad
For a lettuce-less salad that hits the spot, Healthy Mexican Street Corn Salad is the perfect recipe. Great for a crowd and made with bell pepper, cotija cheese, and more!
Ingredients
- 4 cups corn, can be fresh or frozen (I’ve used canned and on the cob – if frozen, thaw first)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced small
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 large lime, juiced (about 3 tbsp)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese + more for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over high heat with avocado oil. Once hot, add corn in. You want to char your corn slightly so it has a roasted flavor and some brown bits. This will take about 4-6 minutes, toss occasionally.
- Pour into a large bowl and let cool.
- Prepare the rest of your veggies (peppers, onion, and cilantro) by chopping. Once chopped, add them to the bowl with the corn.
- In a small bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, lime juice, salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika. Stir in cheese.
- Add yogurt sauce to bowl and stir to combine everything well.
- Top with more cheese and cilantro.
- Store in fridge for up to five days.
There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂
Jenny says
Love this salad! Have been obsessed with anything elote these days and this recipe will be a staple for the summer! So fresh and so easy to make!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jenny, so happy you loved it!
Anna says
Delicious and so easy to make!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Anna, so glad you loved it!!
Amber Pitts says
This is delicious with everything!! It is so easy to make and comes together so quickly!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Amber, so glad you loved it!
Maureen says
So good! For reference when you see shopping for this recipe…one chobani yogurt was the perfect amount. And an ear of corn was pretty much a cup when cut off the cob. This salad was delicious. Served with grilled flank steak and a green salad and it was a perfect summer dinner! Definitely looking forward to leftovers over greens for lunch tomorrow!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Maureen, so happy you liked it and thanks for sharing the tips!!
Laura B says
Perfect side dish for taco tuesday! Was also great as a “dip” later in the week! I might use a little less cheese next time but just a personal texture preference.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Laura, such a great idea! Glad you enjoyed it!
Maisie says
The minute Erin posted this recipe, I knew I had to try it, and I was very right. This recipe is absolutely amazing! All of the flavors blend so well together and make it the perfect topping on any salad or taco!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Maisie, so glad you loved it!!
Morgan says
I made this for a cook out and it was a huge hit! Easy, healthy and amazing!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Morgan, so happy you liked it!
kendra says
Made this as a side dish and ended up eating an entire main course serving! SO good, super simple, and customizable (although I wouldn’t change a thing!)
Erin says
Hi Kendra, so glad you loved it so much!!
Laura Lee says
This recipe is so delicious! Simple, easy and a total crowd pleaser!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Laura, so happy you loved the salad!!
Leslie H says
Made this for Memorial Day and it was a favorite! Perfect and so easy to make! Will be making this a lot over the summer!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Leslie, so glad you loved it!
Jaleen says
I have made this a few times and it is so delicious! I added some black beans and it was just as good. Brought it to a BBQ and everyone loved it
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jaleen, so glad you liked it!!
Lauren says
This is so stinkin’ good. The toasty sweet corn is such a good base for all those fresh veggies with that perfect yogurt sauce. I recommend this highly!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lauren, so glad you liked the salad!
Lindsey says
Made this for memorial day bbq and WOW.
I don’t even like corn but this was out of this world. Don’t skip the toasting step, game changer.
This will definitely be on repeat this summer!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lindsey, so glad you loved it!!
Kaitlin says
So amazing!! We’ve made it 2x already. Def a summer staple 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kaitlin, so glad you loved the corn!!
Lizzie says
Made this for a Memorial Day picnic and everyone loved it! Can’t wait to try more summer recipes!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lizzie, so glad it was a hit!
Andi says
Can I give it 6 stars? So so yummy! Perfect as a side dish or snack. Great with Erin’s turkeys burgers for a yummy summer dinner:)
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Andi, so glad you loved it and happy you enjoy it with my burgers too!! 🙂
Katie C says
This was the easiest, delicious dish ever! I took it to a bbq, and made it again the next day because it went so quickly I wanted more!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Katie, so glad you loved it!!
Kate O’Brien says
Made this for Memorial Day weekend and it was the perfect summer salad! I used feta since the store didn’t have cotija and did a mixture of yellow and white frozen corn. I ate it for 4 days in a row and it was still delicious days later. I will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kate, so glad you loved it so much!
Haleigh says
Just made this for a graduation party over the weekend and it was DELICIOUS!! My family asked for it to be a “regular”!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Haleigh, so glad everyone liked it!!
Shannon says
So easy and delicious! Great flavor and great to take as a side dish to a gathering. 👏🏼 loved it.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Shannon, so glad you loved it!!