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Mexican Corn Dip

Mexican corn dip that tastes like street corn: skillet-charred corn kernels folded into a creamy, bubbly base of cream cheese and sour cream. Topped with crumbled cotija, chili powder, and lime for an elote dip-style chip dip you can serve hot.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Corn kernels
  • 3 cup corn kernels fresh or frozen (thawed)
Butter
  • 2 tbsp butter
Mayonnaise
  • 0.5 cup mayonnaise
Cream cheese
  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
Sour cream
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
Cotija cheese
  • 1 cup cotija cheese crumbled, divided
Chili powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
Smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
Garlic powder
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
Fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Jalapeño
  • 2 tbsp jalapeño finely diced
Salt
  • 1 salt to taste
Fresh cilantro
  • 1 fresh cilantro for garnish
Tortilla chips
  • 1 tortilla chips for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Char and cook the corn
  1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the corn kernels and cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until charred on one side. Visual cue: you should see dark, toasted spots on the corn edges.
  2. Stir the corn and cook for 2 more minutes to heat through. Visual cue: the corn should look evenly warmed with a few charred spots still visible.
Make it creamy
  1. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the cream cheese until melted and fully incorporated. Visual cue: the mixture becomes smooth with no cream cheese lumps.
  2. Stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, half the cotija, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, jalapeño, and lime juice until everything is creamy and heated through. Visual cue: the dip should look glossy and cohesive, and bubble lightly at the edges.
  3. Taste and season with salt to taste, then transfer to a serving bowl or serve directly from the skillet. Visual cue: the flavor should pop while the texture stays thick and creamy.
Finish and serve
  1. Top with the remaining cotija, dusting of chili powder, and fresh cilantro. Visual cue: cotija should sit on top as a crumbled, salty layer.
  2. Serve immediately with tortilla chips. Visual cue: the chips are ready for dunking while the dip is still hot.

Notes

Pro tip: if using frozen corn, thaw and pat off excess moisture so the skillet can char instead of steaming. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheat gently in the skillet over low heat, stirring until hot. Freezing isn’t recommended because the dairy base can break. For a dairy-light swap, use reduced-fat cream cheese and sour cream.